THE BLACK RABBIT: no swift egg

Showing posts with label no swift egg. Show all posts

Sunday, 16 May 2010

Good news as far as the previously-shed-nesting robins are concerned as today I saw at least one juvenile robin bouncing about on Anna's car roof (I thought they had been nesting in the front ivy and it looks certain they did now - successfully)
We're expecting temperatures to reach the dizzy heights of 24c by friday (and then of course it will rain) but really good news for our swifts (who still haven't given us an egg yet).

Carnage in the garden this afternoon as finally Malu (our male kitten, who is now off his uveitus drugs at least temporarily) raided the blackbird nest in the honeysuckle, killing three of the four hatchlings. The fourth I put back (I have no idea why to be honest) and as I type this, the hen is back on the nest, with the sole surviving chick underneath her. I give it zero chance still...
Another buzzard overhead - mobbed by two omnipresent crows.
Couven & Cutlery (our two hens) decide to make their new dust bath in the kittens latrine - we are a little disgusted by that (and will have to watch for parasite transfer I suppose) but hey ho, there you go.
Still no swift eggs or damselflies in the garden.

Malu had another visit to the vets today, and as he has responded so well to the first two days of his steroids etc... (he's bench pressing 200 kilos as I write this), we are hopeful that the uveitus was caused by a trauma and nothing more serious. He'll finish the course of drugs and then we must just hope...
Hen blackbird still on eggs (Malu hasn't got her yet).
Still no swift egg but it is still pretty parky here, with our north-easterly breeze stuck in a rut.

The swift that spends the nights in our roof (we still hope that its a female) is spending more and more time in front of the camera - and the local house sparrow population are giving her quite a lot of grief. They had months to move into the hole though, and chose not to, so I have no idea why they are so insistent on sitting by the roof space entrance and shrieking constantly!
I'm still going for a May 4th first egg, Anna May 6th...
First potato plants appear above ground this week (three weeks after planting on April 10th).
First bit of proper rain over this weekend - yesterday evening and this morning especially.
Off to my annual bluebell pilgrimage in an adjoining county tomorrow at dawn, weather permitting...

No swift egg in the roof yet - Anna and I have had a little wager on this - I predict May 4th and Anna says May 6th will produce first egg. Anna may be closer to the mark looking at the weather forecast for this weekend!
My red mason bees are incredibly busy filling the bee-post holes with bright yellow pollen, laying eggs and bricking the drilled holes up with mud (lifted from our watered potato patch!) One hole has already been sealed by a red mason bee, three others are stained bright yellow inside and I guess will be sealed soon enough (complete with egg). Slightly worried about the torrential showers forecast for this saturday evening - I'll have to make sure the bee posts are sheltered.
Very low, pale buzzard over the garden this afternoon, mobbed by the sentry crows of course.
Male blackcap (warbler) in the garden yesterday.
No damselflies seen as yet - very late now!
The hen blackbird is back on the nest in the honeysuckle! I'll have a peep over the long bank holiday weekend to see if she's laid more eggs (2 at last count a few days ago - after I thought she'd abandoned).
First Brimstone moth (photo of a brimstone moth at our old gaff) appeared at kitchen window tonight (didn't even set moth trap up!)