Reason for hope
This Spring has been very cool and rainy, clearly having an impact on the insect populations. I have been wondering how troublesome this has been for the many bird species that change their diet from the winter diets of seeds and grains to one of calorie rich insects, fruit and, later in summer, berries.
This is especially necessary when it comes to feeding their chicks whose digestive systems will be geared up to digest caterpillars and insects to fuel their extraordinary growth rates. Blue tit chicks (poussin Mésange bleue) have just three weeks to quadruple their size, grow the feathers and develop the musculature so that they can fledge and become independent. Amazingly each chick needs 100 caterpillars a day, and if, which is possible in a bonanza year, there are more than 10 chicks, a thousand a day have to be found to raise a healthy blue tit flock to fledging. A staggering 20,000 caterpillars to be harvested by the hard working parents. Short rest, and (perhaps) start all over again!
With this in mind I have been keeping my eyes open for nest box activity and juveniles birds in the garden to assess how the season is going.
Understandably enough, if the adults realise that there is not enough food for a large clutch, they will reduce the number of eggs or simply not nest at all.
I have seen some juvenile birds this year, but in small numbers. There was a juvenile Dipper (Cingle plongeur) perched on the bedroom window sill – much to the surprise of both of us - and as I got up to look out early one morning. It hesitated a little, before flying away with that typical direct flight and rapid wing beat of a dipper. A very unusual place for a dipper to find itself, they are rarely seen at that height, more than twenty metres above the water level which they normally skim above as they zip up and down the stream.
Then for a couple of hours there were two Kingfishers (Marten pêcheur) perched on a branch over the pond , waiting for a feed from a parent, which did eventually come; I could just make out the white tip on one of the juveniles. This feeding will continue for about four days; after that they will have had to master the fishing skills themselves. Luckily the water is clear so they will be able to pick out the small fish that is their main prey.
Our nesting pair of Grey Wagtails (Bergonnerette de ruisseau) have had at least two chicks, who have been feeding themselves by hawking around the pond, with occasional fly byes from the adults who are looking after a second clutch; there was a mouthful of insects on its way to a hungry beak of a very young bird that had ended up on the boxing that crosses the stream. I was fearful for it perched in such an exposed position, and, yes, a Jay (Geai des chênes) did land nearby with a certain gleam in its eye but, perhaps because it spotted me watching from the terrace, flew away empty beaked. I would not interfere to stop such a natural process, knowing that the jay, too, has hungry mouths waiting to be fed, but was glad for the chick.
Then there was a delightful little Wren (Troglodyte mignon)looking up at me from another window sill, with the tell-tale yellow still around its beak; looking it should be said slightly apprehensive at what must have been an early exploration of the domain where it had been born.
So I suspect numbers of young are small up to now. However I was encouraged to see this morning that a Great tit (Mésange charbonnière) nest box is being regularly visited by the busy couple in late June, and by the frequency of the visits there are several young chicks being raised. There is hope yet!
I enjoyed watching how the wary parents as they entered and left the box. Usually they land in a tree a few metres away whilst arriving, no doubt casting a wary eye out for danger; and then, as they leave, there is a second or two of hesitation whilst they look about for a possible predator.
About a month ago the House martins (Hirondelle de fenêtre) started rebuilding their nests in the local villages. They roll up balls of fresh mud from the nearby streams and form them into the cup nests that are glued under the eaves. I was delighted to see a line of 41 above a busy market. They will not all be used, but shows great enthusiasm.
Finally we are delighted to announce that one of the three potential pairs of Bearded vulture (Gypaète barbu) in the Aude has successfully raised a chick. Knowing that it was about one hundred and twenty days since the egg was laid the team has been keeping a close eye on the nest. It went through all the behaviours that are the sign of healthy development; being active and feeding itself on the scraps in the nest; peering around at the outside world from its perch high up the cliff face; exercising and building up the flight muscles by beating its wings, accompanied by little jumps in the air. Finally Paul was lucky to see the first hesitant flight, and after avoiding the nearby power lines, it crash landed into a tree, invisible to the nervous watchers.
We took it in turns to watch the whole day. A few hours later a nonchalant parent spend quite a while in the empty nest, before flying to perch on a rock below. And there, behind, a dark shape could be seen. It was the juvenile, and we had missed it leaving the tree. Soon it flew off into a gully where the adults drop their bones to shatter them into smaller pieces, and although I have only seen the parents coming and going in and out of the gully, no doubt that is where he is.
So the conclusion is that Nature is resilient, and despite wild fluctuations in weather - probably due to climate change - is capable of adapting to extremes. Reason for hope.
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