Saturday 31st March 2007

Thin Cloud, becoming Sunny, Gusty NE
My visit to manvers Lake this morning paid dividends with my first Sand Martins of the year, 13 in total. Also added both Stock Dove & Pheasant to the site year list.
Other highlights were ;
Skylark 4, Meadow Pipit 10+, Mute Swan 4, Great Crested Grebe 9, Reed Bunting 7, Tufted Duck 18, Little Grebe 1, Linnet 10+, Grey Wagtail 3, Cormorant 1, Green Woodpecker 1.
The only photographic opportunity from here were of Cowslips ;





On my way home i had a quick look around the Knollbeck area. Only a single Chiffchaff, a few Linnets & a couple more flowering plants ;


White Dead Nettle


Grape Hyacinth ( painted ), of unknown origin

The rest of the day was spent at home, where the highlights were ;
Skylark - 1 singing overhead, Long-tailed Tit 2, Sparrowhawk 1 N, Meadow Pipit 1 N
Peacock ( butterfly ) 1

( bird ) Year Lists update ;
Manvers - 47
Local Area - 90

Another hour & i`m off to see Rebel Truce at Doncaster ( Leopard ). Should be another great performance from these lads who do a mean rendition of the songs of the best band the world as ever seen. Keep on Klashing.

Copyright Dean Stables

Cortonwood 30th March 2007

Overcast, Light NE
A late afternoon visit to one of my local patch`s, did`nt produce any new hoped for migrants. Highlights ;
Skylark 1, Mute Swan - pair, Canada Goose 20, Canada x Greylag hybrid 2, Tufted Duck 22, Reed Bunting 2, Tree Sparrow - several, Meadow Pipit 3, Yellowhammer 2, Chiffchaff 1, Bullfinch 2, Little Ringed Plover 1.
+ a couple more flowering plants ;


Sun Spurge


Cowslip

Nothing from my garden apart from 9 Herring Gull NE & the regular pair of Great Tits.
Think i`ll pay a visit to the Manvers Lake area tomorrow, hopefully get Sand Martin on to the year list.

NB - nearly forgot, Steve. If any of my visitors are interested in the nature of a local patch in Kent then please pay a visit to one of my favourite blogs at Newhythe

Copyright Dean Stables

Wombwell Breeders

With nothing doing at the Wombwell garden this morning, i thought i`d do a breeding bird count there. Total so far ;
Woodpigeon 10+ pairs
Collared Dove 1 pair
Tawny Owl 1 pair
Mistle Thrush 1 pair
Blackbird 1 pair
Long-tailed Tit 1 pair
Carrion Crow 1 pair


The beginnings of the Long-tailed Tits nest

There will obviously be other species ( Robin, Greenfinch, Chaffinch etc ) over the next few weeks. Will update as & when.

Thursday 29th March 2007

Rain, Cloudy, Light NW
Got absolutely soaked this morning while sorting through the moth trap. However, i did manage to add 3 species to the year list : Eriocrania subpurpurella 2, Dotted Border 1, Angle Shades 1. Only the latter would pose for its pic ;





The rest of the catch was ;
March Moth 2, Brindled Pug 1, Oak Beauty 1, Common Quaker 1, Small Quaker 5, Twin-spotted Quaker 1, Hebrew Character 3, Clouded Drab 2, Early Grey 1, Chestnut 4.

Missed 2 bird year ticks this morning : Kittiwake & Knot, both at the Old Moor RSPB. Bugger!!!
Also 26 Whooper Swans were reported at Elsecar Reservoir, this afternoon.

Moth Year List - 23

Copyright Dean Stables

Another Fossil

x section

This one is the part of a fossilised stem from a Lepidodendren ( Scale Tree ) from the Carboniferous Period. I found this one last year, also at Stubbin ( Rawmarsh ).

