Swans

I was just reading this lovely post about swans over at Comfrey Cottages, and it reminded me I took some pictures a while back that I didn't get around to posting.

This is at the boating lake down at the seafront where we live. We go down regularly to feed the ducks in the winter.. there are trillions of them, all sorts, all shapes and colours and sizes. The little'un loves it, because they take the bread straight from his hands... but we also usually see two or three beautiful swans. They glide smoothly along. But suddenly they are there - right there, at your elbow! They will actually try to nose their beak into your coat pocket if you've stashed the bread in there.

I have to confess this makes me very nervous! As well as being stunningly beautiful, they are big powerful creatures. I think that its only when they are protecting young that the parent birds can be scary, but I want to find out more about them and their behaviours. I like that they often pair for life.

On this particular day a lovely soft downy juvenile is wandering about with the ducks hoping for bread while a parent seems content just sitting on the grass off to one side keeping an eye.

Monday 13th Feb, UPDATE:-

Many thanks to MadHat for sharing this excellent information about the best nutritious food to feed ducks and swans, as too much bread is not the best thing for them.

Robin

Here he is .. our cheeky robin chappy!

Unlike the other birds, he lands on a twig right next the window (on the overhanging vine - you remember the vine?)and looks straight at you and cocks his head. I put some seed on the ground right outside and he tucked in quite happily and posed for us, too!

Snow

Yes, I know everyone else has snow too, and one back garden looks pretty much like another when covered in snow ... but its just so brilliant! Especially on a Sunday when you don't have to worry about trying to get anywhere and can just go and enjoy it.

Except I'm housebound with the start of a migraine and a painful swollen knee, doh! But I really do believe that every cloud has a silver lining (even if you have to poke quite hard to find it).

We were worried about the birds, so lovely hubby went out to clear and fill the bird feeders which were covered in snow .. all freshly filled and with a nice clear snow-free patch beneath for picking up the fallen food .. so I've been sat with tea and toast in my armchair enjoying the best wildlife show you could hope for: a pair of robins, a pair of chaffinches (I just love their colouring and they are new to me), a pair of blue tits, our resident flock of funny hoppy little sparrows, a squadron of starlings (whom I love - there were eight of them on the hanging table at once today! someone told me they were mainly ground feeders, so they are especially affected by the snow, is this right? also I saw one passing food beak to beak with another the same size .. a late chick??) Not to mention my friend mr. blackbird, who was valiantly doing his territorial thing, seeing off a thrush nearly twice his size.

If I hadn't been forced to sit in the armchair completely still, I would have missed the show! And I'm still learning .. today I've found out that male and female robins are identical, that chaffinches don't usually use the feeders but prefer to pick up seed from the ground (today the female chaffinch was doing this, sneaking in to the cleared patch of ground for some seeds when mr. blackbird's back was momentarily turned, but the male chaffinch was occasionally taking his turn on the feeders .. needs must in the snow, I think?) Still got some looking up to do to identify the big thrush-type bird, though. A happy evening with some books to come.

Please check out the RSPB's advice on how you can help your birds during the snow (I found out plenty, including not using those little mesh bags that fat balls come in, for example) and leave a comment to share any tips that others might not know?


Update Monday 6th Feb:-

Well, the armchair wildlife warrior was in action again today .. still feeling crock and housebound, but sitting at the kitchen table having a coffee I noticed a starling trapped behind the glass of our neighbour's lounge window across the street. Lovely hubby went and rang the bell, but no reply. Denis next door came to see what was happening and he knocked next door over the street but one, who had the key for Joan's house with the trapped starling. They went in with an old towel and the starling shot out the door to freedom! Teamwork, huh? Well, while watching the rescue I was reminded of that favourite poem by Pam Ayres..

We're starlings, the misses, meself and the boys,
We don't go round hopin', we walks.
We don't go in for this singing all day,
And twittering about, we just squawks.

We don't go in for these fashionable clothes,
Like old Missel Thrush, and his spots,
Me breast isn't red, there's no crest on me head,
We've got sort of, hardwearing...dots.

We starlings, the misses, meself and the boys,
We'll eat anything that's about,
Well anything but that old half coconut,
I can't hold it still. I falls out.

What we'd rather do, is wait here for you,
To put out some bread for the tits,
And then when we're certain, you're there by the curtain,
We flocks down and tears it to bits.

But we starlings, the misses, meself and the boys,
We reckon that we're being got at,
You think for two minutes, them finches and linnets,
You never sees THEM being shot at.

So the next time you comes out to sprinkle the crumbs out,
And there's starlings there, making a noise,
Don't you be so quick to heave half a brick,
It's the misses, meself and the boys!

