Simon and Karen Spavin

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Mandarin Duck, Clumber Park, Notts

What is there not to love about a mandarin, it has everything ! A stunning duck xx

Monday, March 31, 2025

Whooper Swans, Toft Newton Reservoir

Lots of meadow pipits around

Pied Wagtails

Starling

and 9 whooper swans on there this morning that left as we were walking round

Love Toft Newton Reservoir now the fishermen have gone and it is all under lock and key with just 3 birders given the gate code......perfect !

Our garden this spring

A primula victoriana, beautiful

A fancy tulip, we have lots of these just opening

Snakes Head Fritilary

The greenhouse is busy growing !

Primula Denticulata

and a bee on a dandelion

A few bits from last week

Lots of buds now, a sure sign that the seasons have changed and hopefully, we are into warmer times

Frog spawn

The hares in the next field were having a right old party with lots of boxing and chasing going on

Marsh Harrier

Meadow Pipit

The standard of work at our local nature reserve is shocking. Why not take the branches off below the spray paint, isn't that the most obvious thing to do. The reserve is littered with these jobs.......and yes we do know what we are talking about, we both did this for a living back in the day !

Lovely purple flowers under a hedge at Blacktoft, must look up what they are called

3 distant roe deer and a hare

Garganey and other bits, Blacktoft Sands

Chiffchaff

The garganey spent all morning asleep, stretching for 2 minutes before returning back to snooze !

Godwit

A marsh harrier busy plucking a bird in the reeds

Tree Sparrows in the car park

Hen Harriers

We have been so lucky to have these over-wintering locally, just a 10 minute drive from home, They have been around since October and 2 of them were still there last week. Might pop tonight for a look.