GROWING CROPS, FLEDGINGS AND SNAIL WAR PART II

Tonight is the start of BBC Springwatch and I'm really looking forward to this annual extravaganza.

The house sparrow family in the tit nest box with the ‘broken’ camera, have fledged this week and both parents have been busy feeding the youngster.

The garden has become a very popular feeding station for the house and tree sparrows, so much so that the great tits, blue tits and robins are often out-competed for food by the gangs of sparrows.

In two days they went through two full feeders of peanuts, 250g of mealworms and two fat snacks. It was literally a feeding frenzy from dawn until dusk.

I did think about checking the nest box camera and buying, then fitting, a new power cable, but I’m going to leave them until I know the breeding season has finished.

I’m guessing the mother house sparrow will soon be on eggs again and I don’t want to disturb her.

This is something I think the tree sparrows are already on with, so maybe the sound of another hungry brood of sparrows will be heard in the garden again soon.

The swallows appear to be almost complete with the nest building and ready to start laying eggs and incubating. Updated on the first fledgings will on here soon – I hope!

Both the robins and blackbirds haven’t been seen for a week or so, which I suspect is down to the fact they’ve got fledglings and/or are sitting on a second brood of eggs.

I know the nearest robin family is nesting close to the garden and in the same area as a wren family, how much I’ll find about where the nests are, is something I’ll know more of later this summer. I plan to explore the area around the stream in the hope it’ll be a much drier than it is now and not get wet!

The slugs and snails, though fewer in number, are still after my plants, so dose number two of the pellets came into force overnight. The marigolds have been the hardest hit and just when the sole survivor looked to be growing again, another attack came and bypassed the pellets.

Last night that mission failed and the casualties are now stricken around the marigold and a couple of other plants.

 

The carrots are starting to grow while the potatoes are doing very well. Hopefully they’ll help in breaking up the soil in the garden area of the joint land and yield better crops in coming years.

Until then let’s have some sunshine, more fledglings and big juicy crops.

THE GARDEN IS SPRINGING INTO LIFE

The first May Bank Holiday has delivered the sounds of new life, lawnmowers and people groaning about bad backs from too much gardening.

I can lay claim to all three having spent most of the weekend in the garden and watching the emergence of new life.

The triple sparrow nest box with the camera that is working has tree sparrows in and they are very nervous when any human is around, even though I was in the garden all day they still gave warning calls whenever they were near the nest.

I suspect the chicks are about ten days old – so about a week from fledging – as they are quite noisy when the parents bring food in. I managed to get one image (which is blurry so haven't put up on here) of the adults over the whole of the weekend due to this nervousness – although the chicks still got many feeds.

In the other nest box, in which the camera isn’t working, I suspect the house sparrows are on eggs as they don’t have frequent visits with food like the tree sparrows, but I have seen them going in and out of the nest box.

The robin family must have young and there is a wren chirping away near to the garden, which I think means there is a robin and wren nesting in the banking by the little stream.

I’ve not seen much of the blue tits or great tits, but they do visit for food.

The dunnocks are rarely seen, while the blackbirds must be feeding youngsters as both parents have been seen collecting worms.

In the garden I’ve planted a number of sunflowers, while the runner beans and broad beans are in two locations with a climbing frame for them to grow up. The tomato plants will soon be in the greenhouse, while the final potatoes have been planted.

The first potatoes should be harvested in early July and as you can see from the image below, the rows of different growth can be seen – the far side were planted first.

Finally the swallows lighten up the skies with their calls and seem to be pairing up. Every night I see a pair on the telephone wires by the garden, singing and frequently feeding by swooping low over the garden.

SWALLOWS RETURN TO SPARK SUMMER WARMTH?

Lovely sunny weather in the day has meant colder nights, not the ideal conditions for planting out new plants.

I’ve put some out in the greenhouse, broad beans and sunflowers, and they have so far responded well; continuing to grow well.

More potatoes have been planted so hopefully we’ll have a good supply of spuds from August onwards – perhaps even up until November.

The tomatoes, runner bean, onion, cornflower, cosmos and more sunflowers have been planted, so there should be more green shoots by the end of Easter.

The birds have been flocking to the garden, with the blackbirds picking up plenty of worms from the lawn and blue tits, great tits, dunnocks, robins and sparrows feasting on the peanuts and fat snacks.

But the big news this week has been the return of the swallows. I watched jealously as people report swallow sightings across the country through social media, but this week I heard the sweet sound of spring and summer in the air.

I looked up and saw five swallows showing off their aerobatic skills and they seemed to be having a brilliant time, chattering all the time.

