A WHIFF OF AUTUMN IS IN THE AIR

As the first wafts of an autumnal scent started to drift around the garden, so the signs of the third season of the year became more apparent. 

In the airs above the garden I’ve seen large numbers of swallows, almost entirely youngsters with their shorter forked tails, chattering away as they chase food. 

They seem effortless in the way they dance across the sky and all the time accompanied by one of my favourite sounds of nature, swallows nattering to each other. 

Given the weather next week is looking quite settled and mild, I expect a few swallows to be still showing their aerobatic skills for a little longer, although it’ll once again be a sad day when they finally depart for another seven months away. 

While there have been some reports of swallows staying in the UK throughout winter, I don’t expect them to stick around here. Perhaps the warmer southern counties near to coast are the best chance, if indeed any do decide to stay. 

The hedgehog(s) haven’t been seen for a few days in the garden, although one of the neighbours is still seeing them more regularly. 

I’ll put more dog food out now, in addition to the water bowl, to help them/it fatten up for winter. Finding out where it calls home might be beyond me at the moment. 

In the garden, just like in the wheat fields around the house, that harvesting has been in full swing. 

All the broad beans have been collected and one or two tomatoes too; but once again they have been poor again this year. 

So indeed, have the sunflowers with only one making it to show its sunny self, and even that one is not fully open yet! 

Finally, another new nest in the garden, taking the total this year to five, in addition to the robin ivy next, goldfinch bush nest, great tit nestbox nest and woodpigeon tree nest. 

While the bird remains anonymous, I suspect the layout of the next suggests a robin. 

The video would show why I think it’s a robin, because the entrance is rather open, after I created it following the demise of the first two robin broods. 

It’s not the robin family that successfully fledged a brood from the ivy because they definitely nested again in there, but it’s perhaps the robins that are now trying to stake a claim to the garden against the ivy family. 

This could be one to watch over autumn and winter.

STAYING PUT, FOR THE TIME BEING

So COVID-19 has hit and confined us to our homes for the foreseeable future, which is not bad for those of us who like to admire the wildlife and potter in the garden – just once a day at the moment!

However, it does mean that we’re going to struggle to provide those extra morsels for hungry birds and other animals, as we come into a time when breeding success can be determined by those extra handouts.

At the moment there doesn’t seem to be much interest in nesting, apart from the recent robin interest in the ivy by the kitchen window, the odd fly by on the oldest nest box and the magpies in the conifer tree opposite the house.

It also means I can’t sort the pond out or get lovely border plants to help deter the cats from defecating in the garden.

It has given us time as a family to plant some seeds, with the usual tomato, broad bean and sunflowers being joined by, among others, the Californian Poppy.

A few of the seeds are already starting to emerge after a couple of days, but it might be this weekend when the more dramatic emerging happens.

Until then we continue to work from home, admire the wildlife when we look up from the computer, and hope spring can replace this cool weather with some proper warmth.

FLORA GROWTH, AS SUMMER HEAT BUILD

The weather has started to become more like summer, albeit the forecasters are saying it won’t last – how unusual!

The bird life in the garden is slowly moving away, although another nest might see some action during July.

The secret robin nest has either fledged or not survived, because there’s been a distinct lack of activity in the area in the last few days.

It’s hard to tell which is true, but in the coming weeks I’ll have a sneak peak in the nest vicinity to see what’s happened.

I hope it’s been fledging.

There have been occasional visits from families of blue tits, great tits and house sparrows, however they are happening less frequently.

Only today a fledgling blackbird was moving around the garden looking for earthworms, and succeeding too.

The new nest, I say new because it looks like a refurb of the one I spotted during winter in the garden’s main tree, has had visitors – yes I think it’s the owners.

It’s a pair of woodpigeons, which makes it another first for the garden.

I don’t know if they’re going to lay eggs yet, or even if they have already done so, but two of them have been heard and seen quite often recently.

The birds of summer appear to be doing ok, with numerous swifts often overhead, particularly in the evening when they make a right noise, while the swallows are certainly enjoying the increase in insect food – thanks to the improving weather.

Finally the tomato plants are now fully outside and ready for warm, sunny conditions to thrive and produce some lovely fruit - hopefully!

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.

BIRDS A RARITY IN THE GARDEN

The nest boxes are empty and the garden is virtually free of birds, apart from the odd visit from fledglings and swooping swallows. 

One question that remains unanswered is whether the house sparrows have taken up residence in the blue tit nest box – which fledged eight chicks from eight eggs.

The camera to the nest box isn’t working properly again, so a view inside is proving difficult.

If the female is on eggs then it’ll be hard to tell as they normally are quite still most of the time.

It is likely to be another week before it is known if they are in there.

The garden itself had a good soaking of water for a while, but now it looks like a prolonged dry spell is on the cards, which means the new hosepipe will see some action!

All the plants, tomato, sunflower, broad bean and peppers are now in situ, and growing fast. If they get enough water then the tomatoes can hopefully make up for the poor harvest last year with a bumper one this year.
After all the sunflowers did very well last year and now, thanks to the slugs and snails, they’re likely to be fewer and shorter than 2016.

IT’S GETTING QUIET IN THE GARDEN

After the blue tits and great tits recently fledged, the garden has become a much quieter place. 

The chicks can sometimes be heard in the trees and bushes nearby, but their begging cries for food from their parent will soon disappear; as they learn how to find their own food and the parents take them further away from the garden area.

In the absence of the tits and their youngsters, the sound of house sparrows and swooping swallows is infrequently heard.

However the house sparrows may become more prominent as a pair of house sparrows has taken interest in the blue tit nest box and nest.

In previous years the house sparrows have nested a couple of times on top of an abandoned tit nest, and it seems this may be happening again – hopefully they won’t block the camera view!

The magpies have also moved away, with their fledglings, although they may well be in the same areas as the young smaller birds – which may result in some of the tits not being able to return to the garden in later summer and autumn.

After the slugs and snails tried to take out the young sunflowers, the survivors are doing ok in the garden.

The tomato plants and the broad beans are also out in the garden, and hopefully will continue to grow in this warm and often wet weather.

There’s be more planting going on in the garden in the coming weeks, so hopefully growing conditions will continue to be favourable – plenty of sun once the plants are able to bear fruit.