Checked a few nests recently and ringed some pullus with John. Even though they've had a late start the Swallows seem to be doing well with four nests on the farm Johns been monitoring for few years. Two broods of 3/3 & 5/5 were ringed yesterday and the chicks were very fat and healthy. The recent spell of warm weather has been helping them a lot. One brood was to small to ring and another nest still had eggs. A pair of Pied Wagtails nesting in an inaccessible spot have fledged at least two young on the same farm. Sadly a nest of wrens were all found to have died which is a bit strange as they looked as if they'd only hatched a couple of days ago so it isn't weather related. The only conclusion is that something must have happened to one or both of the parent birds.
One Blue Tit has at least four young in my garden in a box I hadn't checked for a bout thre weeks. Sneaky little buggers. That's one nest in 8 boxes whereas last year there were 4 occupied boxes. Barry's garden is faring a little better but brood sizes are very small. One Blue Tit brood had one young ringed and one addled egg whilst a brood of 3/3 Great Tits ringed shows a very poor productivity.
My local Mistle Thrushes are obviously feeding young somewhere - much later than this species usually nest!
A pair of Goldfinches are nesting in our laurel hedge and a pair of Blackbird's are feeding young nearby after deserting the nest in our garden before they'd even laid eggs!
The Jackdaws have resolutely refused to use the box I made for them and are still insisting on nesting in a neighbours chimney. The noisy sods woke me at 04.00 this morning have a scrap with the local Magpies who seem to spend their time searching out nests and destroying them. At least we don't have a squirrel problem any more.
Still the gardens looking nice after all the rain and now sunshine!
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