A Very Wet Boris Walk

The endless merging of the hours and the days continue, like something JG Ballard talked about in his novel "The Drowned World" it sometimes feels like I've entered what he referred to as "Deep Time."

Today however I did know what day it was so that was an advance on the weekend. This was helped by the rain arriving for the first time in a while, and staying the whole day.

The Boris Walk today took me to the cemetery and around the two lakes; the cemetery absolutely full of flowers with the carpet of wild garlic in the ditch particularly striking. But the best thing was the surface of the lake was being patrolled by about 20 swallows and martins of some kind, skimming the water at high speed before slamming the brakes on in sharp turns in order to make another run.

So good to see, but I still haven't seen a swift yet!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 28.04.20

Buttercups and Saxifrage

Today's Boris Walk took me through the cemetery, to see if any new species are out there, having finally dragged myself out of bed on another day when the exhaustion is really battering me.

It was a cool day today, so I thought there would be a few less people traipsing around the two lakes, but it was still quite busy around the cycle path, which always makes me feel a bit uneasy. I'm always uneasy around people now, especially if there is a queue for Asda. Ugh.

The cemetery is a very different colour now, the white of winter from the snowdrops gave way to the purple of crocus, the yellow of daffodils, and now the pale blue of forget me not and spanish bluebell, and the deeper blue of native bluebells.

Both species of blue are indeed growing in the cemetery, you can compare them in the photos below, and I imagine a lot of hybridisation is taking place in there as well.

The first signs of the final two colours that will dominate the cemetery next have also appeared, with golden buttercups and white meadow saxifrage now in bloom.

Around the lake, the mandarin duck put on a colourful show for anyone sharp enough to notice him - I'm amazed more people don't! Meanwhile above the carp filled waters, I saw my first swallows of the year, skimming the surface for insects.

Their only worries are to eat and breed, unlike us.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 18.04.20

Just Back in from a Spot of Bat Watching

We have a local pipistrelle living somewhere in the old building in which I have my flat, and I've just been outside trying to film this tiny batball, barely the size of a blue tit, in the deepening dusk.

I failed of course, although a tiny dot may be seen in the odd frame.

During the day, standard route for Boris Walk, with pretty much the same stuff on view, but I did get a first orange tip photo for you. Sadly, it was a female, and this had no orange tips. It was also too far away to get a good photo, but as many of you will know these buggers are very hard to get a photo of, they are restless little flutterers.

The skies have been so blue the last couple of days, it is unreal. I've been looking for an early swift, but no sign yet. Two weeks away I reckon. I've not seen any swallows or house martins yet.

The days pass, time has little meaning!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 15.04.20

Dining on Dandelions

A much nicer day today, and consequently there was much more to see as I went on my hour's worth of Boris Walk round our cricket ground and Sconce Park today.

I saw my first worker bumbles, three sand martins over the River Trent, lots of other things buzzing about, and pretty orange tip males making their way about the hedgerows in greater numbers than before.

Not seeing many brimstones, which is disappointing.

Lots of dandelions are in flower, like little glowing sunsets, and as ever they are a vital supply of food for early season pollinators. One of the customers was a beautifully pristine female green veined white butterfly, and the little mining bee you can see in the pictures below. It looks a little, er, little to be a tawny mining bee male and so I have no idea what species it is.

We had a couple of folk working at the cricket ground today, and we talked of renovation and the chance of getting any matches this summer. Maybe in late June early July we can play.

It was hard to hear, as I made sure I stood ten metres away.

This social distancing will be a hard habit for me to break.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 14.04.20