The next job I have is to find out where they’ll be nesting, and also if I can see where other nests are. Stay tuned for updates as I check out the sites I know were occupied last year, particularly the robins by the railway bridge and blackbirds in a nearby small bush.

SPRING READY TO BLOOM

The early spring weather has been fairly cool, but by no means cold and I suspect it’s meant the egg laying and nest building has been delayed.

The weather forecast from next week onwards suggests that warm weather is on the way, so perhaps the birds will now be starting to lay and warm eggs ready for the potential birth of caterpillars.

Unfortunately the camera for the next box that the sparrows were building a nest in still doesn’t have power and unless there’s a miracle it’ll mean there’ll be no chance of seeing it until I know the birds are not using it anymore.

I could easily replace the power lead, but that would mean opening the nest box and disturbing the birds – this is something I will not do.

In a double blow it appears the camera that is working, doesn’t have any action inside. Instead the two adjacent nest boxes have been visited by blue tits and house sparrows in the last few days.

Whether there are nests inside is something I’ll be trying to find out soon.

In other news the crops are growing rapidly, with broad been plants almost a foot high and the flowers and herbs also becoming more than just little seedlings.

Outside the potatoes are emerging, just, while I expect the carrots to starting showing very soon.

The sunflowers that were growing nicely in the greenhouse experienced life outside as the structure fell over, but luckily they were rescued and re-potted fairly quickly and are now all growing again.

The two weeks around Easter should bring plenty of action among the flora and fauna, something I’m really excited about.

 

And hopefully seeing the swallows back for another summer!

SPRING WARMTH SLOWLY GOING

Disappointing week as the blue tit nest box camera has stopped working and I think the problem will mean no pictures to see how the nesting goes this breeding season.

Unfortunately the problem could easily have been avoided had it not been for a very clumsy meter reader, who didn’t close the external reading door properly and left it to bang open against the outside wall and the power wire to the camera.

I’ve not fully checked it out but I can’t change the cable as it’ll mean accessing the nest box and therefore disturbing the birds.

Talking of which I did manage to get a glimpse of the birds occupying the nest box – it was a bit of a shock as there were two birds in there and neither was a blue tit or great tit.

In fact it is a pair of house sparrows that were starting to build a nest, which is unusual considering they normally nest in groups and they seemingly haven’t touched the other camera nest box – although I think this is down to the camera being too obtrusive.

I will be checking to see it the cable can be fixed, but I don’t hold out much hope. In the meantime here's the images I have of how it went over the last ten days, until the 'cut off' point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plenty of daffodils are now showing and along with the snowdrops, tulips and crocuses are making the garden fill with colour.

The vegetable and plant growing has started well, with broad bean, marigold and sunflowers all showing in the seeding pots.

I’ll be starting to transport them in to the greenhouse in early April and next weekend plant more outside vegetable – potatoes, carrots and parsnips.

On all counts I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for warmer weather!

HORSE MANURE, HARVESTING AND CATS

Another trip to get horse manure – this time three heavy bags of it – and I was ready to get started on the garden again.

The only negative was being struck by an energy-sapping head cold, which meant I was shattered last night and tonight after spreading all that manure.

I harvested the last of the carrots and potatoes, leaving only the parsnips left in the ground. With the colder nights starting to bite, it won’t be long before they come up to – hopefully they’ll last until Christmas.

Once again this weekend I’ve been turning the soil over in the planting areas, trimming back the dead plants and generally giving the garden a good platform to over-winter in a good condition.

This time I wasn’t followed around by a robin, which did surprise me given the huge amount of worms that I was ‘working’ with.

The bird population doesn’t seem to be visiting the house in any numbers I thought they would be, apart from the seemingly combined flocks of house and tree sparrows.

The blue and great tits have been making the most of the remaining sunflowers, foraging on the seeds.

I’ve not seen a blackbird for a few weeks, although I have heard them, while the evening often brings a large number of birds, including chaffinches and goldfinches, to the area with trees and bushes – which also contain one of my bird feeders.

I do wonder if the natural food supplies or the plethora of cats in a couple of the houses here are to blame for the lack of activity from the birds. I suspect it’s a bit of both, but hope that when the colder conditions begin, the birds do make the most of the food I provide for them.

Some of the cats – from a house that doesn’t look after them properly – seem to be making more of an effort to get into my garden around the feeders. I’m making sure that when I see them they are chased away, which doesn’t make too much of a difference.

Perhaps new tactics are required, which frustrates me because why should I, or any other nature lover, have to work at deterring cats from their garden?

