Starting August 24th, we haven’t heard the Sparrowhawks and we have wondered if they have left the area. At the same time the small birds seem to have returned with bluetits, great tits, long-tailed tits and coal tits at the bird feeder and great spotted woodpeckers in the trees. It will be interesting to see…… Continue reading Sparrowhawk Saga – Continued
Category: Nature
Sparrowhawk saga
Those of you who follow us on twitter or facebook will have seen a number of posts about our local sparrowhawks. To summarise: Back in May we saw a pile of sticks in our oak tree and noticed a sparrowhawk sitting around and carrying twigs to (what we assumed was) its nest. We’ve seen sparrowhaks…… Continue reading Sparrowhawk saga
Sparrowhawks
As I’ve probably said before, we back onto a small woodland. This year we seem to have been lucky enough to have a family of Sparrowhawks take up residence. My guess is that the young have relatively recently fledged and they are swooping around, screaming to each other. I don’t have the equipment (or patience)…… Continue reading Sparrowhawks
Peacock Butterfly
There seems to have been a shortage of butterflies so far this year (although the cabbage whites are keen to lay eggs on my broccoli). However I was pleased to see this in my garden the other day. Its interesting to see how the caterpillars can change into something so attractive.
2024 – Comma Butterfly
We’ve seen a number of Brimstone Butterlies so far this year but this feels like the earliest I’ve even seen a Comma (as ever all that means is they’ve flitted away before I got sight of them). A brief video of it sat there in the breeze.
What to do about Moles
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that I’d got some molehills in my vegetable bed. Our garden backs on to some fields and, in the past, we’ve had moles at the border between our garden and the fields and (occasionally) coming down the hedge between us and our next door neighbour. However, this is…… Continue reading What to do about Moles
The Role of Mushrooms in Gardening: Why Grow Your Own
Mushrooms and slime mold growing in the garden? Some might think this spells bad news for their plants, but this isn’t the case. In fact, fungi play …The Role of Mushrooms in Gardening: Why Grow Your Own
The Birds think spring is on the way
Despite the cold weather (heavy frosts for the last few days) the birds seem to think that spring isn’t that far away. The days are starting to get longer and the birds are starting to look for nesting sites with the blue tits and great tits taking a look inside the nestboxes. In the last…… Continue reading The Birds think spring is on the way
First signs of Spring 2023
Although it’s been a mild winter with only a few days of frost and no snow (as yet), it’s still nice to see the first signs of spring. The evenings are light later, the birds are collecting around the feeders and the snowdrops and aconites are starting to show colour. We’ve managed to protect the…… Continue reading First signs of Spring 2023
Another Squirrel Bites the Dust
I’ve written about my battles with the squirrels before. At the moment they are concentrating on collecting and burying acorns around the garden. It doesn’t really matter as most of the vegetables and fruit are picked and either eaten or stored for later. The only things that are left are carrots and lettuces. However, concentrating…… Continue reading Another Squirrel Bites the Dust