A very wet day, however I was cheered this morning by three fluffed out, fat looking female pheasants scratching in the end flower border. As yet they still spend their time away from the males, although this will soon change.
The garden was also filled with blue and great tits. I have noticed the birds are starting to pair up and investigate nesting sites.
Friday, 31 January 2014
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Hertfordshire to Oxfordshire
Today is bright and sunny, no wind and a mild feeling. the temperature is seven and a half degrees celsius.
We are on the old A414 and passing flooded fields and swollen rivers which are lost in the flood of the fields.
Turning on to the A10 we soon see on each motorway verge, endless hazel trees, each one festooned gloriously with hanging catkins in varying shades of brown, green and yellow, my favourite being the ones which are the same shade as wild primroses (Primula Vulgaris). Primroses were Disraeli's favourite flower and at his funeral Queen Victoria sent a posy of Primroses with a note which read "His favourite flower, from Osbourne ...".
However I digressed. On the offside bank just before we turn off for the A414, we see several trees uprooted and laying at odd angles. I can only guess that these are a by-product of the mini tornado that passed through this area yesterday.
We are almost in Hertford now and passing more flooded fields with flocks of Canada geese enjoying the water. Leaving Hertford we pass under dark grey storm clouds and into bright sunshine again, the temperature has risen to nine degrees.
We pass Hatfield where there is much standing water around, we have luckily just missed a heavy rainfall but the sky still looks dark and foreboding.
On to the M25, there is dense bush and tree growth along the verges the white trunks and branches of the birch trees stand out very attractively amongst the rest of the brown and green that populate the motorway edges. It is mid- afternoon on a Tuesday and it is surprising how much traffic there is on the motorway, we are also constantly beset by heavy rain showers.
We turn onto the M40, there are again many hazels displaying their eye catching catkins, but also we are delighted to see bright yellow broom in full bloom. We pass a row of dark forbidding looking conifers, they must be a wonderful shelter for birds during this cold and wet winter, when most other trees are bare. Away to the right we spot great balls of mistletoe, suspended from the highest branches of these distant trees. Catkins hanging from hazels festoon the banks at the edges of the M40 and are a constant delight.
We are now approximately twenty-seven miles from Oxford, the sun is shining, the sky is blue with many soft white clouds and everywhere I look appears to be dry.
So many of the trees on the verge of the motorway are swamped by dense growths of ivy, and I wonder if it will be the downfall of them meanwhile it is a good shelter for wildlife. I spot the first red kite of the journey. In places the white seed heads of old man's beard stretch across the tops of bushes and trees, draping themselves and hanging like curtains. As we pass the turning for Stokenchurch we see a second solitary red .kite. On three sides of us we have an amazing view of the countryside, the fields are a rich spring green and stretch away for miles. We pass a slightly flooded field with forty to fifty gulls in the water, while circling above I see three red kites.
We pass fields of sheep happily grazing in the bright sunshine on the rich green grass. Turning off the M40 I watch two birds flying almost together and am fascinated to watch their different styles.The magpie with his fiercely flapping wings is such a contrast to the slow majestic flight of the nearby red kite, with his outspread wings slowly but surely carrying him.
In Little Milton we come upon flooded roads and water spurting up from a drain cover in the road, a lone pigeon sits high above on the telegraph wire, solemnly surveying his world. The sky is very clouded now with banks of clouds in varying shades of grey, many with edges of brightness.
It is 3:30 pm and we are almost at our journey's end, the temperature has dropped to eight degrees.
We are on the old A414 and passing flooded fields and swollen rivers which are lost in the flood of the fields.
Turning on to the A10 we soon see on each motorway verge, endless hazel trees, each one festooned gloriously with hanging catkins in varying shades of brown, green and yellow, my favourite being the ones which are the same shade as wild primroses (Primula Vulgaris). Primroses were Disraeli's favourite flower and at his funeral Queen Victoria sent a posy of Primroses with a note which read "His favourite flower, from Osbourne ...".
