READY FOR WINTER?

In a couple of weeks’ time I’ll look back at the year in images, charting the garden and house through the seasons.

This is something that’s featured on this blog for a couple of years now and it’s interesting to see the differences between each year.

By the time the reflection post comes on, it may well include an image or two with snow in; highly doubtful given the low height above sea level the garden is.

There’s not been much activity around the garden, aside from the usual visitors of blue tits, robins, house sparrows and dunnocks.

Not many blackbirds have been seen and other birds are still to regularly visit the garden during this early period of winter.

However, one bird that has flirted with the garden is the redwing.

In flocks of less than 20, they’ve visited the areas around the garden on a couple of occasions, but stay mainly up the lane in bigger bushes and trees that offer more shelter and more berries!

One exciting development was earlier this week, with the brief sighting of a barn owl next to the garden.

It appeared against the light of next door’s outside light and is the first one I’ve seen in about seven or eight years.

This news takes into context the seemingly reduction on cats in neighbouring houses and, though while still too numerous, the sighting of the owl is hopefully a good sign about natural prey for the barn and tawny owls, which had not been seen or heard around the garden for a number of years.

Let’s hope the local little owl population comes back too!