Swift Half update -17th February 2011

• A nice, calm day again, so a little more work in the garden.


• I'm glad to say the Couvmeister (photo above) is pretty well over her untimely moult now - Conker is picking on the old girl less, she's pretty well back to a full compliment of feathers now - and finally (temporarily I'm sure!) all is cozy in the coop.


• I'm not sure whether she'll lay an egg again though. She's two years old (and a week) and whilst all hens go off the lay when moulting, only some over two years old return to lay again. It matters not - Conker and Trouble are giving us two eggs a day, regular as clockwork.


• Spring is soytanly on its merry way - like two years ago, we have blue tits checking out the west eaves - they may have nested there last year as well as two years ago for all I know -I was obsessed with swift watching last summer!


• Its not often I see a green woodpecker flying from the garden (unlike our ever-present great spotted woodpeckers). In fact I've only seen one fly low over the garden in the past two years - until yesterday that is. Lovely impressive birds.


• The newts are really active now -last night I saw what appeared to be a newt orgy in the pond -seven newts (mainly young males and what appeared to be a heavily gravid female) all in a "newt ball", flicking their tails and being quite frisky.


• First real blowflies of the year today - Malu and Yala are already enjoying pouncing on them - I might invest in a "red top fly trap" to disuade da floys from da boyds.


• A couple of buzzards soaring on the thermals to add to the kites - its been a lovely week so far.