The last few weeks have been pretty miserable weather wise for most humans in the UK, only the hardiest souls have braved the wet, windy and cold around the The Lodge. Have you braved the elements in the last few weeks, was it worth it? I've tried to get out and about in between showers and it has been rewarding with lots of passage wheatears (10 yesterday!) and some great views of a cuckoo, I think it's worth the risk! But with the cold weather, heavy rain and flooding, the wildlife in the UK has had some significant challenges to confront, how have they coped?
The biggest losers as a result of the heavy rain fall and flooding are going to waterfowl that have nested close by to rising water courses. We have had a number of reports of swan, grebe, moorhen and duck nests that have been washed away or submerged. This tragic end to the nesting attempt is very difficult to watch from a human perspective, we are helpless to intervene in these situations. However, as it is still relatively early in the season, many of those that have lost a nest may still have time to try again, hopefully without the risk of flooding.
Mike Richards (rspb-images.com)
The cold and damp weather will have put a great deal of pressure on small insectivorous birds, they will have to work hard to keep their energy levels up, if they are feeding young at the moment or preparing to breed, they will face an uphill battle if it stays cool as their insect food may be hard to come by. Blue and great tits should be close to hatching young at this time if they haven't already so they would be looking to take insects back to their nests to give their young enough protein to grow fast and healthy, if it stays cold and wet definitely think about providing live mealworms as this may give them the extra boost they need to produce successful young.
All of our summer migrants will have had a tough journey so far with stormy conditions across much of Europe, most of the species are back in the UK now but numbers are still down, expect a continued flow of migrants into the UK over the next couple of weeks. The ospreys that returned in April are on eggs at a number of sites, meaning that they have to sit out the rain, these hardy birds are dedicated to raising the next generation but do look thoroughly cheesed off in a rain storm if you have been following on the various webcams. Other birds of prey may also be struggling but spare a thought for the nations barn owls, all this wet weather will have greatly reduced their opportunities to hunt and their prey may be hard to come by.
So which birds are making hay whilst the sun isn't shining? From comments on the forums and from walking around the local area I would say blackbirds, song and mistle thrush and robins are taking full advantage of the wet ground to provide masses of worms to their hungry young. We've been watching recently fledged juveniles of all of the above species and parents taking beakfuls of worms to them, they should have a good year! If lapwings have managed to keep their eggs above the water then when the young hatch, the wet and muddy pools should provide a rich diet of insects so it could work out well for some pairs.
Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
One species that has been in news recently as a result of it's continued decline as a breeding species in the UK is the starling. They are well on the way to rearing their first brood and the wet weather will give them the opportunity to get to worms and leatherjackets in lawns, grazed pasture and meadows. Look out for the noisy brown juveniles in the next week or so. The damp conditions have also led to an armada of slugs and snails ready munch their way through new shoots and prized plants, great for hedgehogs, toads and frogs, not so good for gardeners. For ideas about non-toxic pest control have a look here, please avoid reaching for harmful slug pellets that contain metaldehyde though as the slugs killed may end up being fed to hungry thrush chicks!
If it does clear up soon and we get a blast of warm summer sun, expect some frantic activity with the emergence of lots of insects and birds hot on their tails ready to eat them!
Warden Intern at Otmoor.