It’s a dilemma that many people face and one I think needs addressing overall, particularly in my garden.

Let’s hope the natural food supplies keep the birds with enough food, before they have to dodge the cats to get food from my garden.

SUMMER HOLDING AUTUMN AT BAY

The ‘Indian Summer’ continues and the insects and plants are making the most of the warm and sunny weather.

I’ve seen huge numbers of butterflies, bees and other insects benefiting from the plants and flowers that are producing more flowers in this weather.

Although the chills of autumn are now far away, it’s great to enjoy this weather and look at how the wildlife is doing so too.

One thing that has changed recently has been the garden birds spending less time in the garden because of the natural food in the surrounding countryside.

The weather has been helpful in the harvesting of my garden, with endless amounts of tomatoes, runner beans, carrots and potatoes.

I’ll have to wait for the parsnips, but the hard work of the planting season is now reaping a reward and most it very tasty.

It’s unusual to see me watering the garden in late September, but I have to because of the warmth and growing flora.

One day, probably soon, I’ll be watching the garden being flooded by heavy rain so for now I’ll enjoy the weather.

Perhaps next week I’ll be talking about rain rather than sun, although I’m sure the fauna and myself will be hoping not!

AND SO AUTUMN OFFICIALLY ARRIVES

I write this as the first autumn storm grips most of the UK, and we now know that summer is long gone.

The biggest thing I’ve noticed this week is the return of the small birds to the garden – including the robin who hasn’t been seen in my garden since July.

The extended house sparrow family, along with the blue tits and great tits are making the most of the fast snacks on offer.

A number of dunnocks are also devouring the garden food, although there are still plenty of insects on the flowering plants.

With a flurry of ripe tomatoes along with runner beans, potatoes and carrots the hard work of earlier in the year is now starting to pay off.

I’m most looking forward to the parsnips which should be ready in November.

One final note for this week is the final departures of the swallows. I’d noticed many this week gathering at various places, mainly in wet weather.

I imagine they were saying to each other, ‘let’s sod off to somewhere warmer’, as they chattered to each other.

And with this autumn storm gripping the country I doubt I’ll see any more this year.

So let’s prepare for the colder weather with the thoughts of when the swallows return and the sun will help breath life back into the countryside.

THE START OF AUTUMN?

The summer and the lovely weather came to a dramatic end this week, with typical autumnal conditions.

I think the worst of the wind and rain missed my garden, although it still had a good soaking!

The biggest thing I’ve noticed in the last 36 hours, since the autumn weather began, is the amount of small birds visiting the garden – I even saw a robin yesterday, a bird I’d not seen for over a month in the garden.

I’ve stocked up on bird food so they all have a back-up supply should conditions get any worse.

That said, the sun has been out today, although with not as much warmth as last week. Although the trees are still all green I suspect the yellows, browns and reds will soon adorn the branches, before carpeting the surrounding floor.

In the coming months lots of flora and fauna will prepare for winter by effectively shutting down, or in some cases simply flying to warmer climes.

The swallows are few and far between now, as they follow the swifts to Africa. The dawn chorus rarely has their beautiful song and the evening singing has been swallow-free for a couple of days.

 

In the garden my sunflowers are out in force and they’ll soon provide the birds with a plentiful supply of autumn seeds – although I’ll be keeping a few myself for next year!

 

The harvesting is still continuing with tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and runner beans all being in good supply.  The parsnips will be last, but should be ok for roasting at Christmas – oh no I mentioned the C word in September!

 

Right that’s it for this week, I wonder my post next week will see more information about birds coming back in to the garden for food.

 

 

FLORA IN MY GARDEN

This week I’m looking at the flora in my garden, as the flowers, fruit and veg start to really take over.

The birds have been very scarce this week, with only a few visits from a female blackbird and the odd young blue or great tit.

There was one exciting moment when I could hear the alarm calls of about 100 swallows and turned to see a female sparrowhawk swoop across my garden and perch in a small tree, about a foot right above my head.

It then proceeded to try and flush one of a few small birds in the trees and bushes out, but appeared to fly off without any kill.

A very heart stopping moment for me and I’m pretty sure the sparrowhawk didn’t even see me.

On to the flora and the poppies are still flowering, but have been taken over by the sunflowers. I’ve got five varieties this year, but only the Russian Giant, Red Sun and Teddy Bear ones have so far flowered.

 

I’ve grown sunflowers for the last five years, all from seed, and they are brilliant flowers for attracting insects and birds.

 

The insects take to them first (as you can see with the bees on a couple of the images), before the birds take the seeds towards autumn time.

