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.

I love seeing kingfisher, the colours are so vivid. Its finally stopped raining here in Devon, at least it filled the pond we've created.

One of the lizards was out basking in this sun the afternoon. A sign of warmer weather approaching.

Celandines are starting to come out here in lancashire.

Today, one of the local peacocks is evidently feeling the signs of spring - he was displaying his magnificent tail feathers as the peahens (who usually aren't to be seen) gathered around. 🦚

Kingfishers are just magnificent. I saw my first one (ever!) a few weeks ago. Not sure I’m going to beat that wildlife experience this year!

Do you get a lot of lizards where you are @blackteaplease? I can’t remember the last time I saw one. I guess they’re not very common around where I live.

Today’s nature observations are a little more mundane. The catkins are out on the hazel and the bird cherry is about to erupt in flowers. Unfortunately that means I haven’t seen any bullfinches for at least a few weeks now. They like to strip the flower buds off the bird cherry before they are ready to open. We’re clearly past that point now, so Mr & Mrs Bullfinch have moved elsewhere. Ah well, at least the tree looks pretty!

@Crazzzycat I think the lizards are fairly common but they are usually scared of people. Our garden is bound by a very old Devon bank which is where the lizards live and we've put a log pile and some roofing felt down for them to bask on. We also have slow worms and a grass snake in the garden.

That sounds quite special @blackteaplease. The most exciting reptiles I see, are the frogs that escape from my neighbours’ pond!

Surprise visit from a small flock of lesser redpoll this morning. I’ve never seen those in the garden before. To say I’m excited would be an understatement 😁

Lots of bees buzzing around the dandelion flowers in my sunny garden today. Dandelions are my 5 year olds favourite flower so he wont let me weed them!

Butterbur leaves are beginning to erupt by the river, the size of small saucers already.

Today's Nature Notes reminded me that there's a glorious abundance of catkins and some pussy willow too.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-natural-beauty-of-blossom-can-blow-us-away-69rkp98q7?shareToken=836f6c1cbc20db0c89f0c1211db70dcc

My camellias are flowering and the bird cherry has moved from “just about to flower” to being completely smothered in blossom. It’s a lovely sight

I’m still waiting to see my first bee. It can’t be long now!

Another lovely sunny day in Devon and I spotted one of the slow worms in the garden while DH and I were moving the grass pile. Very cold temps overnight (-4) so nothing is flowering in my garden yet apart from the catkins. The more sheltered lanes have primroses and daffodils in abundance.

Went for a walk in my local nature reserve today and heard (and caught a glimpse of) my first chiffchaff of the year. Lots of primroses around too. It felt like spring, apart from the very fresh breeze!

It looks like my pear tree is about to flower, which seems unusually early.

I’ve also seen a huge increase in siskins in my garden over the last few days. Not sure if that means they’re on the move, or if they’ve just found out about the new giant sunflower seed feeder I put up a few days ago. I really hope it’s the latter! I’m not ready to wave goodbye to them yet 😁

Today I saw my first lambs of the year.

I've spotted a few lambs too @ErrolTheDragon but none in the village where I live yet.

Not much nature to report from me. I've been stuck indoors working all week. I'm off for an explore today though.

I’ve not seen any lambs yet, but when I was in the hills this morning, I did see a small foal. I’m amazed it managed to make it through the night, but I guess those mountain ponies must be really tough!

Yesterday I saw my first hawthorn leaves in a hedge. Lots of wild garlic and garlic mustard leaves in the verge, and the lovely fronds of wild parsley. And the roadside daffs are starting to show their cheery faces. There's also that flush of subtle colours on tree canopies, indicative of a mass of burgeoning buds.

Lots of bird activity in the hedges and on the feeders this week.
I managed a trip to rhs rosemoor at the weekend and saw lots of spring flowers in bloom. Mostly daffodils and crocus. It was lovely to see a bit of colour.

My bird feeders are still heaving with finches. Yesterday the garden had a visit from a sparrow hawk. That doesn’t happen very often, but always creates an interesting mix of emotions. Always exciting to see one, but also a lot of nervousness about one of the smaller birds showing up at the wrong time and getting gobbled up. I’m not so good with the harsh reality of the natural world 😂

Today we came within a few yards of a hare - we were walking on a farm track/lane in the village when the hare emerged from a field gate, looked at us and then turned round and skedadalled back across the field.

That sounds like an amazing wildlife encounter @ErrolTheDragon. I can count the number of times I’ve seen a hare on a single hand! Lovely that you managed to get that close

That's quite a special encounter @ErrolTheDragon I also have only seen a handful of hares over the years. I must live in the wrong type of countryside.

Today's Time's Nature Notes is mostly about dippers.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-dipper-little-bird-that-defies-gravity-and-waterfalls-zjb6crgdh?shareToken=c2d5211372b2beab6383bb0291d31a5a

Thanks for sharing that link. Dippers are still on my list of birds I haven’t seen this year! DH tells me sees them “all the time” but I guess I’ve just been unlucky so far 😔

Went to the beach this morning. It looked like many of the wading birds have now gone off on their spring migration. Just a few curlew left, LOTS of oystercatchers and a couple of little ringed plovers. I guess it’s a true sign of spring when all the winter migrants leave, but the beach just felt so empty!

A walk by the river today - not much bird life visible but plenty of singing and in the distance the calls of curlew and peewits.

Snowdrops are making way for celandines, but one splash of gold in a boggy bit was the first of the marsh marigolds. More gold and honey scent from gorse.
And a field had some brilliant blue speedwell.