The recent discovery of Stock Dove and Kestrel on my local patch got me wandering about what else I’d potentially missed by keeping to regular routes and routines. As a result I’ve spent the last couple of weeks poking into every nook and cranny I can find to make sure Read more…
You find me in a rather confused state this evening. The calendars all say it’s Spring, the Daffodils are out and we even have the first Spring migrants landing on our shores, so why on earth did I have my face almost frozen off during a short walk on Saturday? Read more…
At just under two weeks since my last patch outing I was determined to give the area a thorough going over on Sunday afternoon. The sun was shining but with a cold wind blowing across the valley I knew most of the birds would be kept well hidden, and indeed Read more…
This evening marked a significant moment in what I like to think of as my own personal calendar of seasonal events. For the first time in months I was able to get home from work and out onto my local patch with light still in the sky. I even managed Read more…
One of my favourite things to do when it snows is to look for animal tracks. Like an artists brush the disturbances made by passing creatures tell a story that at any other time of the year would simply have gone unnoticed. The wanderings of a bird looking for food Read more…
These last couple of days have been fantastic as for the first time in two years we’ve finally had decent snowfall. The result was an inevitable day off work but more importantly it gave me the perfect opportunity to get my Patchwork Challenge under way. You may remember me blogging Read more…
It’s amazing what a bit of sun and some great birds can do to lift the spirits, and thankfully we got both in spades this evening as we wondered around our local patch. Up on Goppa Hill the mixed flock of Tits, Chaffinches and Goldcrests were still to be found Read more…
Well I don’t know about you but I’ve got a packed weekend coming up. There are a couple of new reserves that I’ll be visiting for the very first time as well as the small matter of my sisters wedding to attend to. Hopefully this means I will have many Read more…
I spent a couple of hours yesterday evening wandering around part of my local patch, and was delighted to find what must rank as the tamest Yellowhammer in history. In the end I was able to get within a couple of meters and the bird still showed no signs of Read more…
Last week birding on patch was dominated by the continued arrival of spring migrants, as well as some very interesting behaviour from a few of our resident birds. After seeing my first Swallow of the year at Rhossili on Tuesday it was very nice to find one over Bryn-bach-Common the Read more…