Garden Update & Dog Sitting

Home & Thetford Forest – Sunday 26^th April

Garden Update:

I haven’t seen the Long Tailed Tits for over a week now but the Stock Dove, Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting pairs are daily visitors to the garden.

We had a first in the garden today; I was watching a Blackbird with a mouthful of worms looking to go into the nest which is at the back of the garden when a Song Thrush landed near him. We’ve seen Song Thrushes plenty of times but never in this garden.

Return Trips To Garboldisham & Thetford Forest:

Jan & Willow's Walk In The Forest

We were a bit saddened yesterday morning when we saw a dead Fox cub on the A1075 just passed the Thompson turnoff. It was probably no more than 5 -6 weeks old, so sad. Around Larling I saw a Kestrel hunting over the field edges.

In the evening at 6pm we took Willow (our granddog) to the triangle between Wretham and Great Hockham so Jan could take her for a walk in the forest. It was bright and breezy and it was 11˚C. On our way to the triangle we saw an explosion of birds from a roadside field and then a male Sparrowhawk flew low across the road and safely in to the hedging, it was all so quick.

At the pinnacle of the triangle, unusually there were no cars so we parked there and Jan took Willow for a walk in the forest. I remained in the car and the immediate vicinity was alive with birdsong but I couldn’t see anything. I did recognise Blackcap, Chaffinch, Great Tit and Robin songs.

It was only about 5 minutes before Jan came back did I see my first bird, a Great Tit. Then I saw a Blackcap and managed to get a decent amount of video of him but the only problem was that he was to my right and slightly behind me so it was very shaky and unusable. We have yet to get a video of a Blackcap but I have had two very close calls over the weekend.

Jan returned to the car having had much greater success than I had. Jan had seen Chiffchaff, Greylag and Canada Geese, Wren, Lapwing and Mallard. Jan had also heard a Cuckoo and a Green Woodpecker both twice.

Just as we pulled away from our parking place I saw a Wren and then we returned home. As we returned home from taking Willow back we caught a Roe Deer hind in our headlights, fortunately it went back into the field rather than run across the road.

I was very interested in the Countryfile programme on TV last night. Some of it was about making the countryside a bit more accessible to those who have mobility problems, like me. It strikes me that it wouldn’t take much effort but just a little more thought and understanding from those who control reserves and the like. I was also very impressed with the wheelchair equivalent of the mountain bike and I thought that I would like one of those until it was said that they cost £4,000, oh well, perhaps not.

Keep your eyes peeled and good spotting.