Woodland Burial Ground and Nesting Long-Tailed Tits.

 It was a rather dull and very windy day again today so I decided to make it very local again with two laps of the woodland burial ground.  It was good to see that willows are beginning to open up now; there will definitely be 'palm' for Easter with pussy or goat willow in flower.  On the lookout for chiffchaff I noticed a long-tailed tit and when I got it in the binoculars I noticed that it had nesting material: moss, in its beak.  I soon realised that there were two birds and they were going in and out of the bramble thicket.  A little cautious searching rewarded me with a view of the superb nest still only half constructed; the dome is still to be added.  A long-tailed tit's dome-shaped nest is a wondrous thing, constructed as it from moss, feathers and even spiders' webs.  Having found the nest I moved away and didn't get any photographs.  I decided it was more important to leave them in peace.  I will check on them next time I am here.

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Female blackbird

                                                            Female blackbird

Male Chaffinch

Male Chaffinch

Dunnock

Dunnock

Willow

A Beautiful but Quiet Day on the Patch.

 It was an absolutely beautiful day today: only a gently breeze and warm sun.  I had hoped to capture some images of the hares that I have been seeing on the winter wheat near the Dead Wood but today there was no sign of them.  In fact it was very quiet on the wildlife front and I saw very little.  I was pleased, however with some house sparrow pictures that I took.  I normally don't get the opportunity to photograph these birds as we have none in the garden and they don't come to my winter feeding station.  I do walk past a couple of flocks of them in the hedges between houses and fields on my daily walks.  They are awkward to photograph, though, as they tend to congregate noisily deep in the undergrowth and rarely show themselves; they obviously not had the lessons in posing, unlike the female reed bunting which sat up nicely on a bramble for me later.

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A Late Walk Around the Horsefield.

 Despite the fact that it was blowing a gale we decided on a walk around the Horsefield before indulging in our Mothers Day Afternoon Tea organised remotely by our children.  It was good to get out and I even managed a couple of images of some blackthorn just coming into flower.  Not long now and the hedgerows will be a froth of blossom.

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I Finally Catch Up with the Woodland Burial Ground Jay.

 Although the weather was showery I decided to make a foray to the cemetery with the big lens.  I nearly came unstuck, however, as I assumed it wouldn't rain so only went out in my down jacket and no cover for the camera.  In the end I did get caught out in a couple of showers and had to take shelter beneath trees.  I was really pleased, though, to catch the regular jay unawares and managed to get some photos.  I was really pleased as, being members of the crow family, they are very wary and suspicious birds.  Perhaps also as they are regarded as pests by the farming and shooting communities and shot as vermin.  A shame, as they are such beautiful birds with their dusky pink colouring, startling white rump and iridescent blue wing patch.  I was also pleased to later photograph a long tailed tit and I noted that some hawthorns are now coming into leaf.

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Another Escape Day

 We parked up today on a very quiet lane on top of the Wolds to avoid any congestion in the village.  We had a very enjoyable walk from the top of the Wolds and down into the valley, through the village, lunch by the church and then back up to the car via 'Badger City'.  Although sunny and warm when in the valley bottom and sheltered. There was an incredibly strong wind and temperatures were only 5C so we needed our winter gear on.  It was sad to find a dead barn owl on top of the Wold but I had a report later in the day that the one in the barn at Top Yard was seen out and about in the evening; good news.  

The highlight of the day was to find a pond full of very vocal mating frogs; the pond was thick with spawn.  What a sight!  I was interested to find another flock of redwing in the wood by the church; I would have thought they would be returning to their breeding grounds by now.  Up at 'Badger City' there had been a lot of activity and fresh hole digging; I must make the effort to get out in the evening to try and watch them.  It needs a wind from the east though to blow the human smell away.

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Another Cameraless Day on the Patch

 Extremely windy today and the wind made it cold, particularly as I only a shirt and fleece jacket on.  I usually go over dressed but got it wrong today.  I followed the farm track to Low Farm where I had excellent views of buzzard trying to hunt over the fields in front of the farm.  In the hedge I came across a flock of late redwings and the hedge was also full of finches, yellowhammers and other buntings.  Over Peaks Parkway I found 3 hares on the wheat.  On the walk around the woodland burial ground I was interested to find one or two hawthorns now in leaf. 

On the Local Patch with the Macro Gear for the First Time this Year

A longer walk again today taking in the Woodland Burial Ground first and then across Peaks Parkway to Weelsby Woods, the Dead W and then back over Peaks Tunnel and the Horsefield.  An what a beautiful sprink-like day with plenty of warm sun.  These early days of spring are amazing.  The land is drying out quickly now and it is becomming easier to negotiate the Dead Wood, although the middle is still flooded.  There are lots of signs of spring now with primroses well out and also, in the cemetery the alder catkins are in their prime.  I saw my first butterfly of the year and the white violets are coming into flower in the Dead Wood.  I took my 55-200mm lens with extension tubes in the hope of some macro work and used them for the included images.

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