Occasionally, grey herons (Ardea cinerea) visit the Priory - but they are shy and hoist themselves into the air when I amble into view. I haven't been able to photograph them. But a couple of weeks ago, I spotted a juvenile standing on top of the old duck box on the east pond's small island. … Continue reading Grey Heron
Wildlife
Pale Tussock Moth
The caterpillar of the Pale Tussock Moth (Calliteara pudibunda) is large and very visible. Which is just as well. Otherwise, I would have trundled over this one with the ride-on mower. It seemed out of place somehow and far too exotic for a Sussex garden. The caterpillars feed on a range of tree leaves including … Continue reading Pale Tussock Moth
Garden Visitors
Gardening is a fine job and as an added bonus I see plenty of wildlife (as if I needed an added bonus). Here's a little of what I've seen recently. Some of the visitors to the Priory are aloof. I see buzzards regularly wheeling and crying above the valley but only very rarely close up … Continue reading Garden Visitors
The Fox And The Crow
We feed crows. We don't go out much, so we feed crows. Any scraps that used to go to the chickens now go to the crows. They are generally grateful but sometimes our offerings aren't quite to their liking. Stale bread, for example, is patiently collected, bit by bit, until a good bill full is … Continue reading The Fox And The Crow
Angle Shades And A Competition
I spend a lot of time thinking about what my next post might be. Especially when I'm mowing or weeding or doing some other mindless task - after all there's no-one to talk to; no-one real anyhow. But sometimes the decision is made for me. Like the other day. I was potting up some plants … Continue reading Angle Shades And A Competition
Wainwright’s Coast to Coast … In Winter
Only it wasn't winter. It was March, almost Easter, and a time, I'd supposed, of primrose lined paths, sparkling sunshine and hosts of nodding daffodils. But in Northern England this year, March was decidedly still very much winter. Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk is an almost 200-mile path from St Bees on the Cumbrian coast … Continue reading Wainwright’s Coast to Coast … In Winter
Little Owl
I disturbed a bird the other day. I was walking through the garden of the Old Forge and something broke cover. Though I managed to get a hurried snap of it in flight, it was gone too quickly for me to see what it might be. It was only later, alerted by the scolding call … Continue reading Little Owl
The Anxious Gardener 