England in late May 2016

As ever the weather is variable – warm sunshine one day, heavy rain and hail the next. Despite the uncertainty Mother Nature continues unperturbed, showing off her wondrous beauties to those who care to look.

The bird feeders need constant replenishment as myriads of starlings descend, whistling and shrieking and squabbling, each trying to garner the greatest amount of food. The young starlings, milk chocolate in colour with dark eyes, clamour to be fed though they are entirely capable of feeding themselves. 

It is rare to see a solitary starling – they are social creatures and there is definitely safety in numbers though one fell foul of a magpie recently and was dispatched in masterly fashion.

Its cries were piteous to hear but all wild creatures have young to feed. The sparrowhawk, whose diet consists almost exclusively of small birds, watches from a safe distance, choosing its moment to swoop down and capture a meal.

The collared doves share the feeder with the starlings but see them off if they approach too closely. Wood pigeons balance precariously, spreading their wings to compensate for their unwieldiness. At this time of year even robins and blackbirds and thrushes come to the feeders though they prefer to eat on the ground. 

A black cap darts in and away again . . .

. . . and the titmice seize their opportunities when the starlings vacate the fat cakes. 

Magpies are opportunistic and feed where they can. They wait and watch until the pond fish are fed then fly down to enjoy an alternative feast of floating fish sticks.

Meanwhile a red kite soars gracefully overhead.

The fish have been spawning for some time and expend considerable energy trying to ensure their genes are passed on. Hopefully some of the eggs will survive and develop.

The early spring flowers are fading now – there are still a few bluebells and violets and forget-me-nots. Herb robert grows in abundance and flowers throughout spring and summer and well into autumn. It is a weed but so cheerful and pretty that it seems harsh to treat it as an unwelcome intruder and root out every sign of it.

The fruit blossom has set and it looks as if there will be a good harvest of apples, pears, cherries and blueberries, if the birds (or Frankie) don’t get to them first.

Choisya ternata (Mexican orange blossom) has bloomed beautifully and as it begins to wane the ceanothus is ready to burst into flower.

In gardens and woods rhododendrons are aflame with colour. 

Though they can be a bit of a woodland thug and have to be restrained it is good to see the purple glowing in the sunshine.

May is also the mating month for ladybirds. 

Judging by the number in our garden I’m wondering if there will be a glut of aphids this year. In similar vein I have noticed a great deal of blossom on pyracantha and holly – does this mean a hard winter ahead? I think that’s probably myth . . .

Another kind of ladybird . . . last year, 2015 . . .

 . . . and this year, 2016 . . . faded but still smiling.

I saw a mouse - where? Not on the stair . . .

Mice - by Rose Fyleman 

I think mice
are rather nice.
Their tails are long,
Their faces small,
They haven't any
Chins at all.

Their ears are pink,
Their teeth are white.
They run around
The house at night.

They nibble things
They shouldn't touch
And no one seems
To like them much.

But I think mice
are nice.

I agree with Rose Fyleman that mice are nice though I prefer them out of the house rather than in it. 

Yesterday Barry was in the conservatory photographing birds and making short videos of them. As I watched the on-going display a movement caught the corner of my eye and there it was – a field mouse. 

We were pleased to see it because rats kill mice and its presence means that there are probably no rats in the vicinity (they’ve all travelled to London to visit Bethan and Robert)

It moved very quickly – speed is of the essence when you’re a tiny being, around 18 centimetres long from tip of nose to end of tail. The hose pipe gives some perspective. We think it was a Yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) but cannot be absolutely sure since it didn’t stand on its hind legs and display its chest. It didn’t stay long for its photo shoot and we were lucky to see it at all as it is largely nocturnal, the prey of owls and cats.

Meanwhile the birds carried on feeding, oblivious to the tiny mammal beneath them dining on the crumbs of fat cast off by their probing beaks. 

Most of the birds wanted to display their nether regions, the newly repainted plumage glowing to attract a mate.

Some, like this starling, with his winter spots giving way to the glorious iridescence of spring finery . . . 

 . . . appeared to spot the little mouse and wonder what it was up to. 

The female blackbird feasted on holly berries while her would-be mate gorged pyracantha.

Coal tit watched warily from the Nectarine – often chased away by blue tits, his chance would come.

 Long-tailed tits swooped and dipped their way to the feeders . . .

. . . and a great spotted woodpecker, fresh from the beauty salon, displayed her scarlet underside but forbore to show her face.

ABC Wednesday T is for Thrush and Titmice and Tomatoes

Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)

The Song Thrush or Throstle has a loud rich song of musical repeated phrases. It is slightly smaller than the Blackbird (Turdus merula) and shyer, often being chased off by its larger cousin.


It is a partial migrant, some birds moving to lower ground in winter, some flying to southern Europe, many staying put. It suffers badly in harsh winters - in 1963 its numbers declined by 60%.


Despite its fabled habit of smashing snails on stone 'anvils' I have seen this only once in our garden. More frequently I see them pulling worms from the ground but they also find handy meals on the bird table and the feeders.

Blue tit (Parus caeruleus)

Of the seven tit species only four visit our garden. The blue tit is the one we see most frequently. Blue tits are acrobatic little birds, a joy to watch as they hang upside down on feeders or delicate plants. They feed on insects, caterpillars, seeds and nuts and any scraps that are put out for them. Blue tits often frighten away their smaller relatives, the coal tits.

Coal tit (Parus ater)

Coal tit with blue tits

The coal tit is the smallest true tit. It eats beetles, moths, flies and bugs in all their forms, from egg through larvae to adult and also spiders. It also eats seeds and small nuts. 

Like the blue tit it nests in holes in trees and makes a cup-shaped nest lined with moss and feathers. It will also nest in holes in banks or walls.

Great tit (Parus major)

Blue tit and great tit

The great tit is the largest tit, and, like the other tits here, widely seen throughout the UK, absent only from the Northern and Western Isles of Scotland. It can be aggressive with smaller tits at feeders.

 Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)  

Long-tailed tits with blue tit

The long-tailed tit always reminds me of a shuttlecock. Its tail is longer than its body.It's a pretty little bird, rarely seen singly, more often in small groups of four or five. The nest it builds is lined with two thousand feathers. Long-tailed tits are very susceptible to cold because they are so small. In hard winters 80% of the population may be lost. Flocking and huddling together helps to alleviate this.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) 

We try every year to grow this sweet tasty member of the nightshade family. We don't have much success so we really appreciate the fruits that do manage to ripen.

Tulip (Tulipa) 'Queen of the Night'

We have much greater success with tulips and this one, 'Queen of the Night', is a particular favourite.

To see more tantalising Ts click here