BADGERS AND BUTTERFLIES

The weather and temperatures have picked up this month, but not to heatwave levels – and certainly not enough to prevent the heating being required on some nights.

The warmer and sunnier weather has brought out plenty of butterflies, and a new butterfly has been seen in the garden.

A speckled wood was seen on the ivy, sunning itself, and I managed to grab a quick picture before it fluttered away.

I also managed to capture a red admiral too, although they have been seen many times, feasting on the buddleia.

They have more than made up for the lack of bird activity, albeit a small flock of house sparrows are now roosting in the wall climbers – something that seems to happen quite often at this time of year.

They are literally about a foot above the front door and can be seen and heard about an hour before sunset.

It’ll be a few weeks before they need to find a new roost site, when the leaves start to leave it fairly exposed.

Our summer visitors have definitely not been sticking around for this warmer weather, even if it would be feast time for them.

The garden wildlife is undergoing the usual transition as autumn starts to take hold, and it might be a few weeks before the birds are regularly seen.

However, I can’t help but feel that the stupidly high level of cats in neighbouring houses, along with feral cats that are being fed by the same neighbours, are having an impact on the birds being seen around.

I saw one of the cats with a small vole only yesterday morning, which does make you wonder if this small area of countryside is being restrictive to many species of wildlife, because the cats are either killing prey or the animals themselves.

There might be one saviour in this though. For the first time ever, a badger visited the garden, the closest badger I’ve seen to the house by about 500 metres.

I’d noticed a few small holes in the grass verges on the lane, which can now be put down to foraging badgers.

Great news for them and also my girls who managed to see a ‘real life’ badger right by our house.

It helps bring the closer to wildlife and hopefully encourages them to take a keen interest in wildlife when they grow up.

THE LONG ROAD TO DARK MORNINGS AND NIGHTS?

So September has brought what the end of August promised – cloud, wind and rain, along with a distinctly chilling feel in the air.

In the last few weeks there has been a couple of overhead views of swifts, chattering away and seemingly on their journey to warmer climes.

I don’t think they’re local swifts, merely family groups passing over and making the most of the conditions to feed.

I’ve also seen a couple of family groups of swallows, but again it’s been a week of so since the last sighting of our beautiful summer visitors.

In the garden the pond has seen too much litter falling in, so a clean-up along with new aerating plants is required soon.

There has been a smattering of blue tits, great tits and house sparrows in the garden, particularly in the last few days, making the most of the free food on offer.

One thing that has been noticeable is the local robins singing, and sounding like they’re reasserting their territories.

The one in our garden has been very vocal in the morning and evenings, making the most of the feast of bugs and earthworms the current weather is bringing to the surface.

The tomatoes are only just growing from flowers, so I don’t hold much hope for any red ones this year.

Better news on the sunflowers, the few that have made it beyond July are now getting quite tall, so they should be flowering soon – giving some birds free and natural foods for the autumn.

Five years ago most of September was warm, if not hot at times, so whether this year it’ll pick up temperature wise is another thing – the forecast suggest not!

IS IT AUTUMN OR AUGUST?

I go away for a couple of weeks and the weather goes from record breaking heat, to a soggy August in a matter of days.

They should rename August as autumn, given the late evening and early morning feel in the air, not to mention the wet and windy weather.

Over the last ten days the swifts seem to have departed for warmer climes, can’t say I blame them, while the garden birds have definitely quit the breeding season for this year.

I have seen the swallow family, now looking great with seven fledged youngsters, taking to the air and learning the aerobatic skills that a swallow needs.

It’s a fabulous sight, watching the newly-fledged swallows dancing around the skies, flirting with the fields and trees, and all the time chattering away to their parents.

They’ll be off soon and to me it means autumn has already started.

The garden is quiet with the likes of blue tits, great tits, house sparrows, dunnocks, blackbirds, robins and wrens only sporadically visiting.

I’ve cut back on extra food for them, apart from a couple of feeders, but perhaps with the weather conditions I’m tempted to put some fat balls out there.

The flora is growing significantly with all the wet and warm(ish) weather, but not the ones I want to.

The sunflowers are not as tall as last year (no they’re not dwarf ones), the tomatoes are only just flowering, and the broad beans have basically failed.

But the grass, rose bushes and ivy, the ones I have to trim regularly, are flourishing – so plenty of time in the garden for me at the moment.

With Bank Holiday weekend coming up shortly, the weather is bound to improve…

The wildlife might not care about this, but the humans who use the garden certainly do!