Sex in the strawberry bed!



Monday 25th June 2012

Two worms become one!
Amazing. Never seen this before.

Given the title of this post, it'll be interesting to see the number of page views I get (and the search criteria)!
If you're coming to this site for the first time, this may not be what you were expecting. But please take time to look around.

Swallow families
Back to more usual comings and goings.
It can be tricky to work out which swallow nests are occupied in the stables. It's too dark to see the nests well up in the rafters and the adult birds rarely visit their nest when I am present. They tend to sit on the doors twittering and tweeting (not in the modern sense of this word) until I move on. However, there is one way to be sure. Look underneath the nests, and while you're at it you might want to move any machinery or tools before they become covered in guano!
So, I think we have four nests. The swallows have fledged from all of them and can be seen and heard wheeling around and chattering over the garden and stables. The young birds can be easily told by their lack of tail streamers.
Presumably the adult birds are teaching the young a trick or two, though the one that flew through the patio doors and couldn't find its way out again may not be the best teacher!
I caught it and released it back in the garden, where it flew off without even a glance back. It was a privilege to get to hold such a delicate and beautiful creature.

Presumably it won't be long before the swallows are back on their nests ready for a second brood. The same applies to the Yellowhammer which today started rattling out its song from atop a hawthorn bush. He has been silent for over a month.

Oops!
Today was like a summer's day...oh...forgot...it is summer.
I spent a lot of time on chicken affairs before turning my attention to the veg patch. In the sunshine, and with time to peruse progress in the various beds, the general prognosis for vegetable production this year has improved.
More on these matters tomorrow as I took a whole series of photos today, including some very funny pig photos, only to discover the memory card by the side of the computer when I got in this evening!

So tomorrow, if the weather holds, a re-shoot.