A Year in the Life of an English Country Garden - 2016 - The End

[jennyb]

Keep them coming jenny, nice takes amazing how gardens evolve, Deers seem comfortable, we had a couple three years ago haven't seem them since.

Thanks for your comments, Walter. Maybe you are lucky that the deer didn't come back - it makes it very difficult to grow pretty flowers. They eat most things.

 

[jennyb]

By the meteorological calendar, spring starts today and it has certainly been a weird winter. I mowed the lawns yesterday because they were ridiculously long. They have not actually stopped growing this winter but they were too wet to cut since November.

A varied assortment of images this week. Firstly, the green woodpeckers have been out feeding on the lawn. Here is one of them, but quite a heavy crop.

The Long-tailed tits have been very active. They are very gregarious and large numbers of them flock onto the feeders during winter. They tend to disappear to other parts of the garden in summer and we don't see much of them. They are so pretty - one of my favourite garden birds. I was trying to see how many I could capture on the feeder at any one time but only managed seven.

The next one tries to give the impression of how fluttery and hyperactive they are. They never stay still for long.

Next is the cock pheasant who is still hanging around but a female appeared the other day and he was chasing her all round the garden. She wasn't interested!

The roe deer are still regular visitors - I counted eight the other day.

Finally, I have been trying to capture the numbers of daffodils and primroses that are flowering but the photos are just not working. We really have hundreds of them. The primroses seem to grow like weeds and the next photo shows one growing out of the concrete steps that we have leading down to the pond. They seem to grow anywhere.

That's all for this week. Sadly, I missed photos of a flock of redwings and the sparrow hawk.

 

[dlh]

Hi Jenny. Loving the long-tailed tit images, particularly the first. Beautiful little birds beaten only by blue tits for looks in my book. Looking forward to seeing more of your spring delights.

 

[jennyb]

Hi Jenny. Loving the long-tailed tit images, particularly the first. Beautiful little birds beaten only by blue tits for looks in my book. Looking forward to seeing more of your spring delights.

Thanks, Darren. Yes, these tits are like fluffy little pompoms and they are really little characters which makes them very endearing.

 

[wallyboy]

Great bird shots jenny, soon be a golden time when spring has sprung.

 

[jennyb]

Thanks, Walter. Yes, spring is a busy time in the garden with everything springing to life. Hope I can do it justice.

 

[Mike C]

Hi jenny, what a really great thread. I really like all your flower shots, and the bee on heather one. It's very inspirational, both photographically and in horticulture. I'd love to do this myself, but I don't think a picture of a flat football and next doors cat will garner much interest

 

[jennyb]

Hi jenny, what a really great thread. I really like all your flower shots, and the bee on heather one. It's very inspirational, both photographically and in horticulture. I'd love to do this myself, but I don't think a picture of a flat football and next doors cat will garner much interest

Thanks for your comments, Mike. Glad you like the flower shots. There should be a lot more coming over the next few months!

 

[blakester]

Havent popped into your thread in a little while Jenny but its lovely to see it and all that it brings.
I particularly like the long tailed tits feeding, so much to look at within both of those frames. Wonderful

 

[jennyb]

Havent popped into your thread in a little while Jenny but its lovely to see it and all that it brings.
I particularly like the long tailed tits feeding, so much to look at within both of those frames. Wonderful

Thanks for your comments, Iain. Glad you like the images.

 

[jennyb]

No photos posted last week because I was on holiday. I am under pressure this week trying to catch up so I only managed a few daffodil shots. There are hundreds of them flowering at the moment.

Before I went away I tried to get some shots of some tiny irises that flower very early in the year. They only grow to a few inches high and we have planted them in the lawn for some winter colour. I am not happy with this shot. The DOF is too shallow but they had finished flowering by the time I got back so I will post the best one anyway.

Next are the daffodil shots. There are so many different varieties. I find them quote intriguing. Not happy with this shot. The ladybird was being particularly obtuse and would not face the camera

I had never noticed this daffodil in the garden before. It is a double but I have no idea which variety. Very pretty, though.

This is a close-up of the same one. It is so intricate.

That is all for this week. I hope to find more inspiration in the coming week.

Comments are very welcome.

 

[jennyb]

Spring has definitely arrived in the garden. I have cut the grass and done lots of weeding this week. I have also been trying to get a photo that shows the incredible number of daffodils and primroses in bloom but I am struggling to get a decent photo. This image is the best I could manage but does not show many of them.

