17 April: Chaffinch

Yesterday early evening I went out to water the newly-planted seedlings in the back garden - lobelias and calendulas. The potted trees needed a drink too, and as I was watering the gingko something moved in its branches and startled me. It was a chaffinch, and he sat there while I was standing right next to it.

Birds don't normally do that, so I wondered if he had flown into the window and stunned himself (they do that). I said Hello - he just looked at me. Eventually I reached out a hand and touched his tail very gently; he still didn't move. It was only when I mentioned he should be careful of the sparrowhawk that he flew off.

23 March: More spring creatures

This morning I watched a wren in the back garden, busily checking for insects in most of the usual places, plus a few more unusual (the potted pine tree for one).

And the bumble bee I saw yesterday was again floating round the hellebores and the comfrey, which has just started to flower. The comfrey is a favourite of the wren too, as there are lots of little spiders on it.

31 December: Thaw

It's been warmer (well OK, less cold) for a few days, so the snow and ice are slowly melting. The pavements are less icy today than yesterday, although the ice that remains is dirty and oily, so they still need care!

Anyway, we were able to get out for a proper walk today, rather than just round the block, and feel much better for the fresh air and exercise. Along the old railway line was a small flock of goldfinches, chaffinches and tits, the little birds darting in and out of the trees and bushes. In a crop field on one side were a whole lot of thrush look-alikes that we think were probably fieldfares, though getting the camera out unfortunately frightened them away.

All the ditches were full, and water ran along the lane. A boggy bit of wood pasture at the bottom of one field has a ditch more like a stream.


Still some scraps of snow under the trees further away.

4 October: Kingfisher!

As we walked across the road bridge over the River Wear at Sunderland Bridge this morning, my Dear Husband and I watched a kingfisher repeatedly darting across the river and diving into the flow (deep, fast, and brown after all the rain at the weekend).

We were delighted - the first time he has ever seen a kingfisher alive and flying, and only the third time I've seen one. I saw one many years ago near the Uni playing fields in Durham, and one last summer at Low Barns, a Durham Wildlife Trust place.

28 February: Another sort of skein

At about a quarter part one this afternoon, a large skein of geese, perhaps 50 or 60, flew high over our house, honking gently and heading North.

There is colour at the tips of the crocus buds, in our garden and in the municipal roadside plantings.

But it's snowing again.

28 November: Wildlife friendly

We like to think we run a wildlife friendly garden. There are snags. Slugs and aphids. The odd mouse and rat. And when you feed the birds, it's not just the little pretty ones - it's also the ones that eat the little pretty ones.

This morning the sparrowhawk breakfasted on our lawn. All that was left was a small scatter of tiny grey feathers. When she'd finished eating, she sat on the fence and cleaned her feet and her beak. Then she dozed a while and digested. She was very beautiful.

But I hope she eats elsewhere for a while.

24 November: The birds

It was so dark this morning that the birds had only just got up when I was in the kitchen, so I was able to see the flock descend. It's funny how they all seem to move from one garden to another all together.

A robin and a couple of blackbirds were first, followed by lots of tits, great, blue and coal. Two starlings spilled enough seed from the hanging feeder for the blackbirds and the dunnock, and then a few collared doves arrived to clear up. Our friendly neighbourhood mouse will polish off anything left.

A charming wren checked out the potted trees on the paving, giving me an unusually clear view. Then some finches swooped into the birch tree, and a greenfinch came to the feeder; of the two goldfinches perched on the fence, only one visited the feeder. They do seem to like the mixture of seed that has extra mealworms and suet pellets.

Yesterday the local sparrowhawk was perched on a neighbour's roof - it was very quiet while she was there.

And then later on, from a traffic queue on Milburngate Bridge in Durham, we spotted a grey heron roosting on the roof of the Passport Office. Perhaps it was the one seen standing by the weir when the fish were going upstream recently.

26 October: No bears

It was pleasant and sunny, and we decided to walk back to the Park and Ride, partly along the riverbank.

There were small groups of people standing looking at the weir. One or two had cameras.
Plenty of water was pouring over, in spite of the quantity of branches and debris caught on the stonework.

Then we saw the fish jumping, lots of them, and some perhaps as much as 18 inches long. Few were succeeding, though. And why weren't they using the 2-tier section, specially made for fish to get up-river? Could it be something to do with the large grey heron standing bold as brass in clear view on the top of a log just behind that 2-tier section?

