Did you spend some time in nature over this past weekend? What did you do? Did you find anything interesting? Experience anything new?
Was out in the garden planting some new things and transplanting others when one of the local pileated woodpeckers came to use my garden fork’s handle as a perch and hang out for some fifteen minutes, even with me moving and working just a few feet away. They’re usually into having more space between us, so it was an awesome experience.
Got buzzed a few times by some hummingbirds too - they can get aggressive when the flowers are late, and they’ll fly close enough that you can feel the wake from their flight on your neck and face.
So great when birds realise you aren’t a threat and they carry on in the space as though they you aren’t there
100%! Earlier this year a bluebird perched on me a few days after I had rescued it from a window situation (I choose to believe) and it was amazing. It’d be great if hummingbirds weren’t so pushy though…
I was stuck inside my flat most the time unfortunately, but I was able to watch a little sunbird hunting for insects just outside my flat. Nectar is not their only meal!
Same, but it was a house sparrow preening itself in a large bush outside my window.
I didn’t get a lot further than the garden this weekend but, having moved to a rural spot (East Anglia, UK) only a couple of months back, we are still finding new things in and around the garden.
One of the most notable is that a Kestrel has recently fledged in the woodland at the end of the garden - so it and parent are quite prominent and vocal on the several suitable perches around and about. We have set up the bins on a tripod in the front window and are getting some great views.
We also have a red kite passing overhead quite frequently.
Otherwise, brown hare loping through the garden, plenty of grey squirrel and occasional muntjac, green and occasional great spotted woodpeckers. Most smaller birds are steering clear at the moment due to the predators though. Then a southern hawker made a few passes on Sunday, and a several meadow browns and a red admiral were flitting about. We have burdock growing along the edges in a few places and just noticed a cluster of lords and ladies at the bottom.
We also noticed a branch had fallen from one of the adjoining ash trees and was hung up on the power line. A call to UKPN brought them out to deal with it surprisingly quickly. Looking at the canopy, I fear that it is succumbing to ash dieback. I expect that we will have more falling branches and that it will need to be felled this winter or next.
It’s sounds like a very busy garden! How are you finding the move? You sound like someone who would really appreciate being out of the city.
We moved from a small town most recently, and prior to that we lived (and I worked) on an island nature reserve for several years. I haven’t lived in anything like a large urban area for the last 18 years or so. Even coming back to the mainland and living in a small town was quite a shock!
However, in many ways this is more rural and quieter than the nature reserve - since there are no visitors. Both my SO and I are loving it. We are planning to create a no-dig veg plot in the garden and get a bit more structure to it - since it is largely just lawn at the moment - but we are here for keeps now (we hope) and we will be taking our time.
I’m very envious of your housing history. Sounds like you have a lovely quiet spot now
I spent all day Saturday weeding my vegetable garden and adding some radishes, leeks, summer squash, and wax beans I grew from seed. This is my first year growing ground cherries, and they’re really taking off! They taste funky in a good way.
I went biking with a friend yesterday, and we found this amazing patch of strawberries. All the plants were loaded, and they were in such a sunny spot, they all got so sweet. Someone introduced somehere years ago, and now they grow in the ditches and random lots around town. We’re going to try gathering some today, bike around and fill up containers.
Lucky find!
8 point buck cromching my day lillies.
The cat semi-spooked him, and he moved to the forsythia.
En guete buddy.
That’s so stinkin’ cool!!
Someone is appreciating your garden a bit too much it seems
I breathed fresh air without any noticeable smoke in it. It was a refreshing change of pace after the past several days.
Went sailing with my partner and a couple friends around Mission Bay in San Diego. Was kind of a cloudy day but still always so joyous!
It was 1000 degrees this weekend so I stayed inside. Haha
Finally got a break in the near constant rain and thunderstorms and took the quads out on the trails for the day with some friends. We rode most of the day and saw deer, a turtle, lots of chipmunks, tons of butterflies, a turkey and a pheasant, ate lunch up on a cliff under some wind turbines, and took one extremely hairy trail that challenged us all. It was fun and so nice to be outside all day seeing some new sights.
I went for a walk around our local wildlife preserve! It was super peaceful and relaxing. Saw lots of lizards, rabbits, and butterflies!
My partner and I went backpacking for the first time this weekend! It was overall a really positive experience, but the hike ended up being longer than it said in the guidebook and it rained the entire way back, so it definitely pushed our limits. The sound of the rain in the forest was lovely and the misty mountain views were still quite stunning.
