NATURE IS WONDERFUL BUT CAN SOMETIMES BE CRUEL

Mr. HCB was up and out early working in the garden and by the time I got up he had assembled the greenhouse he intends using for his cucumbers. 

Whilst having my breakfast, I felt something on my ankle and when I looked, saw three red blotches where a little critter had bitten me - I did find it flying around, and it is no more! Can’t believe that after a month in South East Asia, I only had two bites but got three sitting in my own lounge! 

I had a wander round the garden and took lots of photographs with the Canon, most of which I deleted but kept this one and one I’ve put in as an extra.  There were lots of bees around on many of the flowers, but mainly the poppies and this centaurea.  The ants obviously like our peonies. 

We had a family of blue tits nesting in one of our boxes and they successfully fledged last week but there is some sad news about our great tits.  Mr. HCB has yet to look in the nest box - but he believes he saw the jay that has been coming to feed in our garden, pounce on one of the great tits yesterday afternoon.  He looked up when he heard a crashing sound in amongst the flowers and then saw the jay fly off with something in its mouth.  

The great tit babies were not quite ready to fledge but the parents were just coming to the nest box opening to feed them, rather than going right inside, in order to encourage them out.  After this incident, the babies were calling but there was no response from either parent. Last night, one baby great tit kept coming to the opening and calling - see extra - but this morning, it’s all quiet, so we assume the ones  still inside the nest box have died, unless of course, they fledged very early this morning.

We have watched the parents going in and out so many times with grubs and caterpillars and are devastated that we won’t see the babies fledge. However as Mr. HCB says “That’s nature!”  

It still makes me sad though - and it’s strangely quiet in the garden.  I wonder if birds feel the pain of loss?