There has been a lot of bird activity this week. We have had a flock of redwings pecking around on the front lawn for several days now. At one stage I counted 30 of them. They are quite nervous so I could not get close but did manage to take this one.

The goldfinches have also been visiting the feeder this week. Very strange birds. I would not call them pretty but they do like Niger (not sure about the spelling) seed.

That's all for this week. Comments welcome.

 

[wallyboy]

Nice pics jenny, its starting to feel more spring like, I saw my first Butterfly of the year yesterday, Primrose, and crocus are showing nicely.

 

[jennyb]

Nice pics jenny, its starting to feel more spring like, I saw my first Butterfly of the year yesterday, Primrose, and crocus are showing nicely.

Thanks for your comments, Walter. I also saw my first butterfly of the year this week - a brimstone. Didn't get a photo, though.

 

[jennyb]

The world is going crazy. My first photo this week is a bluebell - in March There are lots just starting to flower all over the garden.

After a glorious spring day last Friday, the bank holiday weather was true to form - howling gales and heavy rain. In fact, Storm Katie brought down part of our fence and several trees in the woods next door. Many of the daffodils have been flattened but are still producing a brilliant display.

The Hellebore by the kitchen door has been flowering for weeks and I finally brought one in to photograph it. Just too windy for flower photography outside.

I also tried an "arty" shot which I don't think worked very well.

The pheasant who lives under the bird feeders is so tame now that he does not run away when we go close to him. This next photo shows how glorious his feathers are at this time of year.

Today I noticed frog spawn and toad spawn in the pond. I had never seen toad spawn before which is in long strings. On closer inspection there were dozens of mating toads (I think). Sadly, I don't have a polarising filter for that particular lens so the photos were not particularly good. The first one also shows some strings of toad spawn.

The next photo shows frog spawn but I am pretty sure that the picture shows toads, so the frogs have obviously been out and about recently too.

There have been siskins on the bird feeders today but sadly no photo.

Finally, I was completely gob-smacked to see a cormorant on the pond. I thought at first that it was a strange duck but soon realised that it wasn't. It flew around the garden a few times so we both got a good look at it and it was definitely a cormorant. It must have come from the local gravel pits. I hope it comes back so that I can get a photo. It has indeed been an amazing week.

As usual, comments are very much appreciated.

 

[Cloudforest]

I do like the picture of the garden, it has a lovely feel to it. The close-up of the pheasant feathers is terrific and I like the light on the bluebell.I look forward to hearing more news of the cormorant - you do get an amazing variety of wildlife visiting Jenny.

 

[jennyb]

I do like the picture of the garden, it has a lovely feel to it. The close-up of the pheasant feathers is terrific and I like the light on the bluebell.I look forward to hearing more news of the cormorant - you do get an amazing variety of wildlife visiting Jenny.

Thanks for your comments, Pete @Cloudforest . Yes, the cormorant was a great surprise. It has been back several days this week, circling around the pond and eventually landing but I don't think it stays long. There is little chance of a photo unless it decides to become a regular visitor. At first, I thought maybe it had been blown inland by Storm Katie and got lost (we are 50 miles from the sea). However, the RSPB web site says that they are increasingly being seen inland at reservoirs, lakes and gravel pits and we have a lot of gravel pits around here.

Yes, considering we are only a few miles out of town, the wildlife is surprisingly prolific.

 

[jennyb]

Firstly, this week the cormorant has been back quite a few times. A couple of days ago I was out photographing trees with my macro lens when it came circling over the pond and landed. I had no time to change the lens so I snapped a shot with my P & S from a very long distance at maximum zoom handheld. It is a terrible shot but I am posting it anyway just to prove that I have not been hallucinating

I live in hope of getting a better shot!

This week the trees are all bursting forth so I have concentrated on a few close-ups. The Horse Chestnut "sticky buds" are starting to open.

Next, I was rather pleased with this photo of a silver birch. This tree has both male and female catkins on the same tree and this shot captured both. The male catkins are the larger ones hanging down and the female catkins are green and pointing upwards.

Next, the goat willow. The male and female catkins grow on separate trees. This shows the female catkins.

We have a lovely weeping willow by the pond and it is also in flower.

Finally, the forget-me-nots are starting to flower.

The birds are all very frisky and the cock pheasant now has a harem of 3 females that he longingly follows around. I also saw another butterfly this week - a peacock but no photos as yet. The weather is very changeable - typical April showers.

As usual, comments most welcome.

