December

 

Weather Stats

Max Temp =  10.9 deg C               Min Temp =   -0.7 deg C            

 Max Wind  27.7 mph              Max Rain in 24 hr Period = 44.5mm 

 Max Rain in 1 hr Period = 8.2mm          Total Rain For Month =  190.1mm

Diary

31st.  A good holiday season rest has been enjoyed and whilst time has allowed me to keep an eye on the garden more than usual it looks like the birds and such have also taken time to relax in this very mild winter. 

Whilst I have not wasted the time away from work I have been reluctant to go out much over the last couple of days. With two rooms decorated before Christmas day and the delivey of 26 bare rooted plants on the 21st I had plenty to do. I ordered the plants, a mixture of native hedging, mainly for a little bit of open land that sits at the side and to the back of the house. It already has a good selection of plants like Mountain Ash, Oak, Alder, Polar, Holly and some other plants which people have planted. I have now added, to give it a more filled in appearance, 

5 Blackthorn 2-3ft Sd (Prunus spinosa) 

5 Guelder Rose 18-24 Sd (Viburnum opulus)

4 Quickthorn 2-3ft Sd (Hawthorn)

5 Dogwood 18-24ins Sd (Cornus sanguinea)

5 Rose, Dog 18-24ins Sd (Rosa canina)

It caused a stir as residents thought "dog walking" would diguise their interest. After a few conversations and enquiries about the plants I was using work continued. My wife and I did not notice the cold which had dropped down to about 2 deg c. My bit for the year of 2006 was finally completed as I gained much encouragement from all who Guerilla Garden. I shall, in 2007 do more either to this same spot called " Jubilee Walk" or maybe brighten up a few more spots locally.

I also kept one Hawthorn to grow in a tub in the garden and also a self fertile Holly J C Van Tol which I have yet to cram into the already bulging plant count. Surely a Hawthorn can be squeezed into any garden if kept and grown hard. My wife Amanda has always mentioned having a Hawthorn in the garden so with a little luck we will have a larger berry count than ever before.

Just to let people know that I have now set up selling my nestboxes through ebay under the user name of turdus0. If you would like a box you can either buy through ebay or send money via paypal. If sending via paypal send me an email stating request and I will pass on my payment details. I have a page set up under the main menu just click that to get more details and pictures.

17th.  A welcome visitor chose to light up the garden on the 16th. I got up before daylight to watch any early feeders in the garden just before I set off to work. At about 08:10 the very low cloud was stopping any chance of the sunshine that had been promised for the weekend. This was soon forgot as a very small pale object sat quite still in the sycamore tree. The fact that it was so pale in colour made me look at it through my binoculars. A female Siskin lifted the gloom in the early light of the day. I always look forward to seeing them in the garden but was surprised to see them in December as I have never had them visit before in December only in the early months of the nest year and sometimes they don't turn up until as late as March. I looked around for others as often they carry a suitor close by, but not this time. I can only imagine that she came with curiosity in mind as the Goldfinches led the way. After a short time, and before the light was good enough for a picture, she dissapeared with the Goldfinch. I shall be a little more vigilant as I would guess a return would be quite normal.

Photo oppertunities are limited at the moment as light is an issue together with the low and very reflective light I get in the winter garden. I did manage to get a couple of shots of the odd visitor that popped in between showers. I even managed a shot of the returning Song Thrush that has been skulking around the woodland edge eating pyracantha berries.

The Song Thrush and Goldfinch pictures were taken with the digiscoping setup mentioned below with the Song Thrush being about 25' away and the Goldfinch about 70' away so considering the light levels and the double glazed unit it was taken through I am pleased as I gain more experience of this setup.

The weather has turned cold with plenty of rain continuing right through the whole of the last week. The temps today as I write at 11:45 have only reached 4.5c but the sky is quite blue which does not relate to the 4 rainbows we have already had today.

10th.  After what seems a long wait for a digiscoping bracket to return after a few alterations I have it in my grasp and I am more than happy with the alteration that an enginner friend took on. The new "design" now allows the bracket to be used quite freely as either a telescope or as a digiscoping kit. This has been acheived by having a new swing away bracket graphted into the new design. I will be updating the technical pages to give a little more detail concerning this upgrade so If you are interested I will add more info in the next few days. In the meantime here are a couple of pics that help give a more visual idea.

Moving back toward the garden activities leaves me thinking that I will not get much chance to use this set up for a while as the rain and low cloud take hold. To add to this the night time temps have dropped a little with last nights temp dipping to -0.7 deg. The maximum so far has reached just over 10 deg but this has been accopnied with sharp downpours and at times strong winds with a max wind of nearly 28 mph being recorded.

Bird numbers are on the increase with moreand more returning as the weather takes it's toll. I saw 3 male Blackbirds today all trying to feed on sultanas but a probable resident bird tried hard to keep them away. The Robins are still fighting for teratory and the Dunnocks are chasing one another. Goldfinches are numerous and are probably the most common visitors as every time I look out there are always a couple feeding. The Song Thrush that I spotted the other day has not been seen, which is a shame but this may have been hampered by the regular hunter in the form of a cat that hides in the garden.

A short note to mention  the continuing presence of a Blue Tit that has, for the last few weeks, been busy hammering away at this box entrance. I presume it is being used as a winter roosting spot but maybe for a future date, a nesting home.

 3rd.  After a short break due to projects in the house, namely n a new bathroom, I have returned to watching the garden as much as I can. I am faced with the same problem as most others though at this time of the year as the daylight ours are not enough for me to keep records of activity during the week. I am left to watch at the weekends so sightings are often few and far between.

Well the Met Ofice has given out severe weather warnings for the last few days but it in the most has failed to materialise. We did have a little rain accompanied with strongish winds last night but as you can see by the weather stats recorded above it was nothing like the 70mph gale force winds that was predicted. In fact as I look out the window this morning at 09:40 the sky is cloudless and only a light wind is in evidence. The mild conditions that are recorded around the country have also been noted here with temps not really dipping below 5 or 6 degrees. The long range weather forecast for this winter is mild and wet and this is one I don't like to hear. I like to have cold and snowy conditions so I do hope that the weather come February turns in my favour.

Bird activity has slowly increased with a count of 24 Goldfinches, 9 Collared Doves, 80 Starlings and 6 Chaffinch. One returnee to the garden, and a welcome one, is the Song Thrush. As I came out of the shed at the far end of the garden I was walking down toward the house with my arms swinging as I scattered a few mealworm. I looked up just as a bird took off very low in to other gardens and at first glance I felt sure it was a Song Thrush although I was secretly hoping it may be a Redwing that had ventured in. Later on it became clear as the Song Thrush returned and for 2 hours it stayed on the edges of the woodland hedge. It seemed to be picking up small worms and the like from under a wood chip mulch and leaves. I shall keep my eyes open today in hope of it's return which may give oportunity for a picture.