Nature notes

August 2025

Well, we’ve all been going through a heatwave, at times hotter than the Caribbean. I don’t know about you, but it’s been a bit too much for me.  I’ve got farmers telling me they’re running out of grass for livestock; hedgehogs must be finding it hard to find water.

Bumblebees can actively overheat, with their fur coats making it harder to fly and feed.  Amphibians’ ponds are lower or even drying up. Some birds may struggle as insects are down.  As the grass isn’t growing there will be fewer voles and mice, so that brings a knock-on effect for the tawny owls here that need them to feed the two youngsters they have.  I often hear them calling from the cedar tree at night.

So, all in all, not a good time for many.

As I scribble this today, we’ve had some rain and a couple of distant thunderstorms but, as my dad would have said, ‘Hardly enough to damp the dust.’

The additional little pool I put in has been a lifeline to so many creatures. So far, either drinking or bathing, have been robin, goldfinch, greenfinch, bluetit, great tit, chiff chaff and wren, and countless bees, wasps and other insects, all desperate to drink.  Even a little pond is so worthwhile.

I was told a dramatic story by Lynda, friend and neighbour. Lynda was in Leamington when she heard a bird screaming loudly above her.  It was a gull being chased through the air by one of the local peregrine falcons, the last thing any bird would want.  Normally the falcon would dive at speed from above, maybe it had and missed. Now it was more of a dive and chase.  Eventually the peregrine caught hold of the gull, the screaming continued, another gull tried to harass the falcon, but once that grip is fixed, there’s no letting go.  They disappeared from view, presumably the gull was taken back to the nest in the clock tower and I’d rather not think about what happened next.  Thank you, Lynda, not a common sight, I’m quite glad I missed it.

On a brighter note, the bluetits in the nestbox by the bedroom window successfully fledged, even with the threat of the great spotted woodpecker showing a close interest.  Within two days a pair of spotted flycatchers were showing interest in the site.  Not the box, but the hedge above and behind it. No planning permission required, they built their small nest on the hedge.

Now just to say, spotted flycatchers are a similar size to a robin, but seem to stand a little taller, in pale greys and browns with dark flecking, also to say they are getting pretty rare. (Shouldn’t have said that I’ll have the twitchers round. No-one tell them where I live!)

This little bird has been declining since the 1960s and are now believed to be 88% down! They’re now on the Red List – cause for concern, but there’s now a family just outside the bedroom window.

The parents sit in the big, old cedar tree, perfect look out for insects flying by.  Flycatchers do just what you’d expect, sitting still on a twig then launching off to grab a passing insect and back to the perch or nest.  The day I wrote this I saw one catch a white butterfly and a large moth.  When they’ve done in England they will fly back to tropical Africa.  It’s a joy to watch them, very lucky indeed.

July 2025

It was early Sunday morning when I was woken up by a loud tap, tap, tapping from just outside the window.  I opened my eyes and turned to have a look.  Clinging to the edge of the nestbox was a male great spotted woodpecker.  Inside the box was a brood of blue tits, not far off fledging, now keeping very quiet.   Now woodpeckers will sometimes listen to sounds coming from a nestbox, then either make the entrance hole bigger or make a new hole in the side of the box at the right height to grab the chicks.  Nasty business.  The blue tit parents were having a nightmare morning, and there was nothing they could do about it.  My moving scared the woodpecker off, although it had another attempt shortly after.  As if that wasn’t enough, a starling turned up to have a look in the hole as well.  Now I didn’t realise starlings can be bully birds and also take chicks from the nest, we’d never seen that happen.  All safe this time.  I do know that Mozart kept a starling as a pet, but that’s another story.

There are now gaps between me seeing my muntjac, there’s so much lush vegetation around here now, she doesn’t need my handouts.  If I do see her, often late evening, she will still come down the garden for a healthy treat.  It’s always nice to see her, even though there are several rosebuds missing.  She still stands and stares to check it’s me before she comes closer.  Glad she’s not forgotten me.

Back to the blue tits.  Not long after both boxes fledged, I was in the garden as a fair-sized group of them passed close to me, all of them calling to each other as they checked trees and bushes for aphids and caterpillars.  They never seem to look where I want them to though. Apparently, family groups will join together as they do in the winter, finding food and safety in numbers, although they do draw attention to themselves with all the chatter.

I was recently told by a friend that magnolia trees are pollinated by beetles, not bees.  There is a good reason for this, magnolias are so old as a species, dating back over 100 million years to before the dinosaurs, and at that point there were no bees.  Long before bees evolved there were already beetles, most beetles can fly, so the magnolia trees put out a specific scent to attract them.  Beetles were amongst the first pollinators, they were originators paving the way for others to follow, just like the Beatles!  It’s only taken ten years to work my favourite pop group into the nature notes! Yeah, yeah, yeah!