Nature Notes

[ErrolTheDragon]

There's a gardening thread which may overlap with this one but I thought people might like to share nature sightings as the season changes. What we see if we can get out for a walk, plants coming into leaf and bloom, creatures in the garden, birds flying overhead - whatever.

Yesterday along the canal: busy wrens, 3 butterflies (tortoiseshell I think). Lots of Lords and Ladies arrow-shaped leaves. A little bank of primroses, lots of celandines and some wood anemones. Yellow iris leaves starting to shoot up in the edge of the canal.

We have a pair of pigeons nesting in a tree in the garden. Lots of birdsong as well. Wood anemones are flowering (at least I think that’s what they are).

Taking the child for a walk shortly, mainly to collect sticks (their den needs more stuff apparently). Will keep eyes, ears and nose open for nature notes to report back

I can't think of anything else out at this time of year which looks like a wood anemone - lovely modest but cheerful white or pink-flushed, opening up in the sunlight.

If you're stick-gathering with a child then hopefully you'll spot some insects.

The red kites are busy overhead, they keep calling to each other. There is blossom on our fruit trees but how long for is anyones guess, they've been hit by a ball a few times.

The buzzards are flying around over our garden, blackbirds are nest gathering. The tadpoles are now bigger then a grain of rice and have a distinct tail.

On a slightly gruesome note, my cats have upped their mouse quotient by a significant amount.

Spring has definitely sprung. All the little creatures take note...

Also our ducks are back again to breed

@pasha we have a black cat that did same thing yesterday!

Has a ladybird on the washing yesterday and seen some bumble bees

That photo looks more like a vole than a mouse.

I hope there are more ducks not an excess of drakes!

I saw two red deer yesterday, crossing the road behind me. And I think I saw a red kite - it was hard to be sure but it was the right size and had the right sort of tail. Very excited if it was as I haven’t seen one locally before.

We also saw a bird of prey that we couldn’t identify chasing what we think may have been a lark over our roof. It was over two quickly to properly identify either one and they vanished behind the house so not sure if it got away or not!

We have some very noisy partridges in the fields around us at the moment, and have seen some pheasant fights. We’ve seen hares too, but not too many chases yet - they’re mostly eating when we see them.

It’s not a terribly good picture as it’s a screen grab from a video, but I met this deer on what’s turned out to be my last walk in the woods for a while, last week. She wasn’t too sure what we were (ddog stayed at heel the whole time, proud of him) so we got quite close before she upped and ran! Her mates had left some time previously but she was a bit braver / less observant.

I have a robin nesting in the tree bordering my garden and new feeders up for the birds.
Buzzards aplenty in the skies overhead.
Lambs in the field over the road that I can now hear when I'm in the garden.
Bumblebees. One I saw yesterday was HUGE.
Sparrows are nesting in the hedge too. Lots of noise

We went for a walk in the woods and were able to see lots of squirrels. More squirrels than people in fact. We got quite close to them before they scampered away up trees. Dd has decided she loves squirrels!

She was less impressed by birds. They weren't close enough and were just boring birds we see all the time (not that either of us can actually identify any of them)

That is most definitely a mouse. We have more than our fair share of creatures brought in by the cats. Mice, squirrels, voles and recently a weasel! Most of them alive for extra "fun" as we all chase them around the house!

Impressed by the weasel, given the size of prey they can take down themselves!

I’ve got some very active pigeons in my garden. They’re fighting for the right to sit on my rose bush!

We saw lots of migrants yesterday, yellowhammer, field fare and redwing. Five buzzards being mobbed by a sprawk.
Anyone on Twitter with a garden feeder should have a look for @yolobirder’s #fbiq. Fantasy birding in quarantine, fantasy football with birds. Might keep kids (and people who enjoy listing) busy.

We have sparrows, blue tits and pigeons nesting here.

Our cat has no hunting instinct. The birds steal his fur and he just accepts it.

We usually make feeders out of leftovers but haven’t had any lately so unsure what to give them.

The same three ducks come back every year. Must be a menage a troit.

*Ménage-a-trois

Our old cats could catch a cold so getting presents is a new thing this year.

Just back from a run (didn’t see a single soul). I saw a deer - probably a roe - looking at me in bemusement and a lot of noisy rooks building their nests. I also heard several large buzzy things (didn’t see them though) and a bird singing - I’m not very good at birdsong but it was lovely. And heard several pheasants shouting at one another.

It’s a beautiful warm sunny day here - I had my shorts on! Probably why the deer didn’t run away - blinded by my milk bottle legs.

Todays walk: a pair of buzzards wheeling over our cul-de-sac. The first Herb Robert I've seen this year below the hedge on the way to the canal. Wild garlic and garlic mustard springing up on the verge opposite - if it wasn't right by a road and popular with dogs I'd be tempted to forage.

Then along the canal - I'm not good with birdsong either but, unmistakably, I heard a couple of chiffchaffs (or maybe one on the move).

Most of them alive for extra "fun" as we all chase them around the house!

So considerate, giving you your daily exercise indoors!

We have a robin dancing around on the patio and there is a repetitive tweeting from the hedge, I suspect the sparrows have got young already.