Outdoorsy Shite Top Trumps: March

[Slubberdegullion]

Flora or Fauna.

Extra points for a photo.

Handicap will apply to those in Forrin. Monthly win will not automatically go to, for example, a Cougar spot. The Cougar will need to be doing something awesome, like fighting a bear or doing sudoku.

I need to revise my mustelids.

I've just been googling black grouse breeding-season behaviour. I've learnt that they have "lek" sites, where the males get together to do their competitive sexual displays.

Males tussle for the central part of the lek, because the birds there "obtain most of the copulations." That is my new top romantic expression.

Went for a run through the woods yesterday and saw bluebells.

And a peacock butterfly in the garden today.

I'll go back and read the thread now and learn loads!

Bluebells already? Hmmm. I suspect they are the inferior Spanish bluebells which are TAKING OVER

I'd love to see a nice bit of lekking.

Thousands of catkins today. Lambs are getting fatter and sturdier now. Ducks. Hoverflies. Dogs gambolling in river. Pair of buzzards soaring.

Y'all are getting me stupidly excited. Just booked a flight back for Easter and mil's 70th birthday do. And now I'm frantically trying to get bluebells into the timetable somewhere between auntie Ethel and both sets of parents, with a swing by the Cotswolds and a few pubs.

Heard a chiffchaff today - a real bringer of spring. I saw bluebells too but definitely the spanish variety (straight at the top, not floppy) boo. Also a fantastic old orchard with trees so covered in lichen they were hairy, but all with buds bursting. Must go back next month to see the blossom!

madwoman you have to fit in a walk in some woods while you are here - take Auntie Ethel with you....

We are quite a few weeks shy of bluebell flowers here I think. Their leaves are up in regiments though. In a few weeks our woods will have armies of white and blue -- the garlic and the bluebells set against each other. It is amazing how each team stays in its own ranks, two blocks of opposing colours like in a football stadium

I was in France this week, did some fabulous animal spotting. A bear, an orangutan, a baboon, a couple of chipmunks, a white rabbit, a donkey, a duck, two very large mice.... Do I win?

Chipmunks and bears very impressive, hold on, an orangutan? Were you in a zoo by any chance? Hmmm, wait 'till Slubber hears of this young lady...

Mainly bird based weekend, saw three buzzards having a fight, sounded all pre historic with their screechy calls, a mud flat filled with curlews and two cormorants with their wings spread in the afternoon sunshine looking like discarded leather jackets. A bucket full of crabs too but as we lured them there with bacon I'm not sure it counts!

It wasn't a zoo, they were all wandering round at will.

I'm now heartily sick of lambs. Our girls are a bit fecund and are now abandoning spares left right and center. So if anyone wants one?

Lots of seabirds today including some common terns and Manx shearwaters and some other stuff but I won't mention it as I already have in March.

One lousy robin

My spot for today is the whole Spring Day in Sunshine combo. It has been FABULOUS, BEAUTIFUL. And it is free and you don't even have to download an app or ANYTHING.

AND I didn't lure it with bacon.

Wood anemonies. Or wooden enemies as my phone is trying to make me type.

Violets, well impressive mosses, wood peckers (green and pied), buzzards, kites, herons, newts and pussy willow.

I am extremely content.

And mildly sun burnt.

Has it been sunny everywhere today? We had thin sunshine through a lot of haze and a very strong SE wind!

Fabulous weekend. Yesterday on the Pendle circular didn't actually see much wildlife except dozens of larks. (Heard one distinct 'peewit'). Observed a lamb trampolining. Well, that's what it looked as if it was doing , boing boing vertically. Today saw lots of lapwings in a ploughed field on the way to woodlands near Darwen Tower (West Pennine moors). Heard but didn't see curlews. Best seasonal spot was flora - the first marsh marigolds of the year. Bluebell leaves in abundance but nowhere near flowering yet up here.

I think AIBU wins some sort of literary merit prize for 'A bit like watching Dale Winton and Bill Oddie having a scuffle'.

Beautiful day in Gods own county today, I have been wearing the very sexy combo of bobble hat, fleece, shorts and walking boots which was just about right for the weather. A few large bumblebees about and lots of baby rabbits which the terrier is murdering at a considerable rate, not fast enough, they are breeding like rabbits :)
There was even a black one with a little splash of white on its head, it escaped the jaws of death tho as I refused to try and catch it, despite dps encouragement, they are a bit hopeless at self defense.

Today we had three goldfinches on our bird feeder. Probably not an overly exciting spot, but in our suburban London garden, it was pretty special, and even the kids came to have a look.

Goldfinches are always special. Lovely little birds.

I miss goldfinches. I haven't seen any here yet.