 

I’ve also had a beautiful lily flower, but I’m not sure of the variety as it was in a mixed bag that I planted at various places in the garden.

 

All three varieties of tomatoes are growing well, although none are ripe enough to pick, while the potatoes and carrots could soon be harvested.

I’m going to leave the swedes until autumn or earlier winter, so we can enjoy them on the darker nights, with maybe a few potatoes and carrots.

When the colder weather comes I love making a roasted vegetable and meat dinner. One day I’ll have a big enough garden to have a much bigger supply of vegetables and make more dinners from things grown myself.

So onwards with the flora, while the fauna explores the wider area to see which areas it will have successful foraging trips when the cold weather sets in.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION - I JUST CAN'T SEE IT

It would seem I cannot win with this nestbox camera, as it seems to change its mind as to whether it’ll work or not.

At the moment it’s not working, but the last time I managed to see in to the nestbox there were eight blue tit eggs, as you can see in the image below! Great news and it appears they’re being incubated as I’ve seen both birds in and around the nestbox.

I suspect that hatching will be happening this weekend, although whether I get to see it is another thing. I’ll be keeping an eye and ear out for signs that the chicks have arrived and be ready to assist if the caterpillar explosion doesn’t happen.

In the last couple of days I’ve seen more butterflies than I have all year, which is obviously down to the rubbish weather we’ve had all year, and since this time last year.

Will there be enough butterflies around to mate, lay eggs and in turn provide food for the young chicks? I hope so.

I think there has been some eggs hatching as I’ve noticed one of the robin with a mouthful of mealworms that I’d put out. I still don’t know where the nest is, but hopefully soon I’ll see the speckled youngsters in the garden.

The swallows are filling the air with their delightful songs and amazing aerobatics. There is more than one pair, although I’m not sure if the others are nesting nearby, perhaps in the horse stable in the field behind our house – if this is the case I suspect there will be more than one nest.

I’ve now put up my small greenhouse again and will be spending lots more time outdoors tending to my sunflowers, tomatoes and runner beans.

The concern I have at the moment is the potato and parsnip crops I’ve had in the garden. Neither has shown signs of growing, although this warm weather might help get the soil up to an optimum temperature for both to start growing.

Finally our house has been invaded by ants, which I suspect don’t have enough food outside due to the weather and are seeking what we have. I just hope they don’t build a nest in the house as that would be very unwelcome.

WINTER IS BACK, BUT FOR HOW LONG?

So spring has been put on hold, which teaches me yet again that March is the most unpredictable of months!

Frosts, cold winds and even a bit of snow have descended on my garden and the surrounding area. Can someone tell the swallows to stop off for a few days and delay their return? 

It sounds like we’re going to have another blast of winter for most of this coming week, so make sure you keep the birds feeders topped up and water unfrozen.

I spent most of the weekend pruning trees and bushes, to give the ground opposite my garden a chance to have some light and bring more colour to the dark and brown ground.

The trees and branches were then used to create a traditional fence, thanks to the input from my neighbour Neil who spent some hours doing this with me, while we both spent a few hours at night picking splinters out of our hands – even though we were wearing protective gloves!

 

We were followed constantly by a pair of robins, the same that frequent my garden and I presume have paired up for the year. Where they will nest is anyone’s guess, but if it’s not in the robin nestbox I have in my garden, I know it’ll be nearby and we’ll see the fledgling robins in due course.

Two other main things done this weekend – apart from topping up my fat snack, seed and peanuts feeders – was putting up a sparrow nestbox and planting some early potatoes.

With all the house sparrows about I thought it a good idea to provide them with a communal nest site, to prevent them from going under the eaves of the house.

 

I know it might be a little too late this year, but at least it’s up and ready for whenever they need it. The nestbox replaces one that was for blue tits and great tits, which seemed to be infrequently used for roosting, but never for nesting. I’ll find another place to put this in time.

 

The garden borders were readied for plants and vegetables over the last few weekends and now the first planting has taken place I’m sure there’ll be plenty more in the coming weeks.

 

By the end of March I hope to have seedlings in place so April can see the emergence of my mini greenhouse.

Of course this will be when the weather has picked up to spring like again. I’m just hoping it doesn’t end up like 2012; otherwise it’ll be another washout!

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?

AUTUMN IS COMING FAST

As August nears its end and the ‘summer’ season fades into autumn the colours of the garden and surrounding countryside will change dramatically.

All season have their particular themes, but autumn must be up there for being the most vivid as the green colours of the trees and bushes turn into red, bronze and gold. The impact of these colours is increased when the low sunlight of dawn or dusk lights up the display.

