We went for a Boxing Day walk yesterday around the local lanes. This is one our favourite walks so some of the landscape shots may be familiar to some of you as I've posted on this walk before.
This is one of my favourite cottages - how I would like to live here.
I did look for wild flowers but just White Dead-nettle
and possibly Yarrow? (not sure of id on this one).
Man-made intruding on the landscape!
I love seeing seedheads in the hedgerows at this time of year - so many different shapes and forms.
It took me a while to find a few holly berries
but there were plenty of ivy berries appearing.
Very few birds seen on the walk - just Dunnock, Wood Pigeon, Blackbird, Greenfinch and a few Blue Tits on feeders.
We stopped off for a quick drink at the Plough, Shustoke
I've used an old photo of the pub - from memory it was taken when we stopped off for lunch after going to look for Waxwings in Nuneaton quite a few years ago. Although it appears to be a "Waxwing Winter" in some parts of the country we are still waiting for them to arrive in Warwickshire. Hopefully, they will eventually arrive when berry supplies have been exhausted further north and east!
14 comments:
Oh the blackbirds and woodpigeons will have long ago eaten the holly berries
What a lovely walk. How I would have enjoyed keeping you company! I think the Yarrow? is an Umbellifer, check out the Umbellifer leaves behind and to the left of it for an ID. Possibly Cow Parsnip?
That cottage you'd move into tomorrow looks lovely.
I hope you get your Waxwings popping in soon. A friend has a resident bird or 3 on her land all year round. Something I've not seen here in our neck of the woods (she's near Ross-on-Wye).
How lovely your local lanes are. The sky is so blue in your photos, the weather has been fairly good over the festive weekend hasn't it? I hope you get to see waxwings. I'd love to see one. Just the usual birds on our walk today mostly robins and a few long-tailed tits. We heard a buzzard mewling overhead and pheasants calling in the fields too:)
Simon Douglas Thompson - Thanks Simon and yes,you are right about the berries. Pity they didn't leave some for the Waxwing invasion!
Bovey Belle - Thanks BB. It would have been lovely to have had you along :) I wondered about Cow Parsley - will check out the umbellifer leaves in a wildflower book. TBH I was having problems working out which leaves belonged to the flower!
Your friend is very fortunate re: Waxwings - I hadn't heard of them breeding here before. I am spending far too much time on bird forums and social media trying to find if any have been seen further South!!
Rosie - Thanks Rosie - yes, it has been lovely, if cold, the last couple of days much better in my view that wet and mild! If I see or hear of any Waxwing sightings near you will leave a comment on your latest blog post. I think there were a few some weeks back near Cheadle? No pheasants yesterday which was a shame but I could hear guns in the distance so I suspect any still left will have wisely been keeping a low profile!
It looks like a lovely day for your walk. Our last visitors have left so we will have a chance to get out and about tomorrow if we wish :-)
CherryPie - Thank you - yes it was a lovely Winter's Day. Hope you enjoy your day out.
Another lovely post Caroline, thank you for taking the time to do all your posting over the year, I really enjoy reading.
I hope that the New Year will see you continuing to walk and to write.
Toffeeapple - Thanks so much for your very lovely comment - it really is much appreciated and I am so glad you have enjoyed the posts over the year :)
I do plan to continue next year all being well - thanks again.
Just catching up on your posts, nice walk on Boxing day.It's so nice to see blue skies on crisp days, we have had so many foggy days just lately and it doesn't see to get light all day. Having said that the last few days have been lovely here.
Nice to see a few flowers, BSBI to a New Year Plant hunt
http://bsbi.org/new-year-plant-hunt
OH is out biking on New Years day so I am (weather permitting) of round local patch to see how many birds I can find in one day, so will look out for flowers too.
I think the Waxwings will still be at Morrison's so of to see them as well.
I do hope you get to see some..
Amanda xxx
Amanda Peters - Thanks so much Amanda - we have had some fog and gloomy cloudy days but also some frosty sunny ones :)
I thought about the New Year Plant Hunt when I was on the walk :) If I don't get chance to get out I will do one round the garden. Hope you enjoy your local patch birding and flower hunt :)
So chuffed for you about the Morrisons - such a wonderful feeling you get when you see these wonderful birds :) Son about to make Black Bun Cake for New Year and I have a quick food shop to do but inbetween I will be checking out a few local sites for waxwings including the place where a few have been spotted over the last few days :)
Happy New Year :)
This looks like a lovely walk to have over Christmas. I would love to see some Waxwings here, too.
Wendy - Many thanks - it is a nice walk. Circular and not too long!! :) Good Luck with seeing Waxwings - seeing more reports now of them appearing in Warkwickshire/West Midlands.
Thank you for your recent comment on my Shingle Street post. I do hope you will find Waxwings moving in your direction: it's certainly staying cold here just at present. We had minus 6 on the car thermometer yesterday at 9.30 am. I also keep hearing updatyed reports that Waxwing sightings in my area seem further west and inland - particularly Bury St Edmunds - so perhaps you will not have long to wait. What lovely countryside in your post.
Caroline Gill - Thanks so much - I thought your post was really lovely. Thanks so much for best wishes re: Waxwings. Finally, saw some at the end of last week! :) Drove the 45 minutes to Brownhills where some had been reported and after about an hour's wait a flock of about 50 returned :) More local reports today so will check that out tomorrow and am still keeping an eye on local berry trees - it is far more exciting to find your own :)
Post a Comment