This and That

Quite a few of the local birds are visiting the feeders in pairs. Robins, Dunnocks, Blackbirds and Chaffinches all tend to arrive as a couple. Among the Robins is one which spends a lot of time watching me as I potter round the garden or in the greenhouse:



From time to time bursting into song:



I've also noticed lots of birds gathering nesting material, Robin, House Sparrow, Blackbird and Starling being among them.

I think my first Cymbidium orchid is now in full bloom:



Now waiting for the larger one. Always a long waiting game as they seem to be very slow to grow and mature but make up for it by staying in flower for many weeks. A new miniature one arrived today so I potted it on and gave it a good soak and feed. This one is near flowering size so I am hoping to see it bloom next year.

The Season's Moving On

Once the rain had stopped I spent some time dead heading over a hundred tete a tete miniature daffodils as most have now finished flowering. A messy job. The wet remains of the flowers kept sticking to my hand. Still a pleasant job though, being outdoors and serenaded by a Blackbird and a Dunnock.

As I worked round one of the flower beds I spied the next set of flowers to appear:



A Fritillaria Meleagris (a snake's head fritillary) with its white cousin in the background.

The Grand Opening

No. Not a shop or a pub or visitor centre but the first of my Cymbidium orchids to flower for a couple of years. What a difference a day makes.

Yesterday:



This morning:



It may gain a little more colour as it matures but this smaller variety is nearly all green.

The flower spike on the larger Cymbidium continues to progress:



Also I was pleased to spot a bud appearing on the tender Australian Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos) plant. Great to have managed to get this one through its second Winter in the unheated conservatory as they are often treated as (expensive) annuals in this country:



It will be put outside again once we are past any chance of early morning frosts.

What a Lot I've Got

Once I had finished trimming the lawn yesterday I had a quick look to see how the frog spawn in the garden pond was progressing. No frog spawn, now hundreds of tadpoles:







If they all grow up I will have to get a bigger pond, or bigger garden!

Don't Forget the Ground Feeders

With mornings like today - foggy, air frost, just about 2C - our feathered friends appreciate some high energy food to start the day. What better than a fat ball or two? Most times we tend to hang these in nets or specially designed containers. That is fine for the smaller birds who can hang on but often near impossible for ground feeders such as Blackbirds. I have seen them keep flying up, trying to peck off the odd piece before they fall down again.

Recently I have been placing a fat ball or two on the bird table so they can all eat their share:



This female Blackbird was certainly appreciating it.

Seeing Red

One of my favourite views at this time of year can be seen from my back door. A glance across next door's garden to the one beyond and the beginnings of what will become a blaze of red is just starting to show:



If I remember correctly this is a Peony bush,  tall enough for me to admire over the six foot fencing.
My thanks to Rob for identifying the flower as a Camellia.

A couple of B/W photos with the 520nm IR Filter