It has just struck me that this is the first anniversary of me taking over these nature notes following the sad death of my predecessor Alan. I still remember him with great affection – he simply loved all forms of nature and his enthusiasm was immediately obvious to all who spoke to him. No two years are the same in nature – the ebb and flow of the different species is always interesting to note. The glorious birdsong so evident just a few weeks ago has largely subsided, although the local Chiffchaff appears to be announcing his territorial …
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To see the latest news on Gardening Club please see page 6 of this month's Parish Paper http://www.payhembury.org.uk/images/2019-08-Parish-Paper.pdf …
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The sight of a Beautiful Demoiselle on the new path whilst out enjoying the monthly walk with the PGWC in May made me think that dragonflies would make an excellent topic to write about. Despite all the water we have around us, there have only been four species of dragonflies recorded in the garden: Beautiful Demoiselle, Azure Damselfly, Golden-ringed Dragonfly and Southern Hawker, although I am half expecting a Banded Demoiselle to show up. Of all the insects, dragonflies are truly spectacular and arguably the demoiselles are the most …
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In early April our Long-tailed Tits had fledged and were being introduced to the feeders. By the end of the month chiffchaffs had arrived in force and swallows were making an appearance. Blackbirds, however, were not so lucky, as four hatchlings only lasted two days before perishing. Two of them were neatly laid out on the bridge over the stream. As we go to print swifts have returned – summer is on the way! It has been a good year for the Dark-edged Bee-flies. The proboscis is truly awesome, although there is nothing to fear. With the warmer …
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This can be such a lovely time of the year and one sight we really look forward to is our Japanese Cherry tree bursting into blossom. It is such an ephemeral moment, as it really only looks at its best for about two weeks, but what a period of pure enjoyment it brings us. It also means only one thing – spring has arrived! By the middle of March Brian in Colestocks was reporting robins, great and blue tits nest building and a dunnock laying eggs, plus plenty of activity around the bird feeders. When driving two neighbours to Feniton to catch …
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They are arriving at a steady trickle ………lovely new born lambs. It never ceases to amaze me how new life is as thrilling now as it was when I started shepherding millions of years ago. I think the rams must have taken it a bit easy, hence the steady flow, in fact they must have had a few days off for sure as we haven’t had a lamb born for a few days now. After the terrible winds and rain, we have just turned out the first few ewes and lambs and, as you can see from the photo, its heads down straight away for the ewes as they haven’t seen a …
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We deserted Devon in mid-February for a 70th birthday celebration in a cottage at RSPB Arne in Dorset. The weather was marvellous and we saw many of the species for which this reserve is renowned: Spoonbills, Dartford Warblers, Goldcrests, Firecrests, Sika Deer, the strange woolly coated Mangalica pigs and a few thousand over-wintering Avocets. Returning via Weymouth we met up with our co-grandparents. Here there are two urban bird reserves, Radipole and Lodmore, and quite unlike most RSPB reserves, you can actually get close to the birds. We …
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