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.

AUTUMN IN FULL SWING

The wet and windy weather we often associate with autumn has arrived, and with it bringing plenty of flooding.

It’s still been fairly warm in the garden, which means lots of slugs and snails creeping around, with some having found their way into the house.

Figures suggest the average garden has about 20,000 slugs and snails, and given the amount I’ve seen at night recently, that figure doesn’t surprise me.

Unfortunately, there are still no signs of hedgehogs, which are a great natural predator of slugs and snails.

However, during a dry interlude at the weekend I was clearly some parts of the garden from a build-up of debris from the weather, when I came across this large toad.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a toad around the garden, but it’s great to know the range of species it does hold – even if I don’t see them often.

The toad eventually sauntered off after I’d discovered it’s hiding place, but I’ve no doubt it’ll be hiding around the garden still as the food source is good and there are plenty of place to hibernate over the winter.

The small flock of house sparrows that have been roosting in the wall foliage are still around, although I suspect October will see them find somewhere else with more shelter when the leaves do fall down.

The bird feeders are being used more frequently, and the numbers of great tits, blue tits, robins and dunnocks using them has increased slightly in recent days.

I suspect it’ll continue doing so in the coming weeks, so it’s time to stock up on fat snacks and peanuts for them.

In the meantime let’s hope they all keep dry(ish) in the autumn deluge.

WILDLIFE MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME

May is proving to be an exciting month for the garden, with new life and new nesters!

The blue tits have indeed been the birds to have used the original nest box, and the sound of chicks begging for food was heard on Sunday morning.

However I first suspected something was going on when I saw both blue tits scurrying around the garden searching for caterpillars and insects.

They sped around so fast, hanging upside down looking underneath leaves, that my first thought was they must be looking for food for their chicks.

There was an urgency not seen when they are ‘child free’!

Unfortunately it looks like Mrs Wren didn’t like to location or build of the nest by the kitchen window and they appear to have somewhere else.

Not all is lost though, because just two days ago a pair of robins were seen taking nesting material to that very nest.

They must either be a new or, as I suspect, the garden robins that have had their first nest nearby found and raided by a predator – my money is on one of the local cats.

I’m just hoping they continue with this nest, lay eggs that are successfully hatched and fledge all their chicks.

In the meantime all of the tomato, broad bean and sunflower plants are outside in the greenhouse, growing rapidly.

I suspect it’ll be bank holiday weekend when the first ones are put out in the garden, when they are strong enough to sustain any attacks from slugs and snails.

The weather looks like being good for a while, so watering the garden will be crucial in the coming weeks, not only to keep the flora going, but also help the birds with keeping their thirst quenched and food available.

They will of course get mealworm supplements from me while chick rearing season is going on.