Traditionally, if daffodils are blooming in my garden on St David's Day, it's an early spring. This year, they are budded tighter than the French defence, reflecting the cold time that we've had. A few are flowering in more sheltered spots, though, like the ones above.
Sweet Violets are flowering in the garden and in the verges, showing the first signs of colour for the year.
The most noticable change in bird life on the walk was the arrival of
Yellowhammers, with five singing at different points. There was also a very light-coloured one, presumably a juvenile?
A handful of Skylarks were singing over the fields (which being liberally coated with pig-slurry did not seem tempting as nesting sites) and Dunnocks led the chorus in the hedgerows. A lovely Firecrest was in the trees by Hope Bays.
We took a ride down to Folkestone to try to see more Mediterranean Gulls, but there were only a dozen on the sea and two obligingly standing on lampposts.
Kehaar, the gull in Watership Down, seems to have been modelled on Med Gulls, although they have no black on the ends of their wings, and their cry is more of a 'ow!'.
Traditionally, if daffodils are blooming in my garden on St David's Day, it's an early spring. This year, they are budded tighter than the French defence, reflecting the cold time that we've had. A few are flowering in more sheltered spots, though, like the ones above.
Sweet Violets are flowering in the garden and in the verges, showing the first signs of colour for the year.
The most noticable change in bird life on the walk was the arrival of Yellowhammers, with five singing at different points. There was also a very light-coloured one, presumably a juvenile?
A handful of Skylarks were singing over the fields (which being liberally coated with pig-slurry did not seem tempting as nesting sites) and Dunnocks led the chorus in the hedgerows. A lovely Firecrest was in the trees by Hope Bays.
We took a ride down to Folkestone to try to see more Mediterranean Gulls, but there were only a dozen on the sea and two obligingly standing on lampposts.
Kehaar, the gull in Watership Down, seems to have been modelled on Med Gulls, although they have no black on the ends of their wings, and their cry is more of a 'ow!'.
4 comments:
Nice photos of the Med. Gulls there; it's funny that you should think that Keehar is one of them, as I made that assumption too!
Beautiful flowers! I so look forward to violets! One of my favorite flowers and I'm quite happy to let them grow anywhere they desire in my yard....which is mostly all over it. I like those cheerful yellowhammers!
The Yellowhammers and yellow daffodils are wonderful! No daffodils blooming here yet, but I was at the coast today and it is milder there and I saw some in all their glory.
Steve,
That really is a strange yellowhammer. maybe it's a leucistic one?
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