In my garden there’s nothing too amazing, certainly not on a grand scale, just a few weeks of red and golden leaves decorating the trees and climbers on the walls.

The good news in my little oasis of greenery and wildlife is the start of harvesting my tomato, carrots and potatoes, all have proved to be delicious whether for lunch of dinner. There’s nothing better than freshly picked fruit and veg washed and eaten straight from the plant or ground.

The slugs and snails are systematically being ‘rehomed’ away from the garden, not all, but as there’s been an influx with the warmish wet summer, a large number. The only slug that has been allowed to stay is the leopard slug, which will help control the other slugs.

This week there has been a trio of blackbird chicks in the garden, looking very like they’ve just fledged. I think it’s the third brood I’ve seen this summer so they’ve obviously fared well.

The swallows have also not done too badly as I’ve counted over 30 at one point either flying or resting on the telegraph wires. I suspect they will soon be off to Africa again, although some must have already gone as the numbers have decreased slightly in the last few days.

I had interesting visitors in a flock of long tailed tits, which last year only appeared in winter, due to the mild autumn. I wonder if the wet summer has meant less naturally food so they’re already coming into known food stations seeing what is on offer. I’ll be keeping an eye on this situation.

The great tits, blue tits, dunnocks, tree sparrows, house sparrows and robins are still regularly visiting and I’m keeping my stock of peanuts full so they know food will always be available from me; I know they’ll be around when the cold weather strikes.

I think the only true test of how well the breeding season has been on our birds will be when they descend on gardens for food. It will also show us how much natural food is available. Last year there was plenty as I did worry about not seeing many birds until November and December; will this year be any different or will the summer weather have made a difference?

SUMMER IS FADING FAST

This summer has hardly been one worthy of the name summer, but with the last few days of warm weather have been gratefully received.

My garden has needed a mid-season trim due to the amount of green foliage growing because of the relatively mild and very wet conditions.

It's been a great season for the likes of slugs and snails, but not for wildlife relying on warm and drier conditions - the great tit chicks dying in my nestbox being one example.

One bird that seems to have coped with the conditions is the robin, which has produced two broods. One of the chicks is now a regular visitor to the garden and I think it could be getting used to me as it bobs around withing a couple of feet of me.

Time will tell if it hangs around, but I suspect it'll have a fight on its hands for the territory around here.

Amazingly the swallows have produced two big broods, probably benefiting from the dry conditions after the rain, in which millions of insects take to the air and some straight into the swallows' mouths.

I regularly count over 20 flying around, perched on our roof or on the telegraph wires. It is indeed a good year for them, well certainly around here.

There are regular visits from the blue tits and great tits, but only in ones or twos, while the tree sparrows, house sparrows and dunnocks are often in small flocks.

My garden plants have suffered, although I am hoping to harvest some tomatoes (at last!) and some sweet and chilli peppers.

The carrots and potatoes have not fared well, but I think we'll at least enjoy some over the next few weeks.

This week I was joined in my garden by a dragonfly, which I'd seen about a week ago, but this time I was able to capture a nice picture of it from about two inches. I think it's a Hawker, but would welcome an expert's help.

WET, WILD AND HUMID SUMMERTIME

In the last week of so the number of bees and butterflies has increased in the garden, as the wet and mild(ish) weather has made for excellent growing conditions.

The birds have started to come back, with the odd appearance from a young and adult great and blue tits.

All in all it’s been a strange spring and summer, with plenty of ups, but more downs. I’d be interested to know how other people have viewed wildlife in their gardens, but know a couple who have experienced similar to me.

The swallow family are now testing their wings as the youngsters gorge on the huge numbers of flying insects. I expect another brood from the new brood in the horse stable, particularly if the favourable weather conditions continue.

At the moment the evening air is filled with the beautiful songs of blackbirds, swallows and a lonesome chiffchaff, while tree and house sparrows chirp away with youngsters in the rose hedge before diving to feed at one of the seed feeders.

The potatoes and carrots are progressing well and I’m hopeful of a sweetcorn crop this year. The runner bean and tomato plants are showing signs of bearing fruit, but they seem to be slower than previous years.

My sunflowers are growing rapidly and I think a few will reach over 10ft, with potential for even higher if the weather warms up a little more.

My daughter loves the garden, well in particular watering the plants, and herself, with her pink elephant watering can. If that isn’t there she’ll try and lift my big green one, which if less than a quarter full she can do.

Now is the time to watch the insects make best use of the garden, before the birds return from moulting and once again bask in the bounty of food that the area provides, along with some handouts from me.