A Wildlife Haven!

I finished work at 2.30pm. As I pulled up into my street, my drive was blocked by someone hoovering their car – this was fine – an electric cable only reaches so far after all, but what was not fine, was the fact they had put all the items from their car into my bl**dy drive, baby seat, mats and all kinds!!! Obviously they were not expecting me back quite so soon! I didn't say anything, I didn't have the mental energy. After having to wait 10 minutes to get into my drive with no apologies whatsoever, they re-parked the car back in front of my drive. When I eventually left the house around half an hour later, they were just moving the car out. This street was never built for so many cars. A young lad at the end of the street is also getting a new car in a week's time. If every child that is growing up in this street gets a car and doesn't leave home, there will be real issues! Hopefully I will be moved out by then.

Went to the supermarket for a mini shop for parents and also bought a neck pillow for Father, cruised to Holme to deliver goods and sat and chatted for a while. Opposite my parent's house is a huge pond, surrounding by willow, sallow, elder bushes, bramble, reeds, berried bushes etc – it is a haven for wildlife. I was about to leave, but decided to stand here a while to see what appeared. I was here for so long in the end, that I made a cup of coffee from the boot of my car! The pond was almost dry which is unusual, but whilst I was there I saw a Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Hedgesparrow, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Robin, Great Tit, several Blue Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Chaffinches, a Wren and a cute baby bunny. But, best of all was a Hummingbird Hawkmoth feeding high up on my Mother's large buddleia – I sprinted indoors to tell Mother, sprinted straight back out again to photograph it, but to my dismay, it had vanished!!! I was most disappointed, as I am extremely unlucky with seeing these and don't have a single photograph of one! Oh well.

Time was disappearing and I wanted to get some birding in somewhere else. I decided to head for Brancaster Staithe – parked my car up on the grassy bank by the quay and headed west along the coastal footpath. This was a very silly error as I was walking straight towards the sun – how blonde was that! I didn't see a single bird. I walked as far as the large willows on your left (where there was once an Arctic Warbler) and returned with the sun behind me – still no birds seen. I should have stayed by the neighbour's pond!

Drove home via Choseley Barns – fabulous views of a Barn Owl flying along the hedgeline, but nothing else seen at all, not a partridge, pheasant or hare – I was quite worried by this as I always see these in abundance at Choseley. There wasn't a single bird on the concrete area by the barns either. A beautiful sunset ended the evening, as I made my way home.