EARLY NIGHTS MEAN LESS WILDLIFE VIEWING TIME

I’d like to say there’s a lot going on in and around the garden, but as I’m away for most of the daylight hours it’s very difficult.

The weather has generally been typically autumnal, albeit generally quite mild.

On my morning walks to work I have once or twice noticed a flock of redwing and potentially some fieldfare, so I’m going to try and start out early one day (subject to getting the girls ready for school early).

The feeders have been fairly quiet recently, with only passing visits from the local blue tits, great tits, house sparrows and dunnocks.

There’s have been very few visits from blackbirds and no sightings of the long tailed tits.

The pond has been overwhelmed with leaves and I’ve had to be careful with removing them due to the fish, snails and other animals who now call this small amount of water home.

I’m amazed the fish from the stream are still surviving, which means they are finding food. Perhaps the larvae of midges or mosquitos, although the worry is that this food supply won’t last for long during winter.

It looks like cooler weather and colder nights are on the way as we head to December, so perhaps more birds on the feeders.

In the coming weeks I’m going to look at introducing some more video footage to this blog, perhaps with my daughters getting involved – I’m yet to ask them so we’ll see what is said!

AUTUMN WEATHER BRINGS NEW HARVEST

As the transition from summer to autumn progressed, the garden produced a small harvest to feast on.

OK, so it wouldn’t exactly make a feast, but the tomatoes did eventually come along even if it was weeks after the strawberries and broad beans.

They tasted pretty good too, so maybe planting earlier next year might work better for an earlier harvest.

The newly acquired bat box will go up soon, although with the prevailing wind coming down both sides of the house, I might have to be careful in where it’s placed and also borrow some ladders from a neighbour.

While there are bats that fly around the garden, I’ll be quite surprised if they do make use of the roosting box this winter – but you never know!

The sunflowers were a big disappointment this year, with only my youngest daughter’s making it to full bloom.

It did make a remarkable recovery as it was eaten by slugs, but then remerged and produced two heads.

While it was my daughter’s, it was technically me that kept it fed and watered, so I’m going to claim a small part of the sunflower’s success.

Finally, there’s a good haul of berries on the pyracantha which I’m hoping might attract a passing fieldfare or redwing flock.

I’ve not seen any down the lane so far this year, but it is quite early, and I would expect to have chance of seeing a few later this month or into November.

Time will tell if there’s enough berries to attract them.

READY FOR WINTER?

In a couple of weeks’ time I’ll look back at the year in images, charting the garden and house through the seasons.

This is something that’s featured on this blog for a couple of years now and it’s interesting to see the differences between each year.

By the time the reflection post comes on, it may well include an image or two with snow in; highly doubtful given the low height above sea level the garden is.

There’s not been much activity around the garden, aside from the usual visitors of blue tits, robins, house sparrows and dunnocks.

Not many blackbirds have been seen and other birds are still to regularly visit the garden during this early period of winter.

However, one bird that has flirted with the garden is the redwing.

In flocks of less than 20, they’ve visited the areas around the garden on a couple of occasions, but stay mainly up the lane in bigger bushes and trees that offer more shelter and more berries!

One exciting development was earlier this week, with the brief sighting of a barn owl next to the garden.

It appeared against the light of next door’s outside light and is the first one I’ve seen in about seven or eight years.

This news takes into context the seemingly reduction on cats in neighbouring houses and, though while still too numerous, the sighting of the owl is hopefully a good sign about natural prey for the barn and tawny owls, which had not been seen or heard around the garden for a number of years.

Let’s hope the local little owl population comes back too!

COLD WINTER WEATHER ON THE WAY?

After a relatively non-stormy autumn and warm winter, so far, the forecast is set for a spell of colder weather, which will invariably have an impact on our wildlife.

In recent weeks the garden has been a regular feeding place for long tailed tits, a sure sign that nature’s bounty of food is bordering on empty.

This is a signal for help with extra food, particularly fat-based snacks, for birds and wildlife in general, and with easterly winds making for some very cold wind-chill temperatures, now is the time to make sure those feeders are regularly topped up.

While the garden fills with small bird flocks, overhead many groups of birds fly to daytime feeding grounds from overnight roosts.

The marshes near the garden provide many birds with food and safe roosting sites, particularly waders. This in turn means predators including the peregrine falcon, short-eared owl and marsh harrier are about, albeit it much smaller numbers.

It’s great to see flocks of redwing and fieldfare, along with passings from curlew, lapwing and various ducks and gulls. They all make use of the fields around the garden for feeding, while feeding and roosting around the marshes.

The cold weather will affect them all, but with saltwater in abundance around the marshes, it will need a prolonged spell of cold weather to mean the waders and shore birds will suffer from a food shortage.

Meanwhile it’s up to people to help the smaller garden birds with helpings of peanuts and fat snacks, to help them until spring brings warmth and insects.

