3 minute read
Wildlife Chris Sperring MBE
Where have all the insects gone?
By CHRIS SPERRING MBE
IT’S nearly June; the woodland spring flowers have died back as the leaf canopy increases throughout the tops of the trees, but where light can still get through a few may still hang on.
There has been a lot of talk about how slow the insects have been to increase their numbers this year and, without doubt, that long run of cold north-easterly winds will
have had an effect.
Certainly, the great tits in my garden have been hard hit by the lack of insects; they laid a very early clutch of seven eggs, but the trouble started when the chicks hatched.
Their parents must find insect food to rear them, but I began to notice that feeding visits were very few and far between compared to other years, meaning they weren’t catching much food. So, when it came to fledging, only two great tit young actually left the box; that number is devastating for a short-lived bird, meaning that they are not producing enough to replace those that die. If the decline in insect numbers continues for too long, then we could see even what we call our “common birds” declining across the country.
Many fledglings are taking their first flights, but many birds are still sitting on eggs, especially those that have only recently arrived. One of the birds I miss hearing and seeing at this time of the year is the redshank. A rather small wading bird which we find, or used to find, on low lying damp areas (though I have heard them on high ground in the winter), their call for me is iconic and once heard never forgotten with its high-pitched, fast, repeated whistle.
During the breeding season, redshank will display and call from vantage positions like farm gates or fence posts in isolated damp fields; they breed on the ground in the thicker areas of sedge and grass and feed on invertebrates caught using their long, well-adapted bills.
Though I have described a typical scene of redshank in the breeding season, sadly this bird has become quite scarce as a local breeding bird; you’re probably more likely these days to encounter redshank during the winter months, especially around the coastal saltmarshes and wetlands, but these birds are more than likely those that bred much further north where habitat and other factors remain more favourable.
June is the month I begin monitoring barn owls, so if you are a farmer or landowner who has barn owls and would like a visit from me over the next couple of months, please contact me using the contact details below.
The Hawk and Owl Trust Barn Owl webcam nest now contains six growing owlets. Feeding by the parent owls is now relentless and can start as early as 5am on some days. If you wish to view the live pictures of what’s going on in the nest, visit: https://hawkandowltrust.org/web-cam-live/barn-owl-camlive-somerset
These webcams have proved very popular as teaching aid for students in universities as well as those in school but, like I always say, nature never stops offering us new information; there’s always something to learn. l I will be leading the next Hawk and Owl Trust monthly walk on Shapwick Moor Nature Reserve on Friday, June 17th, starting at 10am. The walk lasts for two hours. These walks are free of charge but booking is essential through: www.hawkandowl.org.uk
