Hopefully it won’t have escaped your notice that last night the clocks went forwards an hour which, for those of us who enjoy the great outdoors, marks the start of an exciting time. Longer days mean extra hours of daylight and for the first time in what seems like forever Read more…
At risk of repeating myself as another month reaches its conclusion, where on earth has the time gone? It only seems like yesterday that I was bemoaning my lack of visits to both local patches and yet, with March knocking at the door, I find myself in little better shape. Read more…
Yes it’s that time of year again when the nation comes together to conduct the biggest and longest running citizen science project the world has ever seen. Its premise is simple. During an hour of the designated weekend count the highest number of birds seen in your garden at any Read more…
Catch-up time here on My Life Outside I’m afraid after other projects kept me well and truly occupied last week. It’s surprising just how time consuming building a giant model of the Millennium Falcon can actually be! But I digress. Let us instead travel back to Saturday before last where Read more…
My plan for Sunday was to have a full on, dawn to dusk patch bashing extravaganza in which records would fall leaving my competitors quaking in their boots. The previous night I’d dreamt of six pointers, a premonition perhaps of the Glossy Ibis seen a few hours later though alas Read more…
I’ll be getting my 2016 Patchwork Challenge off to a proper start this weekend so now seems as good a time as any to introduce you all to my patches. And yes I did say patches because this year I have taken the inspired (daft) decision to double up, combining Read more…
With but a few days left in 2015 thoughts predictably turn to those things coming to an end as plans start to form for the coming year. For me this means winding up the latest Patchwork Challenge which has proved to be a record breaker in more ways than one. Read more…
Yesterday marked the start of our Christmas break (bah humbug) and, having tried to make the most of it, we’re left with three main points to discuss. The first of these, and probably the most obvious if you’ve been a regular reader or resident of the UK lately, is the Read more…
August Bank Holiday was put over almost entirely to the patch this year and would you believe it but, after a barren summer delivering exactly zero new species, we finally hit pay dirt. Given the lateness of its arrival I’ve yet to submit my new score but can happily report Read more…
[Insert generic comment about time flies here]. Right, now that’s out of the way it’s fair to say that July has been a pretty quiet month on the patch all being told. No new species, some good breeding records and still as enjoyable a place to walk as ever. I Read more…