Honeysuckle.

We have a marvellous hedge of honeysuckle and this year it has again produced a terrific show culminating in a mass of berries.    I photographed the berries on 9th August and they were completely stripped by the end of the month mainly by bullfinches and blackbirds and one juvenile robin tried to help out!!!    To give an indication of the amount of berries cconsumed - the hedge is about fifteen metres long and a metre high and wide.

Fallow deer.

I am an early riser but on 12th June this year I was woken by some strange noises.    At twenty to five I was looking out of our bedroom window across the road to my neighbour's garden where the were six fallow deer, two of which were breakfasting on one of his apple trees.    My camera was downstairs so I hurriedly dressed and was just in time to get two quick, distance shots as they crossed the road.    They seemed to be making for a maize field and some twenty minutes later I managed to get two further quick shots as they went on their way.     Still trying to get to grips with the new camera the pictures are not best quality. 

The enforced summer break.

My trusty little Ricoh camera refused to take any more photos so after much deliberation I purchased a Fuji bridge super zoom.    Furthermore on a visit to the Rutland Bird Fair with my son I bought a ProStalk nature camera.    Apart from numerous rabbits, pheasants and a rat or two the only two interesting subjects are a tawny owl twice flying through the camera detection zone and on another occasion a polecat/ferret drinking from a birdbath.    The videos are not good enough quality to post even if I knew how to do it!!!.

Back in harness.

21st May 2009

3rd June 2010

After a long break for various reasons that I am not going to bore you with I'm back with some unfinished business.     I had a number of photos to illustrate the late spring in this area but I will use two to put the matter to rest.    Two photos show one of our favourite trees - an elderly laburnum which always puts on a great display.     But as the pictures show this year was a disaster.    With the late the late spring it would probably have survived  but late frosts put paid to the flowers.    Flower strings formed but with exception of about a dozen all perished.