Notes from the country with Vicky Turrell

An endangered bird is in danger in our ‘safe’ garden. The spotted flycatchers nesting in our climbing rose have successfully reared four nestlings. Suddenly, one morning the young fledglings flew to our woodland, one by one. The frantic parents are feeding them, but it is an even harder task now they are not all in one place. Desperately looking for extra food the parents have taken to going into our greenhouse through the open window. I think that they are attracted by the plentiful supply of flying ants in there. The problem arose when we found a flycatcher anxiously trying to get out and the window had closed. You see when the temperature drops the window automatically closed trapping the bird inside. It needed to get out to feed its young and it was desperate. It was flying with its beak full of insects. It flew from one side of the greenhouse to the other, backwards and forwards until, tiring at last, it fell to the ground. Now we have had to leave the greenhouse door open...

The endangered spotted fly catcher bathing in the bird pool I would give anything to go for a swim right now. I used to swim, twice a week – in the old days b.c. (before coronavirus). I met my friends and took health giving exercise. Now I don’t even know where my ticket is. In any case, I expect it is out of date. Early in the week some little creatures took an unexpected swim. A pair of blue tits have been in and out of the nest box, on the old apple tree, for over a month now. The young fledged this week. Four of them flew uncertainly into the long orchard grass. Their colours of pale yellow and faded blue are good camouflage so they can hide from predators. They are small and about the size and weight of a wine bottle cork. But there is one danger, which has never caused a problem before, and that is our wild pond. It is on the corner of the orchard. It was a warm day and I imagine that the young blue tits were thirsty. They went down for a drink and three of them fell in. Wh...

The race for survival has begun in the countryside. The winter aconite hastened to flower under our hedge. You can see the bright yellow blobs from our window, pushing up through the dead leaves. Nothing deters them – even snow and wind will not stop their lamp-like glow. They seize the opportunity before other ruthless spring plants grow and crowd them out. You don’t see many aconites these days, do you? When I was a little girl in Yorkshire, I remember peering into the rectory grounds to see the hundreds of the little yellow lamps running wild, making a golden carpet. But the old rectory has been bulldozed down long ago and replaced by a smart housing estate with not an aconite in sight. One warm morning last week I saw a yawning bumble bee queen grateful for very early nectar from our aconites. Unwittingly she took pollen from flower to flower so that soon there will be little purses of black seeds. The seeds could eventually settle on the ground and if they race the ...

Did you know that February 2 nd is the birds’ wedding day? When I first came to Shropshire the postman told me this. I am inclined to believe him because only a few days ago, I saw a house sparrow with a feather in its beak heading for our eves. House sparrows are everywhere here in Shropshire and if you have a bird table, you will see them crowding round the food, they often force out the timid little birds and even the smart blackbird. House sparrows love seeds and today they are on our bird table making a great deal of noise and creating lots of mess. They seem to be just ordinary common birds, with not much to be said in their favour. Last year, my husband was given a nest box with a camera fitted and he put it up on a tree trunk straight away. In our excitement, we didn’t check the size of the hole (which had several adjustments) and we were disappointed that it was large enough for a pair of familiar house sparrows, who immediately claimed it. You could connect the cam...