Visitors to Garden on Friday 30th Jan ‘09

I decided to do a bit of birdwatching today (I missed last weeks big bird count – the wet weather put me off).
There was lots of activity but most of the birds (Chaffinch, Great Tits and Blue Tits to name a few)I wanted to photograph stayed amongst the branches of the trees or on the ground, which is in shadow most of the day at this time of year.
Here is my selection anyway:

The Song Thrush was looking after a youngster who was hiding amongst the branches and never ventured far away. The Black Bird was in his regular spot and I think he watches to see what I am doing. The collared Dove was another bird that can usually be seen on our greenhouse roof. I caught him just as he took flight. The Common Gull was visiting our next door nieghbour.

I only spent an hour bird watching so I was pleased with the selection of birds I did manage to snap.

Our First Snow Drop

Our first snowdrop of the year has appeared……….

Our first Snow Drop this year

….and is soon to be covered by snow if next week’s weather forecast is to be believed!

The Orion Nebula and Street Lighting

I was out in the garden last night. It was such a clear, still evening with no moon that I decided to get my telescope out and have a look at the Constellation Orion and it’s fabulous Nebula (M42). This Nebula can be seen with the naked eye from a dark site. It is almost at it’s best for early evening viewing this time of year.
I spent a while looking at it and made notes and a sketch in my Astronomy Log.

Page from Astronomy Log Book for Monday 26th Jan. 2009

The sketch shows how much of the Nebula I could see, which was not as much as could be seen in a darker sky.

Light Pollution is a bit of a problem in our back garden.
This is an image taken from our back garden looking into the garden of our next-door neighbour. It is from a street lamp.

Light from street lamp filtering through trees into our garden.

I think I will have to invest in a filter that will diminish this type of light.

A good evening of viewing though while Mae watched the ’soaps’. Then it was a hot drink and into a nice warm (electric blanket) bed. Heaven!

Cyril The Squirrel And A Sore Behind

‘Cyril the Squirrel’ was very active today. (He is named Cyril because my grandson Callum thought he should have a name).

I watched as he carefully scrutinized the garden from the edge and then came out to the peanuts and proceeded to eat his fill. He is fun to watch and though he knows I am there seems to tolerate my presence providing I don’t move closer or make any movement. So he carried on eating until I did move – my bum was getting sore sitting on the backdoor step! Then he was away up the garden path like greased lightening.

He will be back and next time I’ll have a cushion to sit on.

A Poem on Buying Roses

I don’t often buy Mae flowers.
But last week I did.
Roses, Salmon Pink.

Salmon Pink Rose

I don’t know why
I am a bit shy
Of flowers to buy
But I could try
And with a sigh
I did.

The Elusive Wren – not any more!

Last Year I set myself the task of getting a photograph of a Wren that I have seen hopping about the greenery at the edges of our garden. He has never been bold enough to risk actually coming into the garden and although I have tried to obtain an image of this elusive bird I have not been successful.

Well, today was different.

I spotted him hopping around my little collection of Bonsai Trees

Wren on one of my Bonsai Trees

Fortunately my camera was set-up and ready to go so I was by the back door in a trice and managed to snap him. It was a grey day and the mist was increasing making him a difficult shot and also he wouldn’t stay in one place for long.

Isn’t life odd like that. I spent hours last year patiently waiting for the Wren to appear but he did not. A casual glance out of the patio doors today and there he was as large as life (well, as large as a little Wren can get) and I got my photograph.

My next objective is the pair of Jays that visit our garden most mornings. They are just a ‘flighty’ as the Wren but bigger!

Watch this blog.

Necklaces!

Mae likes necklaces.
I knew she had quite a few – I have to move them to dust. But I didn’t realize how many she had until she decided to sort them out and make them easier to manage and store. She bought a floor standing ‘necklace model’ over the weekend and spent most of Sunday morning gathering them together (they were appearing from everywhere), untangling them and draping them over the display. The volume of her collection then became apparent.

Display of Necklaces on a 'necklace model'.

There is no space on the model for any more necklaces I have been told – until another necklace is required for some occasion or outfit that is. Storage space will not be a problem then will it!

Now, instead of having to move them to dust I have to move them to ‘hoover’ (other suction cleaners are available). I have the fear that one will fall off and disappear up the nozzle – and it will bound to be a favourite.

They do make a nice, colourful display though.

A Heron For the New Year

We were a little late getting up on New Year’s Day (something to do with the excess of the night before maybe!), anyway, on opening the curtains we saw this fellow sitting on a neighbour’s tree looking at our fish pond.

Heron on nearby tree taking a close interest in our fish pond

I quickly got my camera together and although it was freezing and very dull weather and we were only in our pajamas I managed this shot. I was a bit ‘befuddled’ and in my haste did not set the correct shutter speed – I went to a faster shutter speed in stages when I should have been going to a slower shutter speed (all a bit too fast for my slow f2.8 600mm mirror lens) so the resulting image required a bit of post correction to achieve this poor shot.
The Gulls were going daft and kept buzzing this Heron and it quickly gave up it’s watch. It has been back and was perched on our greenhouse roof next to the pond but as the pond is frozen over and I have cord strung across it I don’t think I have lost any fish. The Gulls to the rescue again. Mind you, they would be the first to eat the fish if they could!

What can I do?
Not a lot me thinks.
I will certainly try and get a better image of it the next time though!

Oh, Happy New Year to You All by the way