Flower Power

[Coco61]

Introducing a new plant. H has 2 treasured bougainvillea plants in pots that he has grown from cuttings. He greatly feared that the roots would have been frozen and killed in the winter weather. As the Spring was cool, it took a long time for leaves to show and at last some flowers are starting to show. This is all very late and this time last year, the two were covered with flowers and so beautiful, but they are alive and recovering.

 

[Coco61]

Lovely to see recovery and flowers blooming in your garden Beryl.

I am being eaten out of house and home by the robins! Both come now so the shyer one is gaining in confidence. Sometimes they eat together, sometimes the bolder one makes sure I notice and put out some food but waits for the other to feed and then wants more put out for him(presumably).
Feathers are a little ragged now. I wonder they think of my regular change of feathers??!

 

[Maz]

They will be moving in next! And taking over the sofa ha ha.

 

[Member ID2]

That's really nice of the bolder one to wait till the other one has eaten.
He must be very sure that there's always more to come.

 

[Member ID2]

Bougainvillea reminds me of NZ. I thought they had to come indoors over the winter which is the only reason i don't have any.

 

[Member ID2]

Just got a photo of our visitor the fox. She/he eats the fat from the birds fatballs that drops on the ground.

 

[elusive]

Lovely to have a fox in the garden!

 

[Maz]

Fantastic to have a fox in the garden As long as you don't have chickens ha ha.

 

[Coco61]

Bougainvillea reminds me of NZ. I thought they had to come indoors over the winter which is the only reason i don't have any.

Quite right Beryl. They are in pots so that they can be brought into the utility room for winter. Even so, as that is not heated H was unsure about their survival.

 

[Member ID2]

A baby silverfish. So cute and tiny. I don't know anything about these fascinating little creatures.

 

[elusive]

I don’t know much about them either, they look fascinatingly prehistoric to me!

 

[Maz]

Sorry but ugh!

 

[Coco61]

Finally there was a break in the rain today and we nipped out for a quick late walk.
This week, we have seen this new family on the river and as it was high tide, I could snap them all.
Seven cygnets in all and a good size now. I have not seen the family of 3 for a while now and 7 is unusually large for a swan family I think. I wonder if there has been an ‘adoption’ but I wouldn’t have thought the adults would accept that.
Maybe the other family are just elsewhere on the river.

 

[elusive]

That’s a lovely sight Coco.
I know swans are territorial during the breeding season but maybe they do move on once the cygnets have grown, so perhaps all is well with the other family & they’re just elsewhere on the river, I hope so.

 

[Coco61]

The swans are very protective of their young. They hover near the riverside because they hope humans will feed them. So they tolerate some proximity but even at this size, one adult kept a close eye on me. Many people walk their dogs along the path and a dog off the lead who goes to the water’s edge to investigate at high tide, can cause a very defensive reaction from either parent.
As for the family of 3, I keep an eye out but it has been a month now. The cygnets would be about this size by now I reckon but this family are doing well.
On the way back home, we saw 7 young Egyptian goslings in a huddle and not far away, 4 baby tufty ducks with mother. So even this late on in the summer, the birds are trying to raise young.

 

[Coco61]

Another visitor to my back door would like feeding, please. Monkey nuts will do nicely!

 

[Member ID2]

Word got round that the local diner caters for all species.

Robin must have given excellent reviews to attract more customers.

 

[Maz]

I think you get more wildlife near your house than we do in a rural area!

 

[Coco61]

Better not mention the family of wild mice that live behind the stone planter and bonsai planters.
They are bottom of the food chain but somehow a spoonful of bird food gets put out between two planters each evening!

 

[elusive]

I do love mice I have some living under my shed, they help clean up after the birds but do get the odd treat too.