Birds, Bees and a Wet Squirrel

An excellent week for bird spotting, but not so good for a squirrel.

I have seen a young green woodpecker on the Robinia Pseudoacacia, which is at present delighting us with a wonderful show of its beautiful and sweet smelling pea-like flowers which hang in racemes. The flowers are for some reason a great attraction to pigeons who sit and pick them off, despite much calling and hand clapping from us. This tree has another interesting property in that it is an eco-friendly tree to have in ones garden, as it absorbs a lot of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, than most other trees.

We also have young robins, blackbirds, chaffinches, wrens, dunnocks, mistle thrushes, pigeons and magpies in the garden. A new bird to the garden is the carrion crow, he is so large that he dwarfs the magpies and jackdaws. He must have a nest of youngsters in the vicinity, because he joins us every morning when the food is put out for the creatures, it is interesting, as soon as he appears everything else, both large and small immediately hides in bushes and trees or flies away.Once he has cleared the food then off he goes and I then put a second lot out for the usual avian visitors to our garden. It may seem odd to many people that I feed not only the little songbirds but also the larger birds which prey upon the song birds, the reason for this is that while I am feeding them, they are not predating others smaller than themselves.

 I had an amusing moment recently, I was feeding and watching a young squirrel who as yet, unfamiliar with his athletic abilities ran down the lawn, biscuit firmly in mouth, as he reached the pond he took a flying leap forward, only to be surprised by the length of the pond as he fell "PLONK" right into the middle. This is not the first time I have witnessed this and years ago I used to rush out to "save" them, but soon realised that they can swim ---even if not by choice, so now I just watch their antics, they always survive. This one quickly high-tailed it out of the pond across the garden and up into the Robinia Pseudo-acacia, where he climbed high into the sunny crook of a branch and sat alternately grooming and shaking himself.

The middle side lawn which has always been noted for its density of daisies, now has an amazing amount of white clover on it also and is like a magic carpet, with an odd bright yellow dandelion here and there. The bees love this flower infested lawn.

The bees also love the Morrocan Broom/Cytisus Battandieri with its bright yellow, pineapple smelling, upright racemes of flowers, which at the moment is is in full bloom and with its tremendous size is an amazing sight.

The whole of the garden is alive with movement, it is so full of life. Yesterday we saw a pied wagtail and today a grey wagtail.

Everywhere we look there are dozens of bees. The most favoured plant in the garden for bees is the Jasminium Beesianum, it has miniscule red flowers that are so prolific they smother the leaves and cover the plant and they in turn are covered by bees. This plant grows over an arch and while it is in bloom is attended by thousands of bees of many different types. We have another of these plants falling down a bank and it is just as popular with the bees. At the end of our garden on either side is a woodpile (for wild life) I am considering planting a jasminium beesianum to grow over each of these.

Later in the day I watched a magpie greedily eating ants from a nest in the middle of the lawn, it is not only magpies who love to feast on these little creatures they are also much enjoyed by green woodpeckers and blackbirds. The latter also use them for anointing themselves, it is thought the formic acid produced by the ants, kills the parasites infesting the birds.

Hertfordshire to Cambridgeshire

This is such an enjoyable journey, no motorways, no rushing, just smaller roads bounded by typically English countryside.

The verges at this time of year are so beautiful, they have not been cut back, but have been allowed to grow tall and are home to a wide variety of wild flowers.

High grasses compete with golden buttercups each trying to outdo with the other for the most light and ending up equal. I remember picking buttercups as a child, all children did it in those days and then held them under each others chins to see if the yellow reflection showed. When the colour shone back there was much glee in telling and being told that you loved butter. No logic, it was just a nonsensical piece of childish fun, which made us all laugh and feel happy. Post war, times were very different and pleasure easily found.

The verges are full of bright red poppies ( Malvaceae) otherwise commonly known as malvas or mallows, we mainly see common mallows, they have many flower heads which are lilac to mauve in colour, much less often we spot a plant of musk mallow, this is a delicate looking plant with white or pink flowers and beautiful cut leaves. Another delicate looking plant is the cow parsley and other members of the umbellifer family, at this time of year the verges are rich in this plant also.

One of the best sights though, has to be the pink and white dog and field roses cascading down, hedgerows and trees, they remind me of waterfalls and are stunning to see and also to smell, as well as being an excellent source of nectar for wildlife.

Wayfaring trees/ bushes are also very noticeable at this time of year, with their large clusters of creamy white flowers, and of course in the autumn they please both us and the wildlife with their huge clusters of bright red or black berries..

