Summer Happenings on My Local Patch
My goodness, where has summer gone? From the end of May, with gently warm days, in a matter of weeks summer became a furnace – I’m not complaining mind you, but it did leave me wondering how our wildlife would fare, but from what I have seen on my Local Patch, feathered friends at least have managed well. Over the past few weeks, summer has become a little more gentle and the rains have returned, everything is green again. That the birds had been busy during a changeable spring was reinforced at the end of May, when my garden was suddenly full of parents trying to feed numbers of noisy and demanding fledglings. The first to appear were a troupe of Coal Tits, who, whilst waiting assistance from Mum and Dad, were also trying to figure out the feeding stations for themselves. I also got to watch the parents teaching the youngsters how to manage their food – hold it in your claws and peck away morsels, don’t attempt down in one! Within a week or so, they were all regularly return