Wednesday 28th March 2007

Fog clearing to Hazy Sunshine, Light E
Nothing new in my moth trap at the Wombwell garden this morning. Full catch ;
Diurnea fagella 1, Brindled Pug 1, Oak Beauty 3, Small Quaker 7, Common Quaker 3, Hebrew Character 4.
More Oak Beauty`s ;







The best of the birds while i was there were : Tawny Owl 2 ( 1 in nest box & 1 calling ), Nuthatch 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 drumming, Chiffchaff 1 singing, Redwing - several over ( calling )
+ a couple of flowering Shrubs/trees ;


Magnolia " Stellata "


Damson " Merryweather "

Spent a very therapeutic few hours tidying up in my garden during the afternoon, but not a lot of wildlife to show for it. Highlights ;
Great Tit - pair
Peacock ( butterfly ) - 1

Copyright Dean Stables

Fossil Update

For anyone that`s interested, the fossil that i found at the weekend as been identified by Stuart Swann. This is what he had to say ;
"The fossil you have found is called Stigmaria. It is the root of a Carboniferous Lycopsid ( 350>300 million years ago ).
Lycopsids today are small plants we know as Club Mosses. During the Carboniferous period these types of plants along with Ferns & Conifers, were the major plant groups.
Angiosperms ( modern flowering plants & grasses etc ) had not evolved. "

Well, if that was part of the root, how big was the actual Moss. Would`nt like to hazzard a guess!!!

Tuesday 27th March 2007

Fog ( clearing mid-afternoon ), Sunny, Light E


The Wombwell Garden

My moth trap at the Wombwell garden produced just 1 year tick, with 2 Oak Beauty`s. The rest of the catch was ;
Diurnea fagella 2, Brindled Pug 2, March Moth 1, Common Quaker 1, Small Quaker 2, Clouded Drab 1, Hebrew Character 2, Early Grey 2, Chestnut 1.

Oak Beauty




Very little to speak about birdwise, a singing Chiffchaff from the above garden & 2 Long-tailed Tits from my garden.

NB - The fossil i found the other day is part of a Carboniferous Tree Fern, dating 360 > 286 million years old.

Moth Year List - 20

Copyright Dean Stables

Monday 26th March 2007

Low Cloud/Mist ( am ), Sunny ( pm ), Light E
Absolutely knackered this morning, will have to pull back the hour ( somehow ) we lost when putting the clocks forward at the weekend. Anyway, my spirits were soon lifted at the Wombwell garden. While i was setting up my moth trap in readiness for tonight, i noticed i could`nt see daylight through the airation holes in the owl nest box. Thinking the Squirrels had moved in again, i got the ladders up and took a peek, and low & behold sitting comfortably at the bottom, was my first Tawny Owl of the year. She ( presumably the female ) must have moved in over the weekend as she was`nt there on Friday. Well pleased they`re using it again, especially after missing last year. Can`t wait for the young to hatch, it`s a great sight to see them sitting on the branches after they`ve left the safety of the nest box. I will not be looking in the box again, but i`ll keep monitoring any activity ( Male bringing food during daylight hours ) from a safe distance.
The only other highlights from here were ;
2 Jay, a single Sparrowhawk & 3 Brindled Pug ( moths )

Walked home along the Trans-Pennine Trail, where i had 3 Chiffchaff at Hemingfield. The Cortonwood end produced another 4 Chiffchaff & another year tick, with a Little Ringed Plover at the exact same site where this species bred last year.
Back at home during the afternoon, the garden highlights were ;
Long-tailed Tit 2, Goldfinch 25, Peacock ( butterfly ) 1.

As i promised yesterday, here`s the unidentified fossil i found at Stubbin ( Rawmarsh ), obviously a result of the ex colliery workings ;



Bird Year Lists - updates;
Wombwell Garden - 40
Cortonwood - 57
Local Area - 89

Sunday 25th March 2007

Overcast becoming Sunny ( pm ), Light > Moderate E
A visit to Rawmarsh today started off around the Upper Haugh/Stubbin area. Not a lot from here, with the best birds being : Chiffchaff 1, Sparrowhawk 1, Willow Tit 1, also plenty of Skylark , Meadow Pipit & a few Yellowhammer.
I also found a decent sized clump of Spotted Dead Nettle ;



I walked a recently ploughed field in the hope of a Wheatear or two. No such luck, but i did find a largish fossilised tree fern type thing. Not photographed it yet. Will do that tomorrow now.

