| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| << December 2024 | January 2025 | February 2025 >> |
|
||||
|
1st: Never mind the rain After a night of strong winds, the rain decided to give it all it could and wash our newly swept flagstones, top up the ponds and test the mats over the pond piping to check they were laid well enough to hold back the mud (they were). Wet dog walks were the order of the day along with inside admin, spinning, guitar and keyboard playing. The birds on the other hand continued to flock to the feeders in huge numbers, especially the tits. How we love feeding and then watching the birds. Species so far now include all the following - some more regularly than others: Great, Blue, Coal and March tits; House sparrows, Chaffinches and Goldfinches, Starlings, Blackbirds, Robins, Wrens, Nuthatches, Dunnocks, Siskin (once on 30th Dec) and a Jay (also once on 16th Dec). A total of 15. Our total of birds spotted on or from our land is now around 50 (must get a proper list published). |
||||
|
2nd: Sun!!! Today was a perfect sunny winter day. The frost was severe but made everything shine and look so clean and we had the joys of watching a Red Admiral taking advantage of a bit of warmth and sunning itself just outside the barn. Meanwhile we have continued to tidy the barns and the new bran is now starting to look ready for this weekend's tree planting. We are very excited. AND, in really exciting news, we caught on fox on the trail cam last night, just briefly as he (and it looks like a he) emerged from the outer hedgerow in Goat field and sauntered up to the Pong area. We are going to put a bit of food down by the obvious track he comes up, and see if he will eat and so stay a bit longer in shot!!     |
||||
|
3rd: Bird photoshoots Another amazing half hour at the Bird Feeding Station - the nuthatch is still slightly alluding that perfect shot but is getting less skittish at hanging around and feeding, so we are now getting more opportunities to photograph it (or them, we have in fact seen three at once). The blackbirds are great at posing, as is the robin and with the blue tit, the best thing is often to focus on a branch and wait!!! They are so active and there are so many that one usually lands on your chosen view with a minutes or less. Having 20/30 birds all feeding at once on the feeders and the ground is not uncommon!! It is all quite captivating!!       |
||||
|
4th: Trees and foxes A totally fabulous day planting trees and hedging on our land. 19 species (Beech, Bird Cherry, Blackthorn, Buckthorn, Crab Apple, Dog Rose, Downy Birch, Elder, Guilder Rose, Hawthorn, Hazel, Hornbeam, Lime, Oak, Rowan, Spindle, Sweet Chestnut, Wayfaring and Wild Cherry) and around 700 ish individual plants. We created five mini copses of around 50/60 trees each and fenced round the pond area and in front of the fence between Fruit and Swallow. HUGE thanks to all the volunteers who came to help as we slowly give our land back to nature. The weather was kind (it stayed dry) and the ground neither too frozen nor too wet!! We are planning a fair few events here over the coming year working with Sustainable Chulmleigh which is all very exciting: Pond days, Plant Hunts, Summer conference, Moth trapping and more.... More planting tomorrow...... AND, once again, the trail cam in the field picked up our fox - there were several clips as he obviously found the food we had put out (dog biscuits and peanuts) and had a good feast. Thrilled to be encouraging him like this - something we would never have considered when we were smallholders!!!       |