Thursday, January 19, 2023

This and That

The weather hasn't been great for taking walks lately first it was too wet and now we have snow.  This means that most of the photos below have been taken around home although we did venture to a garden centre last week just for a change of scene.

Muscari in snow.

Long-tailed Tits
 
 
Magpies - two for joy.
 
A shy Dunnock.

The garden has been busy with birds both yesterday and today.  The usual Blackbirds, Collard Doves and Goldfinches as well as three Robins and two Dunnocks.  The Greater Spotted Woodpecker visited again very briefly as did the Long-tailed Tits.  I've registered for the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch so I'm hoping the birds keep visiting.  More often than not they disappear over the weekend of the watch.  

There was a friendly Robin at the Garden Centre.

He or she appeared as I was trying to take photos of the Hellebore flowers.

We don't have any in the garden so I always look out for them at this time of year.

There were some lovely trees and plants but most of the colour was to be found in the primroses.


All for now.  Take care.

22 comments:

  1. Sorry you're not able to get out and about and enjoy your walks due to the weather. HOpefully it won't be too long before it changes. Wonderful idea to go to the garden store, hadn't thought of that. Nice photo's. Stay warm.

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    1. Thank you Sandy. I always enjoy a walk around a garden centre/store especially the larger ones. We managed a short walk yesterday as the sun came out to take the chill away:)

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  2. I am sure you will have plenty of birds visit for the garden bird watch event! I hope they don't shy away! x

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    1. Thank you Simone, I hope we get a good selection of birds to report. I hope they visit as usual when we do the count:)

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  3. Such pretty birds. I love the English robin but had never heard of a dunnock.

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    1. Thank you Granny Sue. Dunnocks used to be called hedge sparrows I think, I'm not sure when their name was changed:)

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  4. Lovely photos of the garden birds and from the nursery - pleased you had an outing. I've had a couple of hellebores in the past but they just disappear :( Look forward to hearing what you see in the RSPB Garden Birdwatch and I hope to be doing it too.

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    1. Thank you RR. It's good to get out and about and Bridgemere was warm and safe underfoot. Our Hellebores disappeared too after a year or two I guess as we are on damp clay the roots probably rotted in the ground. It will be interesting to compare bird visitors over the bird watch weekend:)

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  5. Shame you've not been able to get out for as many walks, but do understand weather can play up with our daily routines. We are much the same, though ours was way too hot for some days and earlier this summer, it was very wet. Loving your bird photos and hope you have many more visit the garden for the watch. I'm so lucky to have quite a few hellebores in our garden, something I've loved for many years. Have a great weekend, take care and hugs.

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    1. Thank you Susan, wet weather isn't very nice to walk in and then we've had snow and ice and I don't want to slip and fall whilst on this new medication. We are both in the extremes of our seasonal weather. We can't seem to grow Hellebores here because of the heavy clay soil. I love them though but even in pots they don't do well. Take care:)

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  6. Lovely to see your birds. Our hellebores are just beginning to flower. B x

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    1. Thank you B, I envy you your Hellebores, I'd love to be able to grow them but am content to see them when visiting gardens and garden centres:)

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  7. The Robin is my favourite.

    No muscari here until spring.

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    1. Thank you William, I assume the Muscari thought it was Spring during the milder weather as Snowdrops only just showing their shoots above the ground in the same pot. Robins are very special:)

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  8. Look at all those birds! They will definitely all hide for the count! They are all hungry at the moment with the freezing ground. We have one big fat woodpigeon waiting till we put the birdseed out whilst all the robins and Bluetooth pop in and out when it's not looking! It's good to see the flowers, it's just a few snowdrops and daffs here at the moment. 😊

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    1. Thank you CK. I think so many other people feed the birds across the gardens here they are spoilt for choice. If it is very cold they will come, if mild they disappear. We have three or four Woodpigeons around, they have started calling in the morning again. Just snowdrop and daffodil shoots showing as yet:)

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  9. I was sorry to hear that you’ve been unwell. I hope that you are recovering now. 2022 wasn’t good for me either! I’m just glad that I had my blog to get back to and for blogging in general, as I love dipping in and out and reading what others have been doing. I think I discovered yours many years ago!
    Take care …and roll on the spring time! 😁

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    1. Hello, thanks for leaving a comment. I'm sorry you had a bad year last year too, lets hope for better this year. It's good to hear from you, I feel I should know who you are, did we use to comment on each other's blogs? Let me have a link to yours and I'll pop along to visit:)

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  10. Love the friendly Robin, what a beauty!
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Thank you Amalia, Robins are great little birds:)

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  11. I think any colour at this time of the year is good. The primroses and primula certainly have cheery faces. We have one Hellebore in the garden which seems to have survived the cold snap but whether it has enough energy to flower is another matter. Hope the garden watch goes well this year.

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    1. Thank you, yes the primulas and primroses certainly gave some cheer. I hope your Hellebore survives the winter. We have signs of snowdrops coming now. I'll write a post about the garden bird watch over the weekend:)

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