I then made my way to my parents house at Monkwood where i had a flock of 52 Herring Gulls heading NE.
Then on to see my daughters at the Pony Club field, where during the afternoon my youngest Rudi, came second in the lead rein gymkhana ;




Unfortunately it was`nt the same for my eldest Storm. Her pony " Saffie ", refused a couple of fences in the 10 & unders, but she made up for it by being placed 4th in her gymkhana class ;





The only birds of interest from here were 3 singing Chiffchaff & a flyby Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Well, tomorrow`s another day, we`ll see what that brings.

Saturday 24th March 2007

Bright start, becoming Overcast, Light > Moderate NE
Went to Old Moor this morning as planned but it really was`nt up to much. No year ticks to be had, in fact there was`nt really a lot about. The best being : female Goldeneye, 2 Oystercatcher & a few Redshank.
The very cold wind was blowing straight into the hides and so after about an hour & half, i called it a day. On my way home i had a look around the Knollbeck area for any signs of any new ( for the year ) flowering plants. The only thing different was the beginnings of a Caper Spurge. It`ll be several weeks yet before it starts to flower, so here`s an archived couple of pics from the same site back in May 2005 ;





After dinner i had to get a few things from Morrisons at Cortonwood, so i thought i`d walk the whole area of this site, to see if anything different had turned up since Thursday. Pretty much the same ;
Mute Swan - pair, Canada Goose 9, Canada x Greylag hybrid 3, Tufted Duck 11, Pochard 3 ( 1 drake ), Grey Heron 1 N, Lapwing 2 S, Skylark 2, Meadow Pipit 1, Chiffchaff 2, Willow Tit 1, Herring Gull 32 N.
At home i added Meadow Pipit to the garden year list with a single bird flying N. The only other highlight from here was a flock of at least 30 Goldfinch that were garden hopping late afternoon.

Garden ( bird ) Year List - 41

The first Pony Club of the year tomorrow, so i`ll take the opportunity to check out the Rawmarsh area.

Copyright Dean Stables

Friday 23rd March 2007

Sunny turning Overcast with Drizzle, Light > Moderate NE
On my way to the Wombwell garden this morning i added 2 more species to the Cortonwood year list, with 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over, heading N & 2 Jay. Also recorded 9 Herring Gulls moving W, 2 singing Chiffchaff & 2 Stock Dove.
At the Wombwell garden my moth trap did`nt produce any hoped for year ticks. Full catch ;
Brindled Pug 1, Common Quaker 2, Small Quaker 1, Twin-spotted Quaker 3, Clouded Drab 2, Hebrew Character 1, Yellow Horned 1.


Twin-spotted Quaker

The only birds of interest from here were 2 Jay & a single Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Cortonwood ( bird ) Year List - 56

Not sure what i`ve got planned for tomorrow, but the Old Moor RSPB is favourite at the moment. Hopefully add to my local area year list.

Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 22nd March 2007

Overcast, Patchy Drizzle, Light N
Having not had a walk round Cortonwood since Sunday, i thought i`d pay a visit this morning. Still nothing new to report from here. Highlights ;
Chiffchaff 2 singing, Willow Tit 3 singing, Yellowhammer 2, Reed Bunting 2, Meadow Pipit 2, Skylark 3, Mute Swan - pair, Canada Goose 9, Canada x Greylag hybrid, 3, Tufted Duck 17, Pochard - pair. The Coots were very aggressive, not only towards one another but also to the Mallards.


