Swift Half update - 17th September 2010

• As the leaves turn more and more yellow, it still feels a little like summer, when the sun does come out, even with this northerly breeze.
• Red admirals are still using the washing on the line for basking, migrant hawker dragonflies still patrol the hedges and today I saw two swallows flying south at an alarming rate.
• Each time I've seen swallows or martins in the last week, I think that must be it for the year - but I'm not sure now...

Swift Half update - 12th September 2010

• Firstly the bad news. The caterpillar (that I thought was a red admiral in the wrong place) that started to pupate on our big shed has been "broken into" by a wasp I expect and eaten. The chrysalis is still there - but has a hole in it and is empty. Sad, but there you are.
• Plenty of migrant hawkers and common darters, field grasshoppers and spider-hunting wasps in and around the garden still.
• The leaves on the trees (especially the damson trees) are yellowing quickly and falling in the blustery winds.
• Pears beginning to rot on the large pear tree (I'll have to rescue the still-edible ones now. We tested (by tasting) one t'other night and it was very nice indeed!
• Two woodmice still under the corrugated iron.
• Newts (and frogs) still in pond after I gave it a little TLC (blanket weed removal) yesterday.
• Hawks still apparent and a nice large dark buzzard flew low over the house this morning -always nice to see. Fewer kites at present though (always seems to be the way at this time of year, when I assume they follow the tractors round farmers fields at grass cutting / harvesting time).
• Jays still coming for their monkey nuts - I'll turn up the volume on that project in October.