March 2012 part2

20th Visitors in the garden. blue tits, great tits, cole tits, sparrows,starlings, blackbirds. pigeons, collered doves, robins,2 dunnocks and 2 goldfinch. They are already talking about a drought.
21st A beautiful sunny day and a greenfinch is in the garden.
23rd Riverbend Caravan Park nr Welshpool.
After setting up camp we revisited the RSPB hide at lake Vyrnwy to get beautiful close up views of male and female chaffinch,

blue tits,

great  tits, greenfinch, cole tits,

dunnocks, greater spotted woodpecker,

siskin,

female and male pheasants,

nuthatch,

and a squirrel,

If your ever in this area I recommend comong here.

March 2012 part 1

1st A beautiful day daffodils are in flower.
3rd Driving back home from friends we see a meteor:  A piece of rock that travels through space until it falls within the gravitation field of a star or planet.
Blackthorn is in blossom , the first of the blossoms to appear.
13th Dads bush is covered in ladybirds. I think they shelter through the winter inside it. 2 ravens fight in the garden and sparrows are carrying nesting material.
15th Robin feeding mate in the garden.

 19th Trip to the wood on the nature reserve. We heard 2 woodpeckers, saw several blue tits, great tits, lesser celendine in flower and a tiny white flower carpeting the ground.

Common Chickweed ( Stellaria media) A world wide annual weed that has tiny white flowers. The seeds can be eaten by birds.
We also see 3 buzzards, a group of greylag geese, a small group of canada geeses, a wren, 4 blackbirds and this hole dug by a tree . What animal did this ?

March 2012 part 3

24th A walk along the river at the campsite. Daffodils are in flower along with lesser celendine daises and a  wood anenome.

2 Male mallards and a dipper flew past. Also saw blue tits, great tits, longtailed tits, chaffinch, goldfinch and a pied wagtail.
Rooks are nesting nearby their calling is loud.

The collective name for rooks is a clamor or a building.

Rooks

Raucous calling

Never ceasing, flying to and fro,

Collecting sticks

And collecting mud

Nests to build 

               High above.            

                  .P.Beach         

February 2012

1st Frosty start feeling cold all day. Big garden birdwatch this weekend - My count: 2 robins, male and female blackbirds, 2 bluetits, great tit, cole tit, 5 starlings, 2 longtailed tits, 1 dunnock, 2 goldfinch.
I also did the bird watch with school. - our count: 5 magpies, 31 young black headed gulls, 1 robin, 4 ravens, 2 blackbirds, 1 heron, 2 herring gulls.
4th The robin is chasing all the birds out of the  garden protecting his territory. I've cleaned all the feeders and snow is forecast. a great tit and blue tit waste no time in going to the feeders and the male and female blackbird are eating the pyrancantha berries oh and a wren flutters around in the undergrowth.

     Jenny Wren

Of all the birds that rove and sing,

Near dwellings made for men,

None is so nimble ,feat and trim

as Jenny Wren.

with pin- point bill and tail a-cock,

So wildly shrill she cries,

The echoes on their roof-tree knock

And fill the skies.

Never was sweeter seraph hid

Within so small a house-

a tiny inch-long, eager, ardent,

Feathered mouse.

Walter de la Mare

5th Snow did arrive but melted quickly but it did bring all my usuals into the garden.

11th Coldest night of the winter A pair of robins has been in the garden most of the day.

February 2012 part 2

24th -26th Somers Wood Caravan Park Meriden
We arrived at 6pm and were immediately struck by the noise of bird song which greeted us as we awoke in the morning. During breakfast  we watched blue and great tits investigating the nest boxes.

Dunnocks searched for food on the ground.

Both male and female black birds tilt their heads to one side listenning for food.

Longtailed tits now in pairs  zip around from feeder to feeder.

Magpies, chaffinch, and pigeons are also around in abundance.

The pair of buzzards give us tantalising glimpses throught he trees. Andrew is still trying to get 'the shot'.

I think this one is pretty good.
Squirrels chased through the branches of the trees, ravens flew around and a mouse scurried under the covering of leaves.

Early on sunday morning Andrew saw a great spotted woodpecker.

On an afternoon walk I saw the first butterfly and bee of the year and only my 2nd goldcrest...

... and some beautiful pussy willow and catkins.

 Crocus and snowdrops are in full flower.

 

A robin came really close to feed on mealworms.

 It is said the robin gave its name to the first postmen who wore red tunics.

As we were packing up to leave a mistle thrush came flying through making a rattling/chattering call before landing on a tree. Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)

Lives in open woodland were there are tall trees for nesting. They feed on insects like beetles and earthworms but will also eat fruit and seeds. Nesting begins in February they lay 3-5 eggs.

January 2012

Happy New Year

Months of the year .

...Sara Coleridge

January brings the snow, makes the toes and fingers glow.

February brings the rain, thaws the frozen ponds again. 

March brings breezes loud and shrill, stirs the dancing daffodil.

April brings the primrose sweet, scatters daisies at our feet.

May brings flocks of pretty lambs, skipping by their fleecy danes.

June brings tulips, lilies roses, fills the children's hand with posies.

Hot July brings cooling showers of corn, then the harvest home is borne.

Warm September brings the fruit, sportsmen then begin to shoot.

Fresh October brings the pheasant, then to gather nuts is pleasant.

Dull November brings the blast, then the leaves are falling fast.

chill December brings the sleet, blazing fire and Christmas treat.

2nd We visit the nature reserve it is sunny but cold. On the way we see a buzzard and another one flies over when we arrive. The flock of crows is still by the car park. The flock of greylag geese are feeding in the field on the far side of the water, Cormorants, lapwings, teal,various gulls and mallards are on the water. By the 2nd we see 4 snipe feeding and on the feeders greenfinch, great tits and blue tits fight for their rights to feed while below chaffinch, robins and a female pheasant together. They are joined by a squirrel. Two reed bunting's join the throng above.

Gorse

Gorse is a trumpet song, 

It spikes out of the earth, 

A welcome pain,

It will spear your hands,

It will wound your skin,

Bead you with scarlet,

It is "Iam " in all seasons,

It blares its trumpet song,

Tan-ta-ra to the skies,

It is a still fire,

Yellow on the hillside,

Coldly burning.

Gerard Benson

I take pictures of some lichen on the trees.

 Lichen Xanthoria Parientina is one of several similar species . A foliase fungus consisting of numerous scales or leaf like lobes, often forming circular lobes. It is found on rocks, old walls and tree trunks. Spores are formed in darker patches near the centre.

December 2011 part 2

27th We visit the reserve and the sky looks like its been painted with blue and white stripes.

We see lapwings, teal, greylag geese,  crows and a crowd of cormorants called a flight.

Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo). Traditionally found on rocky cliffs and estuaries, but can be found on lakes and rivers in winter. They feed on fish .
.