Pair of woodpeckers in garden - photos for new website

http://www.dmackdimages.co.uk/wildlife_diary

Parrot photos for new website

http://www.dmackdimages.co.uk/wildlife_diary

Another little owl photo for new website

http://www.dmackdimages.co.uk/

Little owl photo for new website

http://www.dmackdimages.co.uk/

Another photo for new website

http://www.dmackdimages.co.uk/

More photos for new website (dmackdimages.co.uk)

MORE photos for new website (dmackdimages.co.uk)

Photos for new website (dmackdimages.co.uk)

GOODBYE TO "SWIFT HALF".... Thanks for the memories!

• Anna and I moved to Swift Half (we named it after we realised in the spring of our first year that Swifts nested in the roof each summer) in March 2009 and we leave in September 2011 – two and a half years later, but with three breeding seasons at “Swift Half” under our belt.

• And what a fantastic house and garden we’ve enjoyed. The house is 100 or so years old – the garden used to form part of a fruit orchard – foxes used to pup in the back garden (the earths are still there) and its clear Swifts have nested under the tiles for many years.

• I can’t write in detail about everything we’ve enjoyed at “Swift Half” for the past two and a half years – its all on this blog (pretty-well anyway – at least for the last year and a half), so below is simply a list of some of the things I remember from our time at the wonderful, messy old “Swift Half” and her huge messy, overgrown 120 foot garden.

• Birds in garden / house.

Swifts (of course!) house sparrows and blue tits nesting in house structure all three breeding seasons that we were here.

Robins nesting in decrepit shed.
Blue tits at least initiating nesting in a bird box
Blackbirds nesting all over front and rear garden. One nest successful (out of maybe 6?)
Woodpeckers breeding locally – five young in garden over three breeding seasons.
Pair of song thrushes during the cold winters.
Brambling during cold winter.
Goldfinches (when I fed them, before I realised the area was trich central).
Chaffinches (ditto).
Trich took about at least one sparrow, two greenfinches and a chaffinch in locality – that’s when I stopped feeding any birds apart from tits, jays and woodpeckers. I can clean our feeders, but I can’t guarantee that all the feeders in the neighbourhood gardens are cleaned properly and regularly.
Starlings, dunnocks and house sparrows, blue tits and great tits everywhere.
Jays attracted to the garden (before they were “stolen” by MrT!)
Magpies, stock doves (a pair) woodpigeons and collared doves regular in garden.
Long tailed tits regular in garden.
Wrens nested each year in rear garden – successful for three years straight.
House martins nesting locally – over garden each summer.
Occasional swallow over garden during each of the last three summers.
Grey wagtail at pond once, pied wagtail visiting regularly during last cold winter.
One hawfinch during the summer of 2010.
Then of course the budgie and lovebird – both in the garden (escaped from a collection nearby).
Sparrowhawks (a pair) in or over garden almost every day – at least three successful kills in three years (two blackbirds, one greenfinch).
Chiffchaff, black cap (pair) in garden occasionally.
Heron regular visitor to garden (pond).
Whitethroat (once in rear garden)

Birds over garden –

Egrets (occasional).
Kites (every day).
Peregrine (occasional)
Kestrel (occasional).
Hawks (every day).
Hobby (occasional).
Heron (occasional).
Black headed gulls (every day)
Herring gulls (regular)
LBB gulls (regular)
Green woodpecker (occasional)
Swifts (all summer)
Swallows (occasional)
House Martins (all summer)
Cormorants (occasional)
Common Terns (occasional)
Buzzard (regular)
Hobby (occasional during summer)

Insects of note in garden.

Blue mason bees.
Red mason bees.
Many sp. Mining bees.
Tree bumblebees.
Many other sp. Bumblebees.
Honey bees.
Feather footed flower bees.
Ruby tailed wasp.
Many sp. Ichneumon wasps.
Occasional potter wasps.
Stag beetles (once, summer of 2009).
Elephant Hawk moth (especially 2010).

