Snow again

There was a brilliant moon last night which was quite spectacular. Unexpectantly and quite suddenly snow fell heavily. We switched on the security lights so we could watch the flakes as they fell. It was exciting to watch the swirls in the light. it snowed again this morning but fell in large wet flakes. Snow is predicted again tomorrow!

Guess who I saw yesterday?

Roly is peeping over the top of the gazebo at me. He had been eating on the bird tray and was not frightened when I approached to take his photo. He climbed up on to the gazebo and hid behind the structure and waited for me to go. We had a sprinkling of snow yesterday followed by a hard frost which froze the snow.

Rain

It has been a really rainy day today, but not really cold. There is still ice in the fish pond but it is melting slowly. The net to stop leaves falling in the pond has now been lifted. I noticed that some of the plants are starting to wake up from their winter sleep and put on new growth. The Daffodils are peeping above the soil as well as the Bluebells. No sign of Roly today.

Starling in a Rat Trap

Roly was out gathering seed today. I saw him running to and fro and decided that I would have to "get" him. I dropped a bait block down his hole in the Lavender border and then set the rat trap under the bird table. Later when I looked out of the kitchen window I could see the trap had been sprung. Yay! I thought, got him. I went outside to check on Roly, only to find a Starling in the trap. I opened the door and let him free. He flew off gladly. The trap is set again tonight but what I will do with Roly, I don't know. In a way I will be sorry when I do catch him or maybe the bait block will do it all for me!

No Snow

The heavy snow that was predicted never arrived and it was a grey, dull, soggy day. There is still ice on the splash pool and on the pond, although the temperature is quite warm.

Roly

I saw Roly out and about today. He was scurrying from the hole in the wall of the piggery where the electricity cables pass through to under the bird table. He was cramming his cheeks full of seed and dashing first into the under growth and then under my car on his way back to the hole in the wall. I went out and set the rat cage on his run. Clever rat, I am sure he knew to avoid it as he changed his route and continued taking seed back to the piggery. Perhaps the trap will catch a bird instead. It is grey and overcast and a day to stay in bed. Snow is forecast for tomorrow.

Seeds

It was so warm outside today that I was tempted to start weeding, but just never managed to get started. I did manage to sprinkle Hollyhock seeds that David gave me last year, in front of the piggery. They are very dark red so should be quite different.

A Green World

All the snow has melted. It is so nice to see a green world again! I lifted the bucket off the pond to see if it had iced over underneath, and it had. I could see embedded in the ice about 9 baby fish, but beneath the ice I could see the adult gold fish swimming about. I don't know if they all survived but I will just have to wait for the thick ice to melt and keep checking and counting.

Buntings and Fieldfare

Great excitement! I discovered the bird that I saw earlier in the week and didn't know what it was, is called a Fieldfare. A Reed Bunting also made an appearance and a pair of Yellow Hammers have become frequent visitors. The thaw has set in and the ground is just cold slush. The lane is flooded again! I set a humane trap to catch Roly last night but he didn't fancy the bait I put out for him. I will try chocolate tonight and see if I can tempt him in to the trap. What I will do with him if I catch him, I don't know as I think he is cute.

Roly Rat, son of Roland

Yesterday, I went out to replenish the bird seed on the tray in the gazebo and there I met Roly Rat, son of Roland. Roly is big enough, but Roland is the largest rat I have ever seen, although he hasn't been around lately. Last year we had Ralphy Rat visiting the bird feeders but he has long since disappeared. I was at the bird feeding station when I noticed Roly, bold as brass eating on the tray. I went inside to get my camera and then was able to get quite close to him without scaring him. Having taken two photos, I started to step up on to a chair to get closer to him when he decided it was time to make a move. He climbed on to the water dish above the feeding tray and then up into the gazebo and lazily and unhurriedly lowered himself onto the rose stem and climbed down to the ground and disappeared under a bush. Today I saw Roly again in the bushes darting to and fro. Mmm, something will have to be done!

