Goldfinches

Sitting in my studio in the garden wrestling with CSS and HTML and two goldfinches flew down and spent 4 or 5 minutes pecking around the rambler rose outside my window. It's great working from home!

Didn't have my camera, but this is a photo of a goldfinch by Steve Round on the RSPB website http://www.rspb.org.uk/images/cache/goldfinch300_tcm9-138283_v1.jpg
www.rspb.org.uk

Where have all the slugs gone?

I have a small compost bucket outside the kitchen door where I put out all the peelings, egg-shells, toilet roll middles and any other bits and pieces that will go into our compost system up in the garden. At this time of year, in fact even in the winter unless it's really frosty, when clearing out the scraps last thing at night I expect to meet a whole host of slimey and slithery creatures - slugs and snails of all colours and sizes. I also see toads and frogs who come for a meal of slug or two. (Isn't the food chain wonderful!). But this year there's hardly any slugs, a few snails only. I haven't seen many in the vegetable garden either, although the pak choi have a few holes.
It was a very dry winter, athough mild, so maybe they didn't over-winter well. As a gardener I should be pleased, but I'm concerned about the creatures that rely on these slimey invertebrates for food - hedgehogs, toads, frogs even foxes when pushed. We don't get many hedgehogs here but we usually get loads of frogs and toads (clue in the name of our cottage!). There are very few this year and despite the early courtships (http://froggartscottagegarden.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/spring-has-sprung.html) I haven't seen any spawn in the pond, although a neighbour saw some in the stream a few weeks ago.

Here comes summer!

Yesterday I saw two swifts. They have much longer wings and are much darker in colour than swallows or martins and no white tummies. Today a couple of swallows were flying around. The Canada geese are moving in to the nearby pond - announcing their arrival with their noisy honking. Summer is definitely here!

The horse chestnut trees are beginning to flower, our neighbour's lilac is in bloom and our small, red apple is covered in blossom. When the sun shines the garden is multi-media delight. Perfume from the apple and lilac, birds of all kinds singing from 5 in the morning till sunset (and a few owls during the night!), bees a-buzzing and an absolute firework display of blossom and leaves of all colours.  It's great to be alive!