6 Mar 2010 1:20 AM

This morning, Friday, there was another keen frost but, once the sun had done its best to thaw the white ground hardener, the day turned into a beautiful looking one.

While my wife was going off to one of her local history meetings, I set off to go to a nature reserve.

The frost had left walking conditions muddy and, in places, it was difficult to walk properly but, after only two days with some sun, plants were already pushing their way through the soil.  Hazel Katkins were out and there were also a few Pussy Willow buds to be seen. 

For a change, I intended to go for a walk into the woods but, in the distance, I could here a chain saw and instantly knew that work was being undertaken to fell trees.  There is no point in walking a long way, in a wood, when there is any disturbance, for I knew that all the tree perching birds (Passarines) would have taken to flight.

When I arrived at the lake side, there was still ice formed in some areas of the water but, where there was no ice, there were lots of birds to be seen. 

After an early morning's feed, in the short grass, 100s of geese took to the air and the noise, although pleasent to me, was deafening. 

There were lots of Pochards and the usual local ducks, on the water, there were Reed Buntings calling, the first time I have heard them calling this year, and Chaffinch seemed to try to call louder than the buntings.

Moving away from the water, I walked onto another footpath and crossed over a wooden style so that I could look out and over a field that had, at some time, fallen foul to subsidense.  Here, in the bottom of the field, sheltered from the wind with trees at one side and the dip in the field at the other, I found the geese that I had earlier seen fly off. 

The birds, cleverer than me, did not have any problems with the cold wind but because I was at the top end of the field, I was getting the full blast of ice cold winds in my face and, before long, I had to move into a more sheltered place.  As soon as I moved, and I was a long way off, up went the heads of some of the geese as if they were on 'marshal' duties.

I moved into a wooded area, to get out of the wind, and noticed that there were several Silver Birch trees with bark that had half peeled off the tree's trunk and hung, like an over used dish cloth, to the side of the tree. 

In days gone by, when everybody went from one place to the next, on foot, Silver Birch bark, once it was at the stage of falling off the tree, was highly sort after for the wayfarer, as he wallked the long routes to market, used this bark as tinder to light a fire.  Not only is the paper thin bark very light to carry about,  it is also highly combustable and would probably start the dampest of fires every time.

I decided to go into a wooden hide, to escape the cold winds, and when I opened the hide door, several more birders had had the same idea.  The place was so full I could not find any room close to the slatted windows. 

I could still see out of th windows and noted that there were Teal, Wigion, Goosanders, Oystercatchers and Lapwings to be seen. 

In the far distance, of the lake, there was a duck that I could not recognise-it was too far away for me to tell what it was-so I dismissed the idea that it could have been something that I had not seen before.  In fact, on closer inspection and with the help of one of the people in the hide, I found out that the duck was a new bird for me.  The waterfoul turned out to be a Ring Necked Duck. 

While I was sitting in the hide, chatting away with the men, I realised that the tree felling had stopped, in the wood, so I set off to see if there was anything in the tree areas that I had not seen for a while.  There were reports of Crossbills but, try as I would, I did not see any today.  Goldfinch, Redpols and Siskins were plentyful but very little else.

I had purposly left my watch at home, for I did not want to know the time due to the weather being fine but, as time went on, my tummy began to rumble and I  knew it was time to go home for some food.

Once home, after a road diversion due to men working on the road, I ravenously tucked into several slices of thich boiled ham that was crammed onto bread baps with layeres of Beetroot.  Hot tea followed and it helped wash down two thick pieces of yummy sponge cake. All of wich will put me on until I have a full dinner later on in the day. 

I love food but, so that I can try to keep my wasteline in check, I have to burn the food off with long walks and lots of 'elbow greese' when doing the indoor domestic chores.  If I am unable to have regular exercise, I would soon be as fat as a ball.

By for now,

John.       

   

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5 Mar 2010 5:57 AM

I awoke this morning to more frost but, I was pleased to note, it soon thawed and the frost made way to a beautiful morning feeling almost spring like.