However I digressed. On the offside bank just before we turn off for the A414, we see several trees uprooted and laying at odd angles. I can only guess that these are a by-product of the mini tornado that passed through this area yesterday.
We are almost in Hertford now and passing more flooded fields with flocks of Canada geese enjoying the water. Leaving Hertford we pass under dark grey storm clouds and into bright sunshine again, the temperature has risen to nine degrees.
We pass Hatfield where there is much standing water around, we have luckily just missed a heavy rainfall but the sky still looks dark and foreboding.
On to the M25, there is dense bush and tree growth along the verges the white trunks and branches of the birch trees stand out very attractively amongst the rest of the brown and green that populate the motorway edges. It is mid- afternoon on a Tuesday and it is surprising how much traffic there is on the motorway, we are also constantly beset by heavy rain showers.
We turn onto the M40, there are again many hazels displaying their eye catching catkins, but also we are delighted to see bright yellow broom in full bloom. We pass a row of dark forbidding looking conifers, they must be a wonderful shelter for birds during this cold and wet winter, when most other trees are bare. Away to the right we spot great balls of mistletoe, suspended from the highest branches of these distant trees. Catkins hanging from hazels festoon the banks at the edges of the M40 and are a constant delight.
We are now approximately twenty-seven miles from Oxford, the sun is shining, the sky is blue with many soft white clouds and everywhere I look appears to be dry.
So many of the trees on the verge of the motorway are swamped by dense growths of ivy, and I wonder if it will be the downfall of them meanwhile it is a good shelter for wildlife. I spot the first red kite of the journey. In places the white seed heads of old man's beard stretch across the tops of bushes and trees, draping themselves and hanging like curtains. As we pass the turning for Stokenchurch we see a second solitary red .kite. On three sides of us we have an amazing view of the countryside, the fields are a rich spring green and stretch away for miles. We pass a slightly flooded field with forty to fifty gulls in the water, while circling above I see three red kites.
We pass fields of sheep happily grazing in the bright sunshine on the rich green grass. Turning off the M40 I watch two birds flying almost together and am fascinated to watch their different styles.The magpie with his fiercely flapping wings is such a contrast to the slow majestic flight of the nearby red kite, with his outspread wings slowly but surely carrying him.
In Little Milton we come upon flooded roads and water spurting up from a drain cover in the road, a lone pigeon sits high above on the telegraph wire, solemnly surveying his world. The sky is very clouded now with banks of clouds in varying shades of grey, many with edges of brightness.
It is 3:30 pm and we are almost at our journey's end, the temperature has dropped to eight degrees.
Monday, 27 January 2014
Mini Tornado
We were assailed by the forces of nature when a mini tornado passed through this area. The noise of the wind was big and roaring and I have not seen trees bend and bow as greatly, since the great storm of 1987, when we were roused from sleep not only by the roaring of the wind but also tiles being ripped from the roof of our house. Then as now M refused to move or be interested, then staying in bed and now at the laptop, telling me there was nothing he could do. Probably quite right of course, however my reaction was quite different and after looking at the force of the wind on the trees from the lounge window I went to the kitchen, by now we were assailed by very heavy rain and hail, so much so that with the ferocity of the driving wind behind it, we had a 'white out' and I was unable to see more than a few feet from the window. In a nearby town, roofs were torn from houses, trees uprooted, cars and caravans overturned and a train was snatched from its rails. Fortunately it didn't last too long but while it did last it was frightening to see and hear the power of nature unleashed.
Saturday, 25 January 2014
Lone Female Fox
I have a feeling something has happened to the dog fox, the female is once again on her own. For a few nights now she has fed alone with no sign of the male.
This is sad because if she is pregnant, a male would help her with feeding the young. However if she is alone, it is a hard task for her to cope with the demands of a young family. She will have to leave them while she goes out to feed and as the cubs grow older and need food brought to them she will have the worry of leaving them alone while she is away. This is not so bad while her cubs are very young, but as they grow older and start to explore, this is when the danger sets in. Perhaps the biggest danger to them are roads, this is the major cause of fox death in this country.
