Park Life

 By the time you read this post, we'll hopefully have moved into our new home (I'm doing the cheat of actually writing this post the weekend before it will publish).  We were wanting some ideas for an artwork that we could hang on the walls and had taken a drive out to Thoresby Hall to look at the art gallery there.  Unfortunately we timed it badly as it was a textiles exhibition on display.  I then remembered reading on the internet that Rufford Abbey Country Park had an art gallery. As it was just a few miles away we decided to take a look.

As the trip was unscheduled, I had no camera with me so took these on my trusty iphone.  I'm quite pleased with the results and I should really experiment with it a little more.

We took the long route to the country house and abbey ruins by taking the lakeside walk.

The ducks where keen to follow us

 The country house was built next to the remains of the 12th Century Abbey.  There is a popular restaurant as well as a cafe and The Orangery also plays host to art installations like the one below.

The remains of the abbey and the amazing oak tree.

Watching the world go by

Camouflage

 Spring has brought us our first sightings of the tawny owls in daylight.  We have seen them during the winter months, but only as silhouettes landing on a branch outside of the bedroom window at dusk.  Now that the weather is changing they have returned to their numerous perches in the garden.   They are amazingly well camouflaged against the brown and green of the tree trunks and branches.  If you don't know where to look, then chances are you won't see them.

Thankfully, for myself  if not the owls, blackbirds are very good at finding them.

Blackbirds will try and chase the owls off.  I could hear their alarm calls from up the garden and decided to investigate. Three blackbirds swooped passed me into the trees, chirping furiously trying to mob the owls to move away.  I spotted the lower bird immediately.  The second, I did not notice until I changed position to get a better shot.

I love the way they keep an eye on what I'm doing whilst pretending that they aren't.  They tolerate me getting fairly close, after all these years I think they understand that I won't do them any harm.

Itchy and Scratchy

 I'm concious that this is the third post in as many weeks that have featured this fella but as the saying goes make hay while the sun shines. As he has been a daily visitor to the garden of late I've christened him Mulder.  His routine involves strolling up the garden to have a drink from the bird bath, before cutting across the garden and slipping into the farmer's field next to us.

We still think he is an older animal.  Mulder seems to have a weary almost arthritic gait when he moves.  What we are certain about is that he is covered in fleas.  His coat to us is starting to look a bit mangy on his hind quarters.  I took most of these shots from the bedroom window,  Mulder was aware I was photographing him but he was to to busy scratching himself to care.  He did this for almost ten minutes before taking his leave.

Foxtrot

It's not often that a fox decides to walk straight into your viewfinder.

Last Sunday, around six in the evening and we had just returned from a shopping expedition in Lincoln.  As I was cracking open a cold beer I spotted this fella calmly strolling up the garden towards the kitchen window.

He moved at a cautious pace and spotted me through the window but didn't seem particularly bothered by my proximity.  He headed straight for the bird bath and took a long drink.

We think he may be an older animal, due in part to the white hairs that are visible on his flanks.

 Thirst sated, he walked across the garden and into the field next to us.  By this time I was virtually hanging out of the bedroom window taking pictures.

Lazy Like A Fox

 Friday evening, I had just finished work for the week and was in the process of putting away the shopping when I spotted a flash of colour down the bottom of the garden.  From a distance, we thought that it might have been Billy, our semi-resident pheasant who has been known to lie down and have a dirt bath in the same spot.  It soon became apparent that it was too big to be a pheasant.

We've had a few fox sightings in recent weeks, often cutting through the garden on the way to somewhere else.  On these pictures, to the right is a farmer's field with a barn close to the boundary of the garden.  The area between the garden and the barn would make an excellent lair for a fox as it is an area of dense, overgrown thicket, filled with brambles and discarded tractor tyres.  We've often wondered if the fox has set up home there.

I crept slowly down the garden towards it,  The fox appeared to be relaxed and enjoying the early evening sunshine.

Peek-A-Boo

When it saw me coming it watched me cautiously but did not run off as I slowly approached.

It looked to be in good condition and as I got to within ten metres or so if it, the fox decided to err on the side of caution and trotted away into the thicket.

Birds For Windows

It's been a busy few days so apologies for not being able to do a more substantive post.

The window feeder has continued to provide some excellent views of the blue tits who are regular visitors to the feeder and quite tolerant of us being behind the glass as long as we don't make any sudden movements.

The blackbirds had taken to using it, but they had a habit of sweeping all of the food out of the feeder leaving nothing for the other birds.  We remedied this by moving the separate perspex roof of the feeder lower so they couldn't land (there is plenty other food that we provide that they can access).

We were pleasantly surprised when one of the skittish coal tits plucked up enough courage and started to be a regular visitor to the feeder.  Unlike the blue tit, he was gone as soon as he saw any movement at all.  I managed to get these shots because I had staked out the feeder.  There where far more bad ones than good.

Wood Chill

One frosty Sunday morning in late January we decided to check out Gamston and Upton Woods,another site managed by the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. The woods are located close to Retford.  We were surprised by how quiet both sites were.  Not just in terms of people but in the actual wildlife itself.  There was hardly a bird to be heard or seen.  It made the woods seem oddly eerie.  

I've experimented with converting a couple of shots to black and white, and I think they've turned out pretty well.

I've also resisted the temptation to call this post Morning Wood...