DOES ANYONE REMEMBER WHEN IT WASN’T STORMY?

It’s fair to say that I’m struggling to remember when the last time we had some calm weather, given we’re experiencing storm after storm hitting the UK.

And, if there hasn’t been a named storm, then we’ve been hit be continual low pressures or the windy edge of a high pressure.

The fields are soaking, and large ponds of water are now forming and not draining at all.

Even the stream alongside the lane regularly breaches the banks when we’ve had a few hours of rain.

These videos are taken one day last week, then below are two mages taken the same time, on the following day.

To see all that in one go, here’s a collated image. What’s not shown is the water on the lane is gradually damaging the surface and there’s not a day goes by when the lane doesn’t have large puddles dotted along it.

 

The wildlife is not appearing to be affected by the weather, well from what I can see and hear.

The dawn chorus has been getting stronger each day recently, although the storm and wet mornings have limited activity.

During the day we’re now hearing more territorial songs from the robins, blue tits, great tits and also the odd chaffinch.

The breeding season is largely dictated by the day length, but I do wonder how the storm will affect it long-term.

If the butterflies and moths, which lay eggs that then turn onto the caterpillar food for the small garden birds, get impacted by the storms, then how will the birds cope?

That will also impact some the birds of prey in the area, but we can only wait and see how that all plays out.

If the stormy weather continues for a while, then our summer migrants might also be impacted; so swallows, house martins, swifts and cuckoos.

Again only time with tell, until then we’ll continue to batten down the hatches and hope the water levels gradually drop.

FROM SUMMER TO AUTUMN IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

It seems the weather decided the August Bank Holiday would be the last hurrah of anything connected with summer.

The warm and sunny weather experience over the Bank Holiday was certainly welcomed by many, but in the following weeks it’s been clear to any remaining swallows, swifts, house martins or any other summer visitors that the UK is shutting down for the season.

The local swallows had been swooping around the garden in high numbers, but none have been sighted for at least a week.

The magpies are most definitely around, but that wasn’t the case during a recent visit to Cornwall.

Not once in a week was a single magpie seen, there were however plenty of herring gulls and jackdaws living alongside each other.

The gulls could be responsible for the lack of magpies, while other smaller garden birds seemed to be away from the areas that the gulls operated in.

The weather hasn’t quite pushed the garden birds back into the garden on a regular basis, but in the last few days the blue tits have been spending time every day, foraging and it’s probably not going to be long before the blackbirds, robins, great tits, dunnocks and goldfinches.

In 2016 and 2014, September brought many days of warm sunshine, with 2016 recording the highest temperature of the year!

Will the end of September bring an Indian summer, or will it signal the mass return of the garden birds to feed on the fat feeders?

A SLOW START TO AUTUMN

It’s definitely autumn, but someone might remind the season itself as the usually autumnal weather isn’t really taking affect.

The worms in the garden are finding the leaves blown to the ground, on the odd windy day, quite useful, but we’re nearly in November and the traditional conditions of strong winds and heavy rain have stayed away.

It does mean that while the summer visitors (swifts, swallows and house martins etc.) have long gone, the autumnal migrants – both to the UK and the garden – are not exactly here in big numbers.

Perhaps the new series of BBC’s Autumnwatch will herald the arrival of normal autumnal weather.

The garden is looking fairly bare in terms of bird numbers and variety; even the blackbirds, robins and tits (great and blue) are infrequently seen.

The house and tree sparrows are hardly in the garden at all, which has all meant the bird feeders do not have to be topped up very often.

Snow and ice are ‘predicted’ by some weather forecasters, but this seems to be the case every year.

If it does come true (that’s a very big IF) then the garden and the feeders could see the odd unusual visitor.

Three birds are on the list to be seen this winter – long tailed tit, redwing and fieldfare. The former usually visits in flocks every winter, but the other two have never been seen in the garden.

They have been spotted nearby, so this year there will be some keen eyes focused on the red berries and fat snacks, just in case.

Finally, Spike the hedgehog has still not been spotted, although it’s too early to put up ‘dead or alive’ posters.

IS AUTUMN REMINISCING ABOUT SUMMER?

The swifts, swallows and house martins have all gone long since, but autumn appears to be still holding a candle for summer; well it certainly feels like that with the recent warm weather

Ok, so the sunny days have been replaced by the occasional cool night, but it’s still good to see the sun, rather than the wind and rain we usually associate with autumn.

I know, it’ll be wet and windy soon enough, but for now let’s be happy with the current conditions.

