March wildlife sightings from a garden in Annan.

March has been a mixed month weather-wise. We have had some lovely sunny - dare I say warm - days in the first half of the month but the rain returned, along with cold winds as the month progressed. There has been a busy look about the birds, zipping backwards and forwards across the garden. Mr Blackbird has been very attentive, following Mrs B around wherever she goes.

This month's garden max for birds is as follows:-

Blackbird  - 2 male 2 female

Blue tit - 4

Buzzard - 2

Carrion crow - 2

Chaffinch - 1 male 3 female

Coal tit - 2

Collared dove - 2

Dunnock - 2

Geese - 400-500 flying over

Great tit - 2

House sparrow - 20 male 10 female

Jackdaw - 4

Pied wagtail - 2

Robin - 2

Rook - 3

Starling - 60

Woodpigeon - 4

Wren - 1

Yellowhammer - 3

We have seen our first Bumble bees this month. The Queens will be out and about looking for a new nest. They flit about very quickly and it is sometimes difficult to identify the species. We did see a Buff-tailed queen in and out of our crocus, absolutely covered in pollen!

 

 

There have been more ladybirds about this month too. Being able to get on the garden and start weeding and forking over the soil has revealed ladybirds down in the new growth.

We did try putting out the moth traps at the beginning of the month  - when it seemed to be warmer at night - but with no luck. We were perhaps being a little optimistic, but the traps were  moth balled again as the weather cooled down during the second half of the month! Listening to the wind blowing outside today doesn't encourage us to set them out again either!

DGERC species to look out for this month are the adder and the lapwing.

 

adder (vipera berus)

 

Adders are the only venomous snake in the UK. They can be seen from March to September, but early spring is the best time to look for them as they emerge from hibernation and spend time basking. The dark zig-zag pattern is an unmistakeable aid to recognition. They need undisturbed sunny glades for basking with dense cover nearby in which to shelter. Adders are still quite widespread in Scotland, with SW Scotland one of the species strongholds.

 

 

lapwing (vanellus vanellus)

 

Lapwings were once a common sight on farming land across the UK but changing agricultural practises have brought about a decline. It is suggested there has been a decline of almost 600/0 since 1995 in Scotland. Spring is the time to see their spectacular song-flights around their breeding areas, swooping, rolling and diving and giving their "pee-wit" calls.

 Remember to send any sightings to Mark Pollitt at dgerc.org.uk

Roaming around Rascarel 30th March 2016

A sunny day always tempts us to go to a beach, but which one? Haven't been to Rascarel for ages, the loss of the parking area to visitors to the chalets means we now have to park at the forest gate. This is no bad thing as it means a walk through the wood and lots of birds and, at this time of year, birdsong along the way. It is a shame most of the trees are fir trees with very dense undergrowth but trees at least!

Imagine our surprise therefore when we reached the gate and there were no trees! Most of the trees to the right of the track have been chopped down. It does explain why there is such a smooth new road!

 

It always looks so desolate when forests have been felled - just the odd tree left standing. A wren was making good use of one of the piles of branches, hopping in and out, and singing away. For such a little bird they produce such a loud, but tuneful, song. We always love to hear the wren and sometimes it is just hear. It is always worth standing still for a few minutes to try and catch a glimpse of the wren, their sticky-up tail is often the giveaway to their presence.

The removal of the trees does however reveal stone walls and dwellings that used to be here before being hidden by the trees. The walls, despite being hidden, look fairly substantial in places and lovely with their coat of moss. The dryness of the moss shows how little rain, relatively speaking, we have had in the last few weeks. After the winter moss everywhere had been looking green and lush, but now it looks rather shabby in places.

 

 

Wandering along, there were birds in the trees to the left of the track, but not the usual flitting across from one side to the other in front of us. We did see lots of male chaffinch, looking very smart with their pink chests, along with coal tit, great tit and a buzzard circling in the air above us. It was very still with no wind for us walking the track but obviously up there he was finding good thermals and drifting round and round quite happily.

