Blog

During the period of lock down due to the Covid-19 virus we have spent a lot of time in our tiny urban garden. We have tried to do all sorts to encourage wildlife in to the garden including paying attention to what we plant. We have also installed more nest boxes and feeders and even purchased a bird bath. Just as I was thinking that we really had gone over the top with this latter purchase I was delighted today to see the first bird make use of this new facility. And what a bird!

Just as I was getting ready to have a walk to Stoke Park, as part of our daily exercise, I saw from the bathroom window a jay fly into the garden and land on the bird bath. Luckily I had time to grab a camera a get some decent shots of it.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Consequently I am feeling very chuffed with buying the bird bath. I am also pleased I painted the garden fence too as the jay perched on it before flying off. I only wished I had cleaned the bathroom windows though!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We are getting more confident of going out to take some exercise but once again a few joggers showed how inconsiderate they can be by not keeping a sensible distance (they seem too preoccupied with achieving their “times” recorded on their gadgets).

When we were out this morning I thought I had two regrets: one, that I had the wrong lens to capture the lovely scenery and the second, I completely forgot because the scenery was so magnificent and it was a joy to be out in the sunshine despite the cool breeze.

We didn’t see many birds although we did hear plenty. In fact, I ask myself,  was it worth lugging a big lens up that hill just to have a few photos of a robin?

The biodiversity on the top of the Purdown is amazing since they have been taking back the scrub – well done to all involved.

We avoided Duchess Pond as there were fishermen all the way round enjoying what has been denied them in recent months.

P.S. I did have my phone camera to take the wide-angle shots.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We  wandered over to Stoke Park yesterday and again this morning. We have benefited from the exercise and have enjoyed meeting people (at a distance). I have been very challenged to get photographs of the birds as they are either hiding well or moving too fast (as was the case with swifts today). It’s fun trying though.

Cormorant

Reed bunting

Moorhen with chick

Coot with chick

Chiffchaff fascinated by insect

Swifts (there were two to choose from and lots of different light to cope with).

Mallard

Canada goose

It was too cold for dragon flies and damselflies it seems but there was this moth in my garden:

I need to investigate this one – maybe a mint moth?

 

It’s lovely to see the park being used by so many people but we really had to keep our wits about us to keep at a good distance from others.

It was a truly glorious day (temperature reaching 23 C). We saw our first swift (no photograph unfortunately) and our first damselfly of the year.

Whitethroat

Duckling

Coot

Moorhen

Greenfinch

Coot – have you seen those feet?

Hawthorn blossom

Carrion crows

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We broke bounds today and nervously took an exercise walk to Stoke Park (just a few minutes from where we live). We have so missed getting out and about. The walk was almost essential for our sanity; the decision was prompted by the beautiful weather.

It was so wonderful to see the beauty of spring with the lush green grass, the trees with blossom and plants that clearly we don’t see in our urban garden.

There were also some birds (and a butterfly) to add to our joy.

Wren

Wren diving for cover

Whitethroat singing its heart out

Great tit

Magpie

Whitethroat

Reed bunting

Carrion crow

Mallard

Mallard with admirers

Canada goose

Mallards

Ducklings

Moorhen

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

My neighbours are becoming very noisy. I don’t know if lock-down is anything to do with it but I suspect not as all the humans have been very considerate and very friendly.

No, its the birds that are making most of the noise; calling to mates and dashing around finding nesting material and even grubs for broods that are already sitting in the nest.

Good luck to them all.

Blue-tit enjoying the sun. Often they are accused of head banging: I read this comment on Bird Forum “Blue tits made a nest about a week ago in a nestbox and I have since been hearing a constant tapping from inside, like a woodpecker. The box is on the wall of my house and I can hear the tapping for ten minutes or so several times a day, long after the nest was finished.”

These Canada geese were very noisy honking as they flew over my garden

This starling was making no noise at all but often they have a shrill whistle; this one was looking the worse for wear – clearly he had had a night on the town

The blackbird has a very melodious song but it does carry a long way

Wood pigeons and collared doves certainly disturb the peace as they flutter back and forth and make an almighty din when going in and out of my neighbour’s leylandii .

