Cyn's Nature Notes: Blackbird, thunder and a rainbow

Sunday, 29 July 2012

Blackbird, thunder and a rainbow

It has been a coldish summer day, the evening brought torrential rain showers with it, preceded by thunder.

The fox food had been scattered on the newly mown grass and as usual birds quickly gathered to eat their fill before the foxes arrived.

Three long legged, skinny young magpies together with a balding, patchy parent, in obvious moult were the first to arrive. Next on the scene was a male blackbird who selected cheese from between the pieces of bread and building them up within his beak, flew off to feed his hungry youngsters, he was soon back and collecting more cheese when he suddenly stopped, looked up and spent several seconds scanning the sky. A sudden peal of thunder and then he resumed cheese collecting as the rain came rushing down.

Did the blackbird sense it was going to thunder? I wondered if he experienced a change in air pressure or have some other way of sensing when thunder was on the way.

The time was now eight minutes before nine and the evening sky was darkly grey and overcast, suddenly the whole feeling of the evening was changed as the sky was lit up by a glorious rainbow, the sky above it was a definite pink and below was a grey/blue. A beautiful sight to enjoy.

Another beautiful sight this month are the hardy garden plants like geraniums and lychnis coronaria bursting forth with colour. They give a wonderful show, are great ground cover and best of all reappear year after year.

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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.