Hummingbird hawk moth (once, in 2011).
Buff ermine moth.
Ruby Tiger Moth.
Scarlet Tiger Moth.
Buff Arches moth.
Burnished brass moth.
Magpie and small magpie moths.
Dark arches moth.
Old lady moth.
Many sp. Yellow underwing.
Footman moths.
Carpet moths.
Heart and Dart moths.
Drinker moth caterpillars and vapourer moth caterpillars.
Many scalloped oak moths (especially 2011).
Comma butterfly.
Peacock butterfly.
Red admiral butterfly.
Purple hairstreak butterfly (downed in storm).
Small tortoiseshells and eggs on nettles.
Occasional Brimstone.
Brown Argus butterfly.
Painted lady butterflies in huge numbers in 2010 (mass migration to UK in that year).
Many speckled woods and holly blues.
Plenty of common blues (especially 2011).
Black tailed skimmer dragonfly.
Emperor dragonfly.
Common darter dragonfly. (bred in pond).
Migrant Hawker dragonfly.
Brown hawker dragonfly.
Southern Hawker dragonfly.
Broad bodied chaser dragonfly (bred in pond)

Other wee beasties –

Zebra spider, fence post jumping spider, house jumping spider.
Many sp. Wolf spiders and funnel web spiders.
Large house spiders and cellar spiders (in privy).
Leeches, water beetles, back swimmers, water boatman and pond skaters in pond.
Beautiful demoiselle regular in garden.
Large red damselfly regular at pond (especially 2009/10)
Common blue damselfly regular at pond (especially 2009/10)
Blue tailed damselfly regular at pond (especially 2009/2010)

Larger beasties –

Muntjac – in garden at least once.
Fox - bred in neighbours’ garden – regular in garden (especially 2009/10)

Bats – regular over garden (including the white bat of course, made it over our garden in Aug 2011).

Plagued by rats for first year (hardly any since we poisoned them all before getting cats).
Many many woodmice.
Bank voles (Malu caught one in 2011).
Regular half dozen frogs of various sizes.
Dozens of breeding palmate newts in pond (but NO smooth newts).

Two hedgehogs in three years spotted (once both together and a few times separately).

Plants / fungi –

Damson trees,
the wonderful elder and honeysuckle,
pear trees,
brambles,
daffs,
hyacinths,
bell flowers,
yellow corydalis,
toad flax,
honey fungus,
pond plants (lily, marigolds etc…)
herbs and flowers (including corn flowers and sunflowers that Ann bought me for my 40th),
potatoes grown for two years,
wild weeds and shrubs,
thistles and ragwort,
raspberries and blackberries.

• I could write for hours and hours on all the fun Anna and I (especially I guess) have had with the wildlife in our garden and occasionally our house. (Sorry about the bathroom moth trap etc… honey!)
• We’ve been very lucky to have had the use of “Swift Half” and her garden for two and a half years (three springs) – and although we’ve done some good work (cleaned out the swift nest space), re-dug a much more successful pond (dozens of palmate newts loved it after we re-dug it), provided holes in wood for my favourite mason bees and fed the jays and woodpeckers well – much of the wildlife was already here, in the messy, joyful garden!

• I’m sure after we’re gone, the wildlife will remain (even flourish!) although I expect the pond will silt up pretty quickly.

• As for our new house – well…. Its about 10 miles away from “Swift Half”, but the house itself is only just over 55 years old – not 100 years old – so you can imagine, plans are already afoot. (Swifts have NEVER nested there for example – that needs changing!)

• Pond needs digging. Bees need homing and feeding. Bird boxes need building and locating. Plants need digging in. A tree or two needs planting. Nettle patch needs leaving. Compost heap needs forming.

• The garden is relatively large, with good mature trees (apple, poplar, leylandii and a.n.others), plenty of flowers etc… but if I get my way - I’ll turn it into an SSSI – just like the garden at “Swift Half”…… I’ll try to document as much as I can on this blog after a little time off (forgive me!)

