A week away

A week away and the garden has turned into a jungle. The lawn is covered in white and red clover. I've found a wasp nest in an old hole where an ornamental frog used to sit. A lot of new flowers have appeared. There's even stuff going on inside, this blue bottle was still alive and wriggling as the spider wrapped its thread around it.

Monkey nuts

Another dull day weather wise. Where's this heat wave they promised us last week?
The Jays have been interesting to watch today. This one spent ages sorting through all the monkey nuts then proceeded to swallow four whole ones in one go and fly away. He certainly knew the ones he wanted.
Then this Jay turned up. Obviously been feeding chicks madly for a while judging by the state of his feathers.

Squizz and Snarly Sid have been funny today. I watched Snarly Sid grab the monkey nuts off the feeder then run to different parts of the garden and bury them. Only for Squizz, who rarely goes on the feeder, if Sids around, go to the same spots and dig the nuts up again and eat them. Sid's going to think he's going barmy when he looks for them later. Mr No Tail has been around again with his chicks. One of them seems to be a lot more inquisitive than the others and keeps wandering off. He looks so cheeky, I'll have to give him a name. Micro Moths, arn't they ace

DARK AND GLOOMY

Snarly Sid

Its been so dull and wet in the garden for the last few days its been hard to get some nice photo's and it's certainly not belly in the dirt weather for bug photographs.

On the up side, we now have a baby Robin visiting. No sign of its parents though, which is a shame.

Unlike the Blue Tit chicks who are still being spoilt rotten by their parents even though they can happily feed themselves now.

We now have a pair of crows spending a lot of time at the top of one of the trees at the furthest end of the garden. Gosh the sky looks so grey , it's going to pee down again any minute.

BREAKING NEWS

Couldn't wait until tonight to post this.

Mr No Tail has just arrived in the garden with his 3 chicks.

Nuthatches and Tits

Really not having much time at the moment in the garden, its just not good enough. Did manage to snap a few shots today though. This one of a Nuthatch in flight which I really like. The Great Tit chicks were devouring the fat balls. Gosh, if you new having kids would leave you looking like this, you would never dream of doing it.

A Day Away

It was gone 20:30 before I managed to find time to go into the garden today so not much to write about I'm afraid. Mr Woodpecker is here, still no sign of the chicks though.

Red clover has appeared during the night all over the lawn,


and Mr Nuthatch is hammering away at the branch trying to get the shells off the sunflower seeds. Hope to be able to write more tomorrow.

Insects Galore

My favourite photo from today has to be this magnificent Scorpion Fly. I've never seen one before.

I also spotted the first Caterpillar today too. This morning the Siskins appeared again for a quick bite to eat on the feeder. I also spotted this Spider, not one of my favourite things so I'm glad there was a nice big lens between me and it. Then this evening I spotted this poor moth. It has obviously had a run in with something as its missing half a wing. I doubt it is able to fly by the way it was clinging on to the blades of grass. It wont take he birds long to spot him, being that colour in the grass.

FEEDING STATIONS

What a racket there's been in the garden today.

Blue Tit's

We've had six Blue Tit chicks, one Coal Tit and four Great Tit chicks here all day calling none stop for food from their parents.

Great Tit Chick

You wouldn't believe something so small could make so much noise.

I'm waiting to hear from a nice man called Matthew from Mushroom.org before I add the name of this fungi, just in case I get it wrong.

Snarly Sid came to have a drink from the bird bath today. He is such an unfriendly squirrel, he attacks other squirrels, leaps on poor Phil the pheasants head and chases the Chaffinches like its a game. All the others are quite happy to share and eat together, I wonder what made Sid such a little git?

Garden Creche

Oh, its been a lot nicer in the garden today, even though its rained for most of it. It started with a pair of Goldfinches stopping by briefly on the feeder.


Then a family of Blue Tits appeared in the tree. At first I thought there was only one chick but then one by one they all appeared, 4 in all. It was raining quite hard so the pictures not great but if you look closely you can just about see the four of them and mum standing in front.

Then if that wasn't lovely enough a Coal Tit brought her little baby to the feeder.

Buttercup seed pod

Savage Garden

I think this is one of my favourite flowers in the garden and I'm not really sure what it is. It appears in the same place every year but there's only ever just the one.


Well Mr No Tail showed his mercyless side today as he got to grips with an adult slow worm. It took him almost 5 minutes to kill it. I thought that when its tail came off in is beak he would be satisfied but no, he spat it out and carried on pecking to death the main body. What a horrid way to go. The slow worm was so big, he had to break it in 3 to carry it back to his chicks. Then shortly after that I saw one of the Jays grab a fledgling from one of the bushes and fly away with it in its claws. I think I'll need counselling if it carries on like this.

Bee (not sure what sort yet)

Dandilion Dilemma

Female Chaffinch

I've spent the day down the coast today doing the shopping so not had much time in the garden. I did see Mr and Mrs Black Bird out together though which was lovely, but still no sign of the chicks.

Another Bug shot!

I would love to say with confidence that this was a Dandilion. But right now in my garden I have at least 3 different plants all of which a few years ago I would have called Dandilions but now its obvious they are all quite different in size and shape. Which ones the real one I just haven't got a clue.

Happy Days

I am sooooo happy today. Its been 4 days since I've seen either of the woodpeckers and I've secretly been a little worried. But today both of them turned up just after each other, which really made my day. Its also been really busy in the garden today despite torrential rain and even hail at one point. The Sparrow chicks have been great fun to watch with this little one having an accidental soaking in the bird bath after a game of chase with his sister. Last year the Robins virtually ruled the garden but I've hardly seen anything of them since the winter. This one popped by this afternoon but stayed right at the furthest end of the garden. Another bug shot, I think this is a Click Beetle.

Blue Tits and Big Feet

Well it rained and it rained today, so much so it was hard to get any decent photographs. In the brief respite we had I managed to get a shot of 'Snarly Sid' on the feeder. Hadn't realised how big squirrel back feet were before.
During the rain I did manage to get one shot of one of the newly fledged Blue Tits. Only one survived from this brood but it was being very well looked after by both mum and dad.

Midges & Snow

I had planned to start today's blog by going on about the nightmare midges which have now appeared in the garden. I got eaten alive last night outside. BUT............ I saw the mountain weather forecast today and it's forecast snow for the weekend! So that will be goodbye to the midges for a while, yipppeeeee
The temperature has certainly dipped today and the bird table was busy again. I got this lovely shot of a female chaffinch in flight today, which I was really chuffed with. I think I saw a Wood Warbler in the garden today too, which is quite a rare treat. The Song Thrush still isn't showing very well though so still not managed to get a nice photo of her.

I found this Marble Gall squashed in the trunk of a rotten branch last night. It may have been there a while. Looks like a birdie was very determined to get at the larvae inside.


We had another new visitor today. I felt so sorry for him. He'd lost all the feathers from his head, I'm guessing from some sort of mite infection, bless him. 'Mr No Tail' wasn't quite so sympathetic though, took one look at him and chased him away.
And finally another bug shot, some sort of garden flee I think they call them. (Nothing to do with the animal variety)