Outdoorsy Shite - April Top Trumps

[GrimmaTheNome]

Rules as before - nature 'spots' fauna and flora, points for rarity (absolute or relative to where seen), seasonality, eloquence of description. Please declare if you're in forrin parts or a mermaid.

Did I cover everything?

I love horse chestnuts, thought not when they start telling me about the forthcoming autumn at the start of bloody August!

August seems a million miles away, last and next

This lovely morning, after being cooped in the house all week, I had a Mole-like 'hang software development!' moment and let DH persuade me into a visit to Leighton Moss RSPB.

Isee has beaten me to be the first with ducklings (4 mallard) - but from the same hide we also saw 4 goslings (greylag) and 3 coot chicks.

Also: Garganey, gadwalls, shovellers, cormorant, grebe, little white egrets, swans, teal, a cacophony of black headed gulls, black backed gulls. Wren singing incredibly loudly for its size, long-tailed tits.

An ickle bunny scarpering into a bramble patch and a yellow butterfly - I think brimstone.

Cowslips and the lovely pale pinky-purple of wild radish.

Great place - has a good cafe too

Sounds fab Grimma. I assume all these RSPB places are no dogs allowed? I have going proper outdoors without having the dog in tow. Feels like I'm short changing her on walking opportunities.

Two Jays today and we have what I think is a Dunnock's egg sitting in our kitchen. Mil found it sitting abandoned in the middle of a field. Do you think magpies are to blame?

I hate that should read

It is mostly no dogs, unfortunately - sometimes if it's cool enough we leave the dog in the car while we go to the hides, then take him for a walk round Trowbarrow (good place if you're into geology and fossils)

an egg in the middle of a field is probably some sort of theiving bird - jays take eggs too. (and baby birds)

Nothing exciting, just a lovely ewe and lamb moment. Mother was visibly loving her lamb - head resting over the lamb's back and sort of snuggling it to her. Very sweet.

And a pair of ducks that have taken up residence on a patch of grass by the side of the road decided to stop the traffic to cross. The female wasn't half given the male some verbal stick as they waddled across.

I have been watching the gannets diving into a very rough and blue sea. It was beautiful, though slightly spoiled by the hordes of Hoorahs, clad in Hunter wellies and Kath Kidson, braying at little Tarquin not to go too close to the waves. And there were lots of little turnstones running round my feet pecking at crumbs. Very sweet.

Ah, I love turnstones. And all the other little scuttley waders.

Today I caught a snail laying eggs - it was lurking at the bottom of my large stinking iris and issuing a clear bubbly froth. For a moment I felt guilty for intruding on such a private moment, but my gardener's instincts soon kicked in and I chucked the fertile little blighter over the fence into the neighbour's garden, no doubt leaving dozens of embryonic snails behind it.

I know black birds fighting has been mentioned up thread (or wasp it last month? ) but I think the suicidal hoodlums need another mention. Two days ago I found myself ducking whilst parking the car as two lads re-enacted the battle of Britain with absolutely no regard for h&s. Today a pack of squabbling boys flew round us at waist and head height, swearing and bombing each other my friend said there were six of them. They just seem to be so raucous and completely unaware of anything but the fight.

I had a couple squabbling over territorial rights to my lawn yesterday, with my dog peacefully gnawing his bone in the middle - apparently mutually unaware (previous dog wouldn't let a bird blackbird-sized or larger land in his space!).

Today though, they were just happily gathering worms and leatherjackets from where I'd been weeding the flowerbeds.

A whole cluster of Springiness today. Seven very new and tiny ducklings paddling busily about in the shallows. A host of cuckoo flower glimmering palely through the drizzle (and one very pissed off and soggy looking orange tip nearby). Fields of freshly turned reddy brown earth. Lambs suddenly looking plump enough for imminent doom.

Mmmm yummy, I must be hungry, my mouth dosnt usually water when I think about sheep. :)

Delicious, delicious doom.

Don't they wait until they're nearly a year old before slaughtering them?

Oh, do they?

Oh.

My vision of cutlets is sadly evaporating.

Lambs are much less cute by the time they are yearlings. Not much yummy meat to chomp on a gambolling springing sweet little

An additional spot from the train window. A little flash of white from a disappearing bunny bottom.

Yes, I don't mind eating ugly animals.

first swallow got here (eastern Scotland) yesterday, through a hail-storm

Our swallows aren't here yet, but other local ones are back

Oh and the last lot of 'prime' lambs I sold were about 10 months

And an absolute bloody nuisance, eating them is one of the pleasanter ends I Could envision for them.

I have sad news. Earlier on this thread, I posted about seeing a Capercaillie. I fear it was this bird. Poor thing. bloody idiot dog walkers

:( idiot owners

This makes my blood absolutely boil . There are far too many incidents like this. We had a small rare breed herd of cattle savaged not long ago, not on a path, but in a private field. There should be stricter legislation against these moron owners.