• But that’s for the future.

• Right now I’d just like to post a final little message on a super garden here.
• Many thanks “Swift Half” (and all your wildlife and garden) for all the fun you’ve given us.
• I hope your next owners (inhabitants / residents / tenants) appreciate it all even half as much as Anna and I did…. That may be difficult – but you never know!!!
• Thanks “Swift Half”.
• From TBR. Anna. The hens (including Cutlery (RIP)) and the cats. You’ve done us ALL proud!

Swift Half update - 10th August 2011

• Yet again, its been a while since I posted this - so here's a little update, just days before we go on holiday and a day or two before I write a big piece on all the wildlife adventures we've had at this marvellous house and garden (we move to a "new town") at the beginning of Sept - and leave "Swift Half" for good.
• Firstly - on having a coffee and a cig in the garden after work today I am pleased to say that I saw SEVEN swifts heading WSW at about 17:30. Most swifts have already left our shores, bound for the Congo (and area) - so it was lovely to see my favourite birds (after a week plus without seeing any). It always makes me very sad when the swifts leave us - and I guess these will be the last I see in Blighty, before I catch up with them again (with any luck) on the continent...
• The sunflowers are still flowering. In fact the largest (neighbourhood prize winning) flower has produced another half dozen heads - which will probably flower whilst we're on holiday (a leaving present for our neighbours if you like!)
• One white valerian plant is still doing well, but the hens have trashed the sage and other flowers.
• I cleared out the pond last night and its clear that almost all the adult palmate newts have gone, but there are plenty of small baby newts in situ. They'll overwinter in the pond I expect.
• Damsons dropping all the time now - pears will rot (as always) before they drop.
• The spostles and hens have had fun killing a baby rat from mr.T's garden over the last couple of days (not before they brought it in the house, where it temporarily escaped behind the fridge!)
• NB. I'll write a big goodbye to SWIFT HALF and try and get it on this blog before we leave for our holiday, this week....

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 7th August 2011

• Just a quickie for now but in case you weren't aware (by following the action on my images website, where I've been embedding my video clips all summer) - all our swifts have now left the roof and are heading to the congo for the autumn, winter and most of the spring.
• The adult female was the last to leave, a week ago today (see update below).
• A round-up of this summer's swift-events can be found on my website, along with a thankyou video and a link to all my clips, always available on you tube.
• Anna and I go on holiday soon, but before that we move house and I start a new job in a new office - you can understand I'm a little short of time right now!
• Our time at "Swift Half" is swiftly coming to an end - but before we leave this lovely old (decrepit!) house and all its wildlife - I'll write a gurt big blog post (sometime this week) on what wildy-life adventures we've had here.
• But thats all for now grapple fans....

Swift half SWIFTS update - 1st August 2011 - BOTH juveniles now fledged.

