FLOODING, STORMS, NESTBOXES AND SPRING

The main topic of conversation this winter has been about the stormy weather and the affect it's had on the land and the people dealing with the after effects.

Flooding has been a huge problem for many people through overflowing rivers and streams, along with high tides and huge waves battering the coastline.

But a number of people have been affected by the rising water table and simply only realised the flooding was happening at their property when it started to come through the floors, not the doors.

In my garden and house we’ve been lucky so far, as we just have a very soggy lawn and borders, but this week it could have been so different following the most vicious storm of the winter so far.

We were subject to 100mph winds and heavy rain, which didn’t lead to massive flooding, but did lead to many trees, power cables and roof tiles down.

Having briefly assessed the damage it’s hard to tell if the house has suffered significantly or not, but luckily the trees and bushes emerged relatively unscathed.

The bird feeders have taken some damage, but I’ve now fixed them. The nestboxes must be more securely tied down than I imagined as they all were in situ after the winds died down.

It enabled me to do stage two of the sparrow nestbox camera construction.

The camera has now been fitted (see below) with a battery and now I’m hoping it’ll work and link up with the wireless receiver and show the inside of the nestbox on my TV, just like the single great/blue tit nestbox.

Next weekend I’ll be testing it and hoping that the wired version isn’t required as that’ll need an order putting in and an extra delay.

The tit nestbox camera isn’t revealing much yet, which I think shows that the roosting sites around the garden are still good enough due to the mild conditions.

It could also mean that the nesting instinct hasn’t yet kicked in, possibly due to the mild winter and the birds unsure of when spring is actually going to start. Hopefully the increase in daylight will start that breeding urge soon and the battle for nestboxes will start.

The spring bulbs are continuing to emerge and the later it goes in February, the closer it gets to spring actually starting to push winter away; whether the weather is any different is anyone’s guess!

SUNFLOWERS PROVING POPULAR

As the daylight succumbs to the long dark nights that winter will soon bring, the sunny moments we experience now should be enjoyed while they last.

Inevitably the wildlife are now storing up food for the colder days ahead, so my peanut feeder is taking a battering, along with the seed-filled heads of my sunflowers.

Today I've spent time watching as blue and great tits feast on the seeds, sometimes hanging upside down before prising the valued food from the flower head.

I've counted 37 sunflower heads in my garden, some bigger than others, from three varieties of plant. It doesn't seem to worry the tits as they happily fly from one type to another.

I was busy digging up part of the garden last weekend when I noticed I had company. Within minutes of me starting a robin was watching my every move and when a tasty morsel popped out of the ground, it was soon gobbled up by my new friend.

The robin stayed with me for over an hour and didn’t seem too disturbed to be feeding within a few inches of where I was standing or my spade was digging.

I suspect this robin is a resident of the area and knows that I’m not a threat; indeed I’m great help for a hungry bird looking for food.

About a week ago the garden peanut feeder was visited by a bird I’d not seen around for months; a great spotted woodpecker. I was quite shocked because the feeder is now within six feet of the house and front door, so this one must have been brave.

They’re very flighty birds so this one didn’t stay around too long, but it’s good to know one is still around and I’ll be looking out for it this autumn and winter.

The number of snails and slugs seems to be going down, although I still ‘crunch’ a few underfoot as I walk in the garden after dark.

I’m wondering of the huge numbers this year will result in even bigger numbers next year. If so I’d like to think that we’ll have hedgehog numbers increasing and hope to see one in our garden soon.

On final note the main concern I have for this winter is the high water table level. Just a short spell of rain now floods streams and rivers, while making fields and gardens very boggy.

Will autumn help by being drier than normal or will we face the prospect of heavy snow and dangerous surfaces outside this winter.

 

FINAL FAREWELL FROM THE SWALLOWS?

The lowest weather pressure system seen in Britain in September for over 30 years has brought chaos to many parts of the UK, particularly northern England.

Major flooding affected the roads and countryside around my home and garden, at one point making the house impossible to get to.

After three days of rain, torrential at times, the garden resembled a sodden marsh, even the snails and slugs seemed to be disturbed by the weather.

One thing I didn’t expect to see was what greeted me earlier this week. Below is an image of about 25 swallows swooping over a partially flooded field, chattering away in excitement to each other as they chased insects for breakfast. (see below)

 

I did notice that many were youngsters with their tail feathers not quite as long as the adults, so presume they were either a late brood or had been delayed by the recent storm system.

Whatever their reason is was a wonderful sight and I hope they all make it to the warmer climes of Africa and some slightly less damp conditions.

I was then immediately brought back down to earth as I faced another tricky day of negotiating the flooded lane that leads to our house.

 

Part of the lane was turned into a river as the small stream that normally sits alongside it spilled over as it failed to cope with the rainfall, eventually creating a river by using the lane as a path to travel along.

 

The lane is now back to normal, apart from the huge amount of debris carried by the flood water, including branches, rocks, litter and mud.

I’m still not sure how wildlife has been affected close to me, though Cheshire Wildlife Trust did say they hoped the population of water voles had kept safe.

It goes to show even those who live in and around water are in danger when flooding occurs.

I suspect flying creatures like butterflies and moths have suffered, particularly the former as I’d seen plenty of them feeding only a few days previously.

But wildlife does have a habit of bouncing back from natural devastations so while the short term for many might not be good, I suspect long term many will use next year to reclaim any losses in 2012.

I’ll now be keeping an eye out for some more straggling swallows, but also for other wildlife to see what the storm has done.