Spotted Dead Nettle

With a frost free night forecast, i thought i`d go and set my moth trap up at the Wombwell garden. While doing so i recorded : 2 Jay, Skylark & Chiffchaff both singing. Also had a pair of displaying Sparrowhawk over Hemingfield.
The best birds from my garden were : 3 Cormorant over, heading NE, a female Sparrowhawk flew through & a Grey Heron looked like it was going to land on my fence but it settled on a neighbours gazebo. This bird has been visiting the local gardens for several years now. How do i know that i hear you ask, well this particular bird is minus its right foot, something i noticed a couple of years ago. Managed to get a pic, but it`s not the best due to digiscoping at an angle, through double-glazing & in poor light - excuses, excuses ;

Wednesday 21st March 2007

Sunny, Light N
Went to the Wombwell Garden this morning via the Trans-Pennine Trail/Canal, where the highlights were ;
Chiffchaff 3 singing, Willow Tit 2, Reed Bunting 1, Skylark 2 Singing, Yellowhammer 1 singing.
Arrived at the Wombwell garden just in time to see 3 Canada Geese flying over heading NE ( what`s special about them i hear you say, well they were a site year tick ). The only other highlights were a single Sparrowhawk & a Comma butterfly ;


Mistle Thrush - nest building


Comma - painted

Then i went to the Nether Haugh garden where i managed to get Little Owl on the local year list. The only other thing of interest from here was at least 5 Tree Sparrow.


Collared Dove


Tree Sparrow - a pic at last

Bird Year Lists update ;
Wombwell Garden - 39
Local Area - 87

PS - on a bit of an high at the moment. Just recieved an email from Jerry Budby, the frontman of Rebel Truce, saying that they`re playing the Leopard at Doncaster on Saturday 31st March. Can`t wait !!!! Keep on Klashing :)

Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday 20th March 2007

Sunny, Patchy Cloud, Moderate N
Things seem to have suffered a setback during this cold spell, again very little to report. On my way to the Wombwell garden this morning, i had 2 singing Chiffchaff & 3 Willow tit along a short stretch of the Trans-Pennine Trail at Cortonwood. The Wombwell garden could`nt produce anything better than a pair of Stock Dove. The birdlife in my own garden is virtually non-existant, with nothing of interest being seen.
And once again, no pics.

Monday 19th March 2007

Sunshine & Wintry Showers, Light > Moderate N
What a crappy day for wildlife, well it was for me anyway. Virtually nothing to report, with the best being a singing Chiffchaff at the Wombwell garden & 2 Willow Tits along the canal between Hemingfield & Brampton Bierlow.

Can it get any worse!!!!

Sunday 18th March 2007

Sunshine & Wintry Showers, Strong Gusty W
A visit to Cortonwood this morning, again did`nt produce anything different ;
Grey Heron 1 NW, Chiffchaff 2 singing, Mute Swan - pair still nest building, Canada Goose 11, Canada x Greylag hybrid 2, Tufted Duck 19, Pochard 1 female, Meadow Pipit 3.
My garden could`nt produce anything better than 2 Long-tailed Tit & a small flock of 10 Fieldfare S.

On a totally different subject, regular visitors to this blog will know that my 2 daughters both have a pony each. Well, Rudi my youngest has advanced a lot faster than expected and as a result her current pony ( George ) is holding her back.
We`ve found her another pony ( Merrylegs ), that we`ll be collecting on Saturday ( coming ). Today, Rudi was invited along ( by the current owner of Merrylegs) to a local pony show at Tickhill, so she could compete in one of the classes. Anyway, to cut a long story short, both Rudi & Merrylegs completed the Clear Round.
What makes this special is that Rudi has never jumped anything higher than trotting poles before, and to actually win a rosette at her first attempt at jumping has made us very proud of her progress.


