First of the year’s Damselflies, seen on the Solomons Seal plants at the edge of the garden pond. Either Common Blue or Azure, I didnt take proper note of the markings at the time.
April 29, 2009
Blackbird
Don’t know how we missed it but discovered today that the pair of Blackbirds which we have befriended with regular offerings of Raisins, are nesting in the Holly bush in the front garden.
The young have hatched, evident by the pair taking live food and raisins back to the nest.
April 5, 2009
Bee-fly
Bombylius major has made a visit to the garden today. Almost impossible to photograph!
Will keep trying..
April 5, 2009
Birding
New visitors to the garden were seen today, a pair of Warblers, presumed to be Willow Warblers. the colouration looked right and behaviour was light and flitting as they combed through the branches of Hawthorn, now looking very spring-like with fresh lime green leaves.
Sparrows are very busy, still using Pampas seed heads for nesting.
Blackbirds and Starling also collecting grassy material
April 2, 2009
First Wasp
Garden insect life is getting into full swing. A common wasp investigated the fence as a source for nesting material.
March 23, 2009
Monday 23rd
Sparrows have been active taking the seed heads of the Pampas plumes to line the nests in the boxes i provide.
March 3, 2009
March 2nd
Life is returning to the garden now as Spring flowers emerge.
Crocus have been out for a week or so, Dwarf Narcissus are in full bloom, Snowdrops are fading.
The Twisted Hazel bush has several bunches of Catkins which have opened in the past few days, more have yet to open out to disperse the pollen to awaiting flowers.
Sparrows are collecting soft downy bedding from the Pampas Grass spikes I saved from autumn.
A pair of Collared Doves are spending times sitting together in the Hawthorn tree.
Frogs have not yet deposited any Spawn in the pond.
February 20, 2009
February 20th
Substantially warmer now, temps have reached double figures in past few days.
First Hawthorn leaves are showing on some plants in good sites.
A BlackCap was reported by my daughter Kath in the garden two days ago.
Other birds have been regular such as Robin, Wren, Blackbird m&f, Sparrow and Starling.
No sign of pond activity yet, making it later than last year when first spawn appeared on 14th February.
February 8, 2009
February 8th
Ground frost this morning, thin cloud, fairly bright and cold.
Signs of better days with garden Crocus appearing in the neighbopurhood. Flowers of Japanese Quince and a white Camelia flower in one garden.
February 4, 2009
February 4th
Snow of previous days is now thawed, almost no trace in garden.
Blue clear sky at this point, cold.
A grey looking Mouse, possibly the ubiquitous ‘house mouse’, Mus musculus although the ears were large and tail long, scurried under a pile of stone in the garden near some bird seed. The first one i have seen this year and a while before.
An afternoon visit to Lancing Ring. Still traces of snow and ice in sheltered places, the ground has become muddy in places.
Quite a lot of activity among a flock of about 10 Magpies, maybe courtship behaviours.
A small group of Long-tailed Tits Aegithalos caudatus called to each other in the bushes of the lower butterfly meadow.
Buds of Blackthorn flowers seem tightly shut.
