GARDEN BLOG - LATE WINTER & EARLY SPRING
Well February certainly was full of surprises.
Not only for the extremes of weather but also regarding a couple of unexpected visitors to the garden!
The first to appear was the Eurasian Blackcap. I hadn’t seen this in the garden for a couple of years so was excited to see him visiting our feeders. I haven’t seen a female as yet but, hopefully, she will be somewhere in the background.
The second surprise was a female Sparrowhawk suddenly landing on the fence. Obviously after an easy meal from the feeding birds in the plum tree. At the time she appeared I was in the middle of a Skype with an Australian friend. She wondered what had happened when I disappeared from view to grab my camera. Sorry Angie - I couldn’t miss the opportunity to get a shot! :)
Finally, the Bank Vole has re-appeared and has been quite bold by feeding out in the open in the warm sunshine - watch out though for the Sparrowhawk “Voley”!
The snow early in the month was not unusual for the time of the year but the following ‘heat wave’ was incredible. Brimstone, Speckled Wood and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies came from nowhere - along with Hover flies, worker honey bees and huge bumblebees. The added bonus of the abnormally high temperatures has been the bright colour of the Spring flowers which are a joy to see.
Birds seen in the garden: Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Dunnock, Robin, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Starling, Wood Pigeon, Sparrrowhawk, Blackbird, Collared Dove, Magpie, Song Thrush, House Sparrow, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and the Black Cap.