The goldfinches are very sociable birds and  have a delightful liquid twittering song and call

The dunnocks are quiet and unobtrusive but when two rival males come together they become animated with lots of wing-flicking and loud calling

The house sparrows are the worst offenders with their incessant monotonous chirping

I wonder if I’m going to be able to get out and listen to the dawn chorus any time soon?

Today was the International Dawn Chorus Day (the first Sunday in May) –  I’m sure they will be singing for a few days yet..

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It is a tradition in France on May Day (1st May) to offer a sprig of lily of the valley (un brin de muguet) to one’s loved ones as a lucky charm (un porte-bonheur).

As a student in France in the late 1960s I can remember seeing on street corners vendeurs de muguet with buckets of lilies of the valley selling little bouquets of these fragrant spring flowers. Today (or rather in normal circumstance) you are more likely to find them being sold in florists and supermarkets. By all accounts the French spend millions of Euros (31.8 million Euros in 2013) on buying the plants.

The plant has long been considered a symbol of spring, renewal and luck since the days of the Celts. However, it really gained importance in France after King Charles IX  was given a lily of the valley plant on the 1st May in 1561. He was told it would bring him luck and, being a superstitious person, he thought it would be a nice idea to give a lily of the valley plant every year on May 1st to the ladies of his court to bring more luck all round.

It is said that whoever finds a lily of the valley with 13 small bells will be particularly lucky

Today I offer here a bouquet of lily of the valley picked from my garden in the hope that it brings a bit of luck to all who read my article.

 

In a corner of my tiny garden lily of the valley seems to flourish (even popping up at times through concrete).

In another corner (and spreading everywhere) I also have woodruff,  which in French is known as “le muguet des bois”

Woodruff (in French le muguet des bois)

I also share this little story linking lily of the valley with the nightingale:

THE STORY OF LILY OF THE VALLEY AND THE NIGHTINGALE

Once upon a time, the very first lily of the valley was in love with a nightingale. Every night, the nightingale would come to the garden to sing. However, the lily of the valley was shy and hid herself from the bird. So after a while, he grew lonely and flew away.

Alone in the garden, the lily of the valley waited in vain for the nightingale to return. Eventually, she grew so sad that she stopped blooming. She resumed flowering only when the nightingale reappeared (in May) and her happiness was restored.

 

It’s raining!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

The lovely sunny weather has continued all through the weekend which has definitely helped to lift morale in these difficult times.

Wisteria Avenue?

The birds have been more difficult to photograph with the leaves growing on the trees and so that is probably why I found myself in the garden without my camera yesterday morning when a CUCKOO flew over making its way, it seemed, from Eastville Park to Stoke Park and probably way beyond – definitely the best of my garden record (if I kept one). There were several other flyovers with birds moving from Stoke Park to Eastville Park (and back) but I failed to photograph the mallards, Canada geese and grey heron.

I wandered down the road opposite our house early this morning, more to see the 5 wisteria trees, than to see birds but I did manage to photograph house sparrows, goldfinches, a robin and a blackbird. They were all in full voice at that time of the morning.

An inquisitive goldfinch

A rather glum robin

Crazy woodpigeon

I’m told there are sunflower heads in the back garden

Flirting blue tits

Starling with breakfast

The house sparrows are persistently noisy (is that a dust spot on my sensor or dirt on the drain pipe?)

Even a lesser black-backed gull paid me a visit

A cheery blackbird

A jackdaw taking the coronavirus seriously

Show-off blue tit

Curious carrion crow

Later back in my garden a grey heron flew over. I have photographed these birds in Eastville Park and Stoke Park more than any other bird and I am sure it recognised me as, before flying off, it did a circle over head in a sort of fly pass.

A fly-by salute from the grey heron

The other notable bird I saw was a buzzard but I only managed a distant shot before it disappeared in to the azure of the sky.

The blue tits, woodpigeons and collared doves have entertained me regularly too.

I have had a go at photographing the aphids on my roses and aqualegias and ants on my peonies but I must admit I’m not very good at it because everyone says its a great macro lens!

