The early signs of Spring keep being discouraged by the cold weather, but the signs are there if you look hard... very hard.
The first snowdrops are peeking out from the Palace Moat, and along the verges there is definite growth amongst the Deadnettles and even the Cow Parsley : very small growth , but visible.
I recall noting the wintering Goosanders on the river last year : well , they are back.
Saw three ducks and four drakes today : they seemed very nervous, and flew off from the water as soon as they saw me.
There is the odd tentative little burst of birdsong.
About a week ago I watched a Great Spotted Woodpecker calling frantically from
the top of a tree down by the Old Bridge , obviously calling for its mate.
The brief thaw of last week brought out one of my Hedgehogs, dumbling round my garden at noon and relishing the spilt birdfood :~
Hedgehogs seem to like my garden , probably because it's a mess. I have deliberately left a lot of cover down one side of the house , and generally pile up the leaves in the corners in autumn to encourage them.
I have also cut little Hogflaps in the bottom or the fences so they can move about as they wish.
One result seems a little sad : they come to my garden to die.
I know this sounds faintly ridiculous, but many summers I seem to have one looking a bit moribund , which just lays in the sunshine in the middle of the day.
Next time I look there is one dead hedgehog.
They are not long-lived animals, and given the terrible roadkill statistics, it's amazing we have any at all.
Query ? Isn't it about time natural selection had cured their addiction to crossing roads at the
wrong moment ?
Today, I watched a Sparrowhawk doing its low-level hunting routine across the river at Naburn.
This bird really is our most prominent predator, and all our divided gardens give it a perfect hunting environment.
The technique is to fly about three feet above the ground, then zoom over the fence or hedge and pounce on any small bird , which has no time to react. Our birdtables only make it more likely that small birds will offer themselves as dinner , and they are obviously aware of the threat, since they much prefer the feeder to be near a hedge or tree .
Since I spend my working day in a mostly glass workshop at the back of the house, I have thrice seen Sparrowhawks catch and eat small birds in my garden , and there must have been countless occasions when I was otherwise occupied and didn't notice. Starlings seem to be a favourite snack...
A few days back I had one just perched on a nearby roof, for about ten minutes.
They have a terrible yellow eye : if you get a close view, they personify the absolute heartlessness of Nature, truly observed.
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The first snowdrops are peeking out from the Palace Moat, and along the verges there is definite growth amongst the Deadnettles and even the Cow Parsley : very small growth , but visible.
I recall noting the wintering Goosanders on the river last year : well , they are back.
Saw three ducks and four drakes today : they seemed very nervous, and flew off from the water as soon as they saw me.
There is the odd tentative little burst of birdsong.
About a week ago I watched a Great Spotted Woodpecker calling frantically from
the top of a tree down by the Old Bridge , obviously calling for its mate.
The brief thaw of last week brought out one of my Hedgehogs, dumbling round my garden at noon and relishing the spilt birdfood :~
Hedgehogs seem to like my garden , probably because it's a mess. I have deliberately left a lot of cover down one side of the house , and generally pile up the leaves in the corners in autumn to encourage them.
I have also cut little Hogflaps in the bottom or the fences so they can move about as they wish.
One result seems a little sad : they come to my garden to die.
I know this sounds faintly ridiculous, but many summers I seem to have one looking a bit moribund , which just lays in the sunshine in the middle of the day.
Next time I look there is one dead hedgehog.
They are not long-lived animals, and given the terrible roadkill statistics, it's amazing we have any at all.
Query ? Isn't it about time natural selection had cured their addiction to crossing roads at the
wrong moment ?
Today, I watched a Sparrowhawk doing its low-level hunting routine across the river at Naburn.
This bird really is our most prominent predator, and all our divided gardens give it a perfect hunting environment.
The technique is to fly about three feet above the ground, then zoom over the fence or hedge and pounce on any small bird , which has no time to react. Our birdtables only make it more likely that small birds will offer themselves as dinner , and they are obviously aware of the threat, since they much prefer the feeder to be near a hedge or tree .
Since I spend my working day in a mostly glass workshop at the back of the house, I have thrice seen Sparrowhawks catch and eat small birds in my garden , and there must have been countless occasions when I was otherwise occupied and didn't notice. Starlings seem to be a favourite snack...
A few days back I had one just perched on a nearby roof, for about ten minutes.
They have a terrible yellow eye : if you get a close view, they personify the absolute heartlessness of Nature, truly observed.
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