2022 A Pair of 'Garden Firsts'

 10th March was a good day for 'garden firsts' of the season:

* a Peacock butterfly (my first butterfly seen anywhere in 2022)

* a 7-spot Ladybird

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus

 

Wishing you all

a very happy St David's Day. 

◊

 

Spring is in the air at last, and we are delighted to have a few miniature daffodils in flower. We also have crocus, hellebore, cyclamen and miniature iris. 

 

 

I have spotted one of two queen bumblebees and a hoverfly, and hope it will not be long before I see my first butterfly of 2022. 

 

The spherical Wasp Spider egg-sac in the photo above rather looks as though it has been predated or come apart, perhaps due to the gales. I hope we will have more Wasp Spiders in the garden this coming summer, but it will be a case of 'wait and see'. 

 

 

Hemley and Kirton Creek on the River Deben

 

Kirton Creek

Last time we visited the village of Hemley, the footpath down to Kirton Creek was closed for maintenance. Last weekend we managed to get a little closer, but were forced to turn back by a waterlogged marsh, almost certainly on account of the combination of a particularly high tide and the storm winds. But we will try again, probably in the summer when the path should be more passable. 

I failed to get a photograph, but it was good to see a Marsh Harrier. These birds were so rare during my teenage years in Norfolk, but are not an uncommon site in this part of the world - if you are in the right habitat.

Across the Deben to the church of St Margaret of Antioch, Shottisham

Looking towards Ramsholt

Curlew overhead

 

All Saint's, Hemley, Suffolk

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2022

 

Long-tailed tits with Blue tit in the wings, 29 January 2022

 

The results of our 2022 Big Garden Birdwatch are in, and sadly we are a little disappointed at this year's numbers. We are not particularly surprised as (a) we have had a couple of very recent visits from a female Sparrowhawk and (b) conditions were far from ideal with Storm Malik blowing the bushes about. Incidentally, all my photos in this post were taken during the hour of the survey (through double-glazing).

 

Blue tits and Great tit

 

We put out four coconut fatballs, one container of peanuts and a small canister of Niger/Nyjer seeds. The Goldfinches (when they visit) are never interested in our Niger seeds, which is a shame. 

We had a total of 10 species:

1. Blackbird (three at once)
2. Blue tit (six at once)
3. Great tit (two at once)
4. House Sparrow (one)
5. Long-tailed tit (two at once)
6. Magpie (one)
7. Starling (two at once)
8. Carrion Crow (one)
9. Feral Pigeon (two)
10. Blackcap (presumably are 'regular' female) 

 

Female Blackcap

 

The 'regulars' who were noticeable by their absence on this occasion were the Robin, the Dunnocks, the Goldfinches, the Woodpigeons, the Great spotted Woodpecker and the Wren. We occasionally spot a Coal tit and rarely see Chaffinches, and Collared Doves. Very occasionally we notice a Song Thrush. There are often various gull species about, but few come in to land.  

I wonder what you have been seeing. Here are some of the visiting Blue tits ...

 

And finally, here are the RSPB charts pertaining to the data we submitted. It will be interesting to see the nationwide results in due course. 

There is always the Climate Crisis to consider, but I wonder how much the pandemic will be responsible for variations from normal trends. We have a hunch that the many Woodpigeons in our neck of the woods moved to other areas when a local entertainment venue was forced to limit its hours of operation, and there were consequently less pickings to be had.

 

 

 

Early Snowdrops in Martlesham

We always enjoy an annual visit to the Snowdrops in the churchyard at Martlesham, across the river Deben from NT Sutton Hoo. We knew we were pretty early for spring flowers, but it was a delight to find a good spread, if not quite a carpet, of these beautiful flowers. I expect we will return in a few weeks, once the Crocuses have had a chance to open.

Church of St Mary the Virgin. Most Snowdrops were the far side of the flint-faced tower.

We watched this Buzzard being dive-bombed by a screeching Kestrel.

Catkins

I love to be near reeds

A very poor record shot, sorry; best my Zoom could manage, but lovely to see these Lapwing

I love Snowdrops, but I also look forward to the riot of colour that comes later ...

... and indeed, we saw our first Daffodil in flower, but don't you love the purity of the Snowdrop?

 

Trailcam Update and RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Reminder

We hope to take part once again in the annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which runs from 28 to 30 January 2022. It is always interesting to see which of the 'regulars' deign to show up during our chosen hour, and if there are any surprises. Do consider taking part yourselves; this must be one of the largest and most popular citizen science projects around.

You might be wondering why I am posting a photograph of a Grey Squirrel. Well, it occurred to me that taking part in the Birdwatch is a bit like taking the photographs off our garden Trailcam ... you never quite know what you will find.  

Our Trailcam has picked up the following creatures to date:

1. Blackbird
2. Robin
3. Blue tit
4. Pigeon
5. Magpie
   
6. Great tit
7. Grey Squirrel
8. Mouse
9. Other people's domestic cats ... several

We keep hoping it will deliver a surprise, though I have to say that (despite the charm of 'Ray' the rodent on BBC Winterwatch), I am glad we have not ended up with frame upon frame of rats! In fact, rats have not appeared at all to date. Perhaps I should mention Ray's nemesis, the Tawny Owl; as it happens, I have just heard our resident bird calling, but I sense an appearance on the Trailcam is, at the very least, unlikely. 

Here is a small selection of our recent photographs ...

I would love to know the real colour of the fur.

One of our faithful visitors, a female Blackbird

This one was burning the midnight oil ...

This was the early bird Grey Squirrel.

 

 

NT Sutton Hoo ... or ... If You Go Down To The Woods

Well, it may not have been a teddy bears' picnic, but it was a joy to experience an unexpected encounter with a pair of Muntjac deer as we walked away from the picnic site overlooking the river Deben. The photos were taken with my zoom lens as we had no wish to cause alarm. One of the deer watched us closely, but neither seemed perturbed by our presence.

There were very few small birds about in the wood. We saw crows, gulls and pigeons overhead. I wonder who will gorge on these remaining berries. 

We were looking out over the estuary towards Woodbridge when a Kestrel landed on a bare branch and perched there surveying the scene for a few seconds. 

The Kestrel flying off

Preparing for take-off

Showing its beady eye

Were we friend or foe?

Woodbridge on the far shore

Our sunlit path

Wolf in the woods (for 'wolf' see here ... and for Sutton Hoo wolf purse lid see here)