WILDLIFE WEDNESDAY

Wildlife Wednesday 11-8-2021

At last , after two weeks ( which seemed like an eternity ) of being confined to the house I’m now finally free and once again able to visit the hide at the meadow. It’s great to be back out surrounded by nature again , with peace and quiet and just the birds and occasional mammal for company. It really is good for the soul.

The meadow continues to change with the seasons, with the flowers starting to wither and die , the height of the meadow has reduced considerably over the past two weeks. The grass pathways are now carpeted by a layer of nettles so I think it’s going to be strimmer time at the weekend. The whole meadow is due to be cut back in about four weeks anyway , ready for winter. Owning a meadow is definitely a new experience and a lot more work than I first imagined . But obviously the rewards are worth all the effort. Whilst we in maintenance mode , the hide also needs another pre winter coat of wood stain.

The Bank vole has been very active , darting through the woodpile most of the day , however when it comes to taking his portrait he’s been rather elusive , popping his head up here and there for only a split second. The vole has definitely moved in on the territory left behind by the now departed Rat Pack. It’s also been a busy day around the paddling pool for the juvenile Robins. It’s difficult to know just how many juvenile Robins are here but there must be at least five or six.

We had a new visitor to the hide today , a Yellowhammer who must have been taking notes from the Vole , once again eluding my best attempts to capture his image . The Woodpeckers have also been out in force with both the adult and juvenile male birds constantly raiding the peanut feeder.

Guest book

Mammals – Bank vole

Birds of prey – Red kite , Buzzard

Birds – Blue tit , Great tit , Dunnock , Robin , Wren , Chaffinch , Chiffchaff , Goldfinch , Blackcap , Yellowhammer , Blackbird , Great spotted woodpecker, Song thrush , Crow , Pigeon

Others – Orange tip butterfly , Tree bumblebee , Large white butterfly