• After a little research today, it has become clear to me that whilst I ignored (very unscientifically) the “evidence” that both our juvenile swifts fledged at sundown and assumed that they both sat near the entrance to the nest on their respective final nights in the roof, to fledge in the morning - the truth is both actually did fledge into the last dwindling light of the last two days. Please see clips 60 and 61 for my latest video updates.
• The evidence that I mentioned above came in the form of watching (and recording in the case of our second juvenile) both young swifts on consecutive days, spend their final day pretty-well glued to the entrance of the nest space, occasionally doing a few press-ups and not getting fed at all by the parents.
• As soon as the parent(s) returned to roost at night, both swifts seemed to beg for food (or calming preening attention), both were pretty-well ignored and both after a few minutes crawled purposefully towards the entrance hole, made a noise that sounded like an exit (a short “clip” as though feet had left the brickwork and wings had touched the bricks briefly (at 1:34 on clip sixty for our last juvenile swift to fledge) and I saw nor heard (important evidence that) any more from either of them.
• The noise (or lack of it) from each nestling on its fledge night was the most important evidence of all. Young swifts are quite vocal when they are in cramped company (whistling, purring, peeping constantly) and if they’re not making vocal noises, vigorous preening can be heard even if out-of-reach of the camera’s field of view.
• There was NO noise from either swift as soon as they’d crawled purposefully to the entrance to the nest, other than that final “clip” – as they left the nest, I now know.
• I had (again, very unscientifically) assumed that it would be too dark for our young swifts to fledge –and that they’d wait until the morning. Not so. In both cases (around 2115hrs BST) there was enough light in the sky (we’ve had a glorious weekend weather-wise) and even though that I am aware that swifts’ night-vision is not good – there was indeed enough light in the sky (for maybe 30 minutes) for them to both leave so late in the day and I assume fledge successfully.
• This seems to be often the case in swifts. They often wait for the parents to return at roost time – and then leave. Last year I think both our young fledged in the morning, but my memory may well be clouded, and even though swifts do fledge at any time (from dawn to dusk), dusk fledges are far from rare.
• Next year, when Anna and I will not be living at “Swift Half”, but in a town built post-war a few miles away, I will have to build a few swift boxes to my own design - and install cameras (and concaves) in such a fashion that I will have absolutely no doubt as to moment of fledging – all though to be fair, after the research I’ve done – I have little doubt this year that like I’ve said, both our wonderful little swifts fledged in the very last light of the 30th July and 31st July (which means my predictions of 31st July and 1st August were in actual fact about 3 hours out, to be exact!)
• So – where does that leave our “Swift Half” swifts right now?
• Well – I’ll compile a full chronological report of happenings this year in due course, but as for the two eggs that were eventually laid and incubated (not the three previous eggs that were laid by a “chancer female” and rejected by the late-returning female after a day-long fight) – both hatched 6 weeks ago and both young swifts developed well - both have now fledged and taken to the skies for at least two years of constant flight – mind-blowing when you think about it.
• Last night (for the first night since late spring) only one adult (the female I think) returned to the roof to roost (all other nights since the end of May, we’ve had two adults roost in the roof at night).
• Across the whole Kingdom of Animalia, it is widely regarded that breeding and sex is very risky for individuals in a whole manner of ways – this is true for our swifts also, so our adult swifts (as well as the airborne young) will right now be looking to feed up quickly and well - in preparation for their long flight south to sub-Saharan Africa – many swifts have already begun this journey from the UK already.
• It would not be beneficial for our adults to keep coming back to the nest site to roost for any length of time now, other than to rest if needed – but swifts as we all know, sleep on the wing if they’re not breeding – and our adults will revert to that behaviour as soon as possible. The energy needed to return to roost each night now that their offspring have fledged simply does not need to be expended.
• I expect we may see one adult swift roost for maybe two or so more nights and then one night this week, no bird will return to roost at “Swift Half” – our roof will be empty (at least of swifts – the sparrows are still there!) for nine long months.
• I will continue to record at dusk for a few nights, to see what night is the last night this year that we have a swift in the roof – but it may have already happened – it may be that last night was the last night of 2011 with at least one “Swift Half” swift in situ. Last year, both adults spent exactly 92 days in the roof before leaving – but this year was very different for a number of reasons.
• Each afternoon now, I see large flocks of martins and swifts high in the sky, calling to each other – and most of the swift flocks appear to be moving south – I always find this extremely sad.
• Sadder this year is the fact that whilst Anna and I have had a wonderful two and a half years at “Swift Half”, we now are leaving ourselves – so this years swifts will be the last ever we see from this lovely old house, where clearly they’ve been nesting for some time, possibly decades.
• I’ll miss them dreadfully – I really will – and so will Anna. They’ve become part of our lives, part of the house for three months each year. Swifts constantly amaze me (I’ll wax lyrical in some depth in a final round-up shortly) – they simply are the most superior of all birds.
• I will endeavour to attract them to our new house and build a fine box (boxes) for them – complete with an HD camera – but attracting them to an area which very probably has NEVER had swifts (the town didn’t exist pre-war) might very well take some time – but that’s for the future.
• As for the final few blog entries / website videos this year - there may be one or two more – and then that will be that.
• I’m heavy-hearted enough already, so please don’t get too sad reading this – I take great pride from how we’ve helped our local swifts (more on that later) and have been so privileged watching the intimate lives of the most amazing birds on the planet.