Hope you're all having a good day :-)

All that Glitters

Beautiful day (albeit hovering just above freezing!) and a morning expedition to Wrabness, near Manningtree and Mistley on the estuary of the River Stour. A little nature reserve there, you can walk down to the beautifully wild beach which was a glorious mixture of mud, sand, pebbles, corroded cliff and marshiness. As we walked down, all the little rivulets of water had frozen at the edges and were sparkling in the blazing winter sun .. fantastic! And well-worth the ten to fifteen minutes it took getting everyone dressed up for the expedition (nobody was allowed out of the car without 2pairs of gloves and socks, hat, hood and wellies etc).

As we walked round onto the beach the tide had pushed up piles of diamond-like ice crystals into drifts of frozen foam which made beautiful patterns and the sand was decorated all the way along the shoreline with wading bird footprints. I don't know whether there's some scientific explanation to do with the precise mix of salt and non-salt water here in the estuary that made this frosty wondrousness .. I don't need to know, it just was and we were there to see it and it was beautiful!

Definitely having a lucky day today - on the way back I was treated to a kingisher flypast.. so fast I thought I had imagined it, a flash of brilliant turquoise, then as it turned a glimpse of crimson underbelly. It can't be, I thought.. but when I looked it up in the books back at home, it could be nothing else and this was just the type of habitat they like and apparently in Britain in the winter migration season they often head for coastal areas. I am letting nature herself be my teacher .. and slowly, I'm learning!

Soup Magic

January has not been great... everyone is sick and/or grumpy. But there was a moment of magic today! In my constant effort to not waste food, eat more veg and cook from scratch, etc I knocked up a soup for lunch. I had a slightly wrinkled and unappetising-looking celeriac languishing in the basket of roots, so I looked up a recipe for celeriac soup. I wasn't expecting much - the list of ingredients looked so innocuous, nothing exciting. You know, an onion, a stock cube, a bit of milk.

But it totally rocked!

And so I am reminded of the power of soup to be more than the sum of its ingredients. We had it in giant mugs with crunchy slices of bread toasted under the grill with a drizzle of oil and pinch of thyme. It was full of flavour and it cheered me up and made me feel better about the world and everything in it.

And the little'un dunked his crunchy toast in the soup and scooped it up and yummed it down with great enthusiasm (before falling off his chair while attempting to imitate the washing machine which just went into spin cycle - its OK, I caught him by the ankle - no harm done!)

So there we are .. whatever the problem is, I think the answer is probably soup.

Rosehips and Ice

Beautiful freezing (literally!) morning and a walk along Alresford Creek, about 3 miles from home. No-one about, really peaceful and the air was full of birdsong. Stopped to listen to a robin singing to us from his perch up in a bush just a few feet away, such a beautiful sight and song.

Little'un loved the new game of cracking the ice where the muddy puddles had frozen over (there is no better fun than muddy puddles when you are nearly 3, and this was a whole new take on them!)

Collected just a few rosehips and took photos so I can try to identify the type, having been inspired by Moongazing Hare's interesting wild rose post. Am determined to start learning these things! There were several rose bushes which all appeared to be the same and towered high over my head with the reddest plumpest fruits right at the top out of reach.

The hips are about 2cm long and the bushes had backward facing hook-shaped thorns. I am wondering whether this makes them rosa rubiginosa, as many of the hips appear egg-shaped and the bushes had red-tinted stems?

Evergreen

I love the tradition of bringing greenery into the house during the darkest part of the year.. a reminder that the earth is only sleeping and will burst into life once more once she has shed her old layers, rested and renewed herself.

I made this little wreath for the front door from the evergreens in the herb garden, its just bay and rosemary. They both smelled divine while I worked with them. Had intended (indeed, still intend!) weaving a scarlet ribbon and adding pine cones, berries and other decorative bits later this week.. but it just looked so simple and fresh and green that I couldn't bring myself to do it yet.

This year we finally have an eco christmas tree which is actually growing in its pot and will live beyond the Christmas festivities. Yes, before you ask, it drops needles.. but I don't see that as a problem. I hoover them up. I like the ritual of watering it a little every day. Its nice to have something to nurture at a time when we are no longer out working daily in the garden.

Yesterday, driving through the winter countryside I saw mistletoe growing high up in trees for the first time.. a magical sight and it made me determined to look up some of the folklore surrounding this and other plants associated with this time of the year. I filled the hanging baskets by the front door with lovely variegated ivy which, like mistletoe, had its use banned by the church for its strong pagan (ie pre-Christian) associations.. yet they are still widely used, along with holly, though I am sure not many folks would now know why.

Share with me anything that you know .. and I'll add links or a new post if I find anything interesting?

UPDATE (Dec 30th 2011):

Found this wonderful Susun Weed article about Rosemary which includes the following:

"Old herbals hint that rosemary exerts its influence magically as well as physically. Burned as an incense, twined into a wreath, or grown in a pot, rosemary protects the house and those who live in it, especially the women..

Rosemary is a traditional Christmas decoration – partly because it smells good, and partly because pruning rosemary back mid-winter makes it stronger and healthier. So don’t hesitate to cut bunches of it for beauty."