Rudi & Merrylegs ( sporting their clear round rosette )

Pony Club starts next Sunday, so we`ll see how she gets on. Of course, i can`t forget to mention Storm & Saffie. Good luck girls :)

Friday 16th March 2007

Frost, Sunny turning Cloudy, Light > Blustery W
Bit late updating today. Anyway, the day got off to a good start with my first Willow Warbler of the year. The bird was singing by Morrisons Pond at Cortonwood this morning as i passed on my way to the Wombwell garden. Talking of which, this garden produced another 3 moth ticks : March Moth 1, Engrailed 2 & Twin-spotted Quaker 2.
The rest of last nights catch was : Common Quaker 4, Small Quaker 2, Hebrew Character 2, Clouded Drab 2, Yellow Horned 3 ;

Engrailed




Twin-spotted Quakers




Yellow Horned


No sign of the Willow Warbler on my way back home, but i did add Water Rail to the Cortonwood year list, with a single bird being seen around the Post Office Pond. Other notable birds seen here were ;
Chiffchaff 1 singing, Willow Tit 2, Skylark 2, Reed Bunting 2.
No sign of the 2 Long-tailed Tits around my garden today, with the best birds being Great Tit - pair, Robin 2, Dunnock 3, Greenfinch 8+ & the Wren continues to sing from around the nest boxes.

Year Lists Update ;
Local Area ( birds ) - 86
Cortonwood ( birds ) - 54
Moths - 19

Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 15th March 2007

Patchy Cloud, Light SW
The Wombwell garden produced another 3 moth year ticks this morning : Diurnea fagella 1, Brindled Pug 1 & Yellow Horned 2.
The rest of the catch included - Clouded Drab 2, Small Quaker 9, Hebrew Character 1, Chestnut 4.


Diurnea fagella


Brindled Pug


Yellow Horned

Another walk along the western edge of Cortonwood did`nt produce anything new. Highlights ;
Grey Heron 1 N, Chiffchaff 1 singing, Skylark 2, Reed Bunting 1.
Nothing new from my garden either, with the following noted;
Great Tit - pair, Long-tailed Tit 2, Grey Heron 1 SW, Golden Plover 20 S.

Moth Year List - 16

Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday 14th March 2007

Frost, Sunny, Light SW
Went to the Wombwell garden this morning, to see what wonders were awaiting me in the moth trap. Quite disappointing really with just 11 moths of 5 species and none of them were anything to write home about. Mus`nt grumble too much though as 4 of them were year ticks ;
Common Quaker 4, Small Quaker 2, Hebrew Character 1, Chestnut 1 + Clouded Drab 3.


Common Quaker


Small Quaker


Hebrew Character


Chestnut

Other highlights from here this morning were ;
Jay 3, Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Peacock 1, Comma 1
Also saw my first Red-tailed Bumblebee of the year.


Peacock


7-spot Ladybirds ( painted ), at it like Rabbits.

Highlights from the walk home ;
Hemingfield - Chiffchaff 1, House Sparrow pair nest building
Cortonwood ( Western Edge ) - Chiffchaff 1 ( site year tick ), Bullfinch 5
Comma 2, Peacock 1
+ my first ( live ) Toads of the year ;



Back at home, i added Linnet to the garden year list when 3 birds landed briefly before heading off S. The ( pair ? of ) Long-tailed Tits were seen again and a Peacock butterfly spent most of the afternoon sunning itself.

Year List updates ;
Cortonwood ( birds ) - 52
My Garden ( birds ) - 41
Moths - 13

( Not that happy with the moth pics. I think my disappointment with the catch had an effect on my photographic mood )

Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday 13th March 2007

Frost, Sunny, Light W
A visit to the Wombwell garden this morning produced 2 more year ticks. The first was a singing Chiffchaff and the second was a Clouded Drab. Other highlights were ; 6 Jay ( a new site max ) & 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker.


Clouded Drab

+ more flower pics ;


Comfrey sp


Gold Laced Polyanthus


Forsythia

Then a walk along the western edge of Cortonwood produced singles of : Willow Tit, Small Tortoiseshell & Comma.
The highlights from my garden were, a flock of 7 Fieldfare S at 06.30 and 2 Long-tailed Tits ( presumably the same birds that have been visiting recently ).

