A WHIFF OF AUTUMN IS IN THE AIR

As the first wafts of an autumnal scent started to drift around the garden, so the signs of the third season of the year became more apparent. 

In the airs above the garden I’ve seen large numbers of swallows, almost entirely youngsters with their shorter forked tails, chattering away as they chase food. 

They seem effortless in the way they dance across the sky and all the time accompanied by one of my favourite sounds of nature, swallows nattering to each other. 

Given the weather next week is looking quite settled and mild, I expect a few swallows to be still showing their aerobatic skills for a little longer, although it’ll once again be a sad day when they finally depart for another seven months away. 

While there have been some reports of swallows staying in the UK throughout winter, I don’t expect them to stick around here. Perhaps the warmer southern counties near to coast are the best chance, if indeed any do decide to stay. 

The hedgehog(s) haven’t been seen for a few days in the garden, although one of the neighbours is still seeing them more regularly. 

I’ll put more dog food out now, in addition to the water bowl, to help them/it fatten up for winter. Finding out where it calls home might be beyond me at the moment. 

In the garden, just like in the wheat fields around the house, that harvesting has been in full swing. 

All the broad beans have been collected and one or two tomatoes too; but once again they have been poor again this year. 

So indeed, have the sunflowers with only one making it to show its sunny self, and even that one is not fully open yet! 

Finally, another new nest in the garden, taking the total this year to five, in addition to the robin ivy next, goldfinch bush nest, great tit nestbox nest and woodpigeon tree nest. 

While the bird remains anonymous, I suspect the layout of the next suggests a robin. 

The video would show why I think it’s a robin, because the entrance is rather open, after I created it following the demise of the first two robin broods. 

It’s not the robin family that successfully fledged a brood from the ivy because they definitely nested again in there, but it’s perhaps the robins that are now trying to stake a claim to the garden against the ivy family. 

This could be one to watch over autumn and winter.

THE NEXT GENERATION IS ALMOST WITH US

In the last week or so the robins have still been around the garden, sometimes looking at the ivy and going in to investigate what I presume can be to build another nest.

I’ve even seen them go in with nesting materials, although not very often and I don’t think there was enough movement to suggest the garden will have robin chicks this year, sadly.

The great tit chicks are very loud now and I’m surprised they haven’t fledged yet, although the parents are seemingly trying to tempt them out now!

Perhaps when the heat we’re likely to see tomorrow will prove the final straw as the nest will become very hot and their feathers will increase their body temperature and incentivise them to reach for the outside world.

The house sparrow families are seemingly thriving and the swallows are looking like they are nest building, more on both of those next week.

The pond has plenty of life in it, but there’s not been the sign of the frog for a while and there’s not visible frogspawn.

However, it is providing a place for insects to live and they are needed for a bio-diverse garden, which is what I want to have.

The broad beans, tomatoes and other flora are growing quite well, although not so much the poppies. I don’t know why that is, but they are in various locations around the garden so let’s see how they all are in a few weeks.

As we approach the traditional summer season, it’s going to be interesting to see how the current Covid-19 situation will impact everyone and the wildlife.

One thing’s for sure is the wildlife around the garden has been carrying on with the breeding season, blissfully unaware of the situation their human neighbours are going through.

Time will tell how much the pandemic has affected wildlife, hopefully it’ll be in a positive way.

In the meantime we’ll keep on trying to help the birds get fed with mealworm handouts and watch as the next generations make their way in the world around us.

ENJOYING THE LOCKDOWN WILDLIFE DURING A HOT APRIL

Four weeks into lockdown and I’m seeing and learning new things about the garden and wildlife.

The original or usual next box looks like it’s got a great tit couple nesting in it, which is great news that it’s being used for I think the 12^th consecutive year since it was put up.

The robins have appeared to stop and nest building trips to the ivy, so perhaps they’re sitting on eggs. Time will tell but I hope so.

A pair of blue tits are nesting in a crevice in the house next door, which is a place they’ve used before. It’s where an old outlet pipe for a boiler was sited, so it’s obviously quite a nice venue for them.

I think there’s activity in the one of the other nest boxes on the wall, the single one, but I’m not sure which birds are nesting there, if any. House sparrows, great tits and blue tits have all been seen taking an interest.

However, the big news is a new pair of breeding birds has been discovered, which is a first for me.

At the back of house, a pair of pied wagtails are busy building a nest under the roof tiles of the old shippons.

It’s really exciting because it’s directly in front of one of our bedroom windows, so viewing the activity is quite easy.

The pond has had a delivery of flowering plants, snails and oxygenating plants, and is still home to the frog.

