MAY
Some rain at last !! Apart from what looks like some form of wilt/virus to a conifer in my perennial bed the garden is looking great but daily watering is getting tiresome and my rain butts are almost empty. Nature .. thankfully .. is resilient and battles on through all conditions. Sounds of bird song has been wonderful .. particularly the local Song Thrush; he needs to brush up on his 2 note repetition .. a little variation would be welcome but for beginners it is an easy bird to identify simply from his song. The same notes repeated with joy. In the singing competitions the Blackbird will always be my personal favourite and it is with much concern to learn of yet another viral disease directly affecting Blackbirds .. Usutu .. that is apparently being recorded here in Easy Anglia/country wide; having come north from African origins .. with the mosquito a likely carrier. An unwelcome aspect of climate change but with a personal working life centered in West Africa I would still opt for warm sunny days.
All the usual suspects are calling strongly .. Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Robins, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps ,Collared Doves, Green Woodpeckers and the pair of Cuckoos are very active .. the male still calling loudly at 21:09 last night only some 30 metres from the house in an adjacent garden .. perhaps the overnight roosting tree? The Chiffchaff is one of the prime target "hosts" for the Cuckoo (also Reed Warblers) and a week ago the female called out strongly with her distinct bubbling brook sound made when she has laid an egg in some unfortunate new parents' nest. Prior to that incident the Chiffchaff had been calling daily from our neighbour's garden and now has gone silent. They are ground nesters and easy prey for the ever watchful Cuckoo. Not confirmed but I can't help joining the dots!?
Looking up to the skies has also given interest .. Barn Swallows have been expected and we have 3 pairs actively seeking out nest sites in the surrounding stables and the sight I always need as a summer fix .. 6 pairs of Common Swifts .. wheeling overhead with their usual dashing excited flight patterns. Honington is a favoured stronghold with numbers returning to the area around the church where there are many Suffolk S-shaped tiled roofs that permit access for the swifts. Just stand and marvel at the closing speed when they head for their entrance gap .. probably 30 mph seconds before they slam on the brakes. The female lays her eggs within just days of arrival having mated aerially en-route and the young swiftlets will be on the wing towards the end of June; many will not land again for another 9 months! Listen for the screaming parties as they fly joyously in family groups; adults and youngsters .. a sight and sound to behold and cherish.
All the usual suspects are calling strongly .. Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Robins, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps ,Collared Doves, Green Woodpeckers and the pair of Cuckoos are very active .. the male still calling loudly at 21:09 last night only some 30 metres from the house in an adjacent garden .. perhaps the overnight roosting tree? The Chiffchaff is one of the prime target "hosts" for the Cuckoo (also Reed Warblers) and a week ago the female called out strongly with her distinct bubbling brook sound made when she has laid an egg in some unfortunate new parents' nest. Prior to that incident the Chiffchaff had been calling daily from our neighbour's garden and now has gone silent. They are ground nesters and easy prey for the ever watchful Cuckoo. Not confirmed but I can't help joining the dots!?
Looking up to the skies has also given interest .. Barn Swallows have been expected and we have 3 pairs actively seeking out nest sites in the surrounding stables and the sight I always need as a summer fix .. 6 pairs of Common Swifts .. wheeling overhead with their usual dashing excited flight patterns. Honington is a favoured stronghold with numbers returning to the area around the church where there are many Suffolk S-shaped tiled roofs that permit access for the swifts. Just stand and marvel at the closing speed when they head for their entrance gap .. probably 30 mph seconds before they slam on the brakes. The female lays her eggs within just days of arrival having mated aerially en-route and the young swiftlets will be on the wing towards the end of June; many will not land again for another 9 months! Listen for the screaming parties as they fly joyously in family groups; adults and youngsters .. a sight and sound to behold and cherish.
|
In terms of photographs I am sharing with you a shot of the male Sparrow Hawk taken some years ago in another May month. The only garden shot I have ever managed in 15 years! The males are notable as wimps of the accipiter species .. females are larger and stronger and they are the usual regular sighting .. either live kills or evidential circles of tell tale feathers that you have had a visit in the very early morning. As you can see the male is brightly coloured .. unlike the female of all dark brown .. and much more secretive. I hope your luck will be better than mine .
|
|
|
All in our garden .. the wasp only 10 metres from our terrace.
The beautiful Ruby-tailed Wasp ( Chrysis Ignita) is really stunning ... a metallic glittering blue thorax and gem stone ruby red body, But wow are they tiny .. only 9 mm long .. yes millimetres. Get the magnifying glass out and try your luck if you have flint or stone walls. Like the Bee-fly that I have talked about previously, they are parasitic and sneakily lay their eggs in the hole nest of Red Mason Bees - So beautiful but deadly! Poor quality photograph but so difficult to catch well without a macro lens. |
Tell-tale holes and runs of the Field Vole (Microtus Agrestis) now making a home under a discarded water feature pot that cracked badly in a heavy frost last winter. These holes are all over our front field and I can now see why it is particularly attractive to a visiting Kestrel! Average length 10-12 cms, adult weight around 35 grams and a life span of only 1 year.
click on picture to enlarge