Should she be lucky enough to have a partner, then he will bring food to the den for her while the cubs are very young. Later when the cubs start weaning, then he will bring food to help feed them, but this is when she will also be hunting for food for them. As the cubs grow older and more adventurous they will be tempted to leave the den and to follow their mother, this is the time when they are most at risk.
This is sad because if she is pregnant, a male would help her with feeding the young. However if she is alone, it is a hard task for her to cope with the demands of a young family. She will have to leave them while she goes out to feed and as the cubs grow older and need food brought to them she will have the worry of leaving them alone while she is away. This is not so bad while her cubs are very young, but as they grow older and start to explore, this is when the danger sets in. Perhaps the biggest danger to them are roads, this is the major cause of fox death in this country.
Should she be lucky enough to have a partner, then he will bring food to the den for her while the cubs are very young. Later when the cubs start weaning, then he will bring food to help feed them, but this is when she will also be hunting for food for them. As the cubs grow older and more adventurous they will be tempted to leave the den and to follow their mother, this is the time when they are most at risk.
Sunday, 12 January 2014
A Frosty Morning, A Hungry Squirrel and a Trip to Oxfordshire.
A bright crisp morning, the pond is iced over as are the bird baths. The frost on the lawn, trees and bushes is thick and white and in the sunshine sparkles like diamonds.
I am in the lounge and look up to see a squirrel standing outside the patio door looking in, tiny hands clasped together and held at chest height. I have already fed the visitors to our garden, so he is either a latecomer or very hungry. I leave what I am doing to go to the kitchen and feed him, as always by the time I reach the kitchen window he is there waiting, standing on the feeding table peering through the window.
We are on our way to Oxfordshire to see our grandson, his lovely partner and our much loved great grandson. In the flooded fields there is no movement to be seen in the water, for it is frozen solid, gulls stand dejectedly by or balance on the ice, if the water is frozen so must the ground be, this is when food is hard to come by and when they usually visit gardens in the hope of finding sustenance.
We left our garden just a few minutes ago at ten twenty five and the lawn was still frostily white and glimmering in the sunlight. It is three degrees centigrade. The surprising sight for me is the green of the fields, I expected them to still be white as were our lawns, however they were only frostily white on the north and east facing edges.Across the fields we can view the river it is brimful, no wonder it tips over and fills the fields.
The sun is warm through the car window and I notice that at one point on the motorway, water running across the carriageway has frozen solid and formed an ice river, no doubt the action of tyres together with the now bright sun will soon cause it to melt.
Further on the left hand banks of the M25 are in shadow and still frostily white, while the right hand side are bright and bathed in sunlight. The sunshine picks out variations in the structure of the trees and lifts and highlights the wintry green mossy colour of their trunks and branches, making them eye catching and interesting to look at. Catkins on the hazel trees are lengthening and lightening in colour, making them very attractive, while beech trees are still holding fast to their shock of dead, rusty brown leaves, which I am sure would still crackle if you scrunched them together, they don't look at all soft but still crisp.
At one point we pass an apple tree still weighed down by hundreds of bright green apples but bereft of any leaves.
The sky has clouded over and without the sun the view from the windows seems dreary and winter grey.
We are on the M40 now and the journey is brightened by many hazel bushes of dangling catkins and bright yellow gorse bushes, we pass a field with an enormous gaggle of over one hundred Canada geese. Just past the Marlow turning on the M40 we see our first red kite circling high above the motorway and I hope he/she doesn't try to feed on the body of the fox we have just passed, it is too near passing vehicles for safety.
Further on we see another solitary red kite, they are very distinctive with their forked tails and wing markings and I wonder why they have both been alone. Suddenly there are six circling overhead and I am reassured these beautiful birds are still plentiful. We pass fields of sheep scattered across the grass and busily cropping it.
We turn off the M40 and as we do so I am surprised to see a ten foot stretch of winter flowering jasmine by the side of the road in full bloom and growing wild and free and forming a short hedge with its own beauty.
