Tuesday 25th.May 2010

Having been volunteering the last two days , and again tomorrow , and working in the yard on the new shed , I have seen very little wildlife , apart from a Fox cub that crossed the lane in front of me on my way to the yard this morning . At the yard , the nest box which was occupied by the pair of Nuthatches is causing me concern . Last week I only saw one bird looking into the box , and very little calling from the male , as he did continuously when they were collecting nesting materials , and for the period when I assumed the female was laying . I photographed the nest material collection on the 15th.April which is getting on for 6 weeks ago , giving ample time for incubation , and I would expect to see constant feeding at this time . I think that either they changed their minds on the nest site , or something has happened to one or both of the adults . I'll give it another couple of weeks before checking the box . Back to Sunday , when on the way to Burnt Gorse , I stopped off at an old farmhouse on the outskirts of Keston where House Martins nest in variable numbers every year . After a poor year last year , I was glad to see and hear good numbers hawking insects overhead . I couldn't get to all the outbuildings , but I did count 11 occupied nests and one under construction/ refurbishment . There was much coming and going , and some birds , probably males , were returning and feeding their mates in the nest . This was the project under refurbishment , turning a previously detached property on the right into a semi-detached . Some were quite happy just to hang loose and watch the world go by . Whilst watching for birds to return , another nesting pair caught my eye on the roof of one of the adjacent outbuildings . They were a pair of Grey Wagtails , the male , with the black bib , was very wary of my presence , but the female , without the bib , was quite at ease , and made many more visits to the nest , which was located beneath some missing slates on one of the roofs . I just hope that these birds are successful with their breeding , as my hopes diminish for the Nuthatches back at the yard .