News

Swifts

Tuesday 8 May 2012

Just a quick posting, to report the important news that the swifts have arrived this evening, above my garden. Late this year. I haven’t kept proper records year-on-year, but have mentioned their arrival most years.

Every year it becomes more important, that first screech from the skies above, or the sight of that familiar shape whizzing through the sky. I seek them out now, wait for them. This year was more attuned than ever, following #swifts and @SaveourSwifts on twitter.

I’ll never take them for granted.

This year appears to be a good year for ladybirds - they’re everywhere - every plant seems to have one. On the other hand, the local frog population appears to have suffered badly from the harsh winters of late - only one frog in the pond this spring, and no frogspawn.

Clearly environmental factors play a part in these seasonal fluctuations. Some of them we can do nothing much about. But I do worry about the swifts and other migrating birds, navigating their way back to us, such a long distance, past so many phone masts etc. To find, perhaps/probably that their traditional nest sites are now cleared, with sealed-up new apartments in their place.

April garden - photos

Thursday 26 April 2012

Some photos taken earlier this month. To some extent repeating images of plants and flowers already included on this website, but taken from different angles …

A lot of ladybirds this year - everywhere I look. Found this one snuggled into fresh green hydrangea leaves.