What a difference the change in the weather makes.
Not much growing or flowering yet, as if the plant world is still stunned by the night-time temperatures.
But a few things are taking advantage. The grass is already growing .
I shall indulge myself by posting absolutely my only claim to horticultural splendour.
The Early Purple Crocuses in my garden , which have self-seeded from a tiny clump over twenty years, are now in their full glory. I have about a thousand , completely covering my back lawn...
I took this pic in the midday sun, and I only wish I could bottle this for the rest of the year.
And the first Bee appeared on cue :
BIRDS:
Lots of mating behaviour going on now.
You may have seen and heard the blackbirds squabbling at dusk .
There were six in my garden toughing it out to see who would get the territory.
The dusk and dawn blackbird racket ( and they are noisy ) is all about space : if they
control it , they can breed.
But they seem to be in a constant state of warfare over it.
I recently watched a large 80 + flock of Fieldfares flying north at dusk. Bit previous to be on the way back to Scandinavia, but maybe they know something we don't.
The Moorhen : such an unassuming bird , but we must have six or so pairs nesting here
along the river and the drain. The young are about the most vulnerable mouthful you ever saw,
but somehow they survive.The adults were very obvious during the long cold spell, which must have made foraging difficult for them.
Their burlier cousin the Coot is around, but seems to nest further down the river at Naburn.
Of course they will only just be starting to prepare for nesting, and no chicks like these will be seen until May :
Common or Artic terns around on the sewage farm and the Marina at present :~
Snipe are back on the Ings for the winter. It's been so flooded it's been difficult to get in far enough to disturb them , but they are there again, as last year. I put one up today , 14th March.
MAMMALS :
The previous reports of Otters may have been a bit wishful. I have been talking to
fishermen , always a good source as to the wildlife on the river.
Two of them quite separately reported Mink, in daylight.
Since they are concerned about Mink themselves, and are pretty experienced at
close observation , I tend to believe them . And otters very rarely appear in daylight.
If one saw a fleeting glimpse of an animal like this, one could be forgiven for thinking " Otter ", but it's a Mink :~
Pic from DJS photography.
I have Mice .
I don't suppose I'm the only one, but every winter I seem to get a visitation.
I wouldn't mind if it were not for the nocturnal dancing.
My house is very quiet at night, so any noise is instantly noticed, and my visitors have taken to gnawing something in the space between the ceiling and the attic floor, just above my bed.
Out with the traps, I regret to say.
No sign of our amphibians yet ; though a friend reports that the field behind his house in Stamford Bridge is alive with frogs. If the weather warms up we can expect some activity.
***********************************************************************************************************
Not much growing or flowering yet, as if the plant world is still stunned by the night-time temperatures.
But a few things are taking advantage. The grass is already growing .
I shall indulge myself by posting absolutely my only claim to horticultural splendour.
The Early Purple Crocuses in my garden , which have self-seeded from a tiny clump over twenty years, are now in their full glory. I have about a thousand , completely covering my back lawn...
I took this pic in the midday sun, and I only wish I could bottle this for the rest of the year.
And the first Bee appeared on cue :
BIRDS:
Lots of mating behaviour going on now.
You may have seen and heard the blackbirds squabbling at dusk .
There were six in my garden toughing it out to see who would get the territory.
The dusk and dawn blackbird racket ( and they are noisy ) is all about space : if they
control it , they can breed.
But they seem to be in a constant state of warfare over it.
I recently watched a large 80 + flock of Fieldfares flying north at dusk. Bit previous to be on the way back to Scandinavia, but maybe they know something we don't.
The Moorhen : such an unassuming bird , but we must have six or so pairs nesting here
along the river and the drain. The young are about the most vulnerable mouthful you ever saw,
but somehow they survive.The adults were very obvious during the long cold spell, which must have made foraging difficult for them.
Their burlier cousin the Coot is around, but seems to nest further down the river at Naburn.
Of course they will only just be starting to prepare for nesting, and no chicks like these will be seen until May :
Common or Artic terns around on the sewage farm and the Marina at present :~
Snipe are back on the Ings for the winter. It's been so flooded it's been difficult to get in far enough to disturb them , but they are there again, as last year. I put one up today , 14th March.
MAMMALS :
The previous reports of Otters may have been a bit wishful. I have been talking to
fishermen , always a good source as to the wildlife on the river.
Two of them quite separately reported Mink, in daylight.
Since they are concerned about Mink themselves, and are pretty experienced at
close observation , I tend to believe them . And otters very rarely appear in daylight.
If one saw a fleeting glimpse of an animal like this, one could be forgiven for thinking " Otter ", but it's a Mink :~
Pic from DJS photography.
I have Mice .
I don't suppose I'm the only one, but every winter I seem to get a visitation.
I wouldn't mind if it were not for the nocturnal dancing.
My house is very quiet at night, so any noise is instantly noticed, and my visitors have taken to gnawing something in the space between the ceiling and the attic floor, just above my bed.
Out with the traps, I regret to say.
No sign of our amphibians yet ; though a friend reports that the field behind his house in Stamford Bridge is alive with frogs. If the weather warms up we can expect some activity.
***********************************************************************************************************
Recent Comments