One For The Birds And Bees. ....

I am very fortunate to have plenty of wildlife here in my garden in heavenly Devon, and I try to capture photos whenever I can. The woodpecker is the most difficult one to capture with the camera, because he is off at the slightest movement or noise. I shall have to sit myself on a chair and learn to be patient - and very quiet! I did manage to take this one shot, although the quality isn't really very good

I was rather pleased with that last one, I must admit. 

Talking about the garden and the wildlife, research shows that bees are dying in large numbers.  However, this is not a new phenomenon.  In the 1950’s, there were over 50 species of bee here in the U.K.,  yet now there are only  25.  The rest have become extinct, and yet the number of non-native bees have increased.  This has been put forward as one reason for the demise of our own native bee.

A bit like our native bluebells, which are now being over-run by the Spanish variety!  Many people are simply not aware of the consequences if the bee population dies out.  They are responsible for pollinating our crops, and I have discovered that a third of our regular diet could be affected if this decline continues, and animals, both wild and domesticated, would be left without the foodstuffs they rely on. The following poster is courtesy of Pinterest.com

Strangely enough, with the hot, dry Summer we have experienced this year, I have never seen so many bees in the garden, which is planted up with all the shrubs and flowers that bees love so much. I also have several Bee and Insect Hotels dotted around!

Well, we are now in August, and the year is pressing on. I hope you are keeping well wherever you are in this small world of ours 😊.

One For The Birds....

Hi everyone. Do you realise that the week after next , it will be Christmas Eve?!  That really crept up on us, didn’t it?!  I’m pleased to say that here in deepest Devon, I am all ready for the big day, apart from the last minute food shop, which we all have to do. Anyway, I thought I would take a complete break from talking about Christmas, and post some  photos of wildlife in the garden, back in the Summer. 

It’s quite hard to take photos of birds, as the least little noise or movement, and they’re off, so I was quite pleased with this one. 

The woodpecker is a devil to capture, so this one isn’t as good as I would have liked. 

The butterflies seemed to be prolific this year, and I do tend to have plants that attract them. 

I have a Board on Pinterest entitled Bird Houses, And here are just a few. Aren’t they pretty? I have a vintage caravan from the 60’s in my garden, and I know that the last one would look very attractive hanging beside it!

I suppose I’d better post a couple of Christmas images for you, so here goes ....

I’ll say cheerio again for now - don’t forget ... don’t get your tinsel in a tangle 🎄🎄