NEW SURPRISING VISITOR TO THE GARDEN

Five years ago we provided a home to a young hedgehog that had spent time recuperating in a local rescue centre.

‘Spikey’, as he was called by my eldest daughter, was set free in our garden in June 2015, and he seemed to enjoy his new surroundings.

A few sniffs and he was off exploring, so after a few minutes watching him we left him alone and thought we’d see him over the next few days, weeks, months and years.

However, the days, weeks, months and years passed by without even one sighting of Spikey and we thought that was it.

The girls were disappointed, particularly my youngest as she was just one when Spikey was released so had never seen a hedgehog.

But lockdown has been very strange in many ways and one evening while eating my dinner in the garden, with darkness falling and one or two bats already sighted, there was a rustling noise coming from one side of the garden.

At first, I thought it was birds moving about in the ivy, finding the perfect spot to roost for the evening, but the noise kept on happening even after darkness had fallen.

I eventually decided to investigate and as I got closer realise that the noise was not coming from the ivy or hedge, but from the undergrowth.

The light of my phone was switched on and suddenly a movement at the bottom of the ivy made the noise I’d been hearing.

As I tried to make out what it was, the animal moved and revealed itself to be a hedgehog!

I must admit I was a little excited and immediately wondered if it was Spikey, although I later realised that if it was Spikey he would have been pretty old for a hedgehog.

Instead it could be one of his offspring, but either way a hedgehog in the garden was something we had only seen when we released Spike five years ago.

I feed the birds mealworms during the breeding season and sprinkle some over part of the lawn, and it was the leftovers that the hedgehog was feasting on.

He (I say he because it’s quite a big animal and the males are traditionally bigger) came back for a number of nights afterwards, and my daughters were able to see him and it added to their knowledge and excitement about wildlife, something I’m keen for them to continue learning.

We’ve not seen it for a few days now but given the warmer weather I’m now setting out dog food and have cut the underneath of a couple of fence panels to allow it to come in without hinderance.

In other news the robins were indeed on a nest of eggs which successfully hatched. The mealworm feast I was giving them seemed to work and they successfully fledged last week.

The parents have been coming into the garden for food every day and feeding them in the thick bushes near the house and garden.

The great tits and neighbouring blue tits have not been heard around for a week or so, which is not unusual as they spend time away exploring with their parents and finding the best places for food.

The house sparrows have laid eggs again in the garage roof and in the last couple of days are seemingly feeding chicks.

Finally, the magpies have been making all sorts of noise in and around the garden, mainly centred around the chicks fledging.

They parents are now even roosting in the garden trees.

Last week they were making considerably warning call sounds and I found a fledgling look a bit dazed and being stalked by two of the local cats.

I managed to get it to a place of safety, ushered the cats away and left the parents to care for it.

Do I know if that intervention help? Not really, but there are a few younger magpies around and I hope it was amongst them.

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.

AUTUMN ALREADY SHOWING ITS CARD

August is fast becoming the new September as the weather is seemingly preparing us for autumn.

In the last few days the small birds are starting to return to the garden, complete with the youngsters they’ve fledged this year.

The great tits, blue tits and house sparrows are now coming for fleeting visits, and the youngsters are only just about distinguishable from their parents.

Not many sightings still of the blackbirds or robins, while the goldfinches are now being seen in large groups down the lane.

The tomatoes aren’t growing really for the third year in a row, so next year they may get one more opportunity.

A second crop has come from the broad beans, while the sunflowers are doing their best – only a couple making it to around the 8ft mark.

The grass still isn’t growing properly following the hot and dry early summer, even with the rain of recent weeks.

It might be it needs a good few months to recover before the lawn is fully green again.

The tawny owls are being heard every night, presumably the youngsters foraging and calling to their parents.

Hopefully we’ll still hear them in the coming months, and perhaps the little owls come back – if the cats aren’t continuing to decimate the local rodent population.

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.