A beautiful day here again, up to 22C at one stage. I walked by the local canal stopping to take in the signs of spring. Lots of hedgerow flowers including the may blossom (hawthorn) which not only looks lovely but has a great scent.

Many birds flitting in and out of the hedges too adding to the peaceful countryside with their chirping. Noticed a few butterflies, especially the orange tip.

The only thing to spoil the walk was the rubbish that has been thrown in the water. Some people do not appreciate the beautiful countryside we have here.

Several pairs of mallards along the canal all with young. I saw two pairs with clutches of 10 and further along I spotted three tiny ducklings all alone. No adult in sight. Hope they are big enough to look after themselves. Luckily the weather is warm so they may be all right. I know they are capable of feeding themselves almost as soon as they hatch but I think they need mum to keep them warm at night and protect them from predators.

I couldn't get any closer to take a picture of them because as soon as they spotted me they dashed for the water.

This is a moor hen sitting on her nest in the reeds. I am sure she must have heard me but maybe she thought she was hidden well enough for me not to have seen her.

May blossom is in full bloom in the hedges.

An old country rhyme to predict the weather for the summer is:

Oak before ash

We're in for a splash.

Ash before oak

We're in for a soak.

I noticed today that the oak is mostly more advanced than the ash so maybe we are in for a dry summer.

In the garden today I did see a blue tit go in and out of one of the nest boxes so I can stop worrying that they have been abandoned. Saw a brimstone butterfly and also small white and speckled wood.

Sunny Sunday

A beautiful day here again. The weather forecast is for more of the same all week. Up to 21C and sunny except for maybe few showers mid week.

I visited the garden centre and bought some plants for the pond and also some water snails to help keep the pond clean. Spotted a couple of newts again today and think they were two different species but not sure what. Maybe a common and a palmate.

Saw a couple of butterflies again, small white and holly blue. A pair of robins were together on the patio and one was feeding the other. This is part of the mating ritual where the male feeds the female to help build her body weight up so she can produce the eggs.

Not noticed any activity in the bird boxes for a few days but haven't really spent much time watching them. Hope they are still occupied.

Saturday 16th April 2011

White dead nettle

Ladybird on fence

Lady's smock

Marsh marigold

Too long since I posted here. Think I might use my blog as garden and wild life diary.

Lots of things happening in the garden at this time of year. Daffodils have just about finished but many other spring flowers growing providing lots of colour.

Butterflies have been appearing this past week or so. I saw a small white, small tortoiseshell and a speckled wood last week. Today a holly blue was feeding on my forget-me-nots.

Visited Magor Marsh with Stuart today for an Easter Eggstravaganza. The weather was lovely, 18C in the shade and quite a bit a warmer in the sun. Flowers there included marsh marigolds, lady's smock and white dead nettles. Saw small white and orange tip butterflies.

We did a treasure trail and toasted marshmallows. At the end of the treasure trail Stuart earned a cream egg.

In the bottom of my fridge I found some potatoes which had started to sprout. I asked Stuart if he knew where potatoes came form and he said "another country?" I thought it would be a good idea to show him so we have planted the sprouting potatoes in the garden so hoping they produce some potatoes for him to see.

Fossil hunting at Aust Cliffs

Last Friday we went to Aust Cliffs (http://www.austfossils.co.uk/)

on the Severn Estuary to look for fossils.

The best ones were too big to carry home.

The old Severn Bridge

Happy birthday

Crouching tiger

This won't hurt a bit

Off with his head

Must read more poetry

"O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,

How can we know the dancer from the dance?"

These words were engraved around the side of a small silver photo frame I bought from a charity shop. I hadn't heard them before so searched on google. They are the closing lines of the poem

Among School Children -- William Butler Yeats

I haven't read any of his poetry but I think I will like it.

Feeling very angry

Coed Meyrick Moel

I just went for a walk in search of bluebells. The ideal place I thought of was a Gwent Wildlife Trust site called Coed Meyrick Moel which is close to where I used to live.

http://www.gwentwildlife.org/reserves/CoedMeyricMoel.htm

About 20 years ago I was a member of the Trust and helped with several local projects including working at this site. A new housing estate had been built above the meadow and woodland and the trust built a wooden fence along the footpath below the houses and then planted a variety of small trees and shrubs below the fence. I was amazed at how much this hedgerow had grown and now forms a very dense mature barrier between the houses and the meadow which must be a haven for wildlife.

I found my bluebells and they are beautiful, not only to look at but they also smell divine. There were a few other flowers around but unfortunately it is a bit early and cold for the butterflies yet.

What really made me angry and very sad is the amount of litter and other rubbish that people have spoiled the place with. Not only paper and polythene bags but also cans, bottles and builder's rubble. It looks disgusting. Such a beautiful wildlife area littered and spoiled by a few ignorant people. While I was there I saw two people with dogs which were running free in spite of a sign asking that they be kept on a leash.

I took several photos both of the flowers and the rubbish.

Wood anemones

Herb Robert

Dandelion

The footpath next to the houses and the fence and hedgerow which was planted almost 20 years ago by the Gwent Wildlife Trust volunteers.

Information sign

Common Sorrell

Buttercup

Lady's smock or cuckoo flower

Ribwort plantain

Bluebells