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Sunday 6 September 2015

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.

2 comments:

  1. What a shame you've just got the "Lean Mean Green Machine"....
    with your old one you could have sailed happily up your drive...
    and apologised, tongue firmly in cheek, afterwards!

    Move out, move out!!

    Oh, I am watching a Melodious Warbler trolling along the bushes on the other side of the millstream as I type...
    absolutely NO point in trying to get the camera...
    beastie will be long gone...
    and in fact has now passed out of sight.

    I might remedy that though... a new, well reviewed lens arrived yesterday... Opteka 500mm Mirror... £118....
    taken some test pix... good results hand held!! Nice...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow . How rude are those neighbours Penny.

    ReplyDelete