 

[wallyboy]

More lovely takes jenny, the shapes on the weeping willow are nice, you have a stunning garden, lots of hard work I bet,
Don't you just love spring, the Bees are getting about now, and seeing lots more insects,
GSW made a show in our garden tonight,
keep up the good work

 

[jennyb]

More lovely takes jenny, the shapes on the weeping willow are nice, you have a stunning garden, lots of hard work I bet,
Don't you just love spring, the Bees are getting about now, and seeing lots more insects,
GSW made a show in our garden tonight,
keep up the good work

Thanks, Walter. Glad you like the photos and the garden. Yes, it is lots of work.

I love spring. There is so much happening with everything springing to life.

 

[jennyb]

I'm going to do two posts this week because there are two sagas going on in this soap opera.

Firstly, we have a field (not ours) just over our garden fence. The animals really like this, I guess because if they sit in the middle they can see any danger approaching from any direction. There are always hares (usually 3 or 4) in the middle of the field which we can see from our bedroom window. Unfortunately, they are too far away for photographs and there is no way to sneak up on them for photos. This week the roe deer decided to sit in the middle of the field. They spent all day there. Still too far for a decent photo but I thought I would post this anyway to show how relaxed they look.

For the last few years a pair of mallard ducks have taken up residence on our pond. Annoyingly, they are very nervous and fly off every time we go anywhere near. I have never managed a decent photo of them. The pond is quite a long way from the house and down a steep hill. Imagine my surprise the other day when I opened the curtains in the morning and saw the pair on the front lawn. I managed a photo but not a good one. It was very dull and drizzly.

I was puzzled why they were there but found out soon enough when not one but two cormorants circled and landed on the pond. Mr & Mrs D are obviously getting their noses (or beaks) pushed out. I was pleased to see the cormorant when I first noticed it and decided that there was no way that it would manage to eat all the fish in the pond. There are some very big ones. However, now that it has brought its mate, the fish stocks are going to be depleted twice as quickly The pond is very muddy and murky and I thought that they would have trouble seeing enough to be able to catch the fish, but they obviously can because they are coming back every day. I rushed out with my big lens on when I saw one land the other day but I can't get close enough for a decent photo. here are a couple of mediocre shots.

Another shot I missed this week was a little goldcrest in the conifer by the kitchen door. By the time I got my camera it had disappeared.

 

[jennyb]

Yesterday, there was a huge furore in the front garden. The cock pheasant and his harem were pecking around when two other cocks pheasants decided they liked the look of the ladies. The ladies were not having any of it and were racing around the lawn trying to get away. The fearless Mr P decided to see off the two interlopers and there was a huge fracas. I managed a few photos.

The ladies escaped with their honour intact and the other two guys have kept their distance since then. Better than the soaps on TV!

As usual, comments very much appreciated.

 

[wallyboy]

Lol..... Love the pheasant shots there is a whole story going on there, i saw a couple of cock pheasants a few weeks back they were sizing each other up big time quite funny to watch. The deer shots are pretty good for the distance,
Are you near the sea, wondering about the cormorant,
keep them coming, nice colourful thread

 

[jennyb]

Lol..... Love the pheasant shots there is a whole story going on there, i saw a couple of cock pheasants a few weeks back they were sizing each other up big time quite funny to watch. The deer shots are pretty good for the distance,
Are you near the sea, wondering about the cormorant,
keep them coming, nice colourful thread

Thanks for your comments, Walter @wallyboy . We are 50 miles from the sea, so the cormorants are not coming from there. It has to be a local gravel pit.

 

[jennyb]

Being springtime there is just so much in the garden to be photographed that I need to post again this week to keep up. Here is a motley selection of images from the last few days.

Firstly, it was lovely and sunny a couple of days ago and I decided to photograph the jackdaws that are nesting in the cherry tree so I put on my long lens and off I went. Of course the jackdaws decided to do a disappearing act so I took this one instead. Sorry if the pheasant photos are getting a bit boring but I liked this one among the gradually emerging bluebells.

Next, very annoyed that I had on my long lens instead of my macro when I spotted this brimstone butterfly. It is really well camouflaged amongst the vegetation.

Next the obligatory bluebell at this time of year. Not one of my best shots but I did not have my tripod or reflector handy.

I took a picture of the Horse Chestnut sticky bud a few weeks ago and the leaves are gradually emerging in all their splendour.