• I’ll wind this up for now, but this week looks like the last week ever of reporting from “Swift Half” on our “Swift Half” swifts…..

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 31st July 2011

• It is with not a little sadness (and strangely enough, a fair amount of happiness and pride also) that I can report that early this morning, our eldest swift juvenile fledged from the roof at 42 days old - exactly as predicted (date-wise) when it hatched from its egg, exactly six weeks ago.
• Clips number 57,58 and 59 on my website will explain all (visually if nothing else) but at present, we are left with the younger of the two swifts (by one day) all alone in the roof. Not even visited by its parents today - though I expect they'll be back tonight!
• I am pretty sure our second (and last) swift will fledge tomorrow -and as such am recording activity from the roof 24hrs a day at present (internet connection permitting!)
• I will give a full report on this blog when the last juvenile leaves and after the adults realise they don't have to return to the roof now and can feed up themselves ready for the big push down to the congo.
• By the way, in case any viewer to this blog (or website) is not aware, Anna and I are moving house in a few short weeks - "Swift Half" will be no more - the swifts that you've been watching (I hope!) this year will be the last from us for a few years.
• More on our plans soon - but just wanted to report that we are one juvenile swift away from being able to report a 100% success rate for the last two years - and sadness aside (at them leaving), that's a very nice feeling to have....

Swift Half update - 31st July 2011

• Two sunflowers at "Swift Half" are now taller than all the neighbours' sunflowers - even the fake ones!
• Moff trap highlights in this warm week - ruby tiger, spectacle, lots of scalloped oaks (a  lot this year), many buff ermines (ditto) and a new moff for the garden  -  a male orange swift (see photo in this post).
• Plenty of baby palmate newts in the pond, but few adult newts now.
• Two frogs in the pond still.
• Brown hawker dragonflies regular visitors.
• Damsons plump and dropping well.
• Honeysuckle in its second bloom, as is the lavendar and white valerian.
• Plenty of bees (all shapes and sizes) on wild flowers and spear thistles, in rear (rear) garden.

• Mini heatwave expected this week coming - temperatures up to 30C - sparking off a few thunderstorms no doubt...

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 27th July 2011

• I've just uploaded clip number fifty-four onto the website, recorded today (Wednesday 27th July) at around 1230hrs BST and uploaded it at around 1700hrs BST on the same day.
• We still have both nestlings in the roof  -  but only for days now (I think the eldest will leave on Sunday followed by its sibling on Monday - but it could be earlier than that....)
• This clip, a short clip, shows one of our nestlings (the youngest I think, though its almost impossible to tell) doing a gurt big press up in the nest. Its sibling is still around (out of shot, near the entrance), but won't be for much longer.
• Both seem anxious to hit the skies very soon indeed....
• Bear in mind that unlike almost all other species of birds, swifts cannot get on a perch or cliff ledge and really flap their wings repetitively with vigour - they simply haven't got enough space in the nest. Many species of birds even have wee practice flights (maybe just raising themself off their perch or ledge whilst exercising their wings in ample space) - swifts can't do that.
• When a fledgling swift launches out of its nest space (where it hatched six weeks prior), it is reliant on the fact that its development (regular food from parents), exercising (press ups in a confined nest spot) and instinct (not to mention weather!) is enough to get it airborne and keep it airborne - from that moment on, for maybe three years.
• It of course has to learn how to hunt for itself immediately also (it won't get taught), how to sleep on the wing, how to keep on the wing, how to navigate to sub-Saharan Africa on its own (it may not be able to follow others) when to begin to move south - and finally, how to return to the very same spot (our roof) in which it was born, maybe two or three years beforehand.
• Imagine if at 18 years old (having spent that time doing most of your physical development in a dark box, just bigger than yourself at 18, getting hand fed by your parents) you then were told to leave - for good. But you'd only be ok if you left the box and ran, running continuously for three years (bearing in mind you hadn't even begun to walk yet, let alone ran anywhere), learning where food came from as you ran, eating and washing as you ran - even sleeping as you ran - you had to keep running, or you'd die. You also were obliged to run to South Africa in a month or two, keep running around South Africa (eating, washing, sleeping as you ran) and in two or three years time, you had to return to the same box you left behind in the UK with no maps or sat navs to guide you.
• Easy eh?
• Swifts make it look that way.....
• We congratulate ourselves on our technology - sat navs, spaceships etc...
• I sometimes think though that we have NOTHING on nature!

