Patchy Weather, Great Wildlife

 Some mornings are just marvelous. Monday was just such a day with lots of birds around and more hares than you can shake a Corsa at. A joke in poor taste? Probably.

Brown Hares all over the place

 Along with hares there was a Brent Goose and the long-staying White-frointed Goose in a field with the resident Greylags.

Brent Goose

White-fronted Goose

More Brown Hares

A couple of Barn Owls were hunting over the south side of the Mere this morning. I didn't see them catch anything but I hope they were successful. As I didn't have my camera with me I took a video with my phone camera through the bins. Sort of OK and better than nothing.

Fungus is usually something I look for in autumn rather than spring but when you come across such a fabulous patch you just have to take note. Sulphur Tuft just erupted and fresh.

Sulphur Tuft (Hyphaloma fasciculare)

Bullfinch are not as common as they used to be at the Mere (since the lovely large patch of habitat was cleared from the bottom of the ridge and furrow field in fact). I went to Rolston on Sunday morning and came across 4 Bullfinch showing why orchard owners don't like them 😂🤣 they were merrily feating away on buds.

Male Bullfinch

Female Bullfinch

There were two Siskin up there with them in an adjacent alder but they moved through without hanging around.

There are just loads of spring flowers coming through now with Red Dead Nettle and Forget-Me-Not showing beautifully in the sun. I'm looking forward now to so many more flowers joining them in the coming weeks.

Red Dead Nettle

Forget-Me-Not

The Forget-Me-Not always brings to mind Roy Harper's song of the same name, it's a catchy little ditty from his best album - HQ.

We're like the springtime together, we'll change and we won't
We'll have much more to say when we say it and much less when we don't
Forget-me-not, I love you, yes I do
Forget-me-not, I love you, through and through

I've quoted this song in a previous post when I was rambling on about the Yellowhammer, an old English name for which is the Scribble Lark, which is also mentioned in this song.

There are still the odd Redwings flying through on their back to their European breeding grounds, easily distinguished by their "tseep" calls as they move through the tree tops. Wassand Wood down by the hide is a good place to hear them.

Redwing

I'm out looking for Treecreeper nests again but although I've seen a possible pair of birds in the wood I haven't been able to locate their nest yet. A work in progress.

Treecreeper

I'll leave you with a couple of photos from our pond - one of last year's efts was out in the open water on Sunday. Still tiny (maybe an inch long) and hopefully it will survive and grow to maturity. We won't see it though as we are leaving our home of almost 10 years shortly. We will dig a pond in our new garden and watch it mature and attract wildlife, as all ponds do 😉

Smooth Newt eft