Occasionally we see verges barren of wild flowers but covered in tall grasses, which seen from a distance have an attractive pale purplish haze

Horse chestnuts and laburnums have finished flowering, but we look forward to the long, dangling, twisted seed pods of the laburnum and the rich beauty of the fruit of the horse chestnut tree - conkers - in the autumn.

The deep pink of the hawthorn is beautiful when seen massed on the plant. In some cases hawthorns have left behind their shrub like form and have grown into very characterful trees, with their knobbly and gnarled branches and trunks.

Foxes, Badgers, Young Robin and the Female Duck.

The foxes were late coming to feed last night. They fed quickly and what they didn't devour they carried away with them. Within a few minutes the badger came hurrying on to the lawn, but, alas  the food was all gone.

This morning I watched a young robin bathing in the back garden bird bath, afterwards he/she flew to the Cytisus Battandieri ( Pineapple Broom), where he/she sat firstly shaking the water off and then preening him/herself and all the while a parent bird sat on a nearby branch watching.

Late morning the female duck turned up at the lounge patio window, I took a series of photographs of her from appearing at the window, to feeding under the side kitchen window, then down by the pond and finally flying away from the lawn, outside the lounge patio window.

Spotted Flycatchers, Greenfinches and Starlings

Lucky bird spotting day, on a honeysuckle I saw a pair of spotted flycatchers. Later I noticed a pair of greenfinches, these birds used to be so common in our garden, but latterly like starlings they have become almost total strangers.
Thinking about starlings reminds me that recently Mike drew my attention to one on the peanut holder, he then told me he had seen one on there earlier. The starling had flown straight on to the hanging peanut holder, as he landed he grasped the wildly swinging wire mesh and was able to hang there eating. The nut holder soon became still and he stayed in situ enjoying his feast.                          

I would love to see these three birds back in the garden in their previous numbers.

Starlings and Mistlethrush

A strange morning, the garden was almost bird bereft, by ten thirty we had seen only a robin, a blackbird and one squirrel, by the afternoon it had changed though and in the interim we had been lucky to watch a mistlethrush make repeated trips to the end of the garden and then fly back along the back of the bungalow with a beak full of worms, I'd like to think he is nesting somewhere in the shrubs growing there.

We were also pleased to see a pair of starlings in the garden a few times recently and even more pleased when three turned up today. It is a real pleasure to watch these busy, gregarious birds bustling about their business.

Hertfordshire to Berkshire

A cold cloudy day with intermittent heavy showers of rain or hail, and only the briefest glimpses of sunshine. The brightness of oil seed rape escapees singing out from the verges brightens the day and gladdens the heart. There is much cow parsley already grown above waist height in these damp conditions and looking very pretty with its delicate lace like flowers. Other verges have been mown, and are now sprinkled with tiny white daisies, and flat to the ground newly opened golden dandelions.

Trees are heavily leaved now, and even the oaks one of the last trees to leaf up are showing a brownish, mossy green covering, which thickens by the day. Elder, hawthorn and horse chestnut are all bedecked with their blooms. Here and there are laburnums with their bright yellow hanging racemes, which suddenly don't look as bright when a field of rape comes into view. Years ago there was never any evidence of wayside laburnums, now however more and more are springing up in roadside hedges and I find them very attractive and a good addition.

We are also seeing much more of the pretty pink and white blossom of verge side apple trees, no doubt inadvertently planted by travellers throwing apple cores from the windows of their speeding cars. These are good because even if humans never get to eat the fruit, it is a welcome addition to support the wildlife living thereabouts ---birds, mice, voles, shrews, foxes, badgers, and I'm sure many more. An apple core dropped on our lawn will within minutes have attracted not only birds, but also, mice voles, shrews and if put out when we are about, all other creatures except for birds will stay away and within a very short time ants will have covered the core.

As we turn onto the M25 at the M1 junction, there is a huge growth of pink campions followed by several patches of dark blue bluebells, judging by the strength of their colour I would think they are our traditional bluebells. These are very special and so much better than the foreign ones which seem to be taking over. Our English bluebells are perfumed and one of the joys of an English spring is to find a bluebell wood, walk into the centre and gaze around. The perfume linked with the nearness of each individual pretty flower and fading into an amazing blue haze in the distance is something everyone should endeavour to achieve, even if only once in their lifetime as the sight and smell will stay with them for ever.

