Blossom in December

Snow at The Lodge

photo taken with iPhone 4S

Footprints in the snow

Badger and fox prints on my way to work.





photos taken with iPhone 4S

Frost at The Lodge

photos taken with iPhone 4S

The Lodge in The Snow

Ice

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

It's cold outside

Going outside is interesting now we've experienced an Extreme Weather Event (TM). People living outside the UK may be amused to hear that we've had about five inches of snow locally (though some other areas have had almost twice that) and again, we can't really cope.

I managed to get to work (where I took the above photo) in about twice the normal time but we got sent home early in case it got any worse.

At home, I've been out in my jimjams (and a fleece) to feed the birds before doing anything else. At the moment we've got black sunflower seeds, peanuts, niger seed and a fat-filled coconut out, and I've also found some porridge oats and sultanas (I'm not sure if anything has eaten the sultanas - maybe the Jackdaws).

It looks festive and fun for us humans, but I'm sure the birds don't appreciate the thick coating of white stuff everywhere. Hopefully my small efforts will help see them through the tough conditions.

Snow more

Well, it snowed and snowed and snowed. We had literally several inches of the white stuff! Apparently this copnstituted a "major snow event". The country "ground to a halt", naturally, but I drove to work every day and managed not to stuff it into a hedge, a ditch or any other vehicles. 

Now, the snow is on the way out. It's good news for wildlife, but even when it was at its worst, I watched two Blackbirds chasing each other around in the garden, and a pair of Robins doing the same. You might expect them to suspend their territorial disputes in those extreme conditions, but they didn't. 

Last weekend, we watched a herd of Fallow Deer trot and canter their way across the field, including one striking cream-coloured hind blending in well with her surroundings for once. The stag was hardly the monarch of the glen, with rather feeble antlers it would be generous to describe as a 'pair'. 

Great Tits seem to have begun singing in earnest this week. Outside my window, there's a Chaffinch singing rather half-heartedly, a Dunnock twittering away and earlier, a Greenfinch made a half-baked attempt at the "butterfly" display flight. A male Reed Bunting briefly in the garden is a typical winter bird for us, but the pale tips to the feathers on his head and throat were few and far between, leaving smarter black plumage ready for the breeding season. Male Tawny Owls have been calling in the small hours lately, waking me up on several occasions, but I've yet to hear a female answer.

The next thing will be to see if any amphibians turn up in the pond once it's ice-free.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D + EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Il neige

Another day of snow. It's stopped falling, but landscape looks rather lovely with its white coat on.

As I was de-icing the car before leaving for work, I heard my first singing Chaffinch of the year, cooing Stock Doves, a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker in the tree just across the road, and watched two Blue Tits in some kind of courtship display - there was much high-pitched calling and wing-quivering before they flew off. At work, I've spotted a pair going in and out of a nestbox and making adjustments to the entrance hole, so it's all another reminder that spring's waiting behind the snow.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM or Canon Powershot A640

Spring is on its way

OK, so my goal of posting something every day isn't going too well. I'd like to blame - in no particular order - the weather, having a cold and being busy.

Today I emerged from the office for a quick potter around at lunchtime. First thing I noticed was how warm it felt - about 6 degrees, I reckon. Compared to last week, when it barely got above zero, it felt positively pleasant.

I'm sure that the amount of bird noise has increased, too.

Blue Tits seem to be calling from every tree. There were several Great Tits singing already - they've clearly noticed that it's light for longer each day. Robins were also everywhere, but they sing all year so perhaps they don't count. Nuthatches are getting noisy. I'm going to have to read up to find out which of their varied noises is their actual song, but there was a lot of trilling going on today. It's good to hear.

I can't help but listen to birds wherever I am. In a meeting yesterday, we had a window open because it was so stuffy inside. I was paying attention, but I couldn't help but hear the raspberry noises from a flock of Long-tailed Tits from the birch just outside. I watched them flit past but tried not to make it obvious I was distracted. Later, I covertly listened to some Siskins - perhaps at the top of the tree? - and then a Goldfinch.

I felt a tiny bit smug and subversive that I was enjoying the birds while simultaneously in a meeting. Which was very interesting, obviously.

In the bleak midwinter

In the south of the UK, we're at the stage where any snow at all causes problems. We don't know what to do anymore. Last night, a whole inch of snow fell. I felt pretty brave just going outside at lunchtime in search of sheep - it was literally freezing outside!

It took us a while to locate the flock - they'd sensibly headed for the sunniest, most sheltered, snow-free area. I suppose it should have been easy to follow the hoofprints to their hideaway, but it wasn't. On the way there were loads of rabbit prints and a few fox - rabbits were once an important commodity at Sandy. A few Redwings and Fieldfares were flying around, and a single Meadow Pipit. Times are hard for birds at the moment.

So, today's sound was of snow crunching as it compacted under my foot. Crunch, crunch, crunch. So much nicer to tread on fresh snow where nobody else has already. It's not much fun once it gets dirty and slushy.

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

New Year

Woken up at 5.30 am by Darren getting up to go out birdracing for the day around Bedfordshire, I opted to stay put. Then, when I did get up, at a more civilised hour, it looked like this outside.

Sigh

I was rather hoping for a nice bright, frosty day, good for a walk and some photos. So that's 2009 off to a good start.

Now I'm into my sixth calendar year of blogging, I'm looking for new angles to help keep Bogbumper off the buffers (I've considered abandoning it, as seems to be fashionable these days, and sticking to Flickr).

So what I'm planning is writing about sounds and how they reflect the year's progression. I'm aiming to write something every day (or maybe just post a photo). I'd quite like one of those Remembird thingies so I could post some recordings, but they're a bit pricey. Maybe later in the year. But I hope sounds will be the main thing - then it won't matter if I haven't got any photos :o)

What else to look forward to this year?

• Return of migrants, and their accompanying songs. Only two months to go!
• Spring, and what appears in the pond this year. Will the Great Crested Newts return? Will there be any dragonflies emerging after only one year? Will we get more frogs?
• Getting out more
• Maybe, if I'm feeling not too poverty-struck, getting another lens for my camera so I don't have to stand at least five feet away from everything. Proper macro would be fun...
• Sorting out the garden properly, so we have proper flower beds, more vegetables and more wildlife habitats
• The return of moth-trapping to our garden
  

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

End of year

Cow parsley


Flock of Woodpigeons


Ivy in a brief bit of sunshine


Wintry farmland

That was about it.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM