Spring kept her promise:I had the first visitors to my Butterfly Garden, on a glorious warm and sunny afternoon. There I was, on my knees, rooting about in the flowerbeds when a Peacock, hotly pursued by a Comma came winging in at speed. The Peacock didn't attempt to land but flew away quickly. The ...

This Spring I've seen many more Chiffchaffs than I've heard; it's normally the other way around. I think they haven't the time to sing because as it's been so cold all their energy is being spent in finding what little food they can. It was warmer here today than it has been for weeks. I noticed an ...

Blackthorn bushes in flower are still few and far between around here so I was happy to find one on my morning walk with the dogs photo-13.JPG Most of the flowers have yet to unfurl P1030052.JPG But some had plucked up enough courage to face the bitter wind P1030063.JPG Certainly brightened up a col...

I took the dogs for a long walk this morning. I noticed them both giving me queer looks while we battled against the perishing wind and there came a time when I too began questioning my sanity at choosing to be out there when we could all have been at home by the fire. My goodness it was cold! But t...

A busy morning for the Blue Tits. I've read that it's the female that makes the nest, so here she is arriving with a beak full of moss P1020995.JPG Then into the box P1020998.JPG And getting things nice and cosy inside P1020999.JPG The male takes a more leisurely approach to home-making,supervising ...

It's a clever piece of kit Guy (it's also wired for sound) and certainly robust as it's been in the garden for five years and still works. The Blue Tits have been back today at least three times. We've watched the female scurrying about in the box, flattening down the moss brought in over the last t...

Thanks David. I thought it might be too early for Blue Tits to be nesting, particularly given the cold start to Spring. This morning I couldn't see or hear any of them in the garden but I switched on the TV monitor to discover that something definitely had been going on since yesterday P1020924.JPG ...

About five years ago I bought one of those bird boxes that comes with a video camera inside P1020908.JPG It's been in the garden ever since but although we've seen a few Blue Tits size it up as a prospective home, none have ever moved in. Well,this morning I looked out and saw this P1020910.JPG I th...

I've tried to get some photographs of my frogspawn to show how it is developing, very nearly dropping the camera in the tank whilst doing so. I really haven't got a clue about any kind of photography, let alone taking snapshots of frog embryos, but hopefully these will give some idea of how things h...

I did a bit of planting today before frostbite set in, putting some Garlic Mustard and Celandines around the two new ponds photo-25.JPG photo-24.JPG Every year I get Jackdaws nesting in the chimney. They're lively, smart birds,wonderful acrobats (particularly when warding off Crows) and of all the C...

I discovered another batch of frogspawn in my garden pond on 21st so it looks as if I'll have a bumper crop of Tadpoles this year, making up for 2012's complete bankruptcy in that department. The spawn I collected on 10th and placed in a tank in my unheated conservatory is showing distinct signs of ...

A rather chilly morning. The wood near to my home is now lush with Bluebells photo-20.JPG I am looking forward to the flowers, they make for a wonderful sight every Spring. Ahead of the Bluebells come the Wood Anemones. In the last week they have begun to emerge strongly, although the flowers on mos...

A much better day than yesterday: as my Dad put it, "Not too hot and not too cold - perfect weather for Digging". Taking the hint I set to work on installing my new pond. Here's the hole photo-15.JPG Into which I placed the polyethylene pre-formed body photo-16.JPG Trying unsuccessfully to...

The first thought that popped into my head when I woke up this morning was that I should get myself another pond. I suppose ponds have been on my mind recently because of frogspawn. I discovered a batch had been laid in my garden pond on 10th March. I collected most of it and now it's in an indoor t...

This morning I took a walk in the woods near to home. The sunshine had stirred many of the birds into song including Chaffinches, Great Tits and Mistle Thrush. I flushed two Woodcocks as I made my way through the brambles, then saw a Treecreeper at close quarters running upside-down along a branch w...

One of the most eagerly awaited events in the Hoggers' Household happened today: Frogspawn appeared in the garden pond P1020735.JPG Every year I watch for it, collect it and look after it until all those little black dots are an army of feisty Froglets, which I then return to the garden P1020724.JPG...

A third gorgeous day in a row. On arriving at Canterbury I immediately saw a Small Tortoiseshell flying around the court building. My first of the season. At least it wasn't banged-up like Monday's Peacock. I had my camera in the car but the Tortoiseshell was long gone before I could even think abou...

I drove to Lewes this morning through village after village, keeping an eye open for Daffodils and Lesser Celandines of which I'm glad to say I saw good numbers, together with the bright sunny faces of many Dandelions. A cheerful sight indeed. I found this text on my mobile telephone,from my Mother ...

A glorious morning but undeniably Monday. I spent my drive bemoaning the fact that I had to go to work, when I'd much rather have taken a long walk in the countryside. Later,paying a visit to the cells beneath Canterbury Crown Court, I heard a jailor say "There's a Butterfly!" I looked to ...

Today I thought I'd go for a puddle around in Hothfield Bog with Brother Hoggles photo-8.JPG It's a fascinating habitat of heath and bog that's rarely found in Kent photo-7.JPG With lots of fine mosses P1020643.JPG and other specialist plants. We usually visit only in Summer but decided to pop in th...