Year Lists update ;
Wombwell Garden ( birds ) - 38
Local Area ( birds ) - 85
Moths - 9

Running my MV light at the Wombwell garden overnight, so i`m hoping i can give the moth list a bit of a boost :)

Copyright Dean Stables

Monday 12th March 2007

Overcast, Bright Spells, Light SW
The Wombwell garden this morning produced my 8th moth species of the year, with this Early Grey ;





Nothing else of interest from here, so it was off to Cortonwood. Not a lot from here either, with pretty much the same highlights as previous visits ;
Redwing 1 W, Skylark 4, Meadow Pipit 3, Mute Swan - pair ( female nest building ), Canada Goose 8, Canada x Greylag hybrid 2, Tufted Duck 21, Pochard 1 female, Reed Bunting 1, Tree Sparrow 10+.

Canada x Greylag






And to finish off, nothing new from my garden. With the highlights being ;
Long-tailed Tit 2, Starling c300, Black-headed Gull 100+ over .

Copyright Dean Stables

Sunday 11th March 2007

High Cloud, Bright Spells, Light SW
My visit to Manvers Lake this morning did`nt produce any hoped for Sand Martins or White Wagtails, but i did add another 4 species to the site year list : Grey Wagtail 1, Yellowhammer 1, Bullfinch - pair, Willow Tit 1.
Other highlights were ;
Skylark 5+, Reed Bunting 6, Meadow Pipit 10, Tufted Duck 23, Great Crested Grebe 11, Mute Swan 4, Green Woodpecker 1, Linnet 4.
On the way home i had a look around the Knollbeck area, where i found this Crucifer species. Not sure wether it`s Garden Rocket or Wild Raddish. Whichever it is, it should`nt be flowering in March ;



Back at home, i added Lesser Black-backed Gull to both the garden & the local area year list, with a single bird heading SW. The only other highlight was the 2 Long-tailed Tits that have been present over the last couple of days.

Bird Year Lists - updates ;
Manvers - 44
My Garden - 40
Local Area - 84

Saturday 10th March 2007

Cloudy, Bright Spells, Light SW
Not done anything today, apart from making a start on tidying up the garden ( i knew i`d get there at some point Emma ).
Not a lot to report from my time outside, highlights : Song Thrush 2, Great Tit - pair, Long-tailed Tit 2 & a Wren singing from the tops of several of the nest boxes.

Off to the Manvers Lake area in the morning, in the hope of a Sand Martin or a White Wagtail, or even something better.

Friday 9th March 2007

Sunny, Blustery W
Another cracking, if somewhat cooler day. Anyway, i added 2 species to a couple of my year lists. Both of which were from the Wombwell garden, a male Kestrel & a Comma butterfly.
+ a small variety of pics ;

Comma




Buff-tailed Bumblebee


Fungi sp


Flowering Currant


Daffodil of the Multi-headed variety. 3 buds to
open, making it 10 flowers in all.


Pansy


Wombwell Garden ( bird ) Year List - 37 ( forgot to add Sparrowhawk to the previous tally )
Butterflies - 4

Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 8th March 2007

Sunny, Light SW
This wonderful spring weather is starting to create a stir. Highlights from today ;
WOMBWELL GARDEN : Mistle Thrush - pair nest building, Bullfinch 1 female, Stock Dove - pair
Red Admiral 1 ;




7-spot Ladybirds

CORTONWOOD : Bullfinch 3, Song Thrush 2, Yellowhammer 2, Meadow Pipit 2, Skylark 1 singing, Mute Swan - pair, Canada Goose 10, Canada x Greylag hybrid 2, Tufted Duck 11, Pochard 3 females, Tree Sparrow 10+, Grey Wagtail 1


Speedwell sp

Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday 7th March 2007

Sunny, Patchy Cloud, Light W/SW
Another pleasantly warm spring day, and yet again not a lot to write home about. Highlights ;
WOMBWELL GARDEN - Great Spotted Woodpecker 2, Skylark 1 singing, Goldcrest 2 singing
Buff-tailed Bumblebee 1
NETHER HAUGH GARDEN - Tree Sparrow 5+, Skylark 3+ singing, Song Thrush 1, Stock Dove 2 W, Yellowhammer 1 W, Goldcrest 2
MY GARDEN - Greenfinch 11, Wren 1 singing, Goosander 1 drake SW

