After days of rain, grey skies and general dampness, Monday dawned on a clear, pale blue sky, streaks of washed out pinkish orange hinting where that elusive sun would appear. The reed bed at Cranwich was brimming with water, fuller than it had been in a long time. Straw coloured reeds with fresh green shoots … More Back to the reed bed
A grey, overcast sky lay heavy over the farm, threatening yet more rain that had deluged the country over the last week or so. The wind had a cold, damp chill to it… it felt like February; it is in fact the end of April. Just as strange as the weather, was the number and … More Finchy Fings
The firecrest is one of Britain’s smallest birds. Not as widespread as the very similar goldcrest, firecrest breed in small numbers predominantly in southern and eastern England and for this reason is listed on the Amber list of the Birds of Conservation Concern. Areas of mixed coniferous and broadleaved woodland in Thetford Forest provides excellent … More Firecrests in the Forest
Crumbling, stone walls settled on a carpet of bright green grass, surrounded by the bronze of a beech hedge. Beyond, a dark river slowly meanders through an open park, flanked by deep green ivy covered trees and tangles of brambles. Welcome to the Priory an old monastery worn away by time and nestled in the … More The Rescue
Saturday, Easter weekend and we woke to the faint patter of rain on canvas and the dawn chorus of birds. Quietly, so as not to disturb slumbering parents, we dressed, left the caravan and headed out into the early morning light to meet with local ringer Tony Cross. Heading north we drove into the rugged … More The Pleasure…and Pain of Ringing
The last couple of week’s effort into searching for nests around Thetford began to pay off this morning, as I got to ring my first blackbird chicks of the year. Having waited for the rain to pass, we approached the wall of ivy where this nest is hiding with caution and a little trepidation, hoping … More Easter Chicks
With the warm, sunny days of recent weeks it has really started to feel like summer, let alone spring! Released from the confines of the office at the weekend, Sunday saw us exploring Thetford in search of nests. Song thrush nest, as seen through the nester’s mirror stick, one of eight nests found today Climbing … More Spring Arrivals
Spring is here! The daffodils are in full bloom, the blossoms on the cherry trees add a splash of pale pink and white to our streets and the birds have started singing, a sure sign the nesting season is starting. For some birds however nesting has been in full swing for at least a month, … More Nesting in the Tree Tops
For the first time in a quite a while, we returned to Lodge Farm for a mornings ringing. Over the last few months large numbers of siskins and redpolls have been descending on the garden feeders, however the last ringing session on Friday was pretty quiet, by the Farm’s standards and so we were unsure … More Scribbling down at the farm
Back in January news got out that a male Spanish Sparrow had taken up residence in a small village in Hampshire. Spanish Sparrows are found in Spain (funnily enough!) but also Turkey and North Africa, and like our own House Sparrow doesn’t tend to move very far. So for one to appear in the UK … More Gorrión moruno…a Sparrow de España…
Wild Barley 