We pass through Little Milton a pretty Oxfordshire village of mellow stone. We are in Stadhampton now and at our journey's end.We will have a lovely time here with them plus from my grandsons window I shall see many varieties of birds which I will show my great grandson.
I am in the lounge and look up to see a squirrel standing outside the patio door looking in, tiny hands clasped together and held at chest height. I have already fed the visitors to our garden, so he is either a latecomer or very hungry. I leave what I am doing to go to the kitchen and feed him, as always by the time I reach the kitchen window he is there waiting, standing on the feeding table peering through the window.
We are on our way to Oxfordshire to see our grandson, his lovely partner and our much loved great grandson. In the flooded fields there is no movement to be seen in the water, for it is frozen solid, gulls stand dejectedly by or balance on the ice, if the water is frozen so must the ground be, this is when food is hard to come by and when they usually visit gardens in the hope of finding sustenance.
We left our garden just a few minutes ago at ten twenty five and the lawn was still frostily white and glimmering in the sunlight. It is three degrees centigrade. The surprising sight for me is the green of the fields, I expected them to still be white as were our lawns, however they were only frostily white on the north and east facing edges.Across the fields we can view the river it is brimful, no wonder it tips over and fills the fields.
The sun is warm through the car window and I notice that at one point on the motorway, water running across the carriageway has frozen solid and formed an ice river, no doubt the action of tyres together with the now bright sun will soon cause it to melt.
Further on the left hand banks of the M25 are in shadow and still frostily white, while the right hand side are bright and bathed in sunlight. The sunshine picks out variations in the structure of the trees and lifts and highlights the wintry green mossy colour of their trunks and branches, making them eye catching and interesting to look at. Catkins on the hazel trees are lengthening and lightening in colour, making them very attractive, while beech trees are still holding fast to their shock of dead, rusty brown leaves, which I am sure would still crackle if you scrunched them together, they don't look at all soft but still crisp.
At one point we pass an apple tree still weighed down by hundreds of bright green apples but bereft of any leaves.
The sky has clouded over and without the sun the view from the windows seems dreary and winter grey.
We are on the M40 now and the journey is brightened by many hazel bushes of dangling catkins and bright yellow gorse bushes, we pass a field with an enormous gaggle of over one hundred Canada geese. Just past the Marlow turning on the M40 we see our first red kite circling high above the motorway and I hope he/she doesn't try to feed on the body of the fox we have just passed, it is too near passing vehicles for safety.
Further on we see another solitary red kite, they are very distinctive with their forked tails and wing markings and I wonder why they have both been alone. Suddenly there are six circling overhead and I am reassured these beautiful birds are still plentiful. We pass fields of sheep scattered across the grass and busily cropping it.
We turn off the M40 and as we do so I am surprised to see a ten foot stretch of winter flowering jasmine by the side of the road in full bloom and growing wild and free and forming a short hedge with its own beauty.
We pass through Little Milton a pretty Oxfordshire village of mellow stone. We are in Stadhampton now and at our journey's end.We will have a lovely time here with them plus from my grandsons window I shall see many varieties of birds which I will show my great grandson.
Saturday, 11 January 2014
Early Spring Flowers and a Bee.
A beautiful January morning with bright, sunny, clear blue skies and a light wind.
A walk round the garden brought many surprises, the first was tiny blue and green iris in full bloom. These were swiftly followed by snowdrops, hellebores, aconites, pretty pink and blue flowers pulmonarias with their eye-catching white spotted green leaves, pink campion and wild geraniums both of the last two have been in flower for many months now.
Trusses of bright yellow mahonias are giving a wonderful display as are the pink and very perfumed Viburnum Bodnantense, another Viburnum which I am not sure of the name, but think it may be Dentatum. I also found two types of nettle flowering very freely, one had soft felted leaves and the other was more traditional looking.
Today I saw the first bee of the year.
