At last some of the stringent restrictions we have had during lockdown have lifted and most places in Scotland can enjoy a bit more freedom. One good thing that has come out of this long winter lockdown is that people have had time from their busy lives to notice the beauty that surrounds them. An appreciation of nature has shown that deep down it is important to all of us and that it is there for all to enjoy, whether you live in a city flat or out in the wilds like us greenery and the natural world that is within is beautiful. Maybe this will make the world a better place for all.
Our first image is of a female Chaffinch, I have shown you the male before which was a very colourful bird and though the female is a lot plainer it is still a beautiful bird. Over the last week or so we have had an influx of both Chaffinches and Siskins and they are now the main birds we see on the feeders. I guess these are migratory birds that will spend the summer with us and breed before flying off to warmer climes, whatever they are a welcome addition to the garden population.
Another sign that things are warming up we have at last got some Cowslips coming out, though not a great number like our garden conditions we do get pockets of them appearing in the garden, though not that many out in the wild.
Okay we have to accept Wasp’s are going to be with us throughout the summer nobody really looks forward to their arrival. This is one of the first we have seen in the garden but no doubt they will multiply as the weather improves. Some of you may not be aware that two years ago a swarm took over an empty Blue Tit box in my garden and literally covered the whole of the outside of the box with their paper nest and just left a tiny hole in the middle to get inside the box. It was fantastic in the winter when I cleaned it out to see the intricate building work they had done within.
As you are aware I lost all of the fish in my pond due to the very prolonged freezing weather so as my birthday is rapidly approaching when one of my two sons asked what I would like for my birthday I automatically said “fish for my pond please”. So today while shopping in Perth we called into the pet store and purchased ten new fish including the five in the picture above. They hid for the first thirty minutes of releasing them, but then seemed to be exploring their new home, lets hope they enjoy it, I shall have great pleasure in watching them swimming around.
Great excitement in our household as this new freedom we have got allows our other son from Sheffield to visit us tomorrow and stay with us, this is the first time we have seen him since September.
Nothing beats a mothers joy of seeing one of her two sons after 9 months of lockdown, such relief that just poured out.
Okay a bit unusual this shot, so busy today as it is not only my birthday it is also the opportunity to have the Christmas meal we missed out on with our son and partner. This shows the devastation we caused to that long awaited to eat turkey, just delicious and worth waiting for. Having a break before we tackle the Christmas pud and custard, I will try not to fall asleep in the meantime.
My main birthday present was a night time moth trap which I have dreamt of owning for years, So of course last night it had to go out for a trial run, even though it was blowing a gale and very cold. I didn’t hold up much hope of catching a single moth under those conditions. To my surprise this morning I had one moth inside the trap and due to the fact there are hundreds of different moths with the help of my son we eventually found the name of the one above. Of course (being me) it is very common throughout the U.K. and is called a Streamer. So all I need now is the weather to warm up, some dry nights and a lot of patience to look up what it is when I do catch some.
Called a Lollipop Primula this cracking little plant is just making an appearance in our garden, it is the standard type version of a normal Primula and when fully out in a ball looks like a lollipop on a stick, hence it’s name. Beautiful colours with it’s orange/red underside and the striking yellow petals.
Three for the price of one today, these are the three different colours of Forget-Me-Nots that are abundant in the garden at the moment. Light conditions were not that good as it has rained ALL day, in fact the hills had an icing sugar dusting of snow overnight. But have tried to show the normal blue, followed by the pink and the not so common white. I have been assured by my head gardener that if these lovely little plants were not controlled they would take over the whole of the garden.
Went fishing today and caught two very nice Rainbow Trout one was a cross between a Rainbow and a Brown Trout called a Tiger and as (of course) I had my camera with me was going to be the shot for today, but I am afraid it was surpassed by this little beauty.
I am hopeless at identifying most wading birds as it is an area of ornithology I have not really studied , so I asked some friends on a forum what it was as it is like two or three similar birds. Turns out it is a Common Sandpiper, trust me to not know what it was and it has the name Common because it is just that and is seen throughout the British Isles. I had seen it up at Blair Walker before but always in flight never sitting on a post as this one was, thank you Sandpiper for the pose.
Slowly one by one the Azaleas are coming out, this yellow one is always the first and gives off the most wonderful scent of them all. Over the next couple of weeks I will try and bring you each colour as it makes a terrific show on one side of the garden. The lady who owned this house before us really knew her stuff when it came to laying out the garden and we do appreciate it, as to be honest we could not have planned it half as well as she did.
I have not had a clue on how many hundreds of moths that we have in G.B. and as I stated on the last moth posting, just how difficult it would be to identify each one. At present (I think mainly down to the cold weather we are having) the above is only the second moth I have caught in my trap and that took me a good half an hour to find what it was. Just imagine in the summer, when we have loads of moths flying around and get caught in the trap, how long it is going to take me to identify everyone.
Anyway I think I have found the name of the one above, I magnify the fact that I THINK it is a Dwarf Pug, once again a very common moth throughout Britain, which likes conifers. As our garden is full of them it is not that surprising to find it here. I do like the way it flew to the window on release and that enabled me to get such a clear shot of it.
One thing I have been amazed at during this quest for a different shot each day is how observant I have become with things that in the past I have taken for granted. This is a prime example, look at the new growth on this Christmas tree, it is really beautiful, such a luscious lime green and a very vigorous growth throughout the tree, love it.
Almost ashamed to put this on as it is so out of focus, I have my excuses 1/ I was walking up to Sarah’s Pond, which is a very steep climb and I was well out of breath. 2/ I was carrying my fishing rod and landing net and could not put it down in case the Fox noticed the movement and was gone before getting a shot off with the camera of course. 3/ It saw me and I knew I literally had seconds to grab the shot, 4/The Sigma 150-600 lens is very heavy to take a long distant rushed shot and lastly 5/ it was over 100 yards away from me. So this was very much a grabbed shot and it is the only Fox I have ever seen in the 18 odd years we have been here. Just caught the movement of it out of the corner of my eye and it was just staring at me, but I am not sure where it was before I saw it.
I just love the way these Ferns unruffle themselves like a curled up insect tongue just ready to pounce on something and in this present sunny conditions they are radiant.
Just to say my desktop computer has gone and died on me, so though I am a day early for the end of the month I will continue taking my daily shots but will not be able to convey my blog to you until I get it fixed. Which I hope will not be to long.