Much ado about the weather

It's been unbelievably wet and windy here this week.  There has been rain every day and it has been dark most of the time.  This time last week there were still quite a lot of leaves on the trees but in the past few days they have all been stripped off and scattered over my lawn, it looked like a leaf patterned 1970's carpet.  If you can call it a lawn that is, it's more like a patch of grass, weeds and fungus which just happens to be outside my back door and that's just how I like it.  Anyway, the wind.  I have laid in bed every night listening to the trees being thoroughly whipped by the wind, hearing watering cans and other small objects going crashing across the patio.  It's actually been quite dramatic but it was really getting beyond a joke.

This morning I got up to a lovely sight.  Bright sunshine coming through the bare trees.  It was still windy but it had changed direction.  After strewing (is strewing a word?) the leaves all over the lawn it had blown them all neatly to the edges of the wood, just as if Mother Nature had been out there with her garden vac/blower all night.  Very tidy.  Even better it was not raining!  It was however still howling a gale and the trees were thrashing about in all directions.

I did my usual dash out into the garden to see a flock of about 100 Pink-footed Geese come over at about 10am.  I still can't stop myself dropping everything and dashing out to see them, they are just wonderful.  It was still blowing strongly and I stood frozen, battered by the wind, staring upwards with my hair blowing in all directions.  Then after I went indoors the strangest thing happened.  Within about two minutes the wind totally dropped.  It was really eerie, we actually saw it stop.  I can't say I have ever seen anything quite like it.  After a while a breeze came up but not proper wind like it had been.  All very strange.   Another of Nature's mysteries.

A sunny window

It was a horrible day today, the only time it stopped raining was when it was drizzling.  Then just before sundown the rain cleared and suddenly everywhere was bathed in the most beautiful lemon light.  This prompted a mad panic, grabbing my camera, hauling on a coat and unsuitable shoes and running down to the broad as fast as possible. 

As usual there were people in the way.  I waited for them to pass but they decided to come almost up to me then turn round and go back again!  Grrrr I need a delete button for people!

After that I had a go at photographing some unhelpful swans.  Sadly they were camera shy but I did manage to get one or two that were almost good.



If only he had held his head up



Then I photographed an alien spacecraft.  Well, obviously I know they are not but just think of the fun I could have with them!  Check out the local news tomorrow for other sightings....



Spacecraft approaching....




Just leaving......

 Just time for a few more shots, purely gratuitous but it's been a while since this blog has had photos!

As soon as darkness fell the rain resumed.  I think I was lucky to get that little window on such a rubbish day.

Percy the frustrated Pheasant

There is a very frustrated Pheasant in my garden at the moment.  I decided that the smaller birds needed some assistance getting their share of the food.  The Pheasants are basically greedy eating machines and have their own food left out by the gamekeeper, so as much as I like to encourage them they are not exactly 'in need'.  Recently they have been stripping everything I put on the ground for Robins, Chaffinches and Dunnocks.

I have been thinking about this problem for a while.  The obvious solution is one of those posh cage things The RSPB sells but at over 25 quid each depending on which model you would like to spend your life savings on they are out of my reach.  Honestly you could spend a fortune kitting out your garden with just the basics!  I had toyed with stealing a basket from Tesco's and putting it upside down over the food but decided theft was going a bit too far.  Anyway I had a flash of inspiration this morning that the box type squirrel proof (shhh don't listen butterfly) fat ball feeder I have hanging from the laurel tree (he hasn't noticed it) might just work on the ground too.  Obviously it's not ideal but I am hoping it will help.  The bars are too close for blackbirds and thrushes but at least it will keep those greedy Pheasants off some of the food.

So I dashed down to the local shop and purchased another feeder for the affordable sum of £2.49.  I can't understand why they are so cheap but am not going to argue.  It is now proudly sitting under my laurel tree with a fat ball in the middle and assorted seed inside the cage.  I also put plenty of seed down elsewhere for Percy & Co.  No small birds have ventured near it as yet but the Pheasants found it right away.  Apart from Percy (perseverance) they all quickly realised that they were not able to get into it, so got down to the business of munching all the other seed.  However Percy has spent the last 15 mins walking in circles round it pecking at the ground in a most self pitying manner.  His friends found him embarrassing and left but he has stayed alone, walking round and round.  I am sure there will be a bald circle around the feeder when I go out there! 

Havoc the Kestrel

I had great fun at The Haven yesterday.  The Kestrel which was new in last week has found his feet and come to life.  He is far too tame to be a real wildie but I am told does not seem to be trained to the glove so it would appear has not been used by a falconer.  It seems he has had a bleed behind his eye at some stage so can't see well enough to hunt.  When he first came in all that was in his pellets were beetles.  Not good food for a Kestrel but no doubt all he could find, poor thing.  He is now wolfing down day old chicks like they are going out of fashion.  It was great watching him tearing at them with his wonderful beak.

