Nature's Corner

J is for Juveniles in June and July.

Isn’t it just great seeing all the brand new young birds in the garden, the place seems to be full of bright yellow Blue Tits and very clean looking Great Tits, unlike the parent birds who look like they've been dragged through a Blackthorn hedge forwards and backwards!

There are Robin youngsters flitting about the garden, they hatched in a nest against the garden wall amongst greenery. We also have a nest full of Wren chicks in a small nest box I fitted into the top of the Arbor; it’s taken three years for something to show an interest and very rewarding that it has been chosen, especially as the diligent male Wren has to build around six nests within his territory before “Madame” Wren chooses the one she wants, and she chose this one……cool.

I’m sure many of us will have had our feeders adorned with Great Spotted Woodpeckers filling their beaks with the content of fat balls or suet cake and taking it back to the nest full of chicks, even better if you are lucky enough to have them return with the fledglings once they leave the nest hole, they are the ones with a bright red cap, the male adult has a red patch on the back of his head whereas the female has no red on her head at all.

Of course House Sparrows are continually congregating around our tree which has various feeders hanging from it, with their fluttering wings meaning “feed me now!!”

It is also great to get into the surrounding hills and moors when the weather allows; something I really look forward to is going out looking for creatures you won’t find in your garden, particularly during June and July; juvenile Cuckoos.

These amazing birds have been brought up from the egg which was deposited by the female Cuckoo a few weeks previously and on our local upland areas, it is the Meadow Pipit that bears the brunt of Cuckoo activity.

These super diligent Meadow Pipit host parents feed this youngster until he or she is about six times their size, continuing well after it leaves the nest on the ground and following it about within a short distance from the nest for about a week or two. Watching the feeding process is captivating as the Cuckoo seems ever demanding, attracting the adult's attention with wing flapping and showing its huge red gaping mouth as the target area, the Pipit shoves the food (usually a caterpillar, worm or moth) deep into the mouth and once the beak is empty, the Cuckoo seems to urge the Pipit to “go and get some more!” even pushing its large beak towards them, A purely functional process designed to get the young Cuckoo fattened up for its epic journey that the adults have already made to Africa.

The Cuckoo is a what’s known as a brood parasite, not loved by all but I think they are an essential symbol of Spring and photographing them is so rewarding. After 2 weeks they leave the parent without ceremony and migrate and with a lot of luck, return the following year to carry on the cycle

……Dave Parry.