Cyn's Nature Notes: Of Blue Tits and Oak Leaves

Tuesday 4 May 2010

Of Blue Tits and Oak Leaves

There is much going on in the garden at present. For the last two days we have had a kestrel swooping down on our little feathered friends. I know the kestrel needs to eat, but I will be glad when it moves on. Yesterday I spent a worrying few hours, when I thought the kestrel had taken the tit parents. I was so relieved when I spotted the pair; beaks full, entering their little home one after the other.

I have been worried about the blue tits finding enough food for their young as they chiefly feed on the caterpillars found on the oak leaves. Apparently the timing of blue tit young are tied to the appearance of oak leaves, but this year the hatchlings came slightly before the oak leaves, however the diligent parents managed to find tiny green caterpillars on all sorts of bushes and trees in the garden, and I also saw them taking beaks full of insects back to the nest. So, no doubt, the young are feeding and growing. As for the parents, they are gorging themselves on sunflower seeds, ground up peanuts and suet.

I have noticed the new leaves on the oak trees. They are just unfurling and are an olive green, very soft, and delicately shiny. Amongst them are clusters of flowers hanging mossy yellow, green and brown in colour.

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About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.