In the garden it’s a similar theme, with birds stalling in their feeding habits, preferring the open countryside and hedgerows, to the comforts of garden hand-outs.

The garden has mainly seen small flocks of house sparrows, with the occasional tree sparrow, great tit, blue tit and dunnock present at the fat snack and peanut feeder.

But in general these visits are frequent or for very long, with robins, blackbirds and magpies hardly ever seen.

The garden will only become a ‘real’ food station when it is visited by a flock of long tailed tits, and not one had been seen since very early in the year.

The food supplies are now stocked up, so when colder weather does hit and the birds come calling, there will be plenty to go around.

Until then I’m sure everyone is happy with the current climate.

NEW ARRIVALS AMID SUMMER SUN

Little did I realise when I wrote my blog post last week that my imminent new arrival was exactly that.

A day after posting the latest update the garden saw another arrival, this time of the human variety and our second daughter.

Bizarrely a rose that emerged at the time our first daughter was born suddenly emerged again this week.

 

The rose plant hasn’t really grown in six years, but occasionally produces a lovely flower. Nature has a funny way of showing us things and while it’s likely to be coincidence, I’d like to think the garden was in some way saying congratulations.

With warm weather continuing to bathe the garden, the plants are reacting with growth spurts, albeit once I’ve provided enough water.

The blackbirds, house sparrows, tree sparrows, blue tits, great tits and robins are now fairly regular visitors to the garden, with most still appearing to have young, either in the nest or having recently fledged.

I’ve not seen many youngsters recently, but I’ve heard lots of chattering in the trees and bushes with parent birds appearing to be flying rapidly between the food sources in my garden and the fledglings in the canopy.

The swallow numbers have continually grown and this is most evident during the period just after dawn and early evening.

With shorter tails it’s easy to identify the youngsters from this year, but with plenty of them and the speed in which they all fly together, counting how may there are is almost impossible.

I've also seen a few house martins around and occasionally swifts – both of which I've seen in previous years and I know nest nearby – so I'm hoping this is a good sign that breeding has been good for them this year.

The slug and snail invasion is showing no sign of slowing down. The casualties mount up daily, although I do try and put live ones in our recyclable green waste bin so they can be ‘relocated’.

I’m hoping to have my first crop harvested this week, which will be the broad beans. It’s hard to tell when they’re exactly right to pick, but I’m looking forward to creating some dishes with them as a key ingredient.

OCTOBER PROVIDING LAST CHANCE TO BREED?

As the wet and cool summer gave way for a wet September, most people could be forgiven for thinking October would be cold and even wetter.

So far it's turned wet, but the cold weather hasn’t really materialised, the odd exception apart. In fact the weather is due to become a little milder in the next few days.

This has been backed up by regular sightings of swallows and house martins across the UK, despite the fact they should have been half way to Africa now.

I last spotted a large number of swallows at the end of September, but others have reportedly seen some in the last week, while there’s been one tweeter (excuse the pun) posting about house martins still nesting.

Wildlife has the knack of adapting to weather conditions and changing things like breeding habits, migration and even food sources.

It’s difficult to tell what the long or mid-term results will be of the wet summer we’ve had, but one thing could be our summer migrants staying later, risking their lives, to increase the breeding population for next year.

You could even say (without any biological evidence) that old birds are potentially sacrificing themselves to give their youngsters the chance to keep populations of their species going.

Of course you could also say that they could be first time parents or know that leaving it late will still give enough chances to raise a successful brood as insects hampered by the wet summer continue breeding in to autumn.

I was checking a couple of my nestboxes this week, ones that haven’t been used for nesting, when I came across a dead tree sparrow in one. I couldn’t see any reasons why it had died, other than old age or starvation.

The starvation one seems unlikely as I supply the birds visiting my garden with a range of seeds and nuts, so can only presume it died of old age or a genetic condition. A sad sight, but just part of nature.

The blue and great tits are still enjoying the sunflower seeds, so I’m not clearing up the plants until all seeds are gone.

My garden flowers are still producing a colourful backdrop, and there seems to be plenty of takers to the pollen on offer. I wonder if they, like the swallows and house martins, are relying on late breeding insects to prolong the breeding season and make up for a very poor spring and summer?

Winter and next year will help provide some of the answers.

SUMMER STARTS IN SEPTEMBER

The weather is now showing us what summer could have been like if it had bothered turning up in May, June or July. But what does it mean for the wildlife?

Well in my garden some flowers are still blooming, including gladiola, poppies and rudbeckia, so there’s been a large number of bees and butterflies each day.

