AUTUMN STARTS AND THE NIGHTS DRAW IN, BUT IS THE WILDLIFE UNDER COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS?

Not much action in the last couple of weeks in the garden, as we head to the end of British Summer Time. 

A few garden birds are spending a little time in the garden, but only to make use of the fat snacks and peanuts on offer. 

House sparrows, blue tits and great tits are seen most days, with robins were seen and heard a couple of times a week. 

The weather was getting much cooler, but a warm spell this week encouraged plenty of insects to be out and about, albeit without any sightings of bats in the quickly darkening evenings. 

The hedgehogs haven’t been sighted for a couple of weeks, while there’s been plenty of sightings of slugs and snails around the garden, particularly in the evenings. 

Late at night and overnight, with windows open, the sounds of foxes, badgers and owls have been heard. 

While not very often it does show that these animals are still active around the area, even if it’s not as often as previously. 

With the nights closing in fast, we’re once again on fox and badger watch, when returning with the girls from evening gymnastics training sessions. 

One day they’ll see one, even if the times I’ve seen them at night, which has been few times in the last few years, they’ve either been asleep or not in the car. 

So, with summertime ending and Covid-19 restrictions in place, I hope the wildlife can bring us all some joy and be active around the garden more often than in previous years. 

It’ll definitely be helpful during what is likely to be a digital Christmas and we are confined to our home throughout the holiday period.

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.

THE FIRST SWALLOW HAS BEEN SPOTTED

For the second successive year I spotted the first swallow swooping around the house and garden on April 7^th.

It means they’re returning a full two weeks earlier compared to in 2015.

The current dates, since 2014, are:

2014 – 19^th April

2015 – 21^st April

2016 – 10^th April

2017 – 8^th April

2018 – 7^th April

2019 – 7^th April

I could go on endlessly about these birds, but for me they are my favourite bar none.

I think it goes back to growing up on a farm in Wales and having them nest every year in the outbuildings, often rescuing a chick that had fallen out of a nest.

They are graceful while airborne and close up, if you can catch them staying still for long enough, the colours are breathtakingly beautiful.

I’m hoping to get more glimpses of them over Easter weekend, and see just how many have returned.

A pair of great tits have been marking out the main nest box as theirs this year, including singing very loudly from 5am every morning by the bedroom window and regularly occupying the trees and bushes around the garden warning each other when we’re in the garden.

I’ve not seen any nesting activity, but hopefully Easter will again reveal evidence.

Finally, the pond and the area around it are really brightening up in the warming spring air, well maybe the sunny conditions with warming up starting about now.

It’s great to see the pond back and looking so good, and it means the girls can uncover more facts about wildlife in the garden and pond.

Luckily both are very happy to learn and take in the new flowers, birds and insects the garden and pond attracts.

STALLING THE BREEDING SEASON?

Given the cold weather recently, the wildlife could be forgiven if they have delayed spring for a few weeks.

The blossom may have blown from the trees, the buds may be showing and new leaf growth emerging, but the weather isn’t tempting many to start bringing the next generation into this world.

Now of course you could understand if they used Brexit as a reason for stalling, but this is one area that the wildlife has in their favour – they don’t know anything about it!

The dawn chorus has been somewhat dampened since the clocks went forward, although the voice of a few blackbirds is now competing with the robins to see who can wake us up first.

A female blackbird has been seen around the garden in recent days, so I wonder if they try to nest in the conifer hedge again – last year seemed to fail, which was probably due to the local cats.

I’ve not noticed any activity around the nest boxes, but with the lighter nights I’ll have more chance to investigate – but given the cold weather I doubt that much action has taken place.

The pond is very good shape, and while there is unlikely to be much large animal action this year, it’ll definitely be a good resource for insects as a refuge and birds as a drinking/washing station.

April will no doubt warm up, but I don’t expect much breeding action from the birds until we get to the end of the month.

WILL IT EVER RAIN AGAIN?

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The grass is almost completely a tan colour, the birds are constantly searching for water and the plants are often found with drooping leaves after being battered by 12 hours of sunshine.

Yes, it’s the continuing heatwave that us and the wildlife is experiencing.

I’m watering the whole garden nearly every night, but even this isn’t enough for the grass as it’s given up for a while on being green, although one flower is liking the conditions enough to flower.

One surprise is that the robins have finally hatched some chicks in one of the two open nest boxes.

Bizarrely it’s the one at shoulder height next to the patio, in the honeysuckle bush and right next to where the family currently enjoys sitting for every breakfast and lunch.

Unfortunately my mealworm supplier has closed for the summer, meaning I can’t help the robin family grow up, apart from keeping any pesky cats away.

However they do appear to be growing, even if I can only tell from the louder sounds they’re making when a parent visits with food.

I don’t know where the parents are getting food from, but imagine the local streams, that are both down to a trickle, are helping with a supply of insects.

I imagine they’ll fledging, if they do indeed reach that stage given it’ll be 30-32C this weekend, in about a week.

The good thing is the nest box is very sheltered from heat, wind and rain, particularly as the honeysuckle has grown right around it.

In fact you wouldn’t even know it was there because it’s well camouflaged.

This is only the second time this nest box has been used, and the previous time it was a family of robins too.

But with at least another week of summer warmth, and no rain, it looks like it’ll inevitable get slightly tougher for the wildlife before the rains bring some welcome relief.