MAY SPRING BE UPON US!

Glorious May, well not quite, but the wildlife seems to be adamant some warm weather is on its way.

The dawn chorus is in full swing, with many now starting before 5am, not good for the late risers.

I’ve started to put out mealworms for the birds, however none have shown signs that their taking the food to a nest – they simply move to a sheltered spot nearby and devour what they’ve grabbed.

The wrens are still singing nearby, but I’m not sure if they’ve decided on the garden as a nesting place – only time will tell as I’m not going to disturb the nest box until I’m sure they’re not using it.

I’m still not sure if the house sparrows are using any of the nest boxes, although the blue tits are definitely bedded in the original next box, which still isn’t transmitting properly.

Once again I’m on the hunt for the robin’s nest, which is likely to end in failure as it has every other year.

In flora news the first sunflowers have been put outside to grow in the portable greenhouse, so hopefully some early autumn food for the garden birds awaits.

Food for the humans at the house will be in the form of tomatoes and broad beans, but they won’t be let outside for another week.

Until then let’s hope the weather warms up and the sound of chicks is blasting through the garden air.

WINTER, SUMMER, NOW AUTUMN?

The last few weeks have seemingly brought three seasons in just a few days. The hailstones and frosts gave way to temperatures in the high 20s, before cold northerly winds brought temperatures, and matching weather, reminiscent of autumn.

How has the wildlife fared? Probably about the same as humans – managing through it all.

The swallows have been in good song and, apart from when it’s been really wet, showing off their aerobatic skills.

Chiffchaffs have also been in full voice, while magpies are now regularly being seen on their own, suggesting it’s partner is on eggs in the nest.

The great tits are definitely on eggs, but with a change in the TV situation in the house, images are not currently available.

Not a single piece of nesting material is in the new nest box, so the camera is wasted in there. Is it because the triple sparrow nest box above it is occupied? I have my suspicions.

No sign of the house sparrow families feeding youngster in the three nest, but I suspect it’ll only be a matter of time before we hear some noisy chicks.

The main focus recently have been on planting and now the temporary greenhouse is almost completely full of emerging chillis, tomatoes, sunflowers and cauliflowers.

The snails and slugs have so far been kept at bay, but I sense it’s only time before at least one plant succumb to the molluscs.

The defence barrier it there, so I’m hoping it holds out, unlike the continuing battle with the cats. More of that next time!

THE GARDEN IS SPRINGING INTO LIFE

The first May Bank Holiday has delivered the sounds of new life, lawnmowers and people groaning about bad backs from too much gardening.

I can lay claim to all three having spent most of the weekend in the garden and watching the emergence of new life.

The triple sparrow nest box with the camera that is working has tree sparrows in and they are very nervous when any human is around, even though I was in the garden all day they still gave warning calls whenever they were near the nest.

I suspect the chicks are about ten days old – so about a week from fledging – as they are quite noisy when the parents bring food in. I managed to get one image (which is blurry so haven't put up on here) of the adults over the whole of the weekend due to this nervousness – although the chicks still got many feeds.

In the other nest box, in which the camera isn’t working, I suspect the house sparrows are on eggs as they don’t have frequent visits with food like the tree sparrows, but I have seen them going in and out of the nest box.

The robin family must have young and there is a wren chirping away near to the garden, which I think means there is a robin and wren nesting in the banking by the little stream.

I’ve not seen much of the blue tits or great tits, but they do visit for food.

The dunnocks are rarely seen, while the blackbirds must be feeding youngsters as both parents have been seen collecting worms.

In the garden I’ve planted a number of sunflowers, while the runner beans and broad beans are in two locations with a climbing frame for them to grow up. The tomato plants will soon be in the greenhouse, while the final potatoes have been planted.

The first potatoes should be harvested in early July and as you can see from the image below, the rows of different growth can be seen – the far side were planted first.

Finally the swallows lighten up the skies with their calls and seem to be pairing up. Every night I see a pair on the telephone wires by the garden, singing and frequently feeding by swooping low over the garden.

SWALLOWS RETURN TO SPARK SUMMER WARMTH?

Lovely sunny weather in the day has meant colder nights, not the ideal conditions for planting out new plants.

I’ve put some out in the greenhouse, broad beans and sunflowers, and they have so far responded well; continuing to grow well.

More potatoes have been planted so hopefully we’ll have a good supply of spuds from August onwards – perhaps even up until November.

The tomatoes, runner bean, onion, cornflower, cosmos and more sunflowers have been planted, so there should be more green shoots by the end of Easter.

The birds have been flocking to the garden, with the blackbirds picking up plenty of worms from the lawn and blue tits, great tits, dunnocks, robins and sparrows feasting on the peanuts and fat snacks.

But the big news this week has been the return of the swallows. I watched jealously as people report swallow sightings across the country through social media, but this week I heard the sweet sound of spring and summer in the air.

I looked up and saw five swallows showing off their aerobatic skills and they seemed to be having a brilliant time, chattering all the time.

The next job I have is to find out where they’ll be nesting, and also if I can see where other nests are. Stay tuned for updates as I check out the sites I know were occupied last year, particularly the robins by the railway bridge and blackbirds in a nearby small bush.

STORMY WEATHER BRINGS CHAOS TO WILDLIFE

It’s been a week of shocking weather that has badly affected our wildlife.

Firstly the extremely strong winds that battered the country, swiftly followed by the storm surge that has hit both humans and wildlife.

Hundreds of grey seal pups washed away along the North Sea coasts and I’m sure many birds have been blown off course or away from their intended targets.

My garden hasn’t seen too much negativity, apart from the temporary greenhouse that blew over and the dead leaves that I’d covered the borders with being blown all over the place – more work to fix that required.

What has happened has been more birds frequenting the feeders in the garden since the weather abated.

Throughout the weekend the visits from blue tits, great tits, robins, blackbirds, dunnocks, tree sparrows and house sparrows has increased rapidly.

The weather hasn’t got colder so I can only assume that the strong winds meant they didn’t want to travel far and a good food supply, that is found in my garden, with good areas of cover is the best place to be for now.

Perhaps next week they’ll disperse into the countryside again and utilise the natural food supply – only time will tell.

Christmas is just over two weeks away, but it doesn’t have the feel of winter and therefore Christmas just yet – then again maybe that’s just me.

It means that the final vegetable in my garden will be excavated and hopefully enjoyed by the family during the Christmas Day meal. Once the parnsips are dug up I’ll put some pics up to show whether it’s been a success.

As for the weather, it looks like a mild(ish) week and fairly quiet for the wildlife, which is not too bad after last week’s one in 200 year event!

TOAD IN THE HOLE

Not the usual sausage in mash version, but an actual toad in a hole in our garden.

I noticed it last night while watering the plants in the greenhouse; I thought it was a mouse but it then appeared from the undergrowth.

It appeared to be wary of me, but not completely overwhelmed once it could see I meant it now harm.

The good news is the toad is still there tonight so is obviously enjoying our garden and I'm happy to welcome a new animal to the garden as it will eat slugs, snails and other animals that want to eat my plants!

I think I've worked out where the toad lives so will be keeping an eye out and updating the blog with further news.

This morning, after my daughter's 5am alarm call, I was able to watch some of the birds in and around our house and noticed another new bird.

A female blackcap was among a family of chiffchaffs, my returning great tits and a sole robin chick.

It was great to see and hear all the birds going about their daily routines and the families feeding together. The whole scene reminded me of my own family growing together and the early alarm call was soon forgotten.

Maybe I'll get up at 5am most days (during the summer) to see what else is happening in and around where we live.