May days

             This May has been a really difficult one with low temperatures, heavy rainfall and very little sun. The weather has delayed the opening of tree buds and many of the flowers that I would normally expect to see in the wood are a couple of weeks behind. Its a taxing time for birds to raise young as insect numbers are low too. Birds like Blue Tits rely heavily on the caterpillars that feed on oak leaves but with the leaves only just opening this food source must be limited. Nesting and raising young continues all the same although chick survival rates are likely to be low. On the plus side, however, wildlife usually finds a way of getting through these times and the cool temperatures have kept the Bluebells flowering for longer than usual.

A Blue Tit and a Great Tit leaving nest boxes after feeding young birds inside

            The Tawny Owl chicks left their nest box at some time in the middle of the month. Before their feathers are developed fully they undertake "branching", scrabbling their way up into surrounding trees where they sit very quietly during daylight hours. As darkness falls they become more mobile and start calling for the parents to feed them. This carries on for several weeks until they can hunt for themselves. Often it is possible to spot the chicks during the day but they eluded me over several visits and I was beginning to wonder if they had survived the move from the safety of the nest box into a big, wide and hazardous world. Knowing that I would more likely find them by following their squeaky calls after dark, I drove back to the wood one windy evening. I did not think my chances were great as the wind was pretty wild but within a few minutes I heard them and after a short search located two of the three chicks in pine trees not very far from the box. That was a great relief as cold, windy and wet conditions are great killers of young birds out in the open like this and make it very hard for the adults to hunt. I can only hope now that they continue to thrive.

           Reports from across the UK suggest that it has been a poor year for migration so far, with many birds held back by the strong, cold north-easterly winds at the start of the month, so it was very pleasing to find not one but two Spotted Flycatchers calling from high up in old oak trees further into the woods. These unprepossessing brown birds are a real favourite. They are late migrants and will benefit from the warmer weather forecast to be on the way. Walking back to the car, spotting a lizard making the most of a gap in the clouds was good to see.

 One of the adult owls keeping an eye on me

The young owls branched