A walk round the garden brought many surprises, the first was tiny blue and green iris in full bloom. These were swiftly followed by snowdrops, hellebores, aconites, pretty pink and blue flowers pulmonarias with their eye-catching white spotted green leaves, pink campion and wild geraniums both of the last two have been in flower for many months now.
Trusses of bright yellow mahonias are giving a wonderful display as are the pink and very perfumed Viburnum Bodnantense, another Viburnum which I am not sure of the name, but think it may be Dentatum. I also found two types of nettle flowering very freely, one had soft felted leaves and the other was more traditional looking.
Today I saw the first bee of the year.
Saturday, 4 January 2014
Flooded Fields, Gulls and Foxes
The meadows at the end of the garden are flooded and the view is different each time I look out. At night the street lights and lights of passing cars on the distant road are prettily reflected in shades of red, yellow and white. Whether the night is moonlit or cloudy also makes a difference, a dark, sombre night means large pools of near black, while a moonlit night shows ripples of light moving across the surface of the water. Daylight brings differing shades of grey some making the water look listless and heavy, while in the sunlight the water sparkles and glistens with each movement across its surface. These movements in themselves are interesting, because the causes are so many and varied, they might be from the water rushing across the field as it tips over the edge of the river bank and hurries to find a level in the green grass. The action of the wind is another cause, its speed and strength on the water surface or even the wild life visiting, for instance the heron stopping to stiff leggedly stalk his prey before lunging forward to capture it, or a flock of gulls descending to eat and rest.
A joyfulness seems to fill the gulls when the fields are flooded, one or two pass over then fly away again returning with more each time, the flock grows and swells until it is a huge grey, black and white movement filling the air above the water. The noise grows as their numbers swell and they excitedly fly back and forth over the water, swooping up and down until eventually they all land, some I expect to excitedly feed on the fat worms that have been drawn to the surface by the floods, others to just rest contentedly on the surface of the flooded fields.
The foxes are later arriving for their food each night, could this be because of the flooded fields, if so this is worriesome because it means they will probably have to come by way of the road, which means they increase their chance of being knocked down by a vehicle.
A joyfulness seems to fill the gulls when the fields are flooded, one or two pass over then fly away again returning with more each time, the flock grows and swells until it is a huge grey, black and white movement filling the air above the water. The noise grows as their numbers swell and they excitedly fly back and forth over the water, swooping up and down until eventually they all land, some I expect to excitedly feed on the fat worms that have been drawn to the surface by the floods, others to just rest contentedly on the surface of the flooded fields.
The foxes are later arriving for their food each night, could this be because of the flooded fields, if so this is worriesome because it means they will probably have to come by way of the road, which means they increase their chance of being knocked down by a vehicle.
Thursday, 2 January 2014
A Fallen Tree
Firstly I would like to wish all of my nature blog followers a happy and healthy New Year.
A tree came down across the lane yesterday, it took with it the telephone lines, the fire brigade soon arrived and the tree was cut into large logs which were piled on the bank at one side of the lane. Two days later the logs had vanished as if by magic! Taken in the dead of night.
The tree that fell was very old and appeared to have no life left in it, there was however a healthy growth of ivy covering the whole tree from top to bottom. I wondered what wildlife the tree was home to, and hoped there were no birds nesting in there, as this would be a cold and difficult time for them to resettle. Doubtless there were very many insects overwintering in the cracks and crevices of the old bark and also in the dense ivy surrounding the tree even to its uppermost branches.
A tree came down across the lane yesterday, it took with it the telephone lines, the fire brigade soon arrived and the tree was cut into large logs which were piled on the bank at one side of the lane. Two days later the logs had vanished as if by magic! Taken in the dead of night.
The tree that fell was very old and appeared to have no life left in it, there was however a healthy growth of ivy covering the whole tree from top to bottom. I wondered what wildlife the tree was home to, and hoped there were no birds nesting in there, as this would be a cold and difficult time for them to resettle. Doubtless there were very many insects overwintering in the cracks and crevices of the old bark and also in the dense ivy surrounding the tree even to its uppermost branches.
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