Already, there are new green shoots coming out of the ground and, as yet, I am not sure what the plants will turn into when the buds open.

Once the morning chores were out of the way, I was, for the first time in a long time, able to get into the garden and do a few of the tasks I have had to leave due to the awful weather conditions.

Last year, people remarked on how lovely our back garden lawn looked, at the side of theirs, and it took me a long time to work out why our lawn should look better than laws only two or three houses away from ours.

It was not until today that I realised what may have happened.

Last year, when I did the final cut of the lawn, before the grass stopped growning in the winter, I screed the grass with a strong grass rake.  This had the effect of getting any moss out of the lawn.  It is hard work but it helps me keep the wasetline in check.

Today, while I was doing the same task again, before the grass begins to grow, lots of dead grass came away with the rake.  Raking, in this fashion-so I am told-helps the grass to grow more compact, (The blades growing closer together without anything to obstruct them.)  I may be wrong about the way I am treating my lawn but, so far, it appears to work. 

My next door neighbour, who is older than me and may not be able to do the hard raking, uses chemicals on his lawn.

I prefere to be organic for I have encouraged the wildlife into my garden.  Last year, we were blessed by the appearence of a parent Great Spotted Woodpecker and its young. 

There is no real test here, to say wether or not my organic method is the best but, for me at least, it is the way I want to go with my gardening.

For a time, when the sun was out, I rested in my garden shed and thoroughly enjoyed being able to be outside again amongs the bird song that is now muted, in the house, due to double glazed windows. 

The double glazing, in winter, is a boon for it helps to keep the cold out, but it has the disadvantage of cutting out some of nature's sounds I love to here.

The other thing to consider about screeing the lawn, at this time of year, is that tufts of dry grass come to the surface of the lawn and pass right through the rake; the dead grass, that remains on the surface of the lawn, can now be used for birds that are thinking about nesting.

'Thinking about nesting' seems to be a strange saying and because it may seem to be a puzzle, I will explain. 

Birds investigate nest sights, often before laying down a nest, and they may also choose several sites once they are putting down their places of interest.  It is not a matter of a bird coming along and starting to build one nest and sticking with it, no, birds are more 'picky' than that. 

The thing that always puzzles me, about nest building, for some nests are in the throws of being built before there is any foliage on the trees, how do the birds know what the nest site is going to look like before the tree is in full leaf?

Nature always gives me something new to think about.

Last week, I was lucky enough to be able to get a speaker to come to one of our U3A nature watch meetings and this man, who has sat for many hours, is a keen Badger watcher and gave us a very interesting talk on his 'pet' subject. 

I have to say that I have never seen a Badger, in its wild state, and, with any luck, I am hoping to cure that oversight this coming summer.  It will mean staying out until the early hours of the morning for Badgers only come out to eat, in the main their diet is Earth Worms, and they usually only eat at night.

I will, if you are intereste, keep you posted on this one.

By for now,

John.

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3 Mar 2010 11:55 PM

Well, at long last, her I am in my choir uniform.

Not a pritty sight!

At the side of me you can just see some of the flowers and birthday cards I purchase for my wife's sixteen and a bit birthday.

By for now,

John.

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3 Mar 2010 6:17 AM

This morning, when I awoke to the sound of the bedside alarm, I looked out of the bedroom window to see yet more snow.  I had an early start today and, before I had my breakfast, I was outside moving as much snow off the car as was possible.

Today, I was to leave the house, just after the school children had gone into school, nicely missing the 'school run.'

The reason for the early start was to join the rest of the choir to sing our hearts out infront of, as it turned out, another audience that wanted to re book us. 
 
The sing started at about 10.30 a.m. and the show did not finish until after Noon.

The feed back, we received from the audience, stimulated us so much that we were able to carry every song to its maximum capability and, for I could tell from the body language of the singers-over 60 in number-that they all enjoyed their efforts to try and please.  At one point, as we sang 'You Will Never Walk Alone' a lump came to my throat and tears welled up in my eyes; I have always been the emotional type.

Here we go again Jim! 