On the right hand side of the car just before the A422 Maple Cross turning is an eye catching verge of deep yellow gorse bushes (Ulex Europaeus) over hung by yellow laburnum trees (Laburnum anagyroides) --- very pleasing. Gorse is very flammable and years ago was collected and used for firing bread ovens, it also is extremely prickly, bad for humans but good for birds who choose to nest therein, and is also much loved by bees.Laburnum is a beautiful tree but every part of it is poisonous, so some people refrain from planting it in their garden. These two, gorse and laburnum seem to me to be ideally suited to motorway verges, where they do no harm but are beautiful to look at, and provide food and shelter for wildlife.

A crow flies over, this is the first bird we have seen on this journey. I feel the more plants and bushes that spring up or are planted on roadside verges, the more wildlife will move in and these areas will become important wildlife sites.

On the left just past this, I am glad to see along the far side of the verge a newly planted hedge. I still grieve for the miles and miles of hedges that were torn up many years ago and the more that are planted now, the better it will be for wildlife. We are passing a long stretch of ox-eye daisies (Leucanthemum Vulgare), there are so many on the verge it looks as if there has been a heavy fall of snow. These wonderful large headed and tall wild daisies were my mother-in-law's favourite flower, we planted them in her back garden  and over the years they migrated not only to other parts of her garden but also to her lawn where they sprang up in profusion if not kept in check!

We are once again passing a stretch of gorse bushes, they are golden yellow and the bees must love them ............. I wonder about the pollution from car exhausts that must be in and on them, and if it harms the bees in any way.

We are now on the M4 and the hawthorn bushes are so thick with blossom they make captivating viewing, these hawthorns their branches hanging heavy with blossom are on both sides and also on the right are large, bright yellow patches of oil seed rape.

Bypassing Slough we see a pigeon and two mallards flying across the motorway, followed almost immediately by a flock of seagulls.

The river Thames, so wide and always picturesque is swollen as we pass and it threatens to over spill its banks and spread on to the surrounding lush green fields.

Coming off the M4 at the Winnersh triangle, I'm surprised to see a long stretch of pale blue, which as we slow, I realise is forget-me-nots (Myosotis), very unusual on a roadside verge and most enjoyable. I wonder how they arrived there.

Pineapple Broom, Goldcrest, Greenfinches and Blackcaps

My eye was caught this morning by our tiniest bird a goldcrest, he was hopping restlessly about in the pineapple broom. These tiny birds are easy to spot once you are aware of the restless way they move, and with binoculars this can easily be confirmed if you pick up the bright golden line on the top of their head. From the pineapple broom he flew to the old bent apple tree, where I lost sight of him.

The pineapple broom - Cytisus Battandieri, is an interesting shrub to have in the garden, it is now very tall. I was advised against buying it because they need shelter and are best grown against the wall of a house for protection. Mine forms part of a border and has conifers, one either side, each one grown and shaped around a seat.
I was lucky I saw this one rejected and looking very sad at the end of sale time, half out of its pot and laying on its side, totally dried out and surrounded by weeds. At the price it was a brilliant bargain and worth taking a chance on, so home it came to be stood in a bucket of water, after a few days the weeds were gently removed and it was planted in a large hole, well filled with home made compost and water. It slowly sank its roots down and grew used to being in the earth, decided it liked it and grew and flourished. Each year we are rewarded with soft grey/green leaves and amid them are cones of the brightest yellow flowers, which delightfully smell of pineapples, and in the summer and autumn the flowers attract scores of tiny black beetles, which is good in a wildlife garden.

Later in  the day we saw a pair of greenfinches, these used to be a common bird in the garden, but not any more. We were also entertained by a pair of blackcaps, who looked as if they were seeking a nesting site.

Return of the Agitated Male

Surprisingly the other mallard returned today, he is still a little jittery, in that he is constantly splaying his tail and slightly spreading his wings and performing non-stop grooming. He is clearly recovering from whatever was ailing him, I was surprised to see him because I had given him up for dead.

He stayed about half an hour, the time was spent quietly with our usual mallard. The female was absent, probably on the roof.

Pleased to report that the fish have endured another winter and have been out in force enjoying the sunshine.

No-Tail the Bully

No-Tail the pigeon's first partner of many years still comes here daily, sadly she is constantly harassed and harangued by both No-Tail and his new partner.

It is sad to watch her being bullied by the other two, and driven out of the garden, as she  has spent many years living here and clearly still feels her home is here. Despite being made to feel so unwelcome, she still returns daily, often three or four times.