Swift Half update - 7th November 2010

• The lull before this week's storms (the first tomorrow morning, the second on thursday), with sunny, still skies today.


• Took the opportunity to sit in the garden hide and watch our jays, woodpeckers and robins.

Swift half news

• Robins still intent on nesting in shed, despite attention from our kittens.
• Two male woodpeckers and one female fighting in garden - interesting to note that the male woodpecker with the larger, brighter red flash on his nape always comes out on top in his fights with the male with the smaller, duller flash.
• Long-tailed tits nesting in neighbours garden.
• Palmate and Smooth newts active in pond.
• Frogspawn still frogspawn (no tadpoles yet).
• First pondskaters of year in pond.
• No activity in swift nesting space in roof, not even from sparrows / blue tits.
• Daffodils finally up -and visited by feather-footed flower bees.
• Kittens eating tawny mining bees and FFF bees in garden.
• No sign of local foxes presently.
• First butterfly (peacock) and tree buds appeared last week.