We now came to Loch Mackie, looking very full of water after the winter rains, and although the trees surrounding it are still dressed in their winter outfits there are signs of growth in the water as the iris are sprouting well. The water was very still in the corner here and the reflections were lovely to see.

 

 

 

Heading down to the beach, rather than on to Balcary, we follow the track parallel to the wall. On the other side of the wall is a stream, chuckling down to the beach. Now the trees are gone we can look over the wall and see much more clearly. Clumps of primroses and celandines are visible at the edge of the water with lots of buds just bursting opening in the sunshine.

 

 

The gorse bushes are looking so vibrant now, with bright yellow flowers covering the bushes. We have noticed this last week they have started to look so cheery by the side of the roads when massed together. It is also nice to see brown, ploughed fields appearing in the countryside along with the stripes of rolled grass fields. The gorse, however, are becoming a favourite flower to look out for - and of course the bees love them! The bushes we pass now are buzzing - we can hear the bees inside. A pause for a few minutes reveals the honey bees moving from bloom to bloom. We can see the pollen sacs on their legs so they have obviously been busy. There are also a few flies about now in the sunshine too.

 

 

 Now the trees are gone the view of the beach appears much sooner.

 

 

Once we get down on the beach we look at the hillside and see how they have felled the trees right down to the bottom of the hill. How bare it appears. Hopefully it will be replanted sometime soon, but I'm sure it will green up and have flowers and bushes sprouting up there very soon.

 

 

We have our lunch sitting on two big stones on the beach. How peaceful with just the waves whooshing on the shore and the odd gull or oystercatcher calling. A lady, with an inquisitive Dalmatian wondering if we have anything for him, passes by, but apart from her we have only seen two or three other couples during the whole walk. The sun feels quite warm as we wander about picking up the odd shell or two and watching shrimps in the rock pools.

 

 

Time to move on, still not towards Balcary but back towards Rascarel Bay. More gorgeous gorse with busy bees as we wander along. We hear a pheasant calling and loads of rooks squawking. Many more chaffinches flitter around the car park for the new chalets, along with our first chiffchaff of the year! He/she was not singing their "chiff-chaff" recognisable song, but we are told that was what it was likely to be. As we walk past the new bridge and the stream towards the road, we see where the numerous rooks are nesting.

 

 

 

 A short walk back along the road to where we parked the car, and a very pleasant wander is over.

Floral Favourites March 2016

The first week of March continued mainly dry, but with chilly nights and cloudy days. The occasional few hours of sunshine kept us happy that we are heading in the right direction towards spring and summer. Blue skies and white clouds have been a lovely sight and we have had some spectacular sunsets.

 

 

We have managed to get out to do our first real gardening this month . There was plenty to do – dead stalks needed trimming away from the new shoots that are sprouting on many perennial shrubs and plants. Astrantia, poppies, lychnis, foxglove and penstemons are looking healthy. We have thousands of poached egg plant seedlings but I know the bees love them so they are staying where they are!

 

Weeds are also growing and need picking out and the soil forking over. Under the bird feeders the soil is quite flattened where hundreds of tiny feet have paraded around during the winter looking for food. Borders look so much better with just a little attention. I have had to finally pull up the teasel stems and heads from last year. The birds have loved the seeds but they are dead now and need clearing out to let this year’s plants grow. We have had hundreds of seedlings growing, it’s such a shame that we have to pull up so many of them. Working with the teasels still needs great care as the stalks are still covered in vicious little thorns that poke through gloves and into fingers. The new seedlings we have left in our bark chippings are growing well so we should have another good show this year.

 

 

Celandines have finally opened up their little faces to the sun - when it shines! We let them grow and flower under the hedge but they do spread quite easily so will have to keep a check on them. The undersides of the petals are quite dark when the flowers are in bud.

