Wildlife
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My Wildlife Pond – Dragonflies, Frogs & so much more!
I know I bang on a lot about the pond but… It really is so hard though, to describe quite how much pleasure the pond gives me. And it’s one of the few things that makes me stop! I’m always thinking that I’ll take a coffee outside and have a sit down. No sooner have I finished my drink, or sometimes before, than I see something that needs doing, which of course leads on to something else that needs doing, resulting in little or no sit down. But when I crouch by the pond it’s hard to drag myself away, watching all the creatures living in there. Even the builders…
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The garden is full of life
Birdsong for better or for worse As soon as you enter the garden at the moment, your ears are full of birdsong. Admittedly some are more pleasant than others, as we do get gulls regularly squawking overhead, despite being rather a way from the sea – even as the crow (or gulls) fly. Talking of crows, we also have rather a lot of them too, Jackdaws mainly. I think it’s because of the huge old trees we have around. You really can see where the saying ‘Noisy old crow’ comes from. And of course wood pigeons, that go on, and on, and on. But despite the not so pleasant cries,…
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The Frogs have spawned at last – But there’s a problem!
Finally the frogs have spawned. They are really late this year, but then who can blame them. You’re not going to feel too much like romance in a pond covered in ice and snow now are you? They arrived back on the 19th February when the weather was quite mild. I have absolutely no idea where they all go to each year. When they first emerge from the pond the garden and greenhouse are full of little froglets, they seem to stay for the summer then they are gone. Only to return the following February. Bad weather stops spawning I thought we were on target this year for the usual…
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The Geese are back in town! – Autumn is around the corner!
I am now awakened regularly by loud honking first thing in the morning. Not from a car, but because the geese are back in town! I’m not at all annoyed, I love hearing them and lie there smiling. They fly over the house three or four times each morning; I never know if it’s the same flock going round and around or if it’s three or four different flocks. The Canada geese return to us each year in late August, and it starts with just a handful. You’re suddenly aware of that distinctive honking sound, and sure enough there’s a small ‘V’ formation in the sky. By mid-September though, there…
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Hurrah, hurrah, it’s Damselfly Day!
I wandered down to the pond last weekend, to have a look at the giant tadpoles. They seem much bigger than they usually are this time of year. As I crouched down, a damselfly surprised me by landing on my leg. I looked up and saw a couple of them bobbing around the pond. It was obviously damselfly emerging day! The heat of the sun, between the showers must have tempted them out. I took a couple of photos with my phone, then went off to the house to get the ‘proper camera’. Damselfly, official name – Suborder Zygoptera. If you are in any doubt, the way to tell a…
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The Frogs have Spawned!
Well I think by now, most of you know how excited I get about frogs and wildlife in the pond! So as this week has brought, only our second ever frog spawning. You won’t be at all surprised to hear how pleased I am! Getting Frogs in the pond After creating this pond, mainly to attract frogs. The first few years were a bit of a disappointment! Driving me to take frogspawn from a friends pond. But all good things come to he/she who waits! And now we are reaping the rewards! Last year the frogs spawned on 25th February, I know this for a fact as it is a…
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Outdoor Wildlife Camera
Having spent eight years creating a garden to encourage wildlife, we decided to invest in an outdoor camera. We especially wanted to see who was visiting the pond, and the night time garden…. We decided on a Toguard H200 Hunting trail camera, with night vision. It was very easy to set up, just putting the batteries and a memory card in, and we were ready to go! I started off so enthusiastically, placing it in different positions around the pond. But I was quickly overwhelmed by the amount of material it was capturing, and didn’t feel I had time to look through it all. Summer is such a busy time…
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Rare White Sparrow
Although our beautiful little white sparrow is not albino, as he has dark eyes not pink. He is still a rare sight, as he has complete leucism (a hypopigmentary congenital disorder), meaning there is no pigment in his feathers. It is much more common to have partial leucism, which causes patches of white, known as ‘pied’ affect. White sparrow accepted into the flock The wonderful thing is, that the rest of the flock have accepted him, which is not always the case. Plentiful Sparrows in our Garden! Living in this part of North Wales, it is hard to imagine that house sparrow numbers are sadly plummeting countrywide. We are lucky…
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Ladybird plague? Hopefully not quite that many!
I’ve never seen so many ladybirds overwintering in the garden, as I’ve seen this year. I’m really pleased that they all seem to be our classic 7 Spot Ladybird ‘Coccinella septempunctata’, rather than some non native invaders. Every pile of leaves I started to clear had ladybirds under them. All of the covers on the raised vegetable beds, when I lifted them to get at the kale or Brussels sprouts had a few under them. Every nook and cranny more ladybirds. When I was winter pruning the apples, I started to loosen their ties, only to find ladybirds under every one. I’ve just remembered to go around loosening the ties…