He is now happy to fly around free in the hospital, landing on whatever and whoever he feels like.  It was so mad having a Kestrel whizzing past your head!  At one point he landed on my chest and sat picking at the logo on my fleece.  He must have been there quite a few minutes and it totally made my day.  He landed on the new volunteer's head and 'blessed' her and also on the shoulder of a visitor who was bringing in the cutest fluffiest pigeon I have ever seen.  He flew into the kitchen and landed on a plastic beaker of water, spilling it all over a bag of chick crumb.  He has now been christened 'Havoc' which I think is an absolutely brilliant name for him!

Pinkies!

It was a gorgeous morning so I decided to go for a walk around Rush Hill Scrape and follow the path along the wood where I had never explored before.  I set off with my bins and camera on the seat next to me, ready for anything.  I had only been driving a couple of minutes when I had to do an emergency pull in to a layby.  Well actually the entrance to a farmers field but he wasn't there so what he does not know will not hurt him.  This is what I had seen.



Pink Footed Geese



There were about 1000 - 1500 of them grazing in the sugar beet field behind the field where I went strawberry picking earlier this year.  Obviously I have seen Pinkies en masse before but never within spitting distance of my home.  What a treat!  Hopefully this is just the start of seeing them grazing locally.

My walk was fairly uneventful, although very enjoyable.  I had been craving the smells of Autumn and this was the closest to a forest I could think of locally.  Having grown up so close to Epping Forest I have taken Autumn walks through the leaves for granted and have really been missing it this year.  There are just not any forests round here.  There is my wood of course but I am still banned.  I will either have to find somewhere localish to crunch through the leaves or make a long pilgrimage back to High Beech to get my fix!

Hairy hairy quite contrary

"Dinner's in the garden"  said Hairy Hubby as we drank our coffee.  I knew exactly what he meant, he has been waffling on and on about eating Pheasent ever since the shooting season started.  I looked out of the window to see what seed the bird was eating. 

I am currently doing my own little survey of which seed the birds eat.  They don't seem very keen on anything but Black Sunflower seed and I am hoping to attract a wider range of birds to the garden with a wider range of food.  Owlmomma at The Haven gave me some of the seed they use their for the wildies to see if that was better than the floorsweepings they sell in the shops.  Up to yet nothing has touched it apart from Pheasents and only then if it is strewn all over the lawn. 

I was knowledgeably telling The Hairy One about my survey and that the Pheasant would eat every seed put out except what I had put in the tray when typically the dratted bird called me a liar and began to clear the plate.

The Hairy One thought this highly amusing and started musing about his air rifle again.  I told him that as soon as he opened the window the bird would be gone, they are very skittish.  I should have known better with this bird.  Hairy Hubby quietly opened the window, mimed cocking his rifle, aimed and pretended to fire.  The soppy bird just kept eating the seed I said he wouldn't eat and didn't move a muscle.    Even when I slammed the window with a bang he kept right on munching.  Dratted bird, at least it amused His Hairiness!

The villan, The Lads and the leaves

Well I think I have met the culpret of last weeks slaughter.  While sitting in my study chatting to Hairy Hubby and gazing out of the window at the feeders (as I seem to spend half my life doing) a massive juvenile Sparrowhawk landed in the big Sycamore.  Honestly it was huge, it looked like a Golden Eagle sitting there.  So massive that when I grabbed my bins, which were conveniently on the desk for once and looked for it I couldn't see it.  Muttering curses I scanned the tree.  The Hairy One helpfully jabbed his finger at the window saying 'Look there it is' and of course it flew off.  I think it should of been me who wrote the book 'How to be a bad Birdwatcher'

We are having increasingly frequent visits from a band of male Pheasents who I now call 'The Lads'.  They come in a few at a time, very cautious and skittish.  If they see a mere shadow of you through the glass they are gone, running away with that comical gait they have.  They are mostly young, a couple of them barely have tail feathers but one is a fine old gentleman dressed in full Pheasent finery.  I like to see him as the wise old man of the group, teaching The Lads the ways of pheasentry.  Showing them the best places to feed (my garden being top of the list of course) and how to avoid the perils of shooting days.  I have been told by Hairy Hubby via The Tree Surgeon that The Gamekeeper is not allowing shooting of the Pheasents just yet because they are too young and can't fly.  Shooting is confined to Red Legged Partridges at the other side of the wood, which explains why I have seen no signs of it.

Autumn seems later here in Norfolk.  I know for a fact that Spring was so I shouldn't be surprised really.  Most of the trees are still green.  There are a couple which are shedding their leaves, making my garden look very autumnal.  I love it but Hairy Hubby keeps muttering about playing with his garden vac.  Personally I think he should leave it a while yet until there are more leaves.  To save his back you understand, not because I like seeing the leaves!  I am really looking forward to the wood being in full autumn colours. 

It is noticeable now how much more of the sky can be seen through the trees and how much more light is in the forest just from the few leaves which have fallen.  We were even able to see a Muntjac out there last weekend.  That is the first time for months.  I would love to know if they have been there all the time or not.  Maybe we just could not see them.  Because I can't go out into the wood I don't have a clue if they still lie in the blackcurrant field in the afternoons.  I would love to know.  I was told there are Red Deer out there in the winter.  I won't know that either.  Ok time to stop and give myself a slap on the wrist for moaning!