Wildlife Special

As promised a while ago this is a post which concentrates on the wildlife seen in our garden.

There are a couple of sources. One is camera photos, often taken from the kitchen looking out on the garden and sometimes taken when I am roaming the garden with camera in hand.

The other source is the trail cameras I use in the garden. There can be up to three in action at any time with a couple watching the ‘wild’ area at the end of the garden, or watching the lawn.

Amphibians

We have water at the end of our garden so there are frogs, toads and smooth newts always present somewhere in the garden. Here are some pictures all taken within the last month  – they don’t include a toad unfortunately (unless I find one before I finish this post). I did find a rather large toad unexpectedly in my nettle patch and it did remain where it was while I ran back to the house to get my camera but just as I was about to take a photo the darned thing scooted off remarkably fast for a toad!  It was difficult to follow as it went deeper into the nettles as well.

Frogs can be found almost anywhere and are very obvious after rain. There is always at least one in the strawberry bed as the straw stays damp and it’s shady under the strawberry leaves.

One of our frogs

The smooth newts can often be found in surprising places, though always underneath something where it remains damp.

Smooth newt

Birds

I replenish our bird feeders on the lawn every day and at present we have a ‘gang’ of house sparrows at least a dozen strong plus regular blackbird visitors. The male blackbird is now quite relaxed about me walking across the lawn whilst it is there and just watches warily. We don’t see too many other species, some ‘mobs’ of starlings occasionally, the odd green-finch and rarely a goldfinch. The most exciting bird seen recently has been a sparrowhawk twice. The first time it took a bird, a blackbird or starling chick I think. The second time I think all the birds had spotted as it had a quick scan along the hedge, sat on an arch (and  I managed to get a picture) then flew off.

Sparrow having a bath

Feeding time!

Starling mob!

Blacbirds quickly learn how to get into the anti-squirrel cage!

Sparrow-hawk – just taken a small bird

Mammals

Most of the evidence for mammals in our garden cones from the trail cameras. In the past a rather surprising appearance of a badger created a stir. However, that turned out to be a ‘one off’. We have regular visits from cats of course (several) mostly just crossing the end of the garden where there is something of a wildlife corridor between local gardens. I am not forgetting the grey squirrels of course who make a nuisance of themselves trying to eat the bird food. We had several months of squirrels not venturing onto the lawn then a few weeks ago a pair appeared and have started being a problem. They, like others before them, will be evicted if I can trap them.

Squirrel enjoying one of our strawberries!

At present we have regular visits from a fox and hedgehog(s). The return of the hedgehogs is good news as they seemed to vanish from sometime in the summer last year. The fox is also different as afar as I can tell from ones we’ve had visiting before. Usually they are spotted crossing the end of the garden but the latest footage watching the lawn shows they are visiting the lawn area as well.

You can see the fox (briefly) here 

and the hedgehog crossing the lawn here

I have more vieos but haven’t had time yet to edit them.

The trail cameras also pick up field mice dashing about at night, spotted by the way their eyes are seen as points of light moving about. The occasional rat is seen, but strangely very rarely.

That’s all for now folks!

 

 

Sunny – so bin gardenin’

Yes, temperatures over 12deg. and sunshine tempted me outdoors today. Even the greenhouse automatic skylights were open and the temperature inside was over 30deg. – I know as I was sowing seeds  in there!

Quite a few jobs done today. Firstly, dealing with things in the greenhouse, some of the flower seedlings out of the propagators (which I unplugged) which made room for a half-tray of gaillardia and tagetes (tray split down the middle). I have reasonable numbers of geraniums that have germinated, but in the tray of nicotiana seeds although many germinated a few have keeled over as I think the compost got too dry…

I also sowed some more sweet peppers in a small pot as well as some sunflowers (paquito & teddy bear) which are now on the kitchen window sill.

Some of the tomato seedlings – especially the ‘pomodoro’ are now big enough to consider planting on – I’m going to have to buy some growbags next week I think….

I finally got the remaining polyanthus and bellis seedlings planted out as well in containers and the front garden.

Big news – the first broad bean shoots have shown through in the raised bed! So we’ll see over the next few days how many have germinated and avoided being taken by birds etc.

First broad bean shoots!

Next to the bed with the broad beans is the ‘garlic’ bed – and they are coming along fine except for one which has gone missing in one corner….

Garlic growing well

I checked on the rhubarb- normally covered with an old water tub and it won’t be long before we can have a rhubarb pie hopefully.

Rhubarb coming on nicely

The fruit bushes near to the rhubarb are low coming into leaf – here is a pic from one of the blackcurrant bushes:

Blackcurrant just coming into leaf

The sweet pea seedlings delivered recently are now all planted in the garden as well.

The container for carrots has been ‘refreshed’ with some more compost with some plant food mixed in.

Carrot container (an old cod water tank supported well off the ground)

I also had to do some hedge cutting and finished cutting up the Christmas tree to go into the garden ‘green’ bin along with the hedge cuttings.

Just to illustrate the spring time in the garden here is a picture of the primroses in flower in the ‘wild’ part of the garden.

Primroses in full flower

Mind some of these have been in flower for at least 6 weeks!

Wildlife

The birds have definitely upped their feeding and I have seen a couple of house sparrows around feeding on seeds – we used to have a large population of house sparrows but they are a rarity now sadly. Long tailed tits have been around as well plus the usual great and blue tits. The blackbirds may have started to try and delineate their territories as I have seen some disputed breaking out on the lawn.

Other than that there were a few butterflies around during the sunny days – brimstone and a darker one that didn’t hang around long enough for me to identify it.

Still Not Really Winter

Despite a couple of nights where the temperature did actually get below zero, it’s been pretty mild since the last post. It’s around 10degC today for instance, though quite windy. We have had a reasonable amount of rain though, enough to curtail work outside on several days.

I have managed to get out and work a few days since the last post – so now six out of the eleven raised beds are clear, and two and a half are seeded with winter green manure – though only one is showing seedlings at the moment.

Green manure sprouting

All the crop plants from inside the greenhouse are now being composted, so what’s left in the greenhouse now are the winter bedding plants from a plant supplier, at various stages.

Speaking of the bedding plants, I did get round to planting some of them out today into containers – all of which are underplanted with bulbs as well so now there are some pansies, bellis and sweet williams learning how to cope with the weather outside the greenhouse.

I have been puling up some of the dead and dying annual flower plants from the borders as well as I spot them, though the way the weather has been they’ve hung on rather longer than they should.

Wildlife

No a lot to report really, I’ve had trail cameras at the bottom of the garden and watching the bird feeders. The first has shown that the hedgehog(s) have probably gone into hibernation as there weren’t any sightings in November, the only thing of not beside the multiple cats was a visit from the fox we’ve seen before (it has a rather non-bushy and ‘bent’ tail).

The bird feeder camera revealed visits from green-finches and long-tailed tits as well as the frequent great tit and robin visits as well as some desperate attempts by magpies to hang onto the fat block feeder. The speed that a great tit can land on the feeder with sunflower seeds, grab a seed and fly off has to be seen to be believed! The feeder needs refilling at least once a week as a result.