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June, after
the last couple of years, felt like proper summer weather although there
was a dampish patch at the start. There were dragonflies,
butterflies, including common blue which we didn't see at all last summer,
and masses of young birds of all sorts of species around the garden.
The meadow flowered with yellow rattle, common spotted orchid and birds
foot trefoil galore and the borders began to take on that wonderful
country garden look without all flopping over due to the weight of the
rain on them. Could it last?
One of the
most gratifying things in the garden last month was the success of our
house sparrows - breeding here for the first time. The nest site
seemed to be permanently occupied with adults and young birds coming and
going and the number of sparrows around the garden suggested that there
had been a second nest somewhere - probably in our hedge which seemed to
be bursting with dunnocks, robins and even a goldfinch nest. The
second week of the month was warmer and drier and the sun brought large
numbers of dragonflies and damselflies out of the big pond especially
emperors, broad bodied chasers and four spot chasers, common blue damsels
and both banded and beautiful demoiselles.
But birds were
the dominant wildlife around us last month. At times the feeders
where swarming with young blue and great tits (no marsh in evidence),
young nuthatches and sparrows, while the nyger feeder had chaffinches,
green finches and of course the squabbling goldfinches all the time.
With the red legged partridges coming to be fed frequently, blackbirds,
song thrushes, chiff chaffs and many other species it was no wonder that
we had many visits from a sparrowhawk, who was seen on a few occasions to
pick off a young tit and fly off to her nest with it. A family of
bullfinches also visited the garden and were seen bathing in one of the
ponds. Our swallows continued to tend their young - probably five in
all - in the nest in the porch.
Of our mammals
we saw plenty of bank voles, a water shrew and lots of young squirrels
intent on reaching the peanut feeders if possible. We tend to hang
our peanut feeders from the house walls, but even the squirrels will
attempt to climb up if possible! The month ended with some of the
meadow butterflies appearing on the pond bank and in the long grass,
especially meadow brown and ringlet. Certainly a better June than
the last two years! |
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