I’m not sure if the frog has successfully found a mate, I would suggest not, but it’s great that it’s there making itself at home.

Also making themselves at home in the garden has been a range of butterflies, including the peacock, orange tip, speckled wood and holly blue.

News on the planting next time, but there’s lots of growing in the greenhouse, so hopefully lots of successful growth and new life in the garden in the coming weeks and months.

TYPICAL SPRING WEATHER?

It’s turning into proper early spring weather, with stormy conditions followed by calm and sunny weather, with cold nights.

Many days recently have had the dawn chorus become louder, varied and earlier, as birds anticipate the start of the breeding season.

This was particularly noticeable at the weekend, when songs from the usual suspects of blackbird, robin, blue tit, great tit, dunnock, house sparrow and more became evident.

There’s also been magpies appearing to nest in nearby trees, although I’m slightly concerned this will impact the garden birds and their nesting.

The lane has recently become a meeting place for a number of frogs, with them seemingly happy to place themselves in the path of traffic (ok not much traffic goes down the lane), in the hope of finding a mate.

The pond isn’t quite ready for them yet, and I only managed to get one oxygenating plant from a water world garden centre, as many others aren’t ready.

I will make another attempt this week, although one thing I did manage to get was some water snails, hidden in the plant.

I’ll make another attempt to get plants this week, at another garden centre that has said they ‘have loads’, but hopefully the pond will look good ahead of when we’ll experience lighter nights and warmer spring weather.

I doubt the frogs will use it this year, but I just want it to be established first.

I’ve not been able to fully check the nest box cameras, so it might end up being something I save for when we move house – that will be a sad day leaving here.

Until then it’ll be all about enjoying the wildlife in the small garden wildlife oasis we have.

SNOW AT CHRISTMAS?

It would appear the title of this blog post would seem unlikely, particularly given the mild start to December.

Of course, things can change in the coldest season, but I suspect the white stuff will stay away until deeper into winter.

The birds have stayed away from the garden mainly, with just the odd visit from a blue or great tit, while the sparrows are visiting quite often to feed on the fat snack or peanuts.

I’ve checked the bird boxes this weekend and surprisingly found only two nests. One in the nest box that’s had nests in it for 11 consecutive springs, while one was also located in the box under the honeysuckle.

The regularly used nest box had blue tits in, and this is, it on the right.

This one was used by a robin family once since 2008, and a robin family used it again this summer. This is how hidden it was in the honeysuckle and here’s the nest in the box itself. The nest outside the box is above, next to the robin one.

I’d noted this earlier on this year, with the local robin pairing spending quite a bit of time in the garden, to recce two of the most unused nest boxes.

The first one they looked at wasn’t used this year and hasn’t been used apart from by a small wasp colony a few years ago.

The surprising find was the triple and new single nest box weren’t used at all, despite the triple one being used for every previous year it has been up.

So, they’ve all had a pre-spring clean, ready for any winter roosting, although with the cameras still not working it might be another bit of guesswork as to whether they will be used as roosting sites.

I do hope the robins use the nest box again this year; and there has been a noticeable presence from one robin recently, including some territory-setting tunes.

With the worst of winter yet to appear, I’m sure the garden will soon start filling up with birds, including the usual winter visiting family of long tailed tits.

WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER & AUTUMN IN THE SAME MONTH?

We’ve not yet finished April but we’ve seen weather representing all four seasons already.

Hail and a little snow started the month, before spring(ish) conditions followed, then last week summer took over, while autumn came along today and looks like staying until May – or until winter starts the sequence again.

What’s been lovely to see, up until today, has been the swallows dancing in the air, chattering and making plans for breeding, plans that may be on hold for now!

The nest building in the garden continues, with the blue tits and blackbirds making their choices of nest location well known.

The male wren has been entertaining the female at his nest in the previously unused nest box.

It’s been difficult to assess her feedback, although she has been spotted a few times so perhaps this nest ‘sale’ is still under discussion.

What’s been very distinguishable is the dawn chorus, and what a lovely sound the birds are making around the garden.

Wren, blackbird, blue tit, house sparrow, robin, dunnock, goldfinch, chaffinch, swallow, chiffchaff and great tit all providing a cacophony of alarm bells from the first chink of light – at the moment 5am is late for some birds!

The big question for the birds is will there be enough food for when the chicks arrive, particularly for those that have laid eggs recently, as the colder weather isn’t beneficial for the usual spring gluttony of caterpillars.

One thing I do is order mealworms, and the first batch is due to arrive this weekend, so it’ll be interesting to see which birds fly off with big bunches of them first.