Blue Tit Big Brother

I made marmalade today—a rewarding but messy business that consequently involves a lot of time standing at the kitchen sink washing things up. The window by the kitchen sink looks out across the patio, where we have a ground feeder and various other things to attract birds.

The cold weather seems to have brought in a new visitor to our garden. A fieldfare, or so I’m told by people who know more about birds than I do (ie Sophie). And it’s a right bully.

It seems to have taken a liking to the apples that we put out for the blackbirds. It’s a fat looking thing, and you can tell why. All afternoon he’s done nothing but eat and fight off other birds. Sparrows, robins, blackbirds, starlings, none of them can get a look in. The ground feeder currently has several apples on it and large handfuls of suet and assorted seed. The fieldfare seems interested only in the apples, but he’s not letting anything else get close enough to eat the other stuff.

What do we do? Of course, the fieldfare is welcome to come and eat, but it seems determined to stop any of the regular visitors from eating at just the time when they most need to. Should we let nature take it’s course, or should we intervene somehow?

Tags: feeder, fieldfare

There seem to be an awful lot of butterflies around the garden at the moment. Mostly it’s white things fluttering around the nasturtiums but we’ve spotted the occasional more interesting butterfly. Or moth. I’m not even sure what the difference between butterflies and moths is, so no hope of working out the species!

This little beastie was on the water mint in the pond the other day. And this evening Sophie went out to get some chives for supper and spotted a tiny little blue butterfly.

Which moved on later to the green house, giving us a glimpse of the top side of the wings

If anyone can tell us what they are I’d love to know.

Tags: butterfly, moth

Since this is a blog about the wildlife in our garden it seems only right to say a few words about the wildlife in our garden of the moment. Right now we’re on holiday and ‘our garden’ is the gorgeous St Martins Campsite on the Isles of Scilly. I first came here 40 years ago, when fetching water meant taking the water container half a mile up the road in a rickety old push chair to pump spring water with an ancient pump in the farmhouse garden. The less said about the toilets the better! Nowadays there’s a fine and well kept toilet block with running water, and wi-fi throughout the campsite. But surprisingly little else has changed.

One of the delightful things about the islands is the wildlife. We’ve been out kayaking past puffins and over star fish, seen anenomes and crabs whilst snorkelling and been sized up by passing seals. But on the campsite itself there’s plenty to see too, and often at much closer quarters than usual.

The birds are fearless. Sparrows, blackbirds and thrushes wander about the site scrounging, quite happy to eat the crumbs beneath your table whilst you’re still sitting at it, or helping with the washing up by picking the remaining grains out of your muesli bowl. Sophie managed to get a thrush to pick up cake from within about 15cm of her, though it wouldn’t quite take that final step and eat from her hand.

Swallows dart about the campsite at low altitude feeding. Up at the farm barn there’s a nest and the adults seem quite happy to dart in and out whilst Ben, one the campsite owners, works on his landrover. This photo is a couple of days old now—when we walked past yesterday most of the chicks had moved out to sit on rafters or the light fitting. On our way back a few hours later one or two had returned to the nest and were being fed.

Even the campsite sward looks as if it might be interesting to those that know about these things; which doesn’t include me. I recognize the eggs and bacon, but I’ve no idea what this little flower is.

In far too few days time we will have to make our way back home. But the journey, too, can bring encounters with wildlife. In the past we have seen both dolphins and basking sharks from the ferry back to the mainland, and some friends we met here have just told us that they have seen minke whales on the journey.

Tags: isles of scilly, scilly, sparrow, st martins, swallow, thrush

The blue tit chicks all fledged at around 7.00am this morning, 20 days after hatching.  That’s a day longer in the nest than last year, but still four days earlier as the eggs hatched 5 days earlier than in 2008.

A good few of them seemed rather reticent to go, but they all got the hang of it in the end. Interestingly, the parents carried on cleaning up after the chicks had gone. Could they be working up to a second brood?

Tags: blue tit, blue tits, chicks, fledge, nestbox

Before we move on to the main news of the day here, for the delight and delectation of our nephews, is some poo…

(recorded on 16 May 2009)

Tags: blue tit, blue tits, chicks, poo