Finally, although the weather has been very changeable all week with some very heavy downpours, we have had a few very nice early mornings - a couple of them rather misty. This is a view over the valley on a misty morning.

More next week if the weather holds.

 

[wallyboy]

Glorious April Morning pic is certainly a take a deep breath ain't it great to be alive photo, uplifting stuff jenny keep em coming.

 

[jennyb]

Glorious April Morning pic is certainly a take a deep breath ain't it great to be alive photo, uplifting stuff jenny keep em coming.

Thanks, Walter. Yes, a morning like that puts a smile on everyone's face. I love springtime.

 

[jennyb]

There is still so much going on in the garden that I am struggling to keep up. Mrs Mallard has laid an egg by the pond but I could not see a nest so not sure why it is there. The cormorant continues to visit so maybe that is upsetting the ducks. No photos on that front.

The other day I noticed two blackbirds on the front patio. One looked a bit stunned as if it had hit the window although I did not hear it. The other was its mate who was looking very concerned. When I went out the fit one flew off and I went to have a look at the stunned one. There did not seem to be any permanent damage but it did not fly off. I usually hang around when this happens because the magpies usually take an unhealthy interest and I try to keep them at bay until the stunned bird recovers. It was also a good opportunity to take a couple of photos! I was very pleased with this first shot.

It is a pity that it landed on the patio because the background of the next one is disappointing.

You can see she was not badly hurt and flew off after a few minutes.

Next the female muntjac has been hanging around quite a lot - eating our plants as usual I thought the pose of this one is rather different. Luckily this shrub is too big for her to do any irreparable damage.

Here is another one.

Today, a couple of siskins were on the feeders. They are very shy and never stay long so I only managed to grab a few shots. There was no opportunity to get my teleconverter, so these shots are a very heavy crop and not particularly good, but I am posting them anyway because we don't see them often.

In the coming week there will have to be more flower photos because all the wild flowers are coming into bloom.

Any suggestions how I could improve these shots or indeed the project, would be very welcome.

 

[Harlequin565]

So I've not been in this thread for a while. I think I thought that subscribing would mean you got an alert... It doesn't.

Browsing through them all though really gives me the impression of "life". You've a ton of great shots in there.. From the crocus shot which is wonderful, through the comedy pheasants, to the emerging horse chestnuts and the mating toads. You've confessed poor quality on some, but as a documentary, I think it all still works well.

In terms of improving - I don't think there's much you can do. However a final selection of 12 once the year is over would be very interesting to see. You'd have to make some tough decisions as to the photo you thought best represented the month (perhaps discarding great shots that were not as good quality). Or perhaps 1 plant, 1 animal per month? Would make a belting calendar for next year!

Anyway - these are just ideas. I think the quality is great, the idea behind it is great too, but that's just my opinion. The images make me feel wondrous to be part of such a varying amazing world.
Top stuff. IMO.

 

[jennyb]

So I've not been in this thread for a while. I think I thought that subscribing would mean you got an alert... It doesn't.

Browsing through them all though really gives me the impression of "life". You've a ton of great shots in there.. From the crocus shot which is wonderful, through the comedy pheasants, to the emerging horse chestnuts and the mating toads. You've confessed poor quality on some, but as a documentary, I think it all still works well.

In terms of improving - I don't think there's much you can do. However a final selection of 12 once the year is over would be very interesting to see. You'd have to make some tough decisions as to the photo you thought best represented the month (perhaps discarding great shots that were not as good quality). Or perhaps 1 plant, 1 animal per month? Would make a belting calendar for next year!

Anyway - these are just ideas. I think the quality is great, the idea behind it is great too, but that's just my opinion. The images make me feel wondrous to be part of such a varying amazing world.
Top stuff. IMO.

Thanks for your very comprehensive feedback, Ian, @Harlequin565 . Firstly, about subscribing - if you click "Watch thread" at the top right of the thread, you should get emails when the thread is updated.

A documentary is what I am trying to achieve, with the best possible image quality, of course. So it looks like I am having success on that front. Some images are just interesting things that I happen to notice and are still worth posting even if the quality is not the best.

I like the idea of the calendar, although choosing just 12 would be a challenge!

Yes, it is an amazing world and my projects and web sites are an effort to encourage people to look closer at the wonderful wildlife and nature around us.

