Looking in on nests of our garden birds

In the late 1970s my family went to visit my very elderly great-aunt and uncle. Hearing that his seven-year-old greatniece had become very interested in birdwatching, my great uncle offered to show me his egg collection. I was simultaneously thrilled and horrified as he recalled the tree climbing and trespassing required to get his prizes. He showed me them all, from the small birds such as house sparrow and great tit to the last and biggest of his collection, of which he said sombrely: “I’m afraid this egg is from an osprey.” He definitely seemed to feel a little guilt and shame about his collection in his old age, but egg collecting was a common hobby for young boys in Edwardian times and considered harmless or even quite a wholesome hobby as they were out in the fresh air and learning about natural history. Thankfully, the 1954 Protection of Birds Act made egg collecting illegal, and any modern-day collectors can expect six months in prison if convicted. But modern camera technology has given us a much better way to learn about birds’ nests and eggs at this wonderful time of year. When we first moved into our bungalow we could tell that house sparrows had taken ownership of the wooden cladding and were nesting in all the natural ‘nooks and crannies’ that had formed. Over the years we have added three terrace-style nestboxes and, unknowingly to the sparrows, have also added boxes with cameras housed inside. Over the years I have watched the sparrows raise many families, from both inside and outside the nest. I’ve learned a lot from watching the whole process, from knowing when to expect the eggs to hatch right through to predicting the day the fledglings will be coaxed out into the big wide world. Watching has sometimes been tough, when we’ve had to watch a weaker fledgling outcompeted for food by its siblings and frustrating too when the sparrows have put nesting material in front of the lens!

I’m always a bit behind but the latest camera systems allow you to check on your nestbox families from your phone at any time. A visiting friend recently showed me incredible live colour footage of his beautiful great tit nest, a simple click and he sent me the still images. Online, it’s possible to visit other nests from Dorset and further afield whenever you like. This year I’m enjoying following the progress of the peregrine families on the cathedral tops of Salisbury and Chichester and the Dorset Wildlife Trust barn owls at Lorton Meadows. The Birds of Poole Harbour live feed of the osprey pair high on their eyrie nest provides much drama, I think my great uncle would have agreed that it’s a much better way to enjoy these amazing birds.

for an amazing display of the Northern Lights

found on the website: astrocamp. awesomeastronomy.com

But what can we look forward to this month in our neck of the woods?

Well, the week beginning May 15 is a great time for early risers to witness Saturn rising in the southeast, along with a fine waning crescent Moon. By month end Jupiter will have joined the pre-dawn show. Venus will continue to dazzle in the evenings, its phase ever narrowing until, by the end of July, it’ll appear as the thinnest of crescents; something I’m looking forward to seeing. Mars is still hanging in there, naked eye in Gemini, but it’s a long way away at the moment, and appears very small, even with a telescope.

The brighter evenings means reduced hours of astronomical darkness and less observing time. However, it’s worth making a point to stay up late to watch the Milky Way rise (by the end of May it’ll be visible from around 10.30). By the early hours, though, the bright galactic core will be on show, low to the south, and makes for an aweinspiring sight when viewed with binoculars. n My latest book (The WOW! List– 50 Stunning Deep Space Objects for Amateur Stargazers) is out now.

Dean and I need to talk. It’s about a boat. My boat, to be precise. I built it 13 years ago at the Boat Building Academy at Lyme Regis during the long course I did there after a career in public service. I had gone to Lyme as someone with no practical skills and emerged nine months later with Level 3 Distinction in all three areas of Traditional Wooden Boat Building and a beautiful boat, Witch of Weymouth, a nineteenth century beach fishing boat for crab and lobster. But times change. I am getting almost no use out of the boat and I have decided it is time to move her on to someone who will make real practical use from her, so I am giving Dean my boat. Most people know Dean. He and his Cologne-born wife Antje, a talented textile artist, have lived here for many years.

Kimberlins, like me and my Sherborne girl Marion, we were all attracted to Portland by a combination of sea, landscape and the singularity of life on a tied island, somewhere that has uniquely retained its own identity.

Dean and Antje arrive for supper, a Thai curry I have made. There’s a rustling in a bag Dean is carrying. “I’ve brought a starter!” he says as he produces two beautiful blue lobsters and holds them aloft for all to see. They came out of the sea half an hour ago