I nearly placed my hand on this nest of chaffinch chicks as I measured the girth of a Lime tree a few days ago.The chicks were still and quiet and the nest was not obvious amongst the various shades of green and brown . As I approached the nest, all four chicks stretched up to receive food but I was not the parents, they were keeping a low profile nearby, not even giving alarm calls as many other birds would have done. After three hours no sign of the parents led me to wonder if they had been abandoned, so I searched for some caterpillars and fed them a few times just in case, then as I and my friend were about to leave both parents skilfully appeared from nowhere flying over the ground and rocks keeping a very low profile and fed them.
In the same tree were some galls. There are many species of plant galls and they are created by different kinds of insects of mites, and in these two cases two similar species have created different forms of galls on different plants. The Lyme nail gall is caused by the mite (Eriophyes tiliae)
The similar Eriophyes laevis inangulis lives on alder tree leaves and makes a different form.
Most insects that form plant galls feed on sap and these mites are no exception.
On the Lyme tree was a very common and tiny spider(Theridion pallens) with its distinctive egg sack or Sputnik .This tiny spider varies in colour and lives on the underside of leaves or any broadleaved tree.
