Spring forward

A early start in the garden today (too early thanks to the clocks going forward), but worth the effort as the urge to nest gathers pace amongst the feathered neighbours.

Tree Sparrow?

 A twig hanging from the Little Owl box is a sure sign that Jackdaws have claimed it, while a piece of straw hanging out of a nest box must mean that Tree Sparrows have moved in.

And then there was this Long-tailed Tit chasing a feather. Just before it start snowing!

And talking of tits, the farmer managed to take down the phone line on Friday, so no phone or Internet. Thankfully I can get online using my mobile phone, but it's painfully slow :(

Ready for Spring?

Holly enjoying the Spring weather

The winter, yes the one that simply won't go away, has been spent preparing for the season that once was found between winter and summer, spring! To think that last year it was shorts and t-shirt weather, and frogs were in a spawning frenzy.

No Wheatears, Wagtails or Ring Ouzels, just frost!

The main tasks have been hedge rejuvenation and planting, border de-nettling (nettles are good, just not everywhere!), nest box installation - gone a bit OTT with 10 boxes for Tree Sparrows, a Swallow cup, a couple of artificial House Martin nests, and an open-fronted box for Robins.

Tree Sparrows - large colony here, hopefully to get even larger now :)

Even snow doesn't stop prospective tenants

Lots of wild flower seed has been sown, and native bulbs planted.

The biggest job, however, has been putting a Green Roof on my container, to create a high rise wild flower meadow, and nesting opportunities for birds within.

On top of an 8 x 10 container.

Joisting and boarding Out

Green Roof Substrate

Waterproof liner and Geotex liner down and substrate going on top

Gravel drainage around the perimeter, and lashings of tea!

Job done!

The Green Roof involved joisting out the roof to carry the weight, boarding it out to create a floor, covering with a waterproof pond liner, filling with a substrate (topsoil is too nutrient rich!), and sowing with wild flower seed. The design and construction of this roof, using new materials, worked out at roughly £100 per square metre, inclusive labour. Get in contact if you want one as we have the know how and the expertise.

In between digging, cutting, planting, construction etc. I've added a couple of garden ticks, Short-eared Owl was nice hunting around Fenwick Pit, and Eurasion White-fronted Goose amongst Greylags heading to the flooded fields at East Holywell. And let's not forget the moths that have ventured out on the few nights when the mercury hasn't dip below zero......

Pale Brindle Beauty

March Moth

Dotted Border

Until Spring arrives I'm joining Dill and Holly!

Cosy!

It's all white, I'm still alive!

I've had a few concerned folk ask me why I haven't been blogging for a while. Well, it's like this. I've been busy. For those that know me it may be hard to even to begin to comprehend, but it is, alas, true. Anyway, I'm back.

This morning was a beautiful snowy morning, just what was needed for an early morning walk around the patch at East Holywell.

East Holywell

Good numbers of Fieldfare in the paddock, though shy as usual, taking flight as soon as I opened the front door. A walk along to Fenwick Pit and a covey of Grey Partridge were calling, while a flock of Rook fed around the 'new' subsidence pond at the eastern side of the pit.

Grey Partridge

Rooks

And what have I been busy doing I hear you ask. Well more on that later............

Wow!

Wow!

Four Candles

With snow today, and Robins in the garden, the trusted garden fork was strategically placed to get a classic Christmas card shot. They landed everywhere but!

Mystery bird - test your ID skills!

Okay then folks, here's a feathered friend having a preen. But can you tell what he/she is?

Gone Murmuring

Heading West along the A69, just before Brampton, there's a small reed fringed trout lake a 100 metres or so to the North of the road, just before the A6071 turn off to Gretna. Here's a video I took passing here a couple of years ago. Last year a couple of friends of mine went fishing here in a boat. At dusk they were blown away, becoming part of the murmuration

Baltic

A trip to Maud Terrace in West Allotment, to photograph Waxwings, was a chilling experience. I arrived to find 25 birds in a ringer's mist net. After assisting in extracting and bagging them, I stood with a couple of photographers waiting for the birds to return to feed on the Rowan berries. It was a fruitless wait, and only prolonged by a kind resident who popped out with a much needed cup of coffee.

The birds kept promising to land but a Mistle Thrush was on guard, and after two hours I was  hypothermic.

As a consolation I snapped a few garden visitors before beelining for a hot lamb casserole.

Identical....

Here's a couple of pics of Mottled Umber moths recently caught in the garden. Both specimens are males, females are flightless, but with very different markings. Nothing unusual about this, but it adds to the headache fun in identifying them correctly.

Garden Cam

Had a play with my Go Pro camera in the garden feeding station today.