Swift Half update - 25th July 2011

• I posted of the first flying ant day of 2011 a few weeks ago (July 11th), but the second  flying ant day has just kicked off here this afternoon.
• We've had a ridge of high pressure building since Friday night now, it looks warm (and dryish) for a week now  - maybe up to 23 or 24c today and right on cue - in mid-late July (any time after St.Swithins day (15th July)) out they come.
• Our girls have been racing around all afternoon, hoovering hundreds of them up from on or just above our lawn....

Swift Half SWIFTS update -24th July 2011

• Just a week to go now, before our little swifts leave their nest and head down to the congo, followed by their parents a few days later....
• Both nestlings are very active, very big and very keen to sit near the front of the nest (out of shot of the camera) - they certainly do seem to like looking outside - and are getting a taste for the outside world now.
• Both are regularly carrying out their press-ups to strengthen their flight muscles and both are very quick to attack their parents coming in for food!
• We have had a lovely weekend here - warm and sunny and I hear a large part of the week ahead will provide good feeding conditions for the parents - meaning our nestlings will get the best start they can get by next weekend.
• I've just uploaded clip number fifty-one onto the website, which shows the sunday tea-time feed for our two nestlings...
• One week to go - I'm already getting sad!

Swift Half update - 19th July 2011

• Just a quickie - finally, finally, finally.... our 9 foot tall sunflower is unfurling its grotesquely hyowge flower head  - and thus we can claim the neighbourhood sunflower competition prize. Some might say again.
• That shallot.

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 17th July 2011

• Well.... the chicks are just over a month old now (from hatching) and are probably less than two weeks away from fledging.
• They're very difficult to tell apart in the nest now - having lost pretty-well all their down feathers.
• They've both been fed well for the past month and have put on some serious weight - before they take to the skies for their first (three year long) flight - they will really have to get their muscles worked out and lose a little "puppy fat".
• I've just uploaded clip number forty-six onto the website which shows both fat little chicks very nicely in the nest, during a pretty mixed weekend, weather-wise.
• Its fair to say that the nest-space itself is getting pretty cramped at night these days - I'll probably upload a video to show that as video clip forty-seven!

Swift Half update - 17th July 2011

• After a warm, settled, sultry week - the weekend has produced windy, blustery, squally, cool weather, but the garden has survived!
• Our tallest sunflower now approaches 9 feet and is still trying to fully produce its flower.
• Our sage has been pretty-well uprooted by the hens, but still survives.
• My pulmonaria has started its second growth of the year.
• Our first two water lily flowers have burst out of the pond, with maybe three to come still...
• The moth trap has bagged a lovely magpie moth (very under-rated I think) and a ruby tiger - and plenty of scalloped oaks and buff ermines.
• The honeysuckle and lavender have started to flower again.
• Malu has raided another blackbird's nest in the back garden - giving two three-day old chicks to the hens to eat and ending our blackbird's second try this year.
• Finally  - a first for the garden at Swift Half - I photographed a brown argus butterfly this morning, roosting on a dead chive flower at dawn.