Sunday 15 March 2015

Betwixt and between

The drive across the marsh today really illustrated how betwixt the seasons we are just now. The Bewick's Swans have gone and there were far fewer Blackbirds flitting along the hedgerows but a few Song Thrushes. I found no Fieldfares but there was still a sizeable flock of House and Tree Sparrows on the feeders at Baynham Farm along with Greenfinch, Chaffinch and a few tits. On the shingle between the road and the sea there was at least one Wheatear and a Black Redstart and the Scaup remained on Scotney pit. From the Dengemarsh road there were 2 or 3 Marsh Harriers hunting in the reeds, a pair of Great Crested Grebes were displaying and a Great White Egret was stalking fish along the margins.
We returned along the front a spent a bit of time watching the rubicola Stonechat before checking out the gull roost where the interesting bird was a Yellow-legged gull before returning to the Obs for a welcome cup of tea. On the drive back I was pleased to see a Barn Owl near Chapel Bank.


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Friday 13 March 2015

Spring is here

Returning from a 5 day trip to Iceland where it was very snowy and still in the grip of winter, it was interesting to see how quickly things change once the temperature rises. Along the roads were frothy Blackthorn bushes, in the garden there were clumps of daffs and crocuses, the Camellia is smothered in red flowers, the Hellebore bed is full of nodding heads and the first Fritillaries were showing their droopy heads.




Across the marsh the Bewick's had gone and the first Wheatears had arrived on the point.
The heather bushes in the front are covered in bees and at least 2 Small Tortoiseshells have been feeding on the flowers.

Unfortunately we seem to have lost our frogs over the last few years and there's no sign of frogspawn.


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Tuesday 10 February 2015

Different times

Having returned from an interesting 2 weeks in Sri Lanka, a wander round my garden got me thinking about how the times are changing. We've had primroses out since before Christmas, snowdrops in bloom by January 1st and the Camellia has decided to burst into blossom at least 3 months early. Around the lanes the Winter Heliotrope, usually to be looked for in January, had flowers from early December and there are crocuses on the verges. Phenology studies show that migrants are appearing earlier every year, so, presumably, their food supplies are also appearing earlier and many are now not bothering to migrate as far or at all. Just wonder how it will all develop.
In my garden we now have Collar Dove and Wood Pigeons breeding in the evergreens, a pair of Robins cautiously exploring a relationship, Bluetits checking out the nest boxes and several Blackbirds chasing each other round. The House Sparrows are still a noisy, boisterous group on the feeders and we have just attracted a female Blackcap to the fat balls so not everything is ahead of schedule.




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