Desktop calendars for May. Feel free to download the size to suit your DT :D

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Bella's still building!

Nest building recommenced this morning after another night spent roosting in the box. Bella's fetching alternate twigs then stuffing. She knows when Ruby (my dog) goes outside because her head pops up and she stops everything to listen. Sometimes when ruby goes outside in the day, Boris, Bella's mate, warns her that danger is about. I've heard him do that a few times now and it's always when Ruby is in the garden. Other times I've just heard him singing. A few photo's from this morning's activity. Wish she'd hurry up and start laying her eggs :D

Blue tit nest building

Back in February hubby placed 3 nest boxes in our garden hoping to encourage our local tit population to take up residence in at least one of the boxes. The first box is one that Aniello made a couple of years ago and which is very basic and roughly thrown together, then painted green with fence paint. I bought a beautiful one from Villager Jim's web site and the last one was bought from Lidl which also has a camera inside.

Aniello's nest box

Villager Jim nest box

Lidl camera nest box

The one Aniello made had a pair of Coal tits use it last spring and they managed to successfully raise four babies. 8 eggs were laid, 7 hatched but 3 chicks died at various stages. 

Last year's Coal tits

Coal tit babies from last year

During February and March we had plenty of visits from Great and Blue tits but I only spotted a Coal tit once. I've heard that birds usually return to their last successful breeding site but not this year for the Coal tits.

Coal Tit in March

I got quite excited when I spotted blue tits entering the box with the camera inside but they seemed much more interested in Aniello's thrown together box. I did notice a few times a blue tit having a nosy inside Villager Jim's nest box and I even posted a photo on his page for him to see. He messaged me back saying I'd made his day but sad to say it just never happened. I suppose there's still time but I doubt it'll happen this year now.

Blue tit visiting Villager Jim's box

We re-positioned the box with the camera in a couple of times thinking it was maybe just in the wrong place for the birds to take an interest, but apart from a couple of investigations they lost interest in that one. For some reason it was Aniello's nest box that was the main attraction.

All through March the blue tit went into the box and knocking noises could be heard. At this point I didn't know whether it was male or female. The bird also pecked around the hole and spat out tiny slivers of wood. This behaviour carried on daily into the second week of April, so one morning I looked inside the box to see if there was any sign of a nest being built. There was! 

I decided to buy a camera for the box and around 3pm on the 18th, hubby fitted the camera and I set the software up on my laptop. I sat watching the screen for a long time but the bird didn't come back at all for the rest of the day. I was worried I may have frightened her off.....

The next day I set the camera to record any activity and was delighted to see Bella (as I now call her) carrying materials to the box.

This is the first video of her in the box at 8.30 am...

To be continued......

Cold!

It's cold out there and I've got a cold. Hate it. Wish we could have a really nice warm Summer so here's to wishful thinking! Saw this little bird in my garden this morning and I googled its markings.

I think it's a Dunnock. Feeling very shivery but I wanted to post in here today because I haven't for a while. Might pop back in later so bye for now :D

Windy afternoon (My first post of 2016)

Today's storm was called Henry. We seem to have adopted yet another American idea. We are already at H and only began naming the storms in November 2015. First there was Storm Abigail, followed by Barney, Clodagh, Desmond, Eva, Frank and Gertrude. I felt the full force of Henry today when I took Ruby on the beach at Cleveleys. The tide was almost in but you can still go on a part of the pebbly beach there because it doesn't come all the way in. Apparently there is a serious reason for naming the storms. It is as a warning similar to how the USA name their Hurricanes. It gives people chance to be as well prepared as possible for the storms to cause the least amount of damage.
A funny little story for you. Ruby very rarely jumps into the boot of our car when we take her out. More often than not I have to lift her in and she's no light weight. Even treats don't work most of the time. True to form I had to lift her in today because she had her usual stubborn Beagle head on. After Cleveleys beach I took her on to the cliffs at North Shore where she could have a run and I could take some photos. After about 5 minutes the weather really turned nasty. Because the tide was fully in by then the wind became very strong and it began to hailstone. I could see Ruby was distressed and the hailstones must have really hurt her, so we made our way back to the car. I lifted the boot lid slowly because I thought the wind was going to take it off, wondering how I was going to hold the lid and lift Ruby in at the same time, when low and behold she jumped in and lay straight down on her mattress before the boot was even half open. The next time she tries to pull a fast one on me she can think again! I laughed all the way home. She's a funny little thing and I love her so much. She brightens every single day for me. When we arrived home she almost yanked my arm out of its socket trying to get in the house as fast as she could. I took a few photos but they're not brilliant because of camera shake from the wind. It was exhilarating and scary but blew the cobwebs away. I love living by the sea :)

http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/eight-storms-in-12-weeks-and-there-are-more-on-the-way-1-7709711#ixzz3z0n3UImC

A post script to this post. I didn't realise at the time but yesterday we had nacreous clouds. You can just about make them out in my 4th photo. Here's a little information about them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_stratospheric_cloud

Ruby photo's

Overwhelmed by Afghans

I'm feeling a bit stressed out because I have not just one, but 5 crochet afghans on the go at the moment. I started off in January following this year's CAL on Moogly's blog here 

 I chose my colours and made 3 squares plus half of one from last year's CAL....

then got bored so chose some new colours and made the same squares again plus another one and a half.

There are 7 squares so far on the blog so I need to get cracking to catch up. I do get bored very easily and as I have so many odd bits of  wool to use up I decided to make a stripey blanket.

 The other day Lucia's God daughter Sophia who's 2 and a half saw the stripey blanket and told Lulu as she calls her, that she wants a pink one making. Hence yet another one on the go!

 Finally....while browsing on Facebook yesterday I came across another CAL and this is an absolute stunner! Info is here. I couldn't resist having a try at this one because it's exactly what I've been looking for (even though I didn't know it) for myself. I love it! It's called Sophie and it's just beautiful. I've already finished 15 rounds :D

 Ok must crack on :D