Saturday 1 May 2010

It's a dog's life

The Safari was on dog-sitting duty today for a friend so only the very briefest visits to Patch 1 where we did get a Whitethroat for the Walking Tick List which now stands at 84. The male Sparrowhawk belted overhead carrying a small prey.
Frank is a dream compared to Ozzy who is spoilt...lovely dog but he can be a nightmare...don't you have to be asleep to have nightmares? No chance of that with Ozwald in the house!!!
Ozzy's stablemate, Lucy, is such a well behaved dog in comparison, even better behaved than Frank.
As you can see we spent a lot of time out in the garden at Base Camp where we enjoyed a warm sunny day.The gulls told us a raptor was about, looking up we saw the cause of all the squawking - a Buzzard (WT#85). Yesterday we had a Wren that just didn't shut up, today that honour was taken by a trio of Blackbirds, one of which was in 'our' Sycamore tree.The Crab Apple tree we have is just bursting in to flower. There weren't many insects about. Our first Speckled Wood fluttered against the kitchen window, and we noted a small number of Red Tailed Bumble Bees. A few Drone Flies hovered between the Crab Apple and Silver Birch trees. Closer inspection of the above photo showed there was another species of hoverfly present in the garden - no good at hovers - any ideas anyone.Spent a bit of time looking at the flowers. Shepherd's Purse is an abundant 'weed' in both the borders and the pots. Not often this tiny species is photographed, certainly the first time the Safari has attempted it.
Herb Robert also grows as a weed, Wifey doesn't like it but it must be the foodplant for at least one of the moths that visit Base Camp. Cowslips are a bona fide wildflower but ours are bought in and have spread like wildfire. So how come they are so scarce in the general countryside round here...only on motorway verges are they numerous - but planted - and up on the limestones further north.
Unlike the Herb Robert Wifey likes these petite Forget-me-nots which also grow as a weed in the garden - no we don't pull them out.
Overnight rain makes the Lady's Mantle look its best. A native wildflower but round here is a garden escape and boy does it escape. Bonny little chap...
We think this is a hybrid Pansy we have 'grown' ourselves between Marks n Sparks Chocolate Violas we grew from seed a couple of years ago and a bog-standard yellow variety.
So there you are my chums a quick spin round the 'estate', all 50 feet of it...and Stu, you're not seeing the innards of the garage...opened the doors this morning and a ton of stashed cr*p fell out on top of me!
Where to next? Today's missing safari to Zilch Alley and Pipit Slab early tomorrow morning followed by footy and the small matter of a play-off place to be won!
In the meantime let us know what's about in your campsite this weekend.

6 comments:

Warren Baker said...

My 'estate' covers the same vastness as yours Dave, and houses more wildlife than the surrounding football pitch sized gardens put together. Keep letting in those wildflowers!

cliff said...

Dave, sorry to hear you're having bovver id'ing your hover, I think it could be Melanostoma scalare - well I hope it is 'cos that will go someway toward repaying all those ID's you keep sending my way.

As an aside, I had a potter around Lawsons Rd Wetlands today hoping for a few Damselflies, but alas there were none about. Am I right in thinking you were involved in the said locations creation??

Regards

Cliff

Lancashire and Lakeland Outback Adventure Wildlife Safaris said...

Thanks for the ID Cliff, if you're in to the hovers Bispham Marsh is a real hotspot and has some local rarities. Don't ask me what they are though.

Warren - know exactly wot you mean. Not that anyone round here has football pitch sized gardens!
Thought we might have had nesting goldfinches but we didn't so Buddiea got severely hacked yesterday ready for those late summer butterflies.

Cheers

D

Monika said...

Beautiful weeds! Nice to see what's in bloom in your area - some of the same species!

Lancs and Lakes Outback Adventure Wildlife Safaris said...

Cliff - re the wetlands yes I had a small part in that project, basically i wrote the minutes ofthe meetings and little else. Wish I'd thought of it but that honour goes to a local resident.

Monika - yep there are a whole suite of species common to our areas and many that are different aren't THAT different.
Looking forward to the subtropical paradise that is FL where things are defintely different according to my field guides.

Cheers

D

cliff said...

Dave - re Bispham Marsh, thanks for the tip. It's not somewhere I'm comfortable turning up with camera & tripod though, as an urban location it's a tad too busy for me so instead I just look on longingly when I go by heading for somehwere a 30 minute drive away :-( .

Cliff