Its been a long time since my last post, instead have been sharing through my other social media. 

I thought it was time I returned to my blog, much of which is a documentation of the ecology in my garden and surrounding area, which I started in 2007. The blog was originally set up to encourage people and schools to explore there own local patch using my small urban garden as an inspiration. Following covid, many more people have discovered the delight of wildlife watching in their garden and so this seems the perfect time to pick up where I left off. 

Three years ago during I covid I had more time than ever to grow stuff in the green house. Especially a variety of plants for insect pollinators, as we have 9 long window boxes on the front of our bungalow. I collected the seeds and replanted them and had an even better spread the second year. 

The seeds I collected from these plants last year that grown well in the greenhouse and replanted into the window boxes. 

They have recently burst into flower and being enjoyed by a wide range of pollinators and also foraging sparrows and blue tits. 

Different plants will come into flower over the next few months providing colour and food for wildlife.

Kestrel

I visited Pulborough Brooks this afternoon and was treated to two kestrel, circling and hovering by the River Arun.  Not true hovering, what the kestrel is really doing is flying forward at exactly the same speed as the wind is blowing it back and therefore appears motionless. Lots of minor adjustments made to keep the kestrel in position.  

Sparrow hawk

 Sparrow hawk circling low over our garden, a common sighting locally, but lower than usual.

Comma butterfly

I saw the first comma butterfly in our garden today. This species hibernates as an adult and emerges to feed on spring flowers. This butterfly has distinctive ragged wings and a white comma mark on the underside of its wings that gives this butterfly its name.

Underwater cam view of the frogs and spawn

I used my underwater cam to try to get some underwater video. Every time I put the camera in the pond, one of the male frogs kept rushing over to the camera

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Frogs spawning in our pond

A look back to 22nd February when the frogs retuned to our pond to spawn. They decided to spawn in the middle of a gale.

Return to Blogging

After a break from writing this blog while I was studying Zoology at Sussex University I have decided to restart this blog. I return from 3 fantastic years at university where I gained lots of new knowledge and skills and was pleased, as a mature student, to gain a BSc 2:1 (Hons) in Zoology. While studying at university I swapped to sharing sightings and observations on my social media channels and during the pandemic, which I will continue, but through the blog it will be possible to share in more detail. 

The aim of the blog remains the same, to share sightings and observations in and around my garden and occasionally other parts of Sussex with the aim of encouraging people to take a closer look at their own local patch.

New posts will be appearing soon.