BIRDS ARE NOW USING THE GARDEN FEEDERS

There has been a rise in the number of small birds visiting the garden and this must be down to a combination of cooler weather and the decreasing amount of natural food resources left in the countryside.

Of course it’s still very wet, but colder overnight temperatures mean the need to conserve energy by locating a good food source and staying close to it.

Unfortunately the weather isn’t cold enough to see some of the more infrequent visitors to the garden – so no long tailed tits, redwing, fieldfare etc.

Instead it’s the more year round visitors in house sparrows, tree sparrows, blue tits, great tits, blackbirds, robins and dunnocks.

It’s great to see these birds in the garden and I hope some will once again utilise the nest boxes in the garden or even the natural resources.

I’d just finished writing this post when a family of long tailed tits flew into the garden, spending about 20 minutes feeding and chattering. A lovely winter (or any other time) sight in the garden.

One of the jobs during winter is to clean out the nest boxes to make them a lot more hygienic for the birds – and provide them with something they can build something in rather than have a ready built nest from last year which is likely to contact bugs and even parasites.

It also gives a chance to look at how well the nests have been made and see just how many have been occupied.

In 2014 it was the tree and house sparrows that dominated the boxes, but this year I’m hoping to see at least one pair of blue tits or great tits nesting in the garden nest boxes.

The biggest clue will be when the winter overnight roosting takes place, which will need the weather to get a bit colder.

Until then the feeders will need to be topped up and wait for winter to bring its worst. I hope that’s soon so the midges and little flies that are plaguing the garden will be put out of action.

HAS SPRING ALREADY SPRUNG? SOME FLORA THINKS SO

Winter continues to be mild, with near record temperatures for December days and nights being recorded across the UK.

The warmth is seemingly keeping many birds away from the garden and the free handouts, because natural food – including insects – is still in plentiful supply.

And the unseasonably mild weather isn’t just affecting the birds, the flora is also confused and seems to think it’s spring already.

The garden is already seeing spring bulbs emerge, while some trees nearby are already starting to blossom. The wild strawberry plant is even producing strawberries and the rose bush has fresh flowers emerging.

Can it continue? The likely answer is no because January and February are the traditional cold months of the year and for the good of nature it’s also good to have a few weeks of really cold weather.

There had been hope of the odd sighting of a fieldfare or redwing in the garden, but even the blue and great tits are not seen as often as usual.

The forecast is for the conditions to be fairly similar over at least the next week, so perhaps it’ll be 2016 before cold (and snow) starts to come to the garden.

Next on the agenda is cleaning out the nest boxes, so when the cold weather does arrive there will be a clean(ish) place for the local small birds to roost in.

In previous years the camera has witnessed roosting blue tits, great tits and house sparrows as early as December, but not this year!

Have a great Christmas and hopefully the next blog will have images of roosting winter birds.

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.

SUNSHINE IS BACK, BUT WITH IT COOL MISTY MORNINGS

If only this sunny and settled weather had happened a few weeks ago we’d have all been basking in some late summer warmth, instead we’re left with cool and misty mornings, warm(ish) days and cool nights.

The sort in Indian summer has meant visitors to the garden have been rare this week, as the small birds seem to be finding plenty of food out in the countryside.

I have seen small flocks of house sparrows, the odd tree sparrow and some great tits and blue tits, but not much else.

They are taking some of the food I’m leaving out, but not much.

The explosion of crane flies has seemingly come to an end, as I’ve not seen any for quite a few days.

But what has exploded has been the number of very large house spiders shooting across the floor, seemingly chasing each other.

I know this happens most years, but this year there seems to be a huge amount of them and they all seem very amorous!

The cooler nights has obviously indicated to them that the best chance of creating the next generation is to congregate in the warmth of our house.

When one landed on my shoulder after jumping 15ft from the ceiling, it was the last straw and that night saw ‘evictions’ of these spiders reach double figures.

I had hoped the masses of bright red berries on the pyracantha would attract fieldfares and redwing, but no such luck so far, and I expect that my wait might not be rewarded this year.

Perhaps next year when the bush has grown in size again it’ll help provide a bigger attraction for passing migrants.

EARLY MORNING MISTS SIGNAL AUTUMNAL WEATHER CHANGE

The first early morning mists that epitomise autumn have already arrived. This time last year the weather was warm and sunny, with temperatures more like mid summer, now it’s typical autumnal weather.

Despite the cooler, darker evenings there have been no sightings of the hedgehog that was introduced to the garden in June. In fact he hasn’t been seen since the evening he was released, so although I’m concerned, I still have hope he’s still around.

The hedgehog will hopefully be getting ready for hibernation, but the swallows have finally all departed on their way to warmer climes and a winter in Africa.

I think and hope this year has been a bumper breeding year for my favourite bird; judging by the number of birds on the telephone wires I’m pretty confident it has been

Of course the cooler weather is now gradually bringing the garden birds back into the garden, if that makes sense.

