RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch

We sat down on Friday lunch time and decided to start counting whilst eating our sandwiches.  Earlier, through the kichen window, I'd seen four magpies having a bit of a tussle.  Three of them had the fourth backed up against a shrub with flapping wings. open beak and its claws in the air it looked quite distressed.  It eventually got away from them and flew off.  The other three stalked across the lawn as if to say 'job welll done'.

It was the appearance of three Long Tailed Tits on one of the fat ball feeders that decided us to start the count.

Paul's photo

I'm really glad we did the count on the first day as the wind yesterday kept many birds away from the feeders. 

My Photo

In the hour we counted nine Sparrows. one Robin, five Chaffinches, three Long Tailed tits, one Blue Tit, one  Dunnock, three Wood Pigeons, two Collard Doves, six Goldfinches, three Bullfinches and three Blackbirds.

 Where were all the Goldfinches? We usually have at least fifteen of them gathered around the feeders and earlier this month we had eight and sometimes ten Collard Doves pecking around  under the feeders especially when the Goldfinches were feeding and dropping seed to the floor.

My Photo

 It was a joy to have the Long Tailed Tits and the Bullfinches  (two males and one female) visit during the count.

Paul's photo

Paul's photo

 

 

 Did you take part in the bird count?  If so what did you see? Anything different, or your usual visitors?

 

Still Here

I'm still here.  I've not been using my laptop very much as a couple of weeks ago I had a small operation or proceedure to remove an area of skin on my right forearm. This has left me unable to do a lot of things as I'm right handed.  The wound is feeling easier now and the stiches come out on Friday. Hurray!  Biopsy results will be a little longer. Apologies if I haven't commented on your posts for a week or two.  I will get around to visiting you all again.

A few days ago we visited the small M&S in Stone and they had a bucket of bunches of Daffodils for £1 per bunch at the end of each till area. I coudn't resist a bunch of these, bright and cheerful signs of Spring, even though we have a way to go yet.  Further in the store I was half amused and half bemused to see rows of Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies for sale and also, in the bakery area - Hot Cross Buns.  Sigh.

On Sunday morning we walked to the local park. 

 

The sky was grey, almost colourless.

The air was still, not one jot of a breeze. It was very quiet too as the cool temperature discouraged most early morning dog walkers.

The winter trees were stark and rather beautiful.

The path turned towards home.

Where a bowl of butternut squash soup was warmed and enjoyed.  Just what was needed after a  long walk in the damp, chilly air.

Red Tulips almost as cheering as the Daffodils.  

 

 

I'll be taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch over the weekend.  We've done it for years and as is usual I expect the numbers of birds visiting the feeders won't be as high as earlier this week. This always seems to happen, they just don't want to be counted.  We've had lots of birds on the feeders over the last few days, last week we were filling up the feeders twice a day.  Robins, Blackbirds, Sparrows, Dunnocks, Blue tits, Long tailed tits, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Collard Doves and Wood Pigeons being the most frequent visitors and Golfinches and Sparrows the most numerous.  I wonder how this will change over the weekend?  I'll report back next week.

A Wintry Wak

Our walk on Thursday took us to the woods on the Trentham Estate.  We followed the monument walk.

It is also part of the Two Saints Way.

The Two Saints Way is a long distance walk between the Cathedral Cities of Chester and Lichfield.   The two saints of the walk are St Chad and St Werburgh both of Saxon nobility who spread Christianity across the Kingdon of Mercia.  More info here

Back to the walk.

 

 The muddy paths were frozen solid and crunchy underfoot.

It was very cold and snow was in the air.

 

I spent time looking at the frosty leaves.

  they were quite beautiful.

Frosty Ferns

 

Above Oak leaves and then a Bracket Fungus.  Amazingly still undamaged by either human or animal.

The monument to the first Duke of Sutherland through the trees. 

A distant cottage across the fields.

As we headed back to the car the snow was quite heavy. Fingers and toes were cold. By the time we got home it was white over, by late afternoon it had all gone.  Last evening, after a hail storm in the afternoon, we had another covering of snow, this morning it had all gone and it has rained continuously, how weird the weather is at the moment.

 

Into the New Year

It's 9.30a.m. in the morning on New Year's Day.  The sun is gently lighting the house roofs and upstairs windows on one side of the street and the sky is showing several shades of blue. The weather is mild and has been for a few days.  No wonder the little beauty below is slightly confused.

I took this photo a few days before Christmas but thought I'd save it for today as for me snowdrops are a sign of peace and hope.

Best wishes to everyone for the New Year.

Ashbourne

 It was such a quiet day.  We'd completely forgotten that yesterday was a second Bank Holiday.  It didn't matter as I didn't want or need to go in anywhere.

We just felt like being somewhere different for a while. As we travelled towards Ashbourne there were many large puddles on the roads and several fields flooded in patches of lower ground.  It did rain quite hard over the Christmas weekend and it is still raining today.

A few shops were open.  One or two charity shops and clothes shops like Joules and Fat Face.  Local shops were mostly closed except for a newsagents.

 

This meant that the streets were empty which made taking photos quite easy,  I always worry about getting in people's way.

It was lovely just to walk around in the fresh air, enjoying the views and the shop windows still dressed for the festive season.

I hope you all had a good Christmas and were able to see family and friends if you could.  

We had a zoom chat with friends on Christmas Eve, a quiet day on Christmas Day and a long, local walk on Boxing Day.