 

[jennyb]

It has been a strange week - an icy north wind has been blowing all week and there has been a hard frost almost every morning this week. On top of that we have had sun, heavy rain showers, sleet, snow and hailstones. Spring can't seem to make up its mind and the flowers are having a hard time, although the bluebells will be reaching their peak in the next week. There is lots of animal activity in the garden. Mrs Roe deer has been acting strangely and I think she will be giving birth in the next week or so. The birds have been a bit quieter - I think that many are already sitting on their nests.

First photo this week is only really a record shot so no feedback required. I am including it only because I have never managed a decent shot of a mistle thrush. They seem to be very nervous and don't come close. This is the best I could manage this week. I live in hope of a better shot!

Next is a shot of the pear blossom which is further out than the apple blossom. Sadly, the cold wind is probably keeping the bees at bay so I don't know how much fruit we will get this year.

Next is a photo of some oak tree flowers and young leaves. I find them quite weirdly attractive. At first I thought I had a problem with the white balance because they looked very orange. However, I checked the colour of the leaves and flower against the picture and it is a true likeness. They are a strange orangey green colour. I find them so fascinating that I took another close up of just the flowers.

Next is a tiny grassy plant called Field Woodrush that springs up in the grass and moss. It's a weed and hard to get rid of but I find it quite pretty when you look at it close up.

Finally, there are hundreds of Dog Violets growing wild all over the garden. Very pretty little things.

I will probably have more to post this week because there is so much going on. I spotted a squirrel drey in a tree near the house so hopefully I will manage some photos.

As usual, feedback is most welcome.

 

[Ed Sutton]

I've always wondered what Field Windrush was called. Now I know.

 

[Cloudforest]

Lovely pictures of the Woodrush and Oak tree flowers.
Dog violets are one of my favourite spring-time plants and look great when planted in drifts.

 

[jennyb]

I've always wondered what Field Windrush was called. Now I know.

Field Woodrush are such tiny little grasses that most people would hardly notice them. We seem to have an awful lot of them in the garden.

 

[jennyb]

Lovely pictures of the Woodrush and Oak tree flowers.
Dog violets are one of my favourite spring-time plants and look great when planted in drifts.

Thanks, Pete @Cloudforest . There is so much flowering at the moment, I don't have time to photograph all of them.

 

[susiejb]

I am following your thread Jenny even if I don't always comment, I love your Misty Morning, what a glorious sight, and Walter is right it does make you realise how fortunate we are to live in this beautiful country.
You have so many lovely photo's to choose from but the oak leaves, the blossom, and the Field Woodrush particularly caught my eye.

 

[wallyboy]

Nice to see the garden evolving jenny like your blurred BG in the pics,
That icy wind you mention is pretty keen, what i call a lazy wind, goes through you, rather than round you,
The blossom here is about a week behind, so hopefully will miss any frost.
Me and tother half are off to tulip festival tommorrow, looking forward to some nice colour,
Keep up your good work.

 

[jennyb]

I am following your thread Jenny even if I don't always comment, I love your Misty Morning, what a glorious sight, and Walter is right it does make you realise how fortunate we are to live in this beautiful country.
You have so many lovely photo's to choose from but the oak leaves, the blossom, and the Field Woodrush particularly caught my eye.

Thanks for your comments, Susie @susiejb. I was pleased with the latest flowers photos, too. I especially like to take photos of tree flowers because they are so often overlooked.

 

[jennyb]

Nice to see the garden evolving jenny like your blurred BG in the pics,
That icy wind you mention is pretty keen, what i call a lazy wind, goes through you, rather than round you,
The blossom here is about a week behind, so hopefully will miss any frost.
Me and tother half are off to tulip festival tommorrow, looking forward to some nice colour,
Keep up your good work.

Thanks, Walter @wallyboy . I like the idea of your "lazy wind".

Hope you enjoyed the tulip festival. They can make dazzling displays but sadly we can't grow them because the deer eat them

 

[jennyb]

As I mentioned in the previous thread, I noticed a lot of squirrel activity in a tree near the house. Looking closer I could see they were babies so on closer inspection I found the drey. It was quite a long way up the tree so the photos I took are not the best, but I am posting them anyway because they tell a story of squirrel activity. I saw three of them so I guess it is two babies and Mum. At first when they saw me they raced back to the drey. After a while they soon got used to me being there. They are not my favourite animal (in fact they are a pain in the neck with respect to the bird feeders) but they are very entertaining!

The drey is in a crack in the trunk of a goat willow. It must be quite hollow inside because three of them fit in there.

I used my 400mm lens with a 1.4 tele-converter, but it still was not long enough to get really good shots.