Froglet

Finally got the mower out this afternoon. As I approached a largish clump of damp grass out jumped this little frog. Dashed in for the Lumix and managed to get a few photos before it hopped away.



It was only 30mm or so in size so I was lucky to notice it.


According to my weather station it rained on 10 days in July but the total was only 0.60 inches. I think it has only been the high humidity at nights which have given a little dampness to keep the grass from going brown and given some welcome damp shelter for the little frog, hopefully frogs.

Garden Snails and a Dragonfly

When Bobby went for his last look round his empire a couple of nights ago I spotted two brown garden snails crossing the concrete. The ground was perfectly dry so I was somewhat surprised they had chosen that route.Also they took no notice of us. In daylight hours they would have probably retreated into their shells but these two kept going and provided me with my first opportunity to take some photographs of garden snails.



Normally thrusting a camera within a couple of inches would make the snail withdraw its tentacles but this time I could clearly see the eyes on the end of those long stalks. In fact it was the length of the tentacles which had first caught my attention.



 I have never really taken much notice or interest in snails but on finding a great site ( snail-world.com ) was fascinated by the complexity of their anatomy.

Yesterday I notice one of the rare visits to my garden by a Common Darter Dragonfly which rested for a short while on some gravel long enough for me to take a few photographs.

Friday at the Flicks (Greenfinch, Hedgehog, Farming)

Since the outbreak of finch disease last Summer it has been something of a rarity to see a Greenfinch visit the feeders.



Over the past week the camera has only picked up one Hedgehog visiting the feeding area. There may have been a second one around during the first part of the video as the Hedgehog has obviously spotted something which may present danger. Unfortunately whatever it was didn't come in view.



The farm workers have been very busy this past week. Earlier in the week the grain was harvested and the bales of straw removed from the field. On Wednesday the field was ploughed and yesterday they were busy harrowing. You can see how dry the ground is by the dust being thrown up behind the tractor.



So far this month my weather station has recorded 0.59 of an inch of rain in total with 0.28 on the 12th and the rest as even smaller amounts spread over several days. I should think most of it evaporated in the warm weather before it could soak in to the ground.

Have a great weekend observing the world around you.

Open air Larder

Looking out of the kitchen window yesterday I couldn't help noticing that one spider had built its web in just the right place. There were so many small flies caught in it I could almost make out the shape of the web.



I think it will take it the rest of the week to wrap them all up and store them away for a rainy day.

Junior Has a Name

When I visited Stan yesterday I asked if the foal had been given a name yet and found out that his full name is Carling Star (Fred for short).



There are still very rare sightings of dragonflies near my pond as yet but the Blue-tailed Damselflies are nearly always in evidence. Most are brightly coloured with their heads and tail ends glowing like little jewels in the sunlight.



These I assume are males of the species. Every so often I catch a glimpse of one with much duller markings which I think are the females.



After a gap of many weeks a Robin has started to visit the feeding area.



I am not sure whether this is a juvenile which has nearly all of its adult plumage or an adult which has been battling for its territory.

Angel's Foal Keeps Growing

Yesterday afternoon Angel and her foal were grazing in their field as we stopped to have a look at them. When they noticed us they stopped and stared back.



After a while ma decided it was safe to wander over and say hello..



The foal still stays close to mum but looks much more confident than the last time we saw them. There was just enough life left in the battery to take a few short video clips with the Lumix. Although junior is eating grass and such like he still likes to wash it down with a bit of mother's milk. I love the way his tail pumps up and down whilst suckling.



It was lovely to be able to say hello and watch them close up for a while.



I think junior (I must find out whether he has been given a name yet) is growing in to a handsome stallion.

Friday at the Flicks (Goldfinch, Blue Tit Juvenile, Magpie Juvenile)

In one of her comments Jan (ShySongbird's Twitterings) wrote how she wondered, when she first bought a Niger feeder, how the Goldfinches would ever manage to get the seeds out through such small holes. It was something I wondered about myself. The holes have to be small to stop the fine seeds from falling out. As can be seen from this brief clip, slowed down to one quarter speed, the Goldfinch accurately puts its beak directly in the hole every time.



The juvenile Blue Tit continues to visit the feeders and at last I managed to take some brief video clips of it. The colour variations are caused by the sunlight being from different directions at various times of day. At the beginning a Magpie can be heard chuntering to itself as they often do.



Last year a pair of Magpies brought their offspring to the garden. This year I have only seen the juveniles. Mainly just one by itself but late yesterday I did spot a couple. This time it is the local House Sparrows which can be heard.



Yesterday was a dull cool day but the sun is back this morning so things are looking up again. The one lovely sight to watch late yesterday was a group of about twelve Swallows swooping about the sky over this part of the village. They were too high and too fast to photo or video but very enjoyable to watch as they banked and dived. There must have been a large number of insects for them as they stayed in the same area for well over a quarter of an hour.

Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around your neighbourhood.