Well the plan for today was to sort the shed out and get rid of a very tired looking BBQ and a Pizza Oven. However things all changed when I discovered that a pair of Great Tits were nesting in the Pizza Oven; despite the fact that I had put a nest box up for them was just a few feet away on the side of the shed.
My only concern was that leant up against the oven was an old panel fence, which I had broken down into bits, before I realised they were nesting. So just to make sure that I hadn't disturbed them too much I set up the Trail Camera to see if all was well.
Having checked the footage after 30 minutes or so, I discovered that any disturbance I had created was short lived and the parents were going in and out of the oven with food for their youngsters.
The only annoying thing though was that having set up the camera, I found that a cat was hanging around below the oven. Hmmm!
Other highlights were a Painted Lady in the garden again, plus a Large White and a Red Admiral.
There are now 4 Rosemary Beetles on the Lavender. At the moment the Lavender is intact, but I guess it wont be long before they start munching the leaves.
Birds Recorded:
1 Buzzard
Herring Gull
3 Wood Pigeon
2 Collared Dove
Dunnock
1 Robin
1 Blackcap (heard)
2 Great Tit
2 Blue Tit
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
1 Linnet
8 Goldfinch
A Common Buzzard soaring over Bumpers Lane
The Wood Pigeons are........
...........regular visitors to the garden, especially with all that spilt seed under the feeders.
A Pizza Oven that has been taking over by...........
.................a pair of Great Tits. There's probably joke here somewhere!!
A female House Sparrow on the Cherry Tree.
A male Linnet and a regular visitor to the garden, now that I have Sunflower Hearts on offer.
Whereas the Linnets like the "Hearts" the Goldfinches favour the Nyjer Seeds.
Reptiles Recorded:
2 Slow-worm under the corrugated sheet.
Amphibians Recorded:
100+ tadpoles sp.
Tadpoles. As to what species they are I am unsure at the moment. Possibly Toads or Palmate Newts. Also in the "Bath" Pond are quite a few Water Snails
Butterflies Recorded:
1 Large White
1 Red Admiral
1 Painted Lady
A Red Admiral on the Valerian
1 Angle Shades
An Angle Shades also on the Valerian.
4 Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
1 nomad sp.
Hoverflies Recorded:
1 Spring Epistrophe (Epistrophe eligans)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
4 Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana)
Another common sight in the back garden are these Rosemary Beetles.
1 Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
A Dark Bush-cricket nymph
Plants:
A few of my garden plants and flowers.
African Daisy (Osteospermum sp.)
Common Jasmine (Jasminum Officinale)
African Daisy (Osteospermum sp.)
Amazing flowers.
Common Jasmine (Jasminum Officinale)
The scent is absolutely incredible.
These however are from 3 weeks ago and the leaf growth is incredible. Roses for life!!
It's a bit of a jungle out there, but the wildlife is fabulous.
