here we go again

the opening chords of this year's natural symphony

no show

and someone who didn't bother to turn up for bird count weekend, a male bull finch looking very smart.

my turn now

 

Just in time for RSPB bird count weekend, the woodpecker returned. Otherwise only the usual suspects turned up apart from a solitary mistle thrush.

frost beard

The best example yet of this strange phenomenon. 

And the eerie light on a snowy Kit Hill this morning.

snow falls

and so it snowed a few inches, enough to bring everything to a slippery halt. The quick thaw allowed some colour to creep through the white.

white feathers

a male chaffinch with unusually white tail feathers, suitable for a snowy day. The male chaffinches are at their smartest now as the competition for mates begin. This one although very colourful was quite timid and easily chased away by other males

frost tricks

the magical frost sticks are back (see previous pages and this link). This was a surprising find because it has not been that cold and there was no frost on the ground at all. The ice crystals must be the product of an unusual combination of air temperature and saturated vapour pressure in the still air of the sheltered river valleys. The picture below shows butterbur beginning to flower, this is very early indeed based on past years at this spot where it normally comes intop flower towards the end of February. The  ground has been scoured clean by the floods over the Christmas period. It may be that that butterbur likes a good soaking. At this point where the Inny runs into the Tamar the flood waters can reach 3 or 4 meters above normal, and very large trunks etc can be found well above river level. The volume of water involved in these floods is massive.

oh deer

in the woods today

the empire declines

when the Romans left Britain in the fifth century amongst the first things to deteriorate were the magnificent roads they had built and maintained.  It looks like we are repeating history post empire. People before infrastructure?

first strirrings

The mistle thrush loves to sing from the top of the tallest tree in the area. It is one of the first to stake out a territory and breed. They are not very tuneful but what they lack in tunefulness they make up for with amazing energy and range.

farewell to 2012

No road out.

It feels like 2012 inches of rain  have fallen this year!

Happy New Year and here is to a sunny 2013.

Black Blondin

This jackdaw insisted on trying to eat peanuts while perching on the clothes line. Every time it leaned forward to peck at the nuts it lost balance and toppled too far forward. Nevertheless it persisted for a long time.

Lammerhooe

the Tamar below Lammerhooe, in its flood plain and calming down a bit before tomorrow's torrential rain

Bridge farm to Horsebridge, land not yet owned by rich banker

Noah where are you 2

and the scene at Horsebridge this afternoon, Royal Inn still accessible but you may need to go now if you want a pint before Christmas.

Noah where are you

The world may not have ended yesterday, but it certainly feels like the second flood is upon us. The Inny, which is usually a timid little river, has become a raging torrent. This is only the second time in 20 years that I have seen this meadow flooded. It does clean and scour the meadows and I guess lays down some fresh silt. The high volume of water created the standing waves seen in the bottom photo.For some comparison with quieter times it is worth browsing through the pictures linked to the Inny label below.When I looked through them today it made me realise what a wonderful rich little place this is and how much pleasure it gives me

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone

covert surveillance

male greater spotted woodpecker showing off his undertail coverts

in conversation

passing the time of day, no hurry.

totem poles

more totemic pictures; not much else to photograph just now.

buzzard off

It is turning cold and food is getting scarce so buzzards increasingly turn to road kill to keep themselves going through the winter. Their problem is that they are not the most nimble of birds and are slow to take off and can easily get hit by passing vehicles. A lot of young buzzards die at this time of year either of starvation or road accidents.

Inny views

mist forming in the Inny valley, Kit Hill in the distance, Trecombe lodge (the single white building) on the opposite side of the valley.

unseen view

Our village glimpsed through the few trees left from the great larch cull along the side of the road running into the village. The flash of orange is caused by the morning sun shining on the ends of the larch logs.

moon over

The full moon this evening rising over Trecombe woods. This little cottage is between Downhouse and Upcott and has appeared on this blog before (see link).

snowy waxcaps

not snowy but damp enough for these common and edible mushrooms to appear in our paddock. Unfortunately, as always seems to be the case, another mushroom Ivory Funnel, grows in much the same places and is similar but extremely poisonous, so we won't be having them for breakfast.

floodtime

the turbulent Tamar at Horsebridge today. It is already breaking its banks and if it rains as much as is forecast tonight it will flood tomorrow. It is a powerful force when in spate.

larchmaggedon

This is a view I never wanted to see. Our village was surrounded by conifer plantations and mixed deciduous woods. Suddenly we have a new view of the village through the woods especially at night driving home. This is because the larch trees have been cut down. They are the host of a fungus, phytophthorum ramorum (see link), that has suddenly become rampant and is killing trees. It is a threat to our native oak, and the removal of larch is part of a scorched earth policy to prevent its spread. Unfortunately we are also at the beginning of an epidemic of fungal disease in our ash trees. We have lost 90% of all our elms, and there are threats to horse chestnuts and other trees (see link). Perhaps mother Earth is trying to shrug us off, or maybe we should stop importing all foreign plant species just to make money.

Venterdon

a panoramic view of the village of Venterdon, looking North, with Spot's house behind the big cedar tree in the middle. And just for a bit of colour, a bird's eye view of our Rowan tree.

redwings

and in sight of the Temple a flock of gregarious redwings, winter visitors from Scandinavia and other colder climes. They have  red flashes on their sides and a distinctive creamy streak above the eye.

the Temple of Diana

the huntress caught watching over the Temple

(at which you can come and stay for a weekend see link and we would come and visit you!).

sleepy mornings

a quiet morning walk

stoke climsland

our little village in its autumnal clothes