2020 Natural Life

It was like Tom and Jerry in our garden today.

We were busy with the winter bedding when a great squacking noise came from the other side of the garden.
The resident sparrow hawk had swooped in and grabbed our semi tame young female blackbird.
Our daughters dog jumped in and broke up the fight.
The young blackbird flew threw the garage door followed by sparrow hack, dog and Baroness Doon.
Much squacking later and sparrow hawk clips Baroness Doon's ear and makes an escape minus blackbird.
Catch blackbird and check she is OK.
Dog looks highly amused by the process which lasted about 20 seconds.
 
DRW said:
In west midlands Shropshire, 2019/2020 winter was fairly mild, wet but we had about 4-5 very late frosts when it got down to -3 to -5ish degrees after the new growth had started to pop out and killed/damaged it a lot, we had to put celotex round the runner beans/toms and cucumbers to try to protect them, a right PITA :LOL:.
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Ah, so you live up North, we have a more tropical climate down here in Worcestershire ?
 
Doon frae Troon said:
Out for a walk with my lovely wife today and we started noting what a strange year it has been on the nature front in our area.

Very poor apple crop
Very poor bramble/elderberry crop
Hardly any wasps or ants
Very small acorns
Our goldfish seem to be hibernating this summer in our pond/ thought the heron had got them at one stage.
Hot flowers, begonias/geraniums etc doing well
Masses of Butterflies even some hoverflies
Hardly any swallows/swifts or sparrows

Is nature trying to tell us something
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Our course was once orchards, well part of it. All trees rammed with fruit. The blackberries were out mid August but now gone. Flippin wasps are now bored and everywhere a couple of weeks ago. A wasp that has been eating rotting apples is not a good sight. Yet Ave never seen as many acorns As this year. The squirrels will be having a field day. Hardly seen any butterflies.
But definitely nature is telling us something.
 
At the moment we have a mini flock of 7 young Chieviots in the nursery field next to our house. I keep half an eye on them for the farmer.
Last night they were in a tight little flock and I wondered if there was a dog/fox about.
Could not see one but the next minute one of them broke away and ran around the flock at great pace. She continued to do this for a few minutes almost like pretending she was a sheepdog.;)
 
October colours coming on great, up in Strathspey presently and they are further on with autumn. Walking the pinewoods of Cairngorms national park, can't beat it.

Anyone recommend a good android birdsong ID app?
 
KenL said:
Have hardly seen a wasp this year. A bonus as I don't like them. In fact, I think wasps are the only animals I don't like at all.
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I was the same until I found out some of their 'beneficial' traits - they keep the population of a number of other 'pests' (e.g. Greenfly) down (though sometimes a bit gruesome on how!).
 
maxfli65 said:
October colours coming on great, up in Strathspey presently and they are further on with autumn. Walking the pinewoods of Cairngorms national park, can't beat it.

Anyone recommend a good android birdsong ID app?
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We always used to visit Pitlochry just before the clocks changed....the colours were stunning.
 
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