July 2023
By the time you read this (in July) we will have had the longest day (21st June), but that does not mean that it will be any cooler. Sometimes we get our warmest weather as late as August. As I write, we have had about 2 weeks of persistent north-easterly wind and no rain. We are being effectively blow-dried. The prevailing wind here in England should be a wet south-westerly. Therefore, I am finding it a bit odd, and I expect the rest of nature is too. I have been filling my bird water-baths daily.
The lovely thing about June is that days are long, but it is not normally too hot nor too cold. It is a good time to be out and about. I was watching 4 well grown fox cubs from our upstairs window this morning at about 06:00 h. just playing with anything they could find. We have seen them with their mother on previous evenings. Sadly, our singing male blackbird has been caught and part eaten by either the foxes or one of the neighbours’ cats. However, that is nature, and I am sure he will soon be replaced. The female is still foraging, presumably for her offspring. I was also watching some swifts feeding on flying insects over Uckfield’s houses this morning. These aerial wonders arrive from Africa in early May, breed in buildings or cliffs, then return with their youngsters to Africa in August. They are among the last spring migrants to arrive and the first to leave after raising normally 2 offspring per pair. However, they are one of our longest lived small birds, regularly living 10 and sometimes as long as 21 years, during which time they rarely land. They feed, drink, sleep and mate while flying, stopping only to care for young.
I was alarmed to see the news yesterday about the forest fires in Canada, covering 40,000 hectares, that is 98,000 acres. The smoke from these fires was making it hazardous for breathing as far away as New York. I fear this may be a harbinger of things to come in other parts of the planet this summer. It has been predicted that we may have record breaking temperatures this year. We all need to be prepared for that.
One way that we keep our roses lush is to put fresh lawn clippings around them. If lawns have to be mown, the very best thing to do with the clippings is to put them, fresh, around the roses. This may not work for other shrubs and trees as it can induce fungal infection, but not on roses.