How are your garden birds doing? Have the babies all fledged or are Mum and Dad still frantically raising another brood? Have you enjoyed the time and space to watch nature in summer?
In The Rectory garden we have the most voracious of sparrows, who empty the grain feeders, all four of them, in about twenty four hours! A little earlier in June the lawn was covered by up fifty four baby - loudly, squawking - Starlings and harassed parents. Now the Collar Doves have fledged and a lovely little family of five visit us throughout the day, sometimes looking like scrawny soaked rats! We are also being visited by a fox or two as we are finding their "calling cards" all over the place and it is a desperate race to deal with it, before Bentley (Becky's dog) rolls in it! There are plentiful bats in all sizes as dusk approaches that can be seen, swooping and curling in and over the garden, probably Horseshoe and Pipistrelles. We haven't as yet seen the Woodpeckers this year or we have missed them, as they normally visit in flying ant season and there have been no more hedgehog sightings this year. The new fence may have stopped their visits though.
I do often wonder how the garden at our old home is as we had a large wild flower meadow filled with all manner of wild flowers and Orchids a-plenty. We also were visited by foxes, badgers and deer in the dry periods or very cold. The deer were very beautiful, not so shy creatures who delighted us with their presence. In the village there was a magnificent white stag who stood in the middle of the road and made his presence known.
What have you seen in your gardens or on your walks? Have you seen what had been left behind and identified it? Have you seen any snakes, slow worms or newts? We have seen how Di's Grandson has been busy raising butterflies and then releasing them so they can further develop our butterfly population. Have any of you been studying local wildlife ponds or even considered popping one into your gardens? They do bring lots of interest and quickly can be a focal point. We put a paddling pool in the garden so the dogs could keep cool and after a few days had pond skaters in it! Why not try it and it doesn't have to be large, a small patio pond will be great and attract so much, newts, damsel and dragonflies etc.
Plenty to make us think today about developing our wildlife areas in our gardens and being aware of them in our countryside walks.
A couple of funnies to make you smile this monday. Do enjoy!
Edwin, how about this way of celebrating baptism?
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