The RSPB may have a point when it comes to the issue of the unseasonal warm weather. Long may it continue I say! Seems nature is a little confused too. I'm not looking forward the shock we will all have as soon as the weather gets back on track again.
The clocks might have gone back and Christmas shopping started but in the garden at least, summer hasn’t quite ended, says the RSPB.
The wildlife charity has been inundated with the kind of calls it would usually expect to receive in the summer for the past few weeks, showing how much of an impact the recent balmy weather has had on garden creatures.
Summer migrants like swifts and swallows which would traditionally head back to their winter homes by September are still being reported around the UK, particularly in the North.
Blue tits were being seen taking food for young to their nests throughout October, which suggest they may have had an elongated breeding period and a second brood of young, despite usually only having one each summer.
Ducks were still frequently nesting under hedges throughout October too, whereas ducklings would usually be fully grown by late August. Even this week ducklings have been spotted sticking close totheir mothers, which is extremely late.
Garden bird feeders and tables are seemingly deserted as food is still available in the wider countryside. It is usually from July-September that the RSPB receives lots of worried calls asking ‘where have all my birds gone?’ as they are still finding an abundance of berries and insects but throughout November many have still not returned for our hospitality.
Insects like wasps and ladybirds are still being seen in large numbers, particularly inside houses.
And even butterflies are sticking around with red admirals being most commonly seen around plants like ivy.
Tom waters, RSPB Wildlife Adviser, says: “The kind of calls we get at this time of year have been very differentthis year. We’re usually in the throes of taking about helping garden birds survive the cold weather, but actually people aren’t seeing many of them yet as they’re still getting all they need form further afield.
“It’s as if its still summer out there!
“However winter will of course come and it’s great that people are thinking about their wildlife. Get prepared before the cold weather finally hits –stock up your feeders and tables as garden birds will need our hospitality eventually.”
For a full range of bird care products visit www.rspbshop.co.uk© Phil Pickin