At night the slugs are in decline, while the snails are seemingly hiding too as the nights become cooler. That said the last couple have been mild.

The swallows have certainly packed their suitcases, but not all have left. Just two nights ago I saw about 80-100 flying over the house and garden, searching for evening insects for a tasty treat.

I suspect the warm day weather will keep them, but it’ll be how cool it is at night that’ll prompt the full departure.

The usual mix of birds has been in the garden, although a pair of young robins seem particularly fond of spending time there.

The harvesting has begun with tomatoes now a daily fixture and just a few carrots and potatoes left.

I’m hoping the chillies and sweet peppers, most of which are still indoor, will be ready in the next couple of weeks.

So as September means we saw goodbye to our swifts, swallows and house martins, the autumn glow brings new visitors and a different time in the cycle of the lives of wildlife everywhere.

What will the cooler months bring? Our first hedgehog? The great spotted woodpeckers and little owls returning?

Will the weather bring lots of snow and the return of -25C on our car gauges? Whatever happens the wildlife will cope in one way or another, but next breeding season is bound to see extras for plenty of those who didn’t fare too well this year.

Most importantly; will be nestbox camera be able to film a new family next summer?

WILL THE REAL JUNE PLEASE STAND UP

Today was back to what we expect in June, sunshine and warmth, the latter didn't stay for too long though and it was distinctly chilly in the morning and evening.

I bet the wildlife is wondering what on earth is going on, particularly those who have lost broods to the weather.

After watching the demise of the blue tit chicks on Springwatch it seems that this is the fate of many chicks this spring and summer, including the great tits in my garden.

Perhaps second broods will be the norm this year, I hope so otherwise a cold winter could have a devastating effect on some birds.

In other news I was outside as dusk fell and was charmed by a bat flying around after insects, sometimes within inches of my head.

A superb time was had by me, although I'm not sure the bat felt the same. I'm not the greatest bat expert so was unable to identify it. What I will say is it was about the size of a blue tit.

If anyone can identify the bat from my feeble description, I'd welcome your thoughts.

I'll now be keeping an eye out during the evening to see if this area is a good area for feeding bats. It's certainly a good one for swallows, swifts and house martins during the early evening as many gather in the area most nights.

This week the weather promises to be unsettled and cool, yet more battles for our wildlife and us humans as we deal with yet another damp summer!

HOUSE MARTINS IN FULL SONG

After the arrival of the swallows, this week I've noticed a number of house martins (the birds not the band) patrolling the skies above my house.

They shared the air with the swallows, which appear to be coping with the cooler and wetter weather.

It's been unusual weather recently but the flora is benefiting massively as the garden grass, plants, bushes and small trees are growing fast.

I'm hoping to put in an order for mealworms soon, but news last night is making me rethink that.

I noticed one of the great tits with a caterpillar in its beak and watched as it entered the nestbox with the camera, that doesn't work.

It appears there are chicks in the nest, albeit small as I couldn't here them. Perhaps the wet weather of April will help the great tits have two broods, although very unlikely.

So tonight I'll be making an order for those mealworms and stop filling up the seed and peanut feeders.

I hope to get images this weekend and will try a few more tricks to get the camera working again.

All other wildlife is still about, although one thing I've noticed is the amount of solitary magpies about, which isn't good news for the superstitious among us - me included.

I suspect this is because the females are on eggs in nearby nests.

SPRING IS SPRUNG

There may not be swallows or house martins in the air, but spring has certainly sprung with many wonderful tones filling the air.

I've been hearing chiffchaffs singing for a few days now and while I was listening over the weekend I noticed a female blackbird with a fledgling feeding in the garden.

I'm sure this is much earlier than last year.

It's all timing with a prolonged spell of warmish early spring weather, with plenty of sunshine on offer.

The birds, trees and flora have all responded, with green seemingly appearing by the minute on trees around my house.

The great tits are certainly making themselves at home in the nestbox with the camera - the onyl problem is the camera is not working. This weekend it's my challenge to get that sorted - can't be missing the chicks!

This spring I'm going to spend some of my weekends walking the lanes near my home, to see what the wildlife is doing; indeed to see exactly what wildlife we have hear.

I fear the great spotted woodpeckers have moved on elsewhere as the dead tree which they seemed to occupy has now fallen.

With the clocks going forward this weekend I plan to spend Sunday evening looking for new arrivals from abroad and see just who is making their home where I live.

Can I see any swallows this weekend? I doubt it, but with sightings already confirmed in the UK, surely it will be very soon.