Snow

Yesterday the snow started to melt. I saw a few sparrows enjoying a bath in the melted water in the garage gutter. Last night we had more snow and this morning the neighbouring farmer had a blade on the front of his tractor to clear the snow in the lane. While writing I can see a Buzzard perched in the old oak tree up the lane. He is all fluffed up against the fine snow that is falling. The little birds are venturing into the porch in front of the diningroom were I have left seed for them and it is dry. The usual doves, pigeons, blackbirds and bluetits have visited the garden this morning and were desperate for their morning seed.

Phil the Pheasant

Snow fell last night and left a soft covering of white. The temperature has risen and a thaw is in the air although the cold water taps are still running very slowly. Phil the pheasant was back this morning greedily pecking at the spilt seed under the feeding station. As I write there is a wood pigeon on the bird table in front of the diningroom sharing the seed with a chaffinch and a robin. The roof of the bird table has come off and the bigger birds find it easier to alight on the table so I think that it will remain as it is.

Grandpa's Tree

This morning I was busy working and this afternoon I was out for a long lunch with a friend. I have posted pictures of Grandpa's tree to show just how it has changed over the last few months. On my wayout, while waiting in the lane I noticed just how many fox foot prints there were in the snow.

Snow at last!

It snowed last night, Yay! I feel that I have missed out as the rest of the country has had tons of snow and we haven't. It snowed, but only a little, just enough to cover the grass. The trees are so pretty and now that the sun has come out even prettier than when I took these photos. The birds are hungry this morning and we had Robin Rivalry with the fat robin and the skinny robin scrapping over the seed.

Four Crows

I fed the birds early this morning as it snowed a little last night. Four crows pecked at the seed on the mound and little sparrows darted in and out the hedge avoiding the steely beaks of the crows. The pond ice is quite thick and I dread to find that we are without fish when it melts. I saw a bird in the long border desperate to get to the last of the berries. I don't know what it was but will watch again for it. Snow is predicted again for tonight but it will probably pass us by. It would at least be nice to have a heavy fall of snow and be able take the dogs for a snowy walk on Haughmond Hill.

Nest Boxes

There was a very hard frost last night. The temperature dropped to -6 leaving a very white world and an icy lane. The sun shone brilliantly and it was just wonderful to be outside today. I put up the two nest boxes that I bought yesterday. One is in the False Acacia and the other is in the Mulberry, bought as a bush but now a tree! There are nest boxes in the Silver Birch, Cherry, Grandpa's oak, the tree in front of the diningroom and one above the Piggery door. Last year the nest box in the Cherry tree was used. Hopefully all will be used this year. It was mentioned that a dovecote should be put up for the doves, but then these are wild so whether they would take to it or not is a mystery

3rd January 2010

I ran out of bird seed today, so went to Charlies Store to stock up. I also bought two more nesting boxes to put up in the orchard. The birds were delighted when I replenished their seed. The two doves that frequented our garden the Summer before last have now become a flock of 9. They sit in Grandpa's tree sunning themselves and look just like Christmas decorations.The ground is very frozen and hard. The sky is clear as a bell and we will have a hard frost again tonight

2nd January 2010

Yesterday it snowed after I had written my blog. It was a passing shower but was most enjoyable as it just whitened the world and caused no inconvenience. This afternoon I spotted a fox in the field from my bedroom window. I watched it through binoculars as it trotted along next to the hedge on the far side of the field, heading towards David, my neighbour's property.

New Year's Day

We woke to brilliant sunshine. The Wrekin glistened with snow. There was a hard frost on the ground and I could see fox tracks leading to the piggery where the dog's food is kept. The tracks then went to the gazebo and on to the orchard. The birds were desperate for food and I had to refill the seed feeders again later. Two robins were busy arguing about who's food was whose. There were the usual visitors, blue tits, black birds, starlings and the doves. Two Crows chased the other feeders off the hill and had their fill there. Yesterday I tried to melt a a hole in the ice on the pond with boiling water from a kettle. It took two kettles full to do it and I then put an upturned bucket over the hole in the hope that it might stay unfrozen and a breathing hole for the fish. Today the bucket is frozen solid in the ice and I can't tell whether my efforts worked at all. I did see through the ice that the baby fish from the Summer are changing from there black camouflage to the orange colour of Goldfish.