One of my Christmas presents was the hare print above. I managed to find a frame for it, and at the weekend managed to get the print into the frame.
I still need to get a length of cord on the back of the frame so that I can hang it, but for the time being it’s been in front of me in our lounge. It’s become a bit of a muse for me, I find myself staring at it quite captivated. I almost don’t want to hang it on the wall, I like it where it is.
As I’ve mentioned here before, it’s not an uncommon sight to see flocks of seagulls camped out on the local playing field (see above).
We’re forecast for a big storm today, and when I was walking the dogs yesterday there was a maelstrom of gulls wheeling and turning over the field. They hadn’t settled but I suspect that they are coming inshore to escape rougher conditions out to see and along the coast.
I always take this as a better sign that we’re going to get strong winds, it seems to be a more reliable method of forecasting than watching the weatherman on TV! By the time you read this the gulls and I might be hunkered down staying out of the storm.
I know it’s a couple of months until Spring is officially with us but I spent a few moments yesterday afternoon checking on on our bird boxes and feeders in the garden.
A bit of dusting here and there, a replacement screw or two and we’re back in business, although I will have to replace the niger seed feeder as the sun has made the plastic brittle, and it won’t last much longer.
We’ve had birds nesting in our garden every year we’ve lived in this house and they normally raise several broods. Here’s to another successful year.
I saw an unusual moth yesterday and have been trying to identify it this morning. The closest I can get to it, is a Tiger Moth – possibly a Garden Tiger Moth, as others that look most like it are not native to the UK and would be well outside their range.
I doubt I’ve spotted a rarity, but will keep my eyes open and see if I can spot it again, and perhaps get a photograph.
I was out at a meeting for a proportion of yesterday, when I came back I was sitting at my desk catching up on some emails, when I heard the distinctive call of a buzzard outside. I grabbed my camera and stepped outside.
There were two individuals and they seem to be having a lot of fun soaring and diving in the sky. I managed to capture a few images.
“If the Oak before the ash, then we’ll only have a splash, if the ash before the Oak then we’ll surely have a soak”
This refers to the the amount of rainfall we’re going to get in the following summer, based on which species comes into leaf first in the spring.
Whilst there isn’t any scientific evidence to support this statement, I did notice this morning that the Oak trees around me are definitely ahead, and buds have already burst, whereas on the Ash trees there’s not sign of any buds bursting yet.
I won’t however be packing up my raincoat for the summer just yet. This week has been one of typical April showers, what I’d would expect for the time of the year. Flipping from bright sunshine one moment, to torrential rain the next (we even had a hail shower on Tuesday).
If only the weather was as easy to predict as a centuries old rhyme.
This is our “Sparrow” nesting box. It’s on the side of our garage, and was built for House Sparrows to nest in. The theory being, that as House Sparrows are communal nesters, the box with it’s three separate chambers (there are dividing walls between eat entrance hole), would be attractive to them. It has never housed a single Sparrow, nor have I ever seen a Sparrow showing the remotest interest in the box.
That’s not to say that we don’t get a good showing of House Sparrows in the garden. They are here most days, either feeding from one of the feeders or tables in the garden or bathing in our pond. They just prefer the hedge between us and our neighbour to nest in, or behind the fascia boards on the front of our house, or the tall hedge on the other side of our road. In fact probably anywhere that isn’t the “Sparrow” box.
That’s not to say that the box doesn’t get used, in fact I think it’s been used every year apart from the first year we put it up (about six or seven years ago), and last year, when Blue Tits found a gap under the eaves of the garage and nested in there. Only one entrance hole is used though, there’s no communal nesting going on. This year it appears it’s going to be the turn of the Great Tits again. I’ve been watching them scope out the options (left, right or middle), and they seem to have plumped for the left. They’ve been carrying nesting material in all afternoon, undeterred by the rain and hail showers!
A Previous Years Blue Tits
In previous years it’s been either Blue Tits or Great Tits, no other species have shown an interest, and certainly never a House Sparrow.
Great to see the box being used, but just don’t tell the Sparrows, they might want a look in after all!
We were a bit earlier on our morning dog walk this morning, and I did wonder whether we might see the deer somewhere around the Fort, what I didn’t expect was to be nearly knocked over by one.
We were on our return leg of our regular circular walk when I heard a splash from the Fort’s moat, and then something crashing through the bushes. A female Roe Deer then jumped up onto the path, nearly knocking us over. I think she probably had just as big a fright as we did, and she took off along the path in the direction we were heading.
On the other side of the moat was a male Roe Deer; probably a two year old, judging by the antlers, who was perfectly camouflaged against the woody background.
We moved on again, and were able to follow the females hoof prints, so fresh that they stood out on the path against everything else. Where they dropped back off the path, I could see that she had doubled-back below us, presumably to join up with her male companion.
I was sitting at my desk this afternoon, looking out across the garden. We’d had a funny morning weather wise, going from bright and sunny to sleet, hailstones and squally rain. By now the sun was back and the birds active, in particular a female blackbird, picking up sticks and leaves and other things and taking them into our honeysuckle bush. I think she’s nest building as there was quite a bit of tooing and froing collecting supplies, then back into the honeysuckle, which was rustling with her presence.
The blackcaps were back again too, again two male birds, so they’re obviously sticking around.
My afternoon dog walk was also full of birds. There was lots of bird song, and another buzzard sighting. This time the buzzard was soaring overhead, riding the air currents. I manage to snap a few photos on my phone.
Electronic Scrapbook 