Berrington Hall

 It was sunny but the cool wind kept the temperature in the low twenties. It was also a Bank Holiday so we were keen to get out of the house and into the country. After discussing a few options (Malvern Hills, Eastnor Castle, Forest of Dean, Woolhope Village Fete, Hampton Court) we plumped for...

When It's Time to Spread Your Wings

 Suffering from 'empty nest syndrome', literally!! Our pigeon parents and their two offspring have 'spread their wings' and 'flown the nest'. Again, quite literally!I first noted the nest, with incumbent wood pigeon, on the 22nd July (Photo 1) ...Photo 1: First Sight of Parent on the Nest (22nd...

Is It worth Sieving Your Homemade Compost - Update (Part I)

I have written previously (e.g. here and here) about sieving the contents of my hot compost bins to produce a finer grade of soil improver for use throughout the vegetable and flower garden. This year I took delivery of my new soil/compost sieve (Photo 1); more on this later.Photo 1: New Rotary...

The Common Pond Skater

 On a recent visit to Virginia Water, we came across a veritable army of pond skaters (also written as pondskaters). I thought they must have just hatched (and, indeed, that may be the case), but they are, apparently, often seen in large groups.Photo 1: Pond Skaters, Virginia Water (July 2024)They...

Another Waterfall (Virginia Water)

In early July we sent a few days with our youngest daughter in Sonning. This included an early birthday present for Mary - lunch followed by a performance of Three Men in a Boat at the Mill at Sonning.A few days later, we attended the funeral of a very dear friend in Feltham where we lived before...

Pigeon Post

 A couple of weeks ago, I posted about the wood pigeon's nest in our wisteria. A few days ago, on the 10th August (Photo 1), the pigeon was still sitting on the nest with no sign of progeny. It had been 19 days since we first spotted the brooding hen.Photo 1: Wood Pigeon on Nest (10th August 2024)A...

Under the Microscope

 In a previous post, I discussed the river surveys carried out as part of our citizen science project monitoring pollutants in the watershed of the River Wye. That post was primarily concerned with chemical pollutants such as phosphates, nitrates, nitrites and ammonia.Equally important, though...