28 July: A Wednesday walk

We waited for the parcel postman to come round, then we went out for a bit of a walk.

After tea and birthday cake in the cafe, we strolled round the Botanic Garden, ending up in the bird hide.

There weren't many birds about, but eventually some wildlife appeared.


followed shortly by a couple of other creatures -


There was also a lesser spotted woodpecker, which evaded photographic capture.

20 May: RSPB Saltholme

A short visit to the new RSPB place at Saltholme, down near the mouth of the Tees. It is all brand new, the car park, the Visitor Centre, the paths, hides, even the lakes appear newly scraped out of the bare earth.

As we arrived, the wind whipped across the marshes - gulls and swifts were sailing about above us. After a brief introduction in the centre, we explored the site. Near the Centre is a "wildlife garden" - not quite Chelsea, but pleasant.

This is a view of the Centre building from the garden, with some of Teesside's more usual architecture in the background -


The water feature/pond in the garden (inside the low wall) has a fountain in the middle -


And this is the seat where the last photo was taken from, showing the up-ended trees which line one side of the path -


They are real trees, though dead, uprooted, turned upside down, and replanted.

The rest of the area was less photogenic, being very bare and windswept (though DH took photos of the Transporter Bridge, and some ducks, with his superior camera and lens). We visited 2 of the hides and watched some of the birds (though I was more interested in the cows which appeared to be walking on the water at the other end of the lake), had coffee and cake in the nice cafe, which has excellent views of one lake, browsed round the shop, and plan to go again.

11 May: Even more wildlife

It's a lizard shot, I'm afraid.

This little character, about 4 inches long including the tail, startled us by skittering across the track in front of us this afternoon, while we were walking in Hamsterley Forest. For some reptilian reason, it took cover in a big puddle on the track, with only its head above the surface. But at least it stayed still long enough to have its photo taken.

10 May: More birds

This morning the street at the front of the house is a-swoop with house martins. It's wonderful to have a nest under the eaves, and to hear the burbling of the inhabitants. The only downside is the tremendous mess they drop underneath the nest, on the porch roof. And we've only just got the remainder of last year's mess cleaned off.

9 May: Fledged!

The local pair of robins have successfully raised at least one youngster - it was foraging in our back garden yesterday evening, on its own, all round and bright and spotty - totally delightful!

28 April: Just blink

It must be old age, but I have no idea where last week went.

There was a lot of sitting in the garden, knitting, and a pleasant walk (the first house martins are back at the local farm), some gardening and some bead-ear-ring-making; and a shopping expedition.

In the garden, the apple trees are covered in fat pink buds, the snakeshead fritillaries are mostly over, the bluebells (only ours are pink) are nearly out; there are violets, auriculas, comfrey, cowslips and hybrid primulas, bergenias, daffodils, lungwort, hellebores, two tulips and two hyacinths, one rhododendron/azalea, honesty, and about a thousand forget-me-nots - a bit of colour.

There are 3 sorts of potato in bags on the paving, all looking good, and some seedling lettuces on the windowsill in the conservatory.

And we have some birds coming to the feeders; the regulars include a pair of robins (their nest is probably in our neighbour's garden), a pair of house sparrows, a pair of collared doves, several blackbirds, the dunnocks, and recently a small band of starlings - entertaining when they try to hover, but also very untidy feeders. The sparrowhawk has visited, but not fed.

20 March: The Green Man smiles

The Green Man smiles in the spring sunshine.

New lambs are making their appearance, and the skylark has returned.

26 February: Visitors

This morning, just after 7.30, I was at the sink, washing the cat's bowl when I noticed a movement in the garden.

It looked exactly like the little bird that had been in the buddleia the previous evening, which we had taken to be a wren - tiny bird darting about looking for insects.

But then it came right up onto the paving and perched in the potted oak tree - a second one darted down from the clematis - too pale to be a wren, and the movement not quite right. A stripe on the head - but not a coal tit - a yellow stripe. Two goldcrests!!!

I have found a picture -

I know it's goldfinches that are a charm, but these little creatures were truly charming.

19 November: Wednesday Walk 5

Earlier in the year I demonstrated spinning at an event at Durham Wildlife Trust's Rainton Meadows. Busy all day, I didn't have a chance then to explore the place; so a return visit was well overdue.

This sculpture has some connection with the Great North Forest, and seems to have been designed by William Pym. It is in danger of being totally engulfed by the surrounding willow growth, which is flourishing in the marshy ground.


