Yesterday i saw a spotted flycatcher coming out from a nest box i've put up on an arch. There's already a song thrush nesting in the dense vegetation going over the top - honeysuckle, jasmine and Blush Noisette rose.
Today it's using both a baby 'John Downie' crab apple and a Eucalyptus niphophila nearby as a perch for hawking from. There's another box close by on a shed amongst the Clematis montana 'Wilsonii', don't know if it's had a look at that yet.
I've got all my fingers and toes crossed that it stays and nests here. I see them briefly every year, but they've never nested in my garden, though i've seen them within 5 miles of me.
Editing this as i have now seen two, sitting together in the crab apple. So hopefully a pair.........
This message was edited Saturday, Jun 1st 7:39 AM
Flycatcher
It's no good hoping a crab apple will bear a pear ;)
I used to watch some little grey flycatchers bobbing on the fence, in the evening, near the muck heap at one of the farms. We don't see them too often here either.
We haven't seen bluetits in the garden for some years but yesterday we saw baby bluetits learning to hunt with their parents in the pear tree.
Ouch Baa!! Mind you don't cut yourself LOL.
Yes, i have fledgeling (had to look that up - you can spell it with or without the 2nd e!) bluetits and blackbirds in the garden. They really draw attention to themselves shouting for food all day long!!
Yesterday i was watching goldfinch fledgelings being fed. Lovely birds but, like robins, the juveniles have a long way to go before they look like mum and dad.
So many birds have young already out of the nest and the flycatchers haven't even started building!
Ohh the lazy things!
We have 2 pairs of Jays out the back here but I've never seen any of their young, unless I just don't recognise what they are.
This message was edited Monday, Jun 3rd 5:05 AM
Not really Baa, they've only just arrived after a long journey - probably suffering from jet lag LOL.
Yes, fledgelings so often look nothing like.........etc
Flycatchers and Swifts are the last migrants to arrive each year. They have to arrive late to coincide with large insect populations.
Yes, i'm pleased to say they're making inroads into the insects in my garden. Just hope they have the 'bad guys' not the 'good guys' on the menu. One was having trouble with something large it caught, but it won in the end.
Yeeeeeeeesssss!! There's nesting material in the box - only a little but.........&&&&
The robins have given up the fight (unusual, they normally get their own way) and are building in the ivy on the garage. They've already had one successful brood inside the garage on a shelf (there's a missing window for access).
This message was edited Monday, Jun 3rd 3:06 PM
I ahven't seen any swifts or swallows for a few years either. I must look more closely next time I'm out and about in birdy country.
Whoohoo Philomel!
Yippee Baa, they've been taking huge beakfuls of moss and leaves into the box today, between bouts of doing what flycatchers do best. Even saw them doing a bit of canoodling too LOL!
Baa
Perhaps you've not seen any swallows because they stayed here! We have loads - they nest in the barn next door and arrived here very early early this year. As their arrival was followed by a cold spell I was worried about their finding food but they seem to have survived. There are loads of insects around for them now. Has anyone got any martins this year? We used to have them on our house in North Yorkshire but only get swallows here.
Martins are back in force in the houseing estate I live in. I hate to see people knocking down their nests.
Baa must walk around with her eyes closed not to have seen any swallows. where do you live, Baa. Swallows can even be seen in Belfast.
Makes me wild to think some people destroy the nests. I'd love to have them on my house, have even considered putting up some artificial ones to see if they'll take to them. They don't seem to nest near here though and i think they return to familiar sites don't they?
I'm amazed to hear of people knocking down martins' nests. In North Yorkshire we always consiered them to bring luck if they nested on our house so when we had 7 nests one year we considered ourselves very lucky!
Yes, they tend to return to the nesting site they hatched in. The ones on our house in North Yorkshire were inherited when we bought the house. Some years we had two or three nests and some years more - I suppose it all depended how many of the survived the migration.
Here the farmer leaves a hatch door open in the barn so that the swallows can nest and most people seem very glad to see them.
Just the ignorant people i spose gerddi. Perhaps they're allergic to bird poo LOL.(Though that's sposed to be lucky if it lands on your shoulder)
I might still try putting some nests up for next year and see if i get any takers. I've had boxes up hoping for spotted flycatchers for about 5 years - and this year i'm lucky (still can't believe it, do hope they're successful, then they might come back too)
Planted shrubs hoping for long tailed tits, but haven't had them YET.
:)
I didn't realise that, like with robins, the male feeds the female to help her conserve energy to produce eggs.
She's been sitting on the BBQ table (obviously recognises this as a feeding station LOL) and shivering her wings, begging.
The male has been finding her dainty morsels :)
Update:
there are now four eggs in the flycatchers' nest!
Whoops, forgot to update - the eggs have been hatched about two or three days.
Parent birds doing even more spectacular loop-the-loops to catch insects for the youngsters. Wonderful to watch - and the occasional scraps with the robins who are also feeding young in their nest.
Excellent news Philomel!
Bo and I upset a long tailed tit the other day, he was furious we were walking on his territory. Only saw the one though so maybe he was protecting a nest.
Talking of wildlife, driving to a nursery yesterday a young stoat bounced out of the hedgerow right into the path of my car! He turned back and bounded right back though. Been a long time since I've seen a stoat out in the open.
Oooh, i just love stoats Baa. Have been lucky enough to see them dancing round rabbits and various other antics. I like all that family, as long as it's not in too close proximity to their teeth LOL!
A friend had a pet weasel, she was a real character, and only bit people occasionally. (The weasel not the friend ;)
And l/t tits are one of my favourite birds too. Sounds as if you probably were near a nest, as you say, if there was only the one. Been dying for them to nest in my garden too. Have planted what i'm told they like, now just got to wait for it to mature.
Is it me or have l/t/tits vastly increased in numbers over hte years. I see them every where I go, I have even had to shoo them from out of the house. Last week whilst walking down the street myself and many people were bombarded by a hugh flock of them flying across the road. There must have been approx 100 birds. A wonderful sight.
I was wondering if it was me too psilo LOL. Thought perhaps i was just more aware of them.
They're usually in quite large troops, but i've not seen one as numerous as your describing. And i certainly haven't had them in the house. Don't think i could shoo them out (until i'd got fed up with poop everywhere that is!)
Hiya Psilo, you dont live too far from me, i live near Horwich, so do a lot of walking around Rivington, i am on the Bolton end of Wigan at Aspull so glad theres another northern lass around.
UPDATE: The flycatcher's have fledged successfully (so far)
There's nothing in the nest now - except rather a lot of mess and flies, not the tidiest of birds apparently!
I can hear them around, but have been too busy to try and watch them :(
I think the robins have gone too. I just looked in their first nest and that's got no skeletons or addled eggs. I did see 3 or 4 of the fledglings from there being fed while the robins were building the current nest. Will keep my eyes open and see if i can find the current brood.
Yes, i've just checked, the robins have gone too.
This message was edited Thursday, Jul 11th 3:41 PM
Excellent news Philomel!
Ewwwww to the flies, if there is something I really hate is flies and centipedes ick!!!!
My pet hate is earwigs, they are the worst creatures for me.
You wouldn't like checking dormouse boxes then Southmede, they're often snying with either earwigs or woodlice! We put them up intending the dormice to use them for nesting in, not creepy crawlies. I often wonder what happens when a dormouse finds a box already inhabited. We're beginning to realise that dormice are very insectivorous, so why stop at caterpillars when these dainty morsels are freely available. Have never found them in a box with dormice so perhaps they do get eaten.