FINAL FAREWELL FROM THE SWALLOWS?

The lowest weather pressure system seen in Britain in September for over 30 years has brought chaos to many parts of the UK, particularly northern England.

Major flooding affected the roads and countryside around my home and garden, at one point making the house impossible to get to.

After three days of rain, torrential at times, the garden resembled a sodden marsh, even the snails and slugs seemed to be disturbed by the weather.

One thing I didn’t expect to see was what greeted me earlier this week. Below is an image of about 25 swallows swooping over a partially flooded field, chattering away in excitement to each other as they chased insects for breakfast. (see below)

 

I did notice that many were youngsters with their tail feathers not quite as long as the adults, so presume they were either a late brood or had been delayed by the recent storm system.

Whatever their reason is was a wonderful sight and I hope they all make it to the warmer climes of Africa and some slightly less damp conditions.

I was then immediately brought back down to earth as I faced another tricky day of negotiating the flooded lane that leads to our house.

 

Part of the lane was turned into a river as the small stream that normally sits alongside it spilled over as it failed to cope with the rainfall, eventually creating a river by using the lane as a path to travel along.

 

The lane is now back to normal, apart from the huge amount of debris carried by the flood water, including branches, rocks, litter and mud.

I’m still not sure how wildlife has been affected close to me, though Cheshire Wildlife Trust did say they hoped the population of water voles had kept safe.

It goes to show even those who live in and around water are in danger when flooding occurs.

I suspect flying creatures like butterflies and moths have suffered, particularly the former as I’d seen plenty of them feeding only a few days previously.

But wildlife does have a habit of bouncing back from natural devastations so while the short term for many might not be good, I suspect long term many will use next year to reclaim any losses in 2012.

I’ll now be keeping an eye out for some more straggling swallows, but also for other wildlife to see what the storm has done.

SO LONG SWALLOWS, SEE YOU NEXT SUMMER?

The swallows are still around; well yesterday I saw a pair gliding in the evening air, snapping up insects in daredevil moves, some just inches above the ground.

A few days ago there was almost 20 gathering together, so I can only assume that the last two are parents looking for any stragglers to help make the journey to Africa.

I suspect I won’t see any more after this weekend, well until next spring. They are one of my favourite birds, probably in the top two, so I thoroughly enjoy seeing them, albeit for only five months of the year.

My only concern is they come back next year and were not put off by our lack of summer this year.

In the garden my tomatoes are suffering with the cold weather overnight, even being hit by a slight frost last night.

I’ll still be collecting some for consumption but know the time will soon be upon us when the plants will succumb  to the weather and lead me to thinking of next season for planting seeds.

The butterflies were around in numbers with the sunshine of the last couple of days, making the most of any late summer, early autumn nectar supplies. Some flew away when I went near them, while others (see below) seemingly posed for the camera!

 

The snails and slugs are still out in force in the evenings, especially when it rains, though I’m not culling them as I wait for a hedgehog or two to come and sort them out!

Most plants are showing signs of early autumn colder nights, though others are blooming, including those that are feeding the butterflies.

What changes will the garden and the surrounding wildlife experience over the next few days, weeks and months? Only time will tell, but I’ll be following and diarising what happens around me to give a logged history of wildlife in the neighbourhood.

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.

BLOOMING GARDEN

The wet summer has so far resulted in lots of greenery, but not much in the way of other colours.

Over the last couple of weeks my garden has started to be full of vibrant colours from a wide variety of plants.

The numerous poppy, sunflower and rudbeckia plants are in full bloom and along with the gladiola and smaller flowers, are providing a colourful display.

There has been lots of bees making use of the pollen which is good news as the decline of food giving plants for the bees is a serious problem, especially for pollination of our food and crops.

I'm not sure if any of my sunflowers will reach over 10ft this year, but one or two might surprise me.

The tomatoes and pepper plants are going well and starting to show fruit, though how many will make it through the full growth is unknown.

I'm hoping to see my first red tomato by the end of July, especially as some of the pants I gave away to friends and family are already bearing fruit!

The birds are starting to come back into the garden and I've started hearing the warning calls again of the great tit and seen some young blue tits.

This weekend I've seen some fledgling robin chicks around the garden and along with the blackbirds, they are making use of the worms and other insects.

One thing I have noticed is the tree and house sparrows are not visiting in the same numbers, which I think is down to the chicks in nearby nests fledging and the parents showing them the neighbourhood while moulting themselves.

The swallows are increasing in number as youngsters fledge and join parents for formation flying to catch insects.

The wet weather is providing the swallows with a glut of food, when it stops and the sun warms up the air enough for the insects to take flight.

I'm hoping to have some more pics next week as I'm currently typing with one hand due to an injection into my elbow to help cure a long standing injury, so taking pics and writing with one hand isn't easy and it's taken me a while to complete this post!

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF THE GARDEN

Before I went on holiday for a week with the family, I took images of the garden from all four angles to see how much it would grow in seven days, at the height of summer.

I’ve done it because this unusually wet and fairly humid growing season has given plenty of healthy growing flora, but not given us much chance to enjoy it, apart from glimpses through a window as we shelter from the rain!

The first angle is towards the front of the house and the beautiful hanging baskets that Sarah creates every year. This year they were put together a couple of weeks late due to the weather, but they’ll still be great throughout the next couple of months.

As you can see from the first image they are growing well and the sunflower is growing well. The tomato plants of the right and left of the image had flowers so I was hoping for little green fruit upon my return.

As you can see from the image below, the sunflower has grown and started to show its flower, the wall climbing plant is providing even more shelter for small bugs and insects, which in turn is attracting the returning post-moult small birds and the hanging baskets are growing well.

The rose bush, which was showing flowers when we left for the holiday, has taken a couple of years to grow to its current state and plenty of pruning at most times of the year.

It provides a haven for the small birds that visit the garden to shelter from both weather and danger, while also feeding on food gathered from my offerings, or that of the garden itself.

As you can see from the image below, some of the flowers have faded, but others are coming to replace them. The most notable difference is the lawn, which has a carpet of daisies, perfect for small insects.

As my daughter started to wander around the garden I decided to slowly fill in the small pond and grow from seed, plants to fill the gap in the rockery.

The result is a sea of colour and a micro wildlife haven, with plenty of insects making it home. The good news is the pond lining is still there, so it can be resurrected in the future.

As you can see from the image below, the lawn has again shown it's growing power in the wet conditions, while the changing colours of the flowering plants is proving to be a great place for nectar hunting insects and bees. I planted most of the current flowers as seeds in March, so it's great to see that work coming to fruition.

Earlier this year I drastically trimmed the honeysuckle bush as it was mainly dead branches and I wanted the bush to provide shelter but not overhang the patio.

At first I thought the bush wasn’t responding positively to the trim, but slowly it began to show new shoots and green leaves. It had grown into what I imagined before we went away and would provide a great place for insects and birds to watch the garden.

But as you can see it had come back to life before the Cornwall holiday and I was making sure it created a thin, but sheltering hedge, rather than the overhanging shaded area it did before.

As you can see from the image below the honeysuckle has grown even further to start start shaping up to what I envisaged it to be when I cut it right back this spring.

At the front of the garden the entrance gate has sunflowers each side of it, while a couple of tomato plants and small hedge bushes were planted a couple of years ago to make a barrier combined with the fence.

The sunflowers provide autumn food for some birds, while the fence helps provide a security from local cats.

It is now turning into a great entrance to the garden, while also providing shelter and food for wildlife, plus food for us.

The sunflowers are growing well, albeit not at the same rate!