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Kate Humble: July
Welcome to summer! I hope you enjoyed this year's Springwatch. I can't believe that even on our final day we had such drama with our linnet family. And as for the lapwings and the little ringed plovers...!
Gardening for wildlife was one of our big themes and now we've finished the series I'm looking forward to spending time in my garden.
I can't wait to see the wildlife pond I created just before Springwatch develop and flourish.
Already the ragged robin is flowering, pond skaters and diving beetles have appeared and today I saw the first dragonfly buzzing over the water.
There is no better time to enjoy your garden wildlife and although your trees and bushes are bursting with fruit and flowers, I urge you to keep putting out extra food. We might be packing our bags for summer holidays and a bit of a rest but garden birds will be busy for a few weeks to come yet.
Blackbirds, for example, could have up to three broods and be raising chicks well into September. And blue tits and robins will have a gruelling few weeks yet too.
A young blue tit needs up to 100 caterpillars every single day – and with some tit species producing broods of up to ten, this means adult birds will be searching for food non-stop.
Robin chicks are equally demanding, needing around 40 meals every single day. With robins laying up to 9 eggs that's a lot of worms and other insects!
Enjoy your last swifts sightings too this month. These really are incredible birds with the journeys they make and once again the RSPB has been monitoring nest sites in its swift survey.
These summer visitors have declined by over 40% in recent years and its important we learn all we can about the sort of sites they like to raise their young.
If you have old buildings nearby there is every chance there may be a nest in the roof so keep an eye out. And you could even choose a swift box when you come to put up your nest boxes later in the year.
Happy gardening!
Kate
To help the RSPB with its swift search visit www.rspb.org.uk/helpswifts.
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Weather for Ilkeston
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Light snow
Temperature: -5 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