Beyond the sculpture, at the end of that path is a lake, complete with swan.


Much of the area is still getting established, with newish tree planting. There are several ponds or lakes, but there seems to be no public access to most of them. One bird-watching hide is unfinished, another appears to have been vandalised already - the seats are missing. Signs mark some of the surfaced paths as part of the Coalfield Way.

A large number of geese were circling overhead, honking loudly; one group detached itself and flew off northwards. There was a group of a dozen or so lapwings on one pond - the most I've seen together in one place for a while.

The area round Joe's Pond seems much more established, with older trees and scrub surrounding it and providing shelter. It seems popular with ducks and swans, who leave their feathers all over the place -


And they must be fed by some of the visitors, as a number of them rushed across and started squabbling.


No crumbs today, perhaps next time.

30 October: First frost

The garden was white with frost as I looked out over the breakfast washing up.

But alive with birds. Several coal tits were busy on the feeders, 2 or 3 blackbirds were getting aggressive round the frozen birdbaths, the usual dunnock (actually 2 of them this morning) in the border and on the path under the feeders, a couple of collared doves patrolling the paths, TWO robins (local robins are very shy, and normally on their own), a stray sparrow visiting the feeder, and most charming of all, a small flock of goldfinches!

They were first on the ground under the birch tree, then in the tree itself, all pecking busily at the bare twigs (what are they finding? the tits do the same), and one tried the apple tree, but soon returned to the birch. One came to the feeder, but didn't stay there.

So many little creatures, all simply going about their business - wonderful!

And still on the topic of the cold weather, I realised the other day that DH's normal hat is an old black acrylic watch cap he bought years ago from the Scout and Guide Shop. He has a nice thick Shetland hat (hand spun, dyed, and knitted) in a blue and grey fractal design, but says it is too warm for ordinary use.

A challenge - no self-respecting spinner/knitter can have their spouse favouring something not hand-spun and hand-knitted, so a replacement has been made.

The old hat is a double cap - an old design, popular in Scandinavia, where one layer folds inside the other to give a double thickness.

This is a simple but effective design, and not wishing to make it too warm, I decided to use fine yarn. And there is plenty of black Wensleydale (dark brown in reality), which will make a nice sober cap. But what about the other half, should that be terribly sober too? How about some colour? There are several balls of variegated BFL in different colours - how about combining them in one-row stripes like the recent odd socks?

So, here it is -


The more sober side -



And the more colourful side -


And of course either side can have the bottom edge turned up to provide a contrasting brim. "To suit your mood", as they used to say.

6 September: Suffolk again

A nice relaxing week near the Suffolk coast. For people with a low boredom threshold, who have never previously been to the same place on holiday twice, our third trip to Suffolk looks like a developing obsession. We even stayed in the same converted barn as last autumn.

I took very few photos, and most of DH's are of dragonflies or butterflies.

And anyone who was expecting a post-card, we didn't get round to sending any. Sorry.

We had some wonderful walks, along the coast, across heathland like this -

and in woodland. In Rendlesham Forest, we discovered some carvings of woodland creatures, deer, rabbit, snake, fox -

and this fellow, evidently providing an unusual location for an orienteering control - "Crocodile, S. side" -

7 August: Out for a walk

I've just been reminded why I dislike walking in a group.

Lovely bright sunny morning, though a bit humid from yesterday's rain, but pleasant for a walk round a favourite local circuit. A dog walker uttered the normal "Morning" as we passed each other. Then on the narrow path with wet undergrowth on each side, there was a party of middle-aged ramblers. All the gear, big boots, thick woolly socks, rucksacks and walking sticks. Two abreast, filling the entire path. Nobody glanced up from the earnest contemplation of the ground and the conversation, until I was forced to stop to avoid a collision. Then they looked at me as if I had landed from Outer Space, and passed by without even a smile, let alone a friendly greeting. (And no shorts were involved.)

Group walking means ambling along slowly, chatting all the time, and not noticing a thing you pass. Whereas I prefer to stop and look, or otherwise walk fast enough to enjoy the air and exercise.

This morning it seemed autumn is just around the corner. The buddleias are peaking, rowan berries turning orange, elderberries starting to colour, a few ripe blackberries, and some horse chestnut leaves are starting to turn.

Part of the rape seed harvest is in -

And the martins are gathering -

In the hedge was this old gatepost, unused for many years but still standing -


Old and disintegrating, but still interesting.