Being tall and also in the Bass part of the choir, I was on the back row and-has it happened-centre to the stage although with my back to the stage.  What I did not know and none of my Bass singing male friends seemed to know, was that we were to be treated, by one of the choir, to a rendition of a performance from the film Calender Girls. For you that are not familier with the Calender Girls, it was a group of mature ladies who posed, to make a monthly calender, wearing very little clothing but photographed with the best possible modesty taste.  The finished calendar was presented to try and rais money for a cancer charitiy and it was very successful. 

The lady, doing the act, much to the amusement of the audience, was right behind me and I dare not turn round to see what she was doing.  It was not until the end of her act, as she sideled off the stage backwards, that I found out all she was wearing was a large cardboard sighn.  I was pleased that I found it in my heart, not like some of the male singers, not to turn round for I would have had to look directly up at the lady and would have been mortally embarrased. 

Later, when I arrived home and debriefed , my wife asked if she could take a photo of me in my uniform and I will post the photo in my next blog.

In the afternoon, trying to 'come down'-as they say when the excitement of the sing has not worn off-it was, for the first time in a long time, a beautiful looking day and I decided to go to one of my favourite nature reserves to have a good walk.

To my surprise, lots more people, of my age group, had had the same idea and there was very little parking space in the large car park.  No matter, I eventually found a spot and, as I pulled on my boots, I was able to here several birds calling.  One bird, with several calls and songs, which took me a long time to learn when I was a young man; the bird, with a name that will probably have my blog stopped from going out to you, so I will not mention it, seemed to be very loud in the thin cold air.

Through sticky mud, I walked out of the car park, onto a used footpath, and noted that a machine had been on site to strim back all the shrub lines.  When I first saw this kind of drastic looking strimming, I thought the shrubs would never recover but the task is done every year, before the breeding season starts, and the shrub lines always come back as thick as they were before.   

I walk to the edge of a large lake, with water looking like a mill pond, I saw, for the first time this year, two Great Crested Grebes doing their mimicing courtship dance.  It is a strange thing to see and something I never tire of looking at.  This year, for the first time, I was able to record some of the ritual and, if this site's memory will allow it, I will show the short film to you at a later time.

Although the sky had hardly a cloud and reflected a beautiful Azure blue, it was still very cold and there was no point in standing around for long. 

After my film recording was finished, I quickly moved on and while I was watching a large group of geese, all spread out in water that hardly boasted a ripple, one bird, I think it was a Pinkfooted Goose, did something I have never seen done before; the bird lurched at the water, head down, and the next thing that happened was the goose had done a complete summersault in the water.  Why the waterfoul would want to do that or how it had found out how to do it is a complete mistery to me.

I walked round the site, for some time, and chatted to a few of the walkers and, as I walked back to the car park, I met three very polit people;  I think the trio, consisting of mum, daughter and father, were unsure if they were allowed to walk on this site and they stopped to ask me a few questions.

When the conversation was over, I asked the gentleman if he knew the time, for I had forgotten to take my watch with me.  He and his family had done exactly the same as me but, while the very pleasent gentleman fumbled in his pocket for his mobile phone, to get me the time, I said, as I looked up into the sky, 'Now if I was "Crocodile Dundee" I would would know that it was 4.15.  When the man showed me his mobile, it was 4.11 which was not a bad guess but it did not get the laugh I expected.

It took me ages to get my muddy boots off and put on the shoes I yesterday spent most of the morning polishing with the good old fashioned army 'spit and polish' method so that they would look good when we were singing, for I was trying my best not to get the shoes dirty. Somehow, I did not achieve my goal for the shoes still managed to get mud on them. 

Once in the car, and for the first time in a long time, I did not need any heat on and, if only for a short time, I drove off with the window down.  How lovely it was not to be freezing cold.

By for now,

John.   

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1 Mar 2010 11:02 PM

Thank you all for your kind and friendly comments to my latest blog.

To the readers, who have asked me to email them, I would prefere not to use the email system and not to use the chat room cystem.

I will, if you comment on my blogs, write back to your blog.

I do hope I have not upset anybody.

By for now,

John.

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