Recent bits and bobs

 

Beautiful woodlands. We have visited this wood at this time of year for the last 5 years or so looking for Birds Nest Orchid. We fail miserably every single year !  Last year just one single spike was found and the location was kept a secret. We will succeed one year and will never stop looking x

Whitethroat

White Campion

Waiting to hear a nightjar, a pair of woodcock kept us occupied along with mosquito swatting !

Ragged Robin

Custodians of the countryside......my bum !  We have just started to see roe deer and muntjac in this field, the previous deer being slaughtered by the over keen killing gamekeeper. He has recently retired and we thought everything would be safe.....wrong. Tonight a couple of marksmen were all set up ready for murdering the deer that do no-one any harm. It's not as if the land is farmed for goodness sake. They can't let anything live.......murdering bastards. This is on George Jewitts land at Manton, North Lincs. 

Creeping Jenny (the yellow flower)

Jackdaw, a regular garden visitor

Herring Gull

Chiffchaff in the summer greyness

Bits and bobs

Blackcap

Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gull, regular garage roof visitors

Distant English Partridge having a dust bath

Wren in the last rays of light of the day, the golden hour

 

A recent catch-up of a right old assortment

 

Sunsets at Alkborough Flats. Love this photo, one of my best ever snaps xx

Scarlet Elf Cups

Some beautiful flowers in the garden this spring

Spuds ! This pic was taken a couple of weeks ago as the buckets are now full to the top. We have at least 20 buckets growing and no doubt, will make a space in a raised bed for more. Can't beat home grown new spuds, it's one of the best tastes ever x

The peas are finally starting to grow away. We now have a bed of dwarf beans behind these followed by a bed of yellow courgettes.  The plastic is warming the soil.

Paper White daffodils still going strong. They really are a beautiful daffodil. Must plant more next year.

Now I know you will all be wondering what the heck this is. It's an outdoor orchid. We have had it for 2 years and this is the first year we have got it to throw some flower spikes up. There were 4 spikes until a hungry slug moved in. Needless to say, we have now put slug traps all over the garden, fresh yeast, beer and water in deep yoghurt pots, buried in the ground. They find the smell irresistible and once they fall in the mix, they drown. The first night we caught over 100 slugs ! 

Beautiful mosses and lichen

The Marsh Violets are in flower at our local reserve

HOW MUCH !!!!!

Herring Gulls, visit daily for tasty morsels

Lesser Black-backed gulls

Marsh Fritillaries

Tree felling now seems to happen all year round, regardless of seasons and bird breeding

Cuckoo Flower

One of our local reserves is covered in cowslips this year, looks fantastic

Coltsfoot