baby blue tits and demoise damselfly

My wife called me this morning to say the blue tit fledgelings were in the front garden. Some were on the roof of our bungalow, the others in a bush in a garden across the track. One of the adult blue tits had found the remains of a fat ball hanging on the corner of the house. The position for the fat ball was chosen because the little alley way along the side of the house was a flight path for small birds.

The adult blue tit flew onto the fat ball and was feeding. It also appeared to be calling to the chicks to encourage them to come over and feed. None of them did, which was just as well as this is not really appropriate food for these young birds. (Long periods of hot weather can turn the fat rancid, which is pone reason why they are not usually provided for birds in the summer). This one is on the north side of the house and in shade for most of the day, and seemed okay when I took a closer look.

After a while the blue tit family moved on, but they could still be heard nearby. The blue tits appear to have roosted in the tree at the back during the night, the adults were still collecting food at 8.00pm last night.

Afterbthe blue tits had moved on I sat on the porch and was treated to a spectacular air display by the swifts that nest in the house next door.

Because our garden is higher than next door, they scream in low across our front garden close enough to reach if I stood up.

While gardening in the afternoon I saw a beautiful male demoise damselfly flutter across the garden. While not rare, its not common to see on in an urban garden and a first for my garden. It passed through to quickly for me to grab my camera.

The garden is still alive with bees and many other interesting invertebrates, too numerous to record them all. I did see several iridescent green beetles Oedemera nobilis which visit flowers to feed on the pollen.

This is a male, distinguishable by its swollen hind legs.