 

As you will see from the photos there was a slight drizzle in the air but it was fairly warm for December.

I'll leave you with more photos below of things we spotted on our way around the town.

Take Care

Friday, Christmas Eve

 Five from the tree for Christmas Eve.

As the decorations are put on the tree I always remember where they came from, where they were bought and who was with me at the time.

My favourite little mouse came from the Chatsworth Garden Centre.  We had taken my step-sister shopping there on a day out from her home in nearby Chesterfield.  We ate slices of Christmas cake and sipped hot coffee from the little shop in Baslow before we started shopping.

a

The wooden hare was bought at the Token House in Nottingham. For years it was in an old building on Bridlesmith Gate that stretched both backwards and sideways. The floors were uneven and sloped up to the back of the shop and the floor boards creaked. I loved that shop; it was full of cards and paper, pens an pencils, toys, ceramics, jewellery and all things scented, an Alladin's cave of sheer delight. I noticed last time we were in the city centre it had moved premises to a smaller more modern building behind St Peter's Church, which although still full of lovely things, didn't have the same sense of excitement and adventure as the other one. 

I bought several of these hand painted wooden trees from a Christmas Shop at Pot House Hamlet which is near the village of Silkstone in South Yorkshire.  We'd been to a funeral in Wakefield the day before and stayed overnight there.  The next morning we visited Nostell Priory, walked in the grounds and visited the Courtyard Cafe for a coffee and Christmas pudding flavoured scone.  We came upon the quirky Pot House Hamlet (the site of an old pottery works) as we headed home and thought it looked too interesting not to stop for a quick visit.  I remember we were met at the door of the Christmas shop by a jolly man dressed as an elf.

The little crochet gingerbread man was made for us by a friend.  His pal, the snowman, is also on the tree with some soft white snowflakes.  I smile each year when I place him on the tree and he smiles back.  This friend also made us masks last year  at the start of lockdown plus two festive ones a few weeks before last Christmas.  When I put the festive ones away last year I didn't think forward to this year but here we are wearing them again for shopping and in places where there are likely to be more people out and about.  

The newest recruit to the tree is this brown felted fox.  I spotted it in Waitrose a few weeks ago and it's been waiting in a drawer for its first outing on the tree.  As we have foxes visit our garden I couldn't resist popping it in the trolly.

 

A couple of those memories are tinged with sadness. In particular the first and third ones both December 2015, by the time Christmas 2016 came along things had changed so much.  I won't go into the stories here as it is Christmas Eve, a time of joy as well as reflection.

 

I wish you all a peaceful, happy and healthy Christmas wherever you are.

 

Stay safe. Take care.

Mid December Walk and Festive Reading

Mist hung low over the trees and fields, the air was damp, drips fell from the branches and it was cold.  It didn't take long for feet and fingers to feel numb so we didn't walk as far as we had planned.

It was quite muddy in places and slippery too

There wasn't a soul about.  A woman with two dogs in the car park as we arrived, toweling them down after a muddy walk and one man unloading his electric cycle as we returned.  We passed him later on our way home just near the farm where two large camels had been added to their collection of birds and animals which include water buffalo, emus, rhias and reindeer.  I must look for when they have their open days next year.

The water in the lakes looked cold but not frozen.

There were a group of Goosanders on the lake.  Apparently the collective noun for a group of Goosanders is a 'dopping.'

Male and female Goosander according to the RSPB website. Talking of the RSPB I've just registered to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch again in January so that is something to look forward to in the dark winter days ahead.

As we stood looking over the lake a heron flew in and landed in a nearby tree.  Almost immediately after a jay flew over the lake and disappeared into the woodlands.

The mud was slippiest around the stiles and gates.

Three different types of fungus on one branch.

On through the winter trees it was getting colder and colder.

Winter trees against the cold looking sky.

An Oak Gall

Female Pheasant on a fence 

and a male pheasant scooping up seed from under the bird feeders.  We sat in the car for a while drinking warm coffee from a flask.  There were lots of birds taking seeds from the feeders including Robins, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Sparrows, Chaffinches and Nuthatches.  Under the feeders with the Pheasant were one or two Dunnocks who, from a distance, looked like little brown mice running around.

 

Back home little has been done about Christmas as yet.  I sent cards and letters over a week ago and this last week we have received lots of lovely cards in return, some with letters inside. It's good to keep in contact with friends and family.  The tree is still in its box and the deorations are in theirs no doubt we will get around to putting the two together over the next day or two.  

I have a couple of books on Kindle to read which hopefully will help make me feel slightly more festive.

I'm enjoying Annie Gray's book about the history and customs behind our Christmas food and how it has changed over the centuries.  So far I've read about Boar's heads, Mince Pies and Gingerbread.  It's an absolutely fascinating read and so well written and researched.

 

I haven't read a book by the above author before but I'm looking forward to it. Country house, Christmas Day and people trapped in by heavy snowfall, a murderer in their midst  It sounds to have the right elements.

 

On the ipad I have two books on loan from the library.  Well, more than two as there are three Ryder and Loveday books in one loan.  I read the first three books in this series a while ago and decided to loan the next ones.  The books are set in 1960/61 in Oxford and I'm enjoying them.  Janice Hallett is another author I haven't read before and this one kept popping up in recommendations so I thought I would try it.

Well that's all for now, below is a still from the wildlife camera which we left out overnight one day last week.

Mr Fox and Mr Badger sharing the lawn.