 

 

The crocus have given us their final flourish this month. After yellow and purple, white ones emerged to add to the overall display. The Bumble Bee queens have enjoyed them too – they emerged covered all over in yellow pollen.

 

The daffodils have been opening fast this month, from the small tete a tete to the full size specimens. The little miniature ones especially have looked stunning on the rockery and around the garden. The full size ones have different coloured trumpets and it means I can’t decide on a favourite amongst them! Remember to dead head the flowers but leave the stalks to die down naturally to feed the bulbs for next year.

 

 

The barrels of daffodils in the front of the house are almost there – the first blooms are fully out but there are many more buds waiting. I just hope the weather doesn’t get too bad and toss them about too much. It always seems to happen that just as they are at their best the wind knocks them down and the rain batters the flowers. Picking the bent ones and bringing them indoors keeps them alive for a day or two but they last much longer outside in their true positions.

 

 

Globe primulas are looking lovely with their delicate purple flowers. Other primulas are still flowering – there seem to have been the odd few flowering all winter long. They have bulked up now however and look spectacular when in flower. I often buy primulas at knock down prices at garden centres at this time of year. The flowers have gone over, but as long as they have not been too neglected, they will recover and grow to flower again next year.

 

The rockery has needed a tidy up – removing dead foliage and removing leaves from around some plants but there are plenty of shoots and buds. It is lovely to see things growing again.

 

Buds are fast developing on the elder and cherry trees, on tulips in pots and the hyacinths in the garden are just opening their first coloured bells. Indoor hyacinths that have scented the house, have now been planted in the garden to die down and build up energy for next year’s display.

 

 

Chaenomeles is in good flower now – it is always an early one to flower with lovely shades ranging from red through scarlet and dark red to the delicate peach. Decorative quinces are produced later in the year but they are very hard, even when ripe! It is impossible to do anything other than chop them up (even that is difficult!) and make jelly with them. Quince jelly has its own individual taste but we think it is really nice.
Among the flowers beds and on garden paths it is now the time to watch out for rogue sycamore seedlings. The lime green double leafed shoots are easy to uproot when small, but the more they grow, the harder it is to yank them out. They love to sprout in the most awkward places too - right next to the path, in a corner, under the hedge. Vigilance now will save trouble later.

 

 

The grass has had its first cut and de-mossing . Great rakefuls of moss came out which initially makes it look as if there will be no grass left, but a couple of days and it starts to look like a lawn again. Our strip of uncut grass for the “no mow” has had a bit of a trim but is still longer than the rest of the lawn. A Buff-tailed Bumble bee was buzzing around this longer grass, looking for a hole for a nest perhaps?

 

 

The second half of the month has brought a change away from the spring-like weather. We have had more days when it has been quite cloudy and chilly with some heavy showers, although the severe frosts seem to have departed. The sun makes such a difference when it shines – you can feel the temperature rise and fall according to whether the sun is in or out! Easter fell at the end of March this year and was a typical Bank Holiday weatherwise. Good Friday was lovely, Saturday was wet and miserable, Easter Sunday was sunshine and showers and Monday was chilly and showery but with occasional sunny spells. One shower was hail stones! It was a Bank Holiday weekend after all!
Just a couple of other observations in the garden this month. They may not be flowers in the sense I intended for this blog but interesting never the less.
Jelly ear is a species of edible fungus found worldwide. The fruiting body is distinguished by its noticeably ear-like shape and brown colouration; it grows all year round upon wood, both dead and living, especially elder. I found these small pieces growing on sticks in one of our log piles.

 

 

The other note of interest is the lovely colours, shape and texture of the rhubarb as it sprouts.

 

 

A last item to report this month - again not a flower! - was that the clocks went forward, making it feel as if the long summer days are nearer. Let’s hope there are some hot sunny days this year to enjoy. Days to look forward to the garden blooming and looking at its best.