Wildlife
Some notes on wildlife observed at the garden ...
| 10 Dec 2011 | A female blackbird, puffed out against the cold and still with a few of its juvenile feathers, sat very still on a branch near the classroom and didn't seem disturbed despite the comings and goings of people nearby. Perhaps as a young bird it was still uncertain in flight. |
| 5 Dec 2011 | Everything is mixed up due to this autumn's very warm weather. Found a fat green caterpillar nestled at the base of a rocket plant. |
| 6 Nov 2011 | A lot of great tit and blue tit activity in the young trees along the fence by the large container plots. As the autumn leaves drop it's easier to see these busy birds and enjoy watching them. |
| 23 Oct 2011 | Watched a squirrel hang upside down on one of the bird feeders, taking peanuts from the bottom where the wire mesh has been slightly eased apart. The squirrel 'motorway' (across the top of the fencing above the long wall) seemed especially busy this morning. |
| 22 Oct 2011 | A fox sat enjoying the warm morning sun, partly hidden amongst the vegetables. |
| 21 Oct 2011 | A friendly robin kept me company as I cut back some plants in the border. Perched on a post nearby it chattered away - a different song from its full throttle song at dawn. It hopped very close to my feet to pick up newly exposed insects. |
| 9 Oct 2011 | Watched a female blackbird pluck a large ripe blackberry from the plot next to mine and disappear into some plant cover with its booty. |
| 8 Oct 2011 | Listened to a robin singing at dawn - so loud for a tiny bird and I only realised it was a robin when I saw the bird. |
| 28 Sep 2011 | A huddle of three tiny young ladybirds were on a plant leaf and an adult on another leaf nearby. Despite being so small the youngsters' spots were all there in miniature detail. |
| 26 Sep 2011 | A grey squirrel grappled noisily with a large piece of coconut left over from yesterday's Flower and Produce Show. Having gripped it firmly in its teeth, the squirrel clambered with some effort up a trellis and into the tall trees behind the garden wall, presumably to stash it somewhere for the winter. I've never seen a squirrel carry anything so large in its mouth. |
| 20 Sep 2011 | Early this morning, droplets of water (rain or dew?) were hanging in rows along every frond of a tall fern-like plant. They looked like the crystals of a chandelier. |
Big Garden Birdwatch, 29 Jan 2011
House sparrow, 11; great tit, 10; robin, 3; blackbird, 6; wood pigeon, 4; blue tit, 6; pied wagtail, 2; chaffinch, 4; feral pigeon, 3; carrion crow, 1; great spotted woodpecker, 1; common gull, 6.
| 26 Mar 2010 | Collared doves nesting in Docwra's Wood and dunnocks in the garden. Lots of newts in the pond, and some frogspawn has finally appeared! |
| 10 Jan 2010 | Fieldfares and redwings |
| 2 Feb 2009 | Chaffinch by the bird feeders |
| 23 Sep 2008 | Giant orange slug by the compost bins |
| 18 Sep 2008 | Frog found near Plot 41 |
| 3 Sep 2008 | Frog found in the pond while clearing it out for remediation works |
| 22 Jun 2008 | Stag beetle in the greenhouse |
| 21 Jun 2008 | Goldfinch eating seeds in the wildflower border |
| 21 Jun 2008 | Loads of pondskaters on pond |
| 21 Apr 2008 | Pondskaters on pond |
| 20 Oct 2007 | Baby squirrel under shed; Red Admiral butterfly; woodlice; snails; earwig; round black shiny iridescent beetle; centipede |
| 22 Oct 2007 | Newts in the wood |
| 21 Sep 2007 | Great spotted woodpecker |
| 1 Apr 2006 | Long-tailed tit; blackbird |
| 11 Mar 2006 | Grey wagtail; great spotted woodpecker; robin |