There are a number of blue tits now devouring peanuts as they, along with great tits, wait for the sunflowers to make available their seeds.

I’m looking forward to more birds coming back, with a slight hope that the increasing number of berries on the pyracantha will attract the odd redwing and/or fieldfare; neither bird have ever been seen in or near the garden.

RARE WINTER VISITOR IN MY GARDEN

The snow may not have hit us, well apart from the highest mountains, but the wind and rain have certainly made their presence felt.

Watching the weather forecast for the next week and Christmas, it looks like we’ll all get hit by storm after storm, which isn’t good for us or the wildlife we share our space with.

While many people would rather we did without the cold, snow and ice, I rather enjoy these conditions in winter – it shouldn’t happen in spring or autumn for me though.

It gives the chance for wildlife to rest, for bugs to be killed off and for us to enjoy watching trails of wildlife that may have passed in our gardens or on our streets during the night.

Today I watched a first in my garden as a pair of redwing scouted around for food. I can’t recall a time when I’ve seen them anywhere near my house, so today was a real treat.

They only stayed for about ten minutes, but I hope they return during the rest of winter.

The blue tits and great tits are now regulars on my feeders, while the house sparrows and tree sparrows continue to visit daily.

A robin is starting to call from the trees and bushes, presumably staking my garden as part of his territory.

The blackbirds are also returning, although other birds are still reluctant to venture from the natural food supplies.

I’m really looking forward to when the long tailed tits make a visit, as they show that winter is really with us and the natural food supply is low.

Until then I’ll be on the lookout for more redwing and even the odd fieldfare. I think a waxwing is probably out of the question.

PREPARING THE GARDEN FOR WINTER

So the mild November is continuing and the wildlife in and around my garden is continuing to make the most of the conditions.

The peanut and fat snack bird feeders in my garden are not being emptied as often as when they are during harsh winter conditions, so I can only assume that there is still natural food around.

It has been wet and windy this week and I’m wondering if any winter visitors will be making a trip to my part of the country.

I’d love to see a redwing, but there are not enough trees or bushes providing berries within a short distance of my house.

I’m trying to grow a couple of winter berry bushes in my garden, but they are still young and may never provide a quantity of food even when fully grown, well as fully grown as I want them to be!

Yesterday I prepared the borders for winter and tidied the garden in general. The lawn was raked, all the dead summer border plants cut short and the leaves that covered the lawn, along with raked grass, coated on the borders.

I’ve done this to provide shelter for insects during winter, give the soil protection during heavy frosts and provide the soil with natural nutrients that worms will eventually ‘feed’ into the soil.

 

This process is something I’ve done for a few years now and it seems to help provide a great base for flowering plants. In spring I plan to add something new to the mix, some horse manure from the stables behind our house.

It was just done in time as we had the first frost of the winter last night.

 

There was great excitement in the house this week after the chattering of one of my favourite family birds, the long tailed tit, was heard.

I listened to the group chirp away before I saw them dancing from branch to branch among the nearest trees. They didn’t visit any of my feeders so this seems to back up the theory I mentioned earlier as I can only presume they’re not going hungry because there is enough natural food.

One other thing I’ve noticed during this heavy rain is the amount of earthworms that have been above ground. I know this is normal but I’ve seen plenty on pavements and hard surfaces, suggesting that the ground is too saturated for them, even on the top layers.

What will this mean for the benefits we get from worms by aerating the soil, thus helping water drain through? Perhaps this is only the beginning of a new natural process, but if the rain starts to recede maybe worms can find their home will be habitable again and the status quo will exist again.

WINTER VISITORS SIGHTED?

The frost and for that greeted me this morning was another indication that winter is starting to wrap her hands around the country, particularly where I live.

There are positives to the cold of winter; it kills of bugs/germs that would otherwise thrive in non-freezing conditions, plus it ensures the survival of the fittest wildlife so making the next generation the strongest possible.

Last winter wasn’t cold enough to deliver the usual benefits and this spring and summer have made for terrible breeding conditions for a lot of wildlife. None more so than the great tits that lost all eight chicks in the nestbox that contains a camera in my garden.

I’m expecting to see some winter visitors soon, although as we’re on the western side of the UK, not as many as those who live in a more easterly direction.

This week I’ve noticed chaffinches and goldfinches close to the garden, while I’m sure a flock of redwing flew over the garden.

As the weather gets colder then I’m sure the influx of visitors will increase and my nut feeders will feature a wide variety of birds.

A grey squirrel has been noticed close to our garden on a regular basis, and I’ve even see it in my garden once. I suspect it’ll be back when the weather gets colder.

The grass has grown long in the garden, but I’m leaving it for a while so the insects that are sheltering there can make it to the leaf-laden borders and long term winter residence.

Having not spent much daylight time at home and in the garden I’m hoping the next few weeks will give me a better indication as to what is happening with the local wildlife.