SUMMER SUN IS BRIGHTENING UP THE WILDLIFE

The house sparrows are becoming even shyer as the signal from the blue tit nest box camera is intermittent at best.

I fear they’ve either pecked at it or pushed nesting material and forced the emitting antennae to malfunction.

I can’t try to fix the problem, as the eggs are about to hatch or have hatched in the last 24 hours – I suspect the latter as activity has certainly increased to the nest box.

I bought some mealworms last week, which attracted plenty of birds to the feeders, particularly the house sparrow parents in the neighbourhood – I counted at least ten adults at one point so presume there are at least six nests in and around the garden.

Unfortunately all the mealworms have now gone, after a night-time thief raided the containers outside the back door and took what was remaining.

The thief also carried out a daytime raid, so my list of main suspects is down to two – magpies or grey squirrel.

The squirrel hasn’t been seen recently, while the magpies have a nest nearby and are almost daily visitors to the garden.

I’ll have to keep the next lot of mealworms locked away more securely!

No hedgehogs yet, but I’m pretty hopeful of being able to pick up one or two rescued ones next weekend.

Finally I’ve planted out a number of sunflowers, broad beans and runner beans, all with biodegradable slug and snail pellets.

The first night didn’t capture many of the plant destroyers, so I hope for the hedgehogs’ sake that the neighbours have plenty!

WINTER COLD POSTPONES PREPARATIONS FOR SPRING

This year we can’t say we haven’t had some proper winter weather. The snow, ice and bitterly cold northerly winds have caused wildlife in the garden to postpone plans for spring.

The nest building of the house sparrows has stopped (see first three images below), although overnight roosting has continued with the female bird (see final image below).

 

 

 

 

A pair of tree sparrows are still showing great interest in the sparrow nest box ‘complex’, but not in the section with a camera in.

In the last couple of days I have seen the pair of robins, whose territory includes the garden, flirting with each other and driving off intruders.

A pair of great tits have also been showing signs of flirtation but, like the robins, it doesn’t last long as the search for food to keep them alive during the harsh overnight frosts takes their attention.

Recently a grey squirrel has been frequenting the garden. This is unusual because although they seem to live about ½ a mile away, visits to the garden have been very rare.

The prolonged cold weather must be driving them further in search of food.

With the ground rock hard, the single winter rose and snowdrop are unlikely to be joined by any of the numerous bulbs that had pierced the surface of the soil a couple of weeks ago.

The branches of the fruit tree in the garden are covered in the first shoots of spring buds, but I don’t expect there to be any further movement in the next week or so.

That’s because the forecast appears to show this cold weather staying for a while, so postponing the recent eagerness of the wildlife in and around the garden to prepare for spring.

WINTER VISITORS SIGHTED?

The frost and for that greeted me this morning was another indication that winter is starting to wrap her hands around the country, particularly where I live.

There are positives to the cold of winter; it kills of bugs/germs that would otherwise thrive in non-freezing conditions, plus it ensures the survival of the fittest wildlife so making the next generation the strongest possible.

Last winter wasn’t cold enough to deliver the usual benefits and this spring and summer have made for terrible breeding conditions for a lot of wildlife. None more so than the great tits that lost all eight chicks in the nestbox that contains a camera in my garden.

I’m expecting to see some winter visitors soon, although as we’re on the western side of the UK, not as many as those who live in a more easterly direction.

This week I’ve noticed chaffinches and goldfinches close to the garden, while I’m sure a flock of redwing flew over the garden.

As the weather gets colder then I’m sure the influx of visitors will increase and my nut feeders will feature a wide variety of birds.

A grey squirrel has been noticed close to our garden on a regular basis, and I’ve even see it in my garden once. I suspect it’ll be back when the weather gets colder.

The grass has grown long in the garden, but I’m leaving it for a while so the insects that are sheltering there can make it to the leaf-laden borders and long term winter residence.

Having not spent much daylight time at home and in the garden I’m hoping the next few weeks will give me a better indication as to what is happening with the local wildlife.