Swift half news - 26th April 2010

• Still no obvious "other half" to our roosting (male?) swift, although for the first time this afternoon I did see (and hear) five (other?) swifts high over the garden, coming in from the south. I guess we're still not even in May yet, so there's time.
• The swift leaves the roof at around 07:15am each morning and returns briefly to the roost late in the afternoon to make sure all is ok - then finally returns to bed down for the night at 20:24pm (tonight).
• Took the tiles out of the pond today and found lots of caddis fly larvae (which had constructed little homes from vegetation (like hermit crabs)).
• Also found a leech - but I'm not sure where the tadpoles are?

Swift half news - 10th April 2010

• Damson blossom appears on our garden trees this week
• Marsh marigold blooms appear in pond
• Cuckoo bees find honeysuckle leaves this week
• Red Mason bees investigating shed and walls
• Tadpoles have hatched, but not very active
• Robins have deserted shed nest (thanks to cats probably) and now nesting in front garden
• Heron visiting most days to be mobbed by local crows
• Potatoes planted today in rear (rear) garden
• First mow of lawn today
• First bat of year seen today at 05:30am
• Cutlery finally lays an egg with a shell after two weeks of no-shelled eggs!
• After a week of warm, sunny weather, moth trap set up for first time this year, tonight.