Slideshow of my photos over the last two days. On an iPad you can pinch and stretch.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another glorious day. I’m sure that on such a day I would have been looking to go further afield for my dose of nature or at least taking a walk in one of the local parks.

Recently in Stoke Park Estate there have been lots of exciting bird sightings including ring ouzels, wheatears and a tree pipit and even the first brood of ducklings. In Eastville Park I gather there was a mandarin duck on the lake this morning.

However, not for me as to keep safe and away from the coronavirus I am staying here in my garden and, for a while this morning, in my neighbour’s garden whilst she was doing essential shopping for herself and friends.

The variety of birds is very limited but it all helps to keep my sanity. A friend commented I must have taken a photo of every plant in my garden. Maybe that is the case but fortunately for me they change a little and I am still challenged by photographing them.

And again there’s only so much bread you can bake! So here are some of the stars for me:

Goldfinch

Dunnock

Dunnock fascinated by bee

House sparrow “up the wall” – I know the feeling

A timely reminder why I am here

Blackbird takes a leap of faith

Jackdaw

Herring gull

Magpie

Starling

Starling

Starling

House sparrow

Starling

Starling

Wood pigeon

Collared dove

And some of the botanical photos:

Magnolia still performing well

Our flower tubs from the local Elmtree Farm are loving the sun

Many of my neighbours have wisteria – we had two at one stage but I couldn’t control them

I’m sure we will be eating our figs before lock down ends for us!

I don’t normally see this lovely tree but I could see it from my neighbour’s garden

Wendy picked the first bunch of lily-of-the -valley. The aroma is amazing.

Slideshow of all my photos from this morning:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I didn’t spend long taking photos at home today (maybe because I didn’t see many) but for the short time I had a camera in my hand I was lucky to see a comma butterfly.

I have already seen a few varieties of butterfly in my garden this year (peacock, orange-tip and a white which I didn’t manage to identify)  but this one was the first I have managed to photograph.

In fact the only bird photo I took was a jackdaw. Was this the corvid answer to Covid-19?

No, I’ve not gone barking mad (not yet anyway). I have not really made off to Holland but (in a way) a little bit of Holland has been transported to our home and it has a tenuous link to my nature blog.

My wife, Wendy, has completed her most recent patchwork quilt and we have managed to mount it in our dining room. I am sure she is delighted to be able to see the culmination of months of her work but it has in fact lifted our spirits for both of us.

I feel I have contributed a tiny amount to this beautiful work of art as I bought her the book with the initial design for the quilt. I have spent a fair number of hours sitting looking at the library of books at Midsomer Quilting  (her favourite shop for all matters quilting and probably most of the UK’s favourite shop too) and it was there (drinking their coffee and eating their chocolate biscuits) that I was attracted to a book “Promenade dans un jardin hollandais” (Petra Pins & An Moonen). I love the series of books produced by the French publishers Quilt Mania as the main text is in French (there is also an English translation) and they always have the most amazing photographs. The photographs are technically brilliant and the quilts are also displayed in the most imaginative ways.

Wendy’s quilt is a tree of life and there’s the tenuous link to my nature blog.

Wikipedia tells me that

“the tree of life is a fundamental widespread myth (mytheme) or archetype in many of the world’s mythologies, religious and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree. The tree of knowledge, connecting to heaven and the underworld, and the tree of life, connecting all forms of creation, are both forms of the world tree or cosmic tree, and are portrayed in various religions and philosophies as the same tree.”

I would love to visit “L’Ecomusée ou musée de Plein Air de Arnhem aux Pays Bas” which is where the quilts for the book were photographed and which in the book is described as:

” a magical place that relates several centuries of Dutch history through a 100 acre park. Founded on April 24th, 1912, the museum opened in 1918. Nowadays , this site includes ninety-six buildings and points of interest such as farms, windmills, a drawbridge, houses, workshops etc. from different eras, with one of the most recent attractions being a tram station from Amsterdam.”

A visit to Arnhem would also be very poignant as it was there that my Uncle Cyril (a glider pilot in the RAF) was killed in the Second World War.