@LeadFarmer had a good load of leafcutters overwintering with him, I think.
I had 2 or 3 tubes with leaf cutters nesting in. I've put half of them in the hatching compartment of the G Pilkington box, and the other half are in a storage container in my garage with ventilation holes and a hole big enough for them to climb out of. I keep checking them each day so I don't miss them hatching..
@LeadFarmer They ideally like to be in strong sun, up on a south facing wall, v close to flowers for forage. Bees need the warmth to get going and need food asap after emerging from cocoons. Poo - feed - mate.
We have a resident thrush. From first light to dusk, he (she?) sits in the top of a beech tree just outside the garden, singing his heart out. (One of his favourite phrases is "RePEAT! rePEAT! rePEAT!).
How does he survive? He doesn't seem to stop to eat, and has been singing flat out for days and days. Does he swap with his wife part way through the day?
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
There has been a good bit of recent research on whether and why female birds sing. It was assumed for a long time that only male robins and thrushes, for example, sang, but on closer inspection (with better tech etc), this does not seem to hold. It seems only males sing to attract a mate - in competition for the loudest and more complex song patterns to demonstrate their health status. But birds also sing to defend territory, and it turns out that some females can do this, as well as males. So it seems that things are unclear and still is much to be learnt, even about common garden birds.
I heard a recent podcast about the female researchers who were putting the cat amongst the pigeons, upsetting old beliefs about birdsong. I'll see if I can find it.
I finally dragged the sedge plant out of my pond as it was taking over and doing more harm than good. As I pulled it up I found a large frog hiding behind it. I haven't seen a frog in the garden in years and we never get spawn but maybe that's about to change. I hope they eat vine weevils.
After seeing the frog I've been checking the pond at night to see what else is lurking in there. Last night I saw this little newt
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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Fire said:
😂
How does he survive? He doesn't seem to stop to eat, and has been singing flat out for days and days. Does he swap with his wife part way through the day?