Nature Diary #11

Summer grasses in flower

I haven’t got much to report on the Nature front this week, as I have not had time to go for any walks. I did a short walk to the lake this morning to see if I could find anything to write about but, as it was damp and drizzly, I was the only living thing around! I did hear some lovely birdsong though – the larks are still throwing themselves high into the sky, carolling as they go, and I heard a wren singing in the hedge. On the way back, I heard a songthrush, but he didn’t show himself and kept moving down the line of aspen trees in front of me. 

However, earlier in the week I saw two sightings of a moorhen under the bird feeder in the yard. It was quite small and sleek, so I think it must be one of ‘our’ babies that had remembered where a quick meal could be had! I can also report that Mr and Mrs Swallow have hatched some babies. Unfortunately, they have tucked their nest up into a dark apex in the covered passageway so, although I can hear multiple voices, I have no idea how many are there. Let’s hope that, when they fledge, Mum and Dad will bring them to sit on the wire outside my window so that I can count them.  

We seem to have had quite a lot of wildlife around the yard recently - possibly because Mary has had no dogs boarding since lockdown started. We always have a large contingent of jackdaws, that have now successfully reared yet another generation, mainly in the loft over my little annexe! There must be a flock of about fifty continually swooping around the yard and gathering en masse on the house roof. Mary has had to stop putting feed in the chickens' hoppers as the Jackdaws empty them in a trice and, when they're not eating us out of house and home, they are making mischief by pulling my leek plants out of the ground and trashing my pea seedlings! 

There is also a very cheeky squirrel about, who seems to be getting the bulk of my strawberries. Not content with that, he has worked out how to get into Mary's squirrel-proof bird feeder in her back garden and has started coming into her conservatory and raiding the bird seed bin! Apparently, he now waits impatiently for Mary to open up in the morning so that he can help himself to breakfast - he even brought a friend with him yesterday!  The blackbirds are stealing my loganberries and redcurrants and now I see that the Cabbage White butterflies are around my Purple Sprouting! It's a constant battle with Nature down here, I can tell you, and I think Nature is winning!

My friendly robin

Whilst doing my stint at the market garden this week, I was again joined by my friendly robin. This time I managed to get a quick photo of him/her. It is looking quite moth-eaten so is obviously still busy feeding babies and not having much time to care for itself! Liam also called me over to look at a caterpillar he had found on the underside of a wheelbarrow. I thought, because of its size, that it was some type of hawkmoth caterpillar, so I took a couple of photos for identification purposes. When I got home I looked it up on the internet and found out that it was the caterpillar of the Drinker Moth – a new one on me. It was very striking and about 3” (7cm) long! 

Drinker Moth caterpillar

For the last two weeks my major focus has been on re-decorating my cottage at Draycott, as my long-term tenant moved out in mid-May and the place looks very tired and shabby. Unfortunately, every room needs re-doing, so I shall be busy for a while longer, yet. I need to get it back on the market by early July and just hope that it sells this time. I may post some photos next week although, as usual, I failed to take any ‘before’ pictures! 

The Mullein coming into flower