Humming bird moth visiting our honeysuckle
We share our house with amongst other things a colony of sparrows.
These friendly little birds brighten up every spring and summer, with their chirping calls and the buzzing of their wings as they fly by.
In many places they are endangered , but here they thrive as their are plenty of nesting places under the tiles and the food is here plentiful.
They are sociable birds who live in small communal groups, that mostly get on just fine (except for the occasional noisy arguement with the neighbours.
A couple of weeks ago I saw the fledgelings from two neighbouring nests launching out on their first flights at exactly the same time.
With the coaxing of the adults they flew backwards and forwards between the house and a nearby tree, trying out their new wings for size.
Now as we speak, we have only one active nest left (which could even be their third brood this year!) . While the parents are away you can hear the sound of the new chicks chirping away inside.
Their father is a real character, as he has a habit of getting impatient with his nests , and weeks before they are due to fly, he waits outside fluttering his wings, as if trying to get them to fly, leaving mum to bring home the rations.
When the nesting period is over it falls quiet here as these birds go off into the sorrounding area in their small groups, so that the youngsters can learn from the older birds how best to survive.
the picture shows one of my favourite plants at this time of the year . Honeysuckle. it smells divine, its great for moths and other insects , and the berries are a useful food source for many types of birds.
Why not plant some in your garden?