My apologies for more flower pics, but there was`nt anything else to photograph ;


Chionodoxa ( Glory of the Snow )


Winter Jasmine


Hyacinth


Salix sp

Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday 6th March 2007

Sunny, Light SW
A glorious day weatherwise but not so good for wildlife sightings. First off, the Wombwell garden, where the only highlights were ;
Jay 3, Great Spotted Woodpecker 2, Treecreeper 2, Nuthatch 1.
+ a few plant pics ;


Lesser Celandine


Greater Periwinkle


Viburnum


Hyacinth

Then i intended in having an hour or so at Cortonwood, but i did`nt feel too well, so i just skirted the western edge. Highlights from here were ;
Grey Heron 2 S, Reed Bunting 1, Sparrowhawk 1 displaying, Skylark 2.
Nothing from my garden during the afternoon.

Copyright Dean Stables

Sunday 4th March 2007

Overcast, Rain ( pm ), Light SE
I was hoping for a Chiffchaff at Cortonwood this morning. No chance, with just the usual suspects being seen. Highlights ;
Mute Swan 2, Tufted Duck 13, Canada Goose 10, Canada x Greylag hybrid 2, Song Thrush 2, Reed Bunting 1, Tree Sparrow 10+, Skylark 1, Yellowhammer 1, Grey Wagtail 1.
Plus the obligatory plant pics ;


Goat Willow


Gorse


Mahonia aka Oregon Grape

I will have to make my visits to Cortonwood more frequent now that we`re into the spring months. Would`nt want to miss any migrant bird activity, would i.
Not a lot from the garden, with the best being a single female Sparrowhawk & 2 Long-tailed Tit.

Copyright Dean Stables

Red Moon

Could`nt have hoped for better conditions for last nights total eclipse. Even better, i managed to stay awake for this dramatic event ( the last one incidently, being 6 years ago ). Here`s my digiscoped interpretation of its progession from start to totallity ( the last pic had to be tweaked a little ) ;

21.39 hrs


22.07 hrs


22.37 hrs


23.15hrs


That old cliche " the best things in life are free " is indeed true :)

Copyright Dean Stables

Saturday 3rd March 2007

Sunny, Patchy Cloud, Light W
I had a short walk to the Knollbeck area this morning to see if any of the Butterbur was flowering yet. As luck would have it, there were a few flower spikes on view ;





Not much else here apart from a couple of Primrose`s ;



Spent the rest of the day at home, where i added Skylark ( 4+ birds over ) to my garden bird year list ( 39 ). Other highlights were ;
Cormorant 2 N, Great Tit - pair, Long-tailed Tit 2, Grey Heron 1 SW.
Still plenty of Frogs in and around the pond ;





There`s a total lunar eclipse tonight. The viewing conditions here are bang on at the moment, with a clear sky. Just hope i can stay awake long enough to witness it & hopefully get some digiscoped shots. Wish me luck :)

Copyright Dean Stables

Friday 2nd March 2007

Frost, Sunny, Light SW
A visit to the Wombwell garden this morning produced my first Yellowhammer of the year for this site. Other highlights were ;
Stock Dove 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Jay 2, Treecreeper 1
Peacock ( butterfly ) 1
Also a couple of Bumblebees and loads of 7-spot Ladybirds.
Continuing Wednesday`s theme of highlighted flower pics, here`s a few from this morning ;


Daffodil


Primula


Rose ( yes!!, in March )


Crocus


Clematis " Nelly Moser " - seedhead


Blue Spruce ( i think )

Wombwell Garden ( bird year list ) - 35

If anyone`s interested in seeing what garden birds are like across the Atlantic, then check out this fantastic blog wytchwood-ramblings

Copyright Dean Stables