SUMMER HAS ARRIVED, JUST AS THE SNAILS ARE 'LEAVING'

Those damn snails stretched and broke my patience after eating numerous new plants that I’d put outside, meaning about 40 per cent had been killed or brutally attacked by snails and slugs.

Enough was enough and I bought some eco-friendly pellets to protect the remaining and newly planted greenery.

In one night I estimate over 40 snails and slugs fell victim to the pellets, while several more have done the same in the following nights. I also ‘rehomed’ about 20 in the last couple of days so I’m hoping the attack on my plants will soon be over.

I took delivery of a box of mealworms this week and they’ve been readily accepted by a number of house and tree sparrow parents along with a great tit family.

The tree sparrow family have already raised one brood and I suspect the second one is not too far away, while the house sparrow youngsters are very noisy when food is being handed out.

Unfortunately the issues I’ve had with my nest box cameras has meant I can’t see inside any nest boxes this year – very frustrating, but great to know nature is carrying on as normal and that new types of birds are utilising the nest boxes.

Here’s one of the house sparrow parents waiting to fly to the tit nest box to feed its youngster. They’re getting used to us slowly, but still create lots of noise when near the nest!

 

I managed to track the great tit on its feeding forages between the place I put the mealworms, to the nest. It’s located behind the house in the garden of the farm house behind. About twenty foot up an old oak tree, hidden away in thick ivy is a number of great chick tits in a cosy nest – feeding on mealworms.

I’ve not seen the robins for a few days, while the blackbirds have also been scarce, apart from the males singing from roost posts at dusk.

The swallows are obviously enjoying the recent weather and the plethora of insects. Their song and aerobatic flight is a joy to watch and listen to. It may only last for a few months, but it’s still my favourite part of summer.

So the next week will bring wet, but fairly warm weather which is great for the growing plants, although it gives the snails and slugs the perfect conditions to try and destroy my plants!

This time I have a better defence, or so I think…

In the meantime here’s some of the broad beans and one of the foxgloves are getting on. Don't ask me why but they won't face the right way!

 

A NEW FAMILY IN MY NESTBOX

Two main bits of news since my bizarre video from a few days ago. First of all thank you to those people who told me that the bizarre video was of ermine moth caterpillars. The fully grown moth is below.

The blue tits’ nestbox (the one with the camera that still doesn’t work) now has house sparrow chicks in, which I can hear calling for food.

I’ve never heard of this kind of behaviour before (a bird taking over another nest immediately after the first birds fledged), although, as previously mentioned in my blog, I did find a dead house sparrow in the nest of the blue tits a few years ago.

It’s great to know that two species of bird have utilised the same ‘house’ that I’ve provided for wildlife, and good to know the mealworm, peanut and seed hand-outs I provide are being used to help raise the next generation.

I’m not sure when the house sparrow chicks will fledge but suspect they have another three or maybe five days left in the nest.

In other news the robin chicks have visited the garden with one of the parent birds and made use of the mealworms I’m still providing.

The great tits and blue tits have not been seen in or around the garden for a few days and I suspect they’re not far away, just skulking in the hedges, bushes and trees while the parents undergo the annual moult.

There seems to be plenty of young birds about, much more than last year, including magpies, blackbirds, goldfinches, chiffchaffs and long tailed tits.

A large family of long tailed tits visited the garden this week and I counted nine, which may not mean seven youngsters as there might also have been a couple of cousins and siblings of the parent birds.

The good news has been a dramatic increase in the amount of bees visiting the flowers in the garden. The foxgloves have been a particular favourite with roses and pyracantha a taking second place.

Let’s hope the summer can deliver some good conditions for continued growth and prosperity of all wildlife, to make up for last year.

SUMMER IS HERE, WELL FOR NOW ANYWAY

A week of lovely early summer weather has been enjoyed by all forms of life, wild and human.

The railway bridge robin family is still gathering mealworms from my garden, although I suspect the chicks have fledged, as the parent birds dart of in different directions each time they pick up a mealworm delivery.

I’m hoping the parents bring the chicks to the garden, as they have done in previous years, although I’ll just have to wait and see.

As I’m writing this outside in the morning sun, the parents are buzzing all around me, calling at me and looking forlornly in my direction. It’s weird but they have done it so many times recently that I know they’re basically asking for my next supply of mealworms!

The blackbird parents are busy gathering food too and making use of the mealworms hand-outs for their chicks. The nest is behind our house and near the horse stable where the swallows are nesting.

Just now a swallow has burst into song and it’s probably my favourite sound of summer.

The blue tits have not been seen all week and I suspect the parents have taken the chicks to explore the wider area, while they begin their moult.

I’ve only seen fleeting glances of the great tits, so suspect the chicks have fledged and will soon be heading off just like the blue tits.

The one surprise has been the house sparrows. At least two families have fledged chicks, with some even being fed in the garden.

But the strangest news is around a pair of house sparrows that has built a nest in the camera nestbox, on top of the old blue tit nest.

Most years a pair of house sparrows has inspected the camera nestbox, but usually after it’s been occupied. In 2011 I found a dead house sparrow in the nest of the great tit family when clearing the nestbox out in the autumn.

This behaviour is something I’ve never seen or heard of before and I’ll be keeping a close eye on this as the month progresses.

My only disappointment is that the camera is still not working!

The flora in the garden has burst into life and the foxgloves are about to open the flowers and provide bees and butterflies with an ample supply of nectar.