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Post by Mac on May 31, 2023 7:10:26 GMT -5
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Post by Mac on Jun 8, 2023 7:37:59 GMT -5
Went for a tramp around a nature reserve the other evening with my local Wildlife Trust, so I thought I'd share a few pics. It was great to see how the wildflower margin plantings had sprung up since I was last there and there were a lot of skylarks, linnets and some heron chicks on a nest.    The flowers are Southern Marsh Orchid and Bee Orchid. Very lovely. They were in a bank of Ox Eye Daisies, Clover and Yellow Rattle, planted to attract pollinators. |
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Post by Mac on Jun 22, 2023 5:27:18 GMT -5
I went for another walk with the Wildlife Trust the other day - this time it was to a 'closed' reserve (i.e. no public access) and discovered that my waterproof walking boots weren't! We actually had some rain last week, including a torrential downpour on Sunday and it was a place with some wetland habitat but it was a lot soggier than I was expecting. I guess I should get some wellies, as the problem was that the grass was very long so the water was coming over the top of my boots a lot, plus I noticed that they are coming away a bit at the sides, so I ended up with very wet feet!
It was still very nice though. There was a lot of scrub type area and a lovely reedbed that had been established when they transplanted some of the reeds from further down the road when they built the new bridge as part of the mitigation measures. The river flows all around the reserve and includes a culvert to manage the water levels from the tidal estuary and fills the scrape so there is a large area of water for shorebirds to rest up. It's an important part of the flood plain too.
Saw Roe deer, Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings and there were lots of Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown butterflies and 5 & 6 Spot Burnet moths, despite some light rain.
Didn't get any pics as I didn't take my camera due to the rain. There are so many reserves and great places around this area. It is a Unesco World Heritage designated biosphere, AONB and includes many SSSI's and internationally important habitats and was the site of the first marine protected reserve! I may be going on more walks but my car needs to get through it's MOT today, or I may not be going anywhere for a while! I really need to change my car but can't afford a hybrid and have no means to charge an electric vehicle, so I have to keep this one going for a bit longer.
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Post by Mac on Jun 23, 2023 7:01:21 GMT -5
Yay, car is back and it could've been worse. Cost me £450 but it's OK. Things are starting to wear out but it hasn't been really major stuff. Here's some more nice pics from around here...    Exmoor ponies are so lovely.
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Post by Mac on Jul 28, 2023 8:46:35 GMT -5
Didn't get to go on another walk this week as it was fully booked, so I spent some time in my (very small) garden. There were loads of swifts and house martins overhead. There were lots of bees and butterfies on the wild marjoram, I highly recommend getting some - it's a real magnet for pollinators and you can cook with it! There were lots of Buff-tailed bumblebees, a few Common Carder bumblebees and honeybees as well as a solitary mining bee. Also Gatekeeper butterfly, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral and Small and Large White. I took a few pics...    The butterfly is the gatekeeper - you can tell from the double white highlights in the spot. Bees are all buff-tailed bumbles. I also have teasels and catmint, although that has go in the window box off the ground, otherwise you end up growing real cats in there! |
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Post by Mac on Aug 30, 2023 6:05:55 GMT -5
Weather hasn't been great here. Lots of drizzle and showers but hey at least it looks like the hosepipe ban may be lifted! Found a fabulous beast in my garden the other day though - an Eyed Hawk Moth caterpillar - 3" long and you tell it's an Eyed Hawk Moth from the blue spike on the end. I had to rescue it from the attentions of my cat who was fascinated by it crawling around looking for a place to pupate! It will turn into one of these...    |
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Post by Mac on Dec 2, 2023 6:02:01 GMT -5
It's turned cold and was very frosty this morning. The river looked lovely sparkling in the sunlight as I crossed the bridge. I filled up the bird feeders in the garden the other day and heard the high pitched tseep, tseep of the flock of long tailed tits that visit in the winter months. They are so adorable and pretty, flitting about the apple tree...  |
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