Spring Faffings Out and About

A day of two halves. First up was helping mum with her lunch, while taking all opportunities to see what was happening in the garden.

There was a lot.

The huge silver birch tree that dominates my folk's garden was alive with birds. "Seeeep" "turrweeeet" "zeep zeep zeep" "see see see" were its greatest hits, and the birds in the charts were blue tits, great tits, a coal tit, and loudest of all, a goldcrest.

You'd think the tiny goldcrest would be a shy bird, but it is as brave as a tiger! It has no problem with letting the observer get within 4 or 5 feet as it works the bark for tiny aphids. It was continuously calling as well, "seep seep seep", the avian equivalent of talking with its mouth full.

I was looking for a site for the bee hotel I bought my parents, only discover that others had been doing a spot of DIY too. The largest of these was my stepfather, who has made holes with perches in the outhouse where the great tits nested last year. The others were the blackbirds who nested in the pergola, who have destroyed their cat attacked nest from last year, and commenced work on a new one.

When I did get out on my belated run, the most noticeable thing on a very cold grey day was the colour change as we enter a new phase of spring. In the cemetery, the purple and white crocuses are over, and yellow daffodils form avenues along the paths.  And in Friary Road park, the yellow of aconite has been wiped over by the blue of squill.

Now, we await the bluebells. I can see their spears poking up in my garden now.

Si

First pink blossom in my vicinity

Whit blossom in the same garden

Magnolia flowers are out

Close up of an emerging magnolia. I love their furry cases

Goldcrest in the birch

Camelia in the garden. It's been in flower all winter

Blackbirds early nest construction

My stepfather's encouragement for birds to nest in the outhouse

Crocus avenue is now daffodil avenue

Flowering nettle, the forgotten reserve

Devil buds?

Squill in Friary Road park

Squill close up

Man painting the Sonning, he thought I wanted him to fall in

Nasty swans

Spider wisely escaping Belams Bistro