CNHS Update May 2021
April has been very cold and dry so hopefully we can now look forward to frost free Spring weather.
It has been heartening to see the response to my last update, with a number of people reporting on the appearance of Bee Flies in their gardens, along with other sightings. Maybe you can move on to having a closer look at the different Bumble Bees which will be visiting.
Here is a chart of the ones you are most likely to see, with the exception of the Heath BB, this is a chart from the Somerset Wildlife trust.
(To open: right click on the icon, then click on ‘Acrobat Document Object’, then ‘Open’)
There is a lot of information on the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust’s website; Bee The Change where they are running this new project.
It would be nice to contemplate a re-start for natural History meetings but it seems that restrictions will prevent indoor activities from starting for some time yet. There were no suggestions for a picnic venue but I am sure we can arrange some short countryside visits later in the year.
Although we need rain I hope we do not get persistent long periods during any days. The birds are nesting and most of birds which use our nest boxes will be feeding young shortly, this is a difficult time and prolonged rain can have a disastrous effect on chick survival.
Already there are some hatched young in boxes; the picture (1)
shows 11 newly hatched Blue Tits on the 29th April. Picture (2)
is another Blue Tit nest where the adults have got carried away with collecting feathers. Even with the “Duvet” these had not hatched on the same day.
Another nest with eggs is this Nuthatch nest (3),
it is in the same area, where there is lots of moss and soft nesting material but they prefer to use small flakes of Pine bark. They will travel some distance to collect the bark.
We have a Nuthatch nesting (six young) in one of our Sparrow Terrace boxes on the house and the Robin has small young in the nest above the front door. I should have heeded my own advice about nesting birds, as I had thought the Robin had abandoned the nest in the porch. I had tried to see into it but it is pretty inaccessible for viewing as the cup is tucked away behind the light fitting. It turned out that, as I tell others, things go quiet during the laying and brooding period and the Robin was just keeping its head down.
Not that this stopped lots of Robin action in the garden as there are now three different families competing for the fresh mealworms which I provide. It is impossible to sit, or work, in the front garden without close attendance from hopeful Robins.
On a more historical subject you will remember we had a talk by Professor John Cooper and his wife Margaret, on his work with the Rwanda Gorillas. John was a child member of The Natural History Society and very influenced by our founder Maxwell Knight.
This is a Blog about his recent presentation of Honorary Life membership of the Amateur Entomological Society. Within the article there is reference to his first meeting with Maxwell Knight and an early page of his natural history diary which he still records in today. https://thefrightenedfaceofnature.com/2021/04/25/aes-honorary-life-membership-for-john-cooper/#like-6469
Joan and I send our best wishes to you all.
Bernard