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.

WETTER THAN AN OTTER'S POCKET

In my last post it was all about Storm Ciara; this time it’s about Storm Dennis and the resulting impact from the combination of both storms.

To say it’s been a bit rainy and windy, would be a huge understatement. During particularly heavy rain and strong winds, the wildlife has been virtually invisible in the garden.

The birds have definitely made use of the feeders though, with the peanuts and fat snacks being devoured quicker than for many months.

The garden, roads and small streams are soaking, with the streams regularly overflowing onto the road.

Sadly, the nearest stream has been dredged and the small fish are no longer being seen when I walk by, which means the chances of seeing a kingfisher again are negligible.

I’ll keep checking just in case they’re under a nearby tunnel, and see just how the weather conditions impact the newly dredged stream.

The storms, and continued strong winds, have taken their toll on the flora, including the large old tree that was knocked over, that I mentioned in the last post – knocking out phone and internet for ten days.

The tree was a nesting and resting site for a few birds, with great tits nesting in the ivy-ridden trunk for a couple of years.

Perhaps when looking elsewhere they’ll see my nest boxes and take up the offer of a breeding site opportunity.

Despite the constant stormy conditions, the dawn chorus is starting to gather pace, with the robins (who’ve been singing almost constantly through winter), being joined by wrens, song thrushes, blackbirds, blue tits, great tits and the odd magpie with their crackling calls.

I’m sure nesting will start soon for the smaller birds, while the likes of the magpies and nearby crows, are already constructing nests in larger trees.

TORRENTIAL RAIN, FLOODS AND FROSTS – THE SPOOKY PART OF AUTUMN

As Halloween approaches, the first frost of the autumn landed in the garden.

While it wasn’t particularly harsh, it’s certainly a sign of things to come and the wildlife will have certainly taken note.

The rain over the weekend caused all sorts of problems for many people and the lane we live on became a 6-8 inch deep torrent of water for many hours.

Luckily it diverts off the lane before the house, but the incessant rain meant the garden was a soggy mess for a couple of days.

It’s hard to understand what impact it’s had on the wildlife around the garden, however I’m sure it’ll have impacted feeding for many – apart from those who love the wet conditions, including the local badgers.

The garden has seen a number of visits from a number of jays over the last few weeks, with their warning call often heard when we step out of the house.

The bird feeders are being consumed fairly quickly, although the peanuts are being shunned in favour of the fat snacks – probably easier to eat!

I suspect the next few days and weeks will see the number of birds coming into the garden on the increase, although it’ll be hard to tell in the week as the clocks going back now mean evenings are definitely dark, while mornings are too busy with breakfast and getting ready for school and work to spend much time looking out of the windows in the garden.

I’m expecting a flock of long tailed tits to be seen again soon, and it’ll signal the lack of natural food on offer.

It’s the that the food we supply to our feathered friends becomes really important, so the garage will soon be increasing in supplies – albeit in containers that will prevent rats and mice getting at them!

ARE THERE EGGS IN NESTS?

Following the unusually warm Easter Bank Holiday, we’re now experiencing some proper April weather.

Heavy rain and even hail, along with lightning and thunder, has helped to fill the pond back up, and provide some much-needed water to the flora.

There isn’t much life in the pond at the moment, and what life there is, is very small.

However, it will probably be next year, when a full year in the life cycle of the water feature will have concluded, that we’ll see bigger users and habitants.

Life around the birds has quietened down a little bit recently, although the numbers of house sparrows has increased, while both a male and female blackbird have spent time feeding around the lawn and borders.

The great tits have been around, but have been much quieter, while the wet weather has brought in the robins to feed in the garden.

I’m still putting out fat snacks and peanuts, but this will only last until the warmer weather starts properly in May.

That’s when I’ll get in the mealworms, and I’m sure it’ll coincide with the emergence of many chicks in the garden and surrounding area.

I’m going to check the nest built in the fruit tree this weekend, as I suspect a pair of woodpigeons have been paying close attention to it – perhaps it was one they abandoned last year but will come back when the tree has more foliage.

I’ve not seen much of the swallows, although I did hear them quite a bit before the wet weather really took hold.

They’ll probably welcome the rain so they can make the mud to construct their nest(s), and they sometimes use the puddles near the house, so I’ll be keeping an eye on them.