Post Furlough Return To Work....

OK, yes I've been a bit absent the last couple of weeks, and with genuine reasons. Normally I pop on on a Wednesday afternoon after my weekly hospital visit, but with the current climate, I'm at work until the hospital appointments resume, and, working has been variable days and times, which means fitting in shopping and other tasks around my work hours, oh and not forgetting the HS2 road closures, narrow lanes etc as they ramp up their work!

So, I'm well, and I hope you're all well?

Any gossip, please tag it here.....

My local reserve I understand has been overwhelmed with visitors, so I've kept away, because in places, social distancing is not practicable. That's nature, not a fault of the reserve, making some paths very narrow. Long term, it doesn't look like things will get much better quickly, especially as a nearby town is experiencing uncontrolled Covid-19 cases, but not deaths, and if Leicester is anything to go by, if a localised lockdown does occur, then i will be impacted.

Lets hope not.

I've not been too busy with the camera, but here's a few, and some interesting rare visitors included....

A large white butterfly enjoying one of the new lavender plants

A peach of a sunrise....

The next two sunrise pics were taken about two mins apart.

A hiding pond lily

And a blooming nice lily

The newly planted erysimum and lavender plants are filling out nicely,

And the big surprise visitors, long tailed tits, of which at one point, we had at least ten on one feeder!

This pic below, there were two just out of the the image, which I didn't see til afterwards.

One cutely waiting its turn...

This one gave up waiting and found another feeder...

And once the feeding frenzy had died off, this one came back....

Take care and stay safe and I'll hopefully catch up with more posts over the weekend.

STOP PRESS!

More LTT's this afternoon!

  • Unknown said:
    lovely photo update Mike, glad you are ok and to see the beautiful flowers in your garden and the charming LTT's including their young, always have a real soft spot for these fluffy tennis balls with racket handle lol

    Thank you.

    Lollipops, fluffy tennis balls, love the pet names.

  • Tony T said:
    Good to hear from you again Mike and you are well. I'm still living in my lock down bubble roaming around the garden looking for subjects.


    10 LTT is really greedy, we have not seen any for months now but lucky you with all those visitors. Fab

    Thank you Tony.

    I'm still not venturing further than the local shops and garden, particularly with the rake of undesirables desecrating the outdoors!

  • I think I've about caught up, my apologies if I've missed anyone out.

    I'm not so sure Iike the new normal, but I've no choice but to go along with it.

    Up a cheerful note, more fluffy tennis balls/lollipops in the garden late last night...  Dirty stop out, and naughty parents! LOL Grinning

    There's no mistaking that tail!

    That was a busy feeder!

  • Very nice set Mike, those lollipops are adorable and good to see they have reared young, more tennis balls the better lol,
  • Unknown said:
    Very nice set Mike, those lollipops are adorable and good to see they have reared young, more tennis balls the better lol,

    Thank you.

    Apologies for the long delay in replying, things have been busy here. More about that soon, and more lollipop piccies to follow.

  • More LTT pics, and some vids at the end,

    First, apologies if I've already shared some of these photos, I'm still playing catch up.

    The 19th, and some long shadows over the patio, it almost had an autumnal air about it that morning.... (PS I couldn't find the reflections & shadows thread in the search box)

    The clover on the grass was getting lots of visits from white tailed bumble bees

    Juvenile House Sparrows

    Who photobombed who! 

    I'll not guess, or ask (I'm still toooo innocent to understand), what this one was getting up to, with a down feather attached to its back!

    Not clever editing, I'm not that good, it was three house sparrows, one adult and two juveniles just at the right time. A lucky shot....

    Round and round the garden or, should that be feeder.....

    A pond lily looking rather resplendent......

    No prises for guessing this little one...

    and ground feeding as the pellets were falling from feeding birds on the pellet feeder above!

    Might be a case for PPE, a hard hat!

    And more LTT's....

    BTW, these were supplying the robin in the earlier pic....

    Some more videos from the new camcorder, the long tailed tits are back with vengance, and I'm not so sure there isn't a second brood!

    Long Tailed Tit on Pellet Feeder 

    A long tailed tit on the pellet feeder 

    https://youtu.be/oZbYovczTZw 

     

    A variety on the pellet feeder 

    Regular visitors to the pellet feeder, long tailed tits, blue tit and juvenile house sparrow 

    https://youtu.be/RW17N2D16_c 

     

    Now the pellet feeder has been filled! 

    A sole long tailed tit is first to the freshly filled pellet feeder, but it isn't long before its solitary feeding is shared....

    https://youtu.be/nCjp0YuGOo0 

  • You got some real good pics and vids there Mike...glad to see your new toy getting used! Love the sparrow pics...they are my favourite
  • Linda257 said:
    You got some real good pics and vids there Mike...glad to see your new toy getting used! Love the sparrow pics...they are my favourite

    Thank you Linda.

    I'm having good fun with the camcorder, I don't think I've ever read a destruction manual so much ever, until this beastie!

    All I need now is a seat to sit on that doesn't sink into the ground......

    I think the LTT's are the favs here, by both myself and Mrs PR.

  • Lol

    I think all my wildlife have sunk underground with the rain !

    Yes the LTTs are always lovely to see and hear... mines are in the trees beyond the garden as all feeders are put away for now!

    Good luck on finding that perfect seat!
  • Linda257 said:
    Lol



    I think all my wildlife have sunk underground with the rain !

    Yes the LTTs are always lovely to see and hear... mines are in the trees beyond the garden as all feeders are put away for now!

    Good luck on finding that perfect seat!

    I hope those little birdies haven't sunk, though I was wondering what had happened to your garden pics.

    As for finding the seat, I think I need to find firmer ground LOL