Buzzing With Life

Yesterday we had wall to wall Sunshine.
The second day where the temperature has reached 14C by the afternoon.
Returning from our mid morning walk the first thing which caught my eye ...



... the various growths on the Hibiscus bush.
Its branches always looks well and truly dead this time of year.

Next spotted were the first opening flowers on ...



... the tete-a-tete miniature narcissus bulbs.

Nearby were in the order of 20 ...



... 7 spot ladybirds scattered about.

I decided to wander over to have a look at my heather plants.
Even more of them there ...



But almost deafening was the sheer number of ...

 

... bees busy buzzing from flower to flower.



Lots of background twittering from the House Sparrows.
Amazing what a bit of warmth will produce this time of year.

A Splash of Colour

While my miniature narcissus are in full bloom other bulbs seem to be well behind them at the moment:







Photos taken with Nikon S9050.
Colour popped in Compose Lite
Borders in PhotoScape X

Another new Serif Affinity Photo beta was released today. Still developing and improving.

A Day of Flutters

It took a while to get going but today was glorious and lived up to the forecast with my weather station recording a high of 19.7˚C with wall to wall Sunshine:



All the miniature Narcissus were in full bloom.



The highlight for me was seeing dozens of butterflies emerging from their Winter shelter spots.

Mainly Small Tortoiseshells:






and Peacocks:




The only other type I saw were five Brimstones but they would not settle anywhere near to be photographed. That is more Brimstones than I saw in the whole of last year. So far it is looking good for a decent year of flutters.

Also emerging from various cracks and cavities were more seven spot Ladybirds.

A different view for a change.





It looks as though today was a one off with temperatures forecast to return near the seasonal average of 7-10˚C in this part of the country.

Nature playing Catchup

Things are certainly moving on a pace now the weather has turned warmer. Last time I looked a week or so ago I couldn't see any of my miniature narcissus now they are all in flower.



The corkscrew hazel produced its catkins long before the cold weather but they remained tightly closed. Now within a few days they have elongated and opened up to show all the yellow pollen and the tiny red flowers are open and ready to be fertilised.



At last there was some frog spawn in the garden pond. This year it looks as though most of it is viable. Last year it was all white and not one tadpole appeared. I have moved some to the safety of my 'nursery' pond where there are no fish to give any tadpoles a safe start in life.



Last week when I was experimenting with the new lens I forgot to post this photo of a House Sparrow.



Some mornings there can be up to a dozen corvids massing on the law. The Rooks seem to favour the fat balls which they attack so vigorously that it rains pieces on the birds below, much to their delight at not having to work so hard to find food.



There is a much more varied dawn chorus now. Yesterday I was able to stand and listen to a Dunnock singing not ten feed away.

Clean Your Drains Sir?

This morning I was pottering round the garden waiting for the postman when I noticed a female Blackbird disappear down into one of the drains. After a while it came back up with something in its beak but I was too far away to see what it was. I assumed it was looking for snails or slugs which live down there.

From Blogger Pictures

It is quite a drop, maybe ten inches, to the grating and with the three pipes which drain into it it is a tight squeeze to get my hand and arm down there to clear it out. She disappeared completely so she must have gone right down to the grating.

I though no more of it and carried on taking a few photos of the plants for future use. I can't resist putting up this one of a group of Narcissus as I really like the contrast between the yellow and the white.



Meanwhile Bobby was taking the chance to Sunbathe while he waited for the postman.



A while later, as I came out of the conservatory, there was a female blackbird watching me with an expression which definitely relayed the feeling that I was too close and in the way.



Not long after that I spotted her once again disappearing down the drain and up she came again with a full beak. Is that really what I think it is .........



Yes .... definitely ... a clump of soggy, smelly leaves!
I have read that birds do not have a very strong sense of smell. Good job they don't!



She turned and faced the camera square on and finally flew up to the roof top.



Then she flew out of sight. Is she really going to construct a soggy nest? What is wrong with all the dry material scattered round the garden? Maybe she has some other use for old wet leaves. Life is full of mysteries. At least I am getting my drain cleared cheeply (couldn't resist that).

Later:

After Mark from Beating the bounds left a comment I had a look on the RSPB site to see what it said there about Blackbirds and their nests. Apparently they plaster the nest with mud before they line it with grass. There is little or no mud available round here as we have had precious little rain for weeks so I guess this enterprising female Blackbird has found a substitute.