There's a Thrush there - sitting next to the Owl and the Golden Eagle!

On Monday evening I stood outside our back door and listened to the birds for a few minutes. The garden was alive with noise and energy.

It had not been a fantastic day but the relentless march towards spring was evident in the animal world with the birds getting friskier and the evening bird song volume turned up a notch or two.

On that particular evening the star of the show was the Song Thrush. He sat on top of the tallest tree in the garden and he sang for all his worth. It was a beautiful song that resonated in the other trees and projected all across the valley.

The Song Thrush in my view has the most special voice. It mimics its surroundings and constantly changes the tone of its song. What a spectacle!

If you don’t know the call or just fancy marvelling in it listen to the link below. You can play it and keep reading, giving you the intended atmosphere. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G53oH-MI9qU

At this point one of my cats is going mad. He is looking down the back of my computer to see where the bird is hiding. He suspects foul play but the sound tells him differently.

He knows that strange things come out of this device but he believes that there is a secret “zoo” compartment where all the animals hide that he hears regularly. This is similar to the secret compartment on the back of the TV that he is constantly trying to find when we watch nature programmes.

It is a bit like the search for the holy grail – he keeps hearing about it and he knows it is there somewhere but he can’t lay his eyes on it. But he keeps looking.

During this changeable weather many birds and animals get confused as to what they are supposed to be doing.

Are we waking from the deep slumber of hibernation?

Are we moving further afield to find warmer weather?

Are we there yet?

With this in mind we had an unusual visitor to the garden. An Egret. We get many Grey Heron’s in and around our garden but never an Egret. There is something a bit more exotic about an Egret. You don’t see as many of these as Grey Heron’s but they are instantly recognisable when you do.

This particular one was looking for some stray fish in the stream and didn’t stay long before disappearing into the distance, but it reminded us that as much as you think you’ve seen it all there are always surprise visitors to be found in the garden and keeping an eye out can be hugely rewarding.

In March and April there are likely to be even more nomads passing through and the chance of seeing a stray Osprey or an unusual water bird is greatly heightened.

Squirrel Dome

With the changing of the guard in our squirrel population, a new generation of squirrels are taking on some of the garden challenges. Visiting the garden and living to tell the tale is the first challenge. Our cats quickly spot the rookies in their number and home in, their predatory instincts taking over.

The second challenge is then to find the spare food. Watching the pheasants will quickly help them locate some spare seed and they then spend hours hoovering the floor.

But their piece de resistance is the bird feeder challenge.

We have two bird feeders laden with sunflower hearts. They know the seed is up there but they can’t get at it. They have tried climbing the pole and they have tried jumping as high as they can. But they cannot overcome the plastic squirrel domes that are attached half-way up.

In previous years we have greased the poles so that they slide down as soon as they stop climbing. Up and down they go like firemen leaving the station. It is hilarious to watch and does them no harm at all.

Every year the new breed tries to overcome this obstacle. I half-expect a squirrel ladder to appear next to the feeder or a drone to fly in with a squirrel hanging on for dear life. One day I am sure they will succeed, they are clever little buggers and seem to be able to work out a solution to any problem.

If only they could talk I am sure we could harness their power to solve some of our most difficult challenges …

How do we solve world peace?

How did Donald Trump win the US election?

How do we stop the moles digging the garden?

How do we deliver some of the most difficult IT programmes I have been part of?

They may have small heads but they must have concentrated brains, either that or the adage that big is beautiful is misguided.

Beanstalk sized indoor plant

The short answer is – indoors!

I received a beautiful Amaryllis bulb for Xmas. It is very simple, you plant it, water it slightly and watch as it grows up a few inches each day. I’ve had them before but this one is special. It is currently about two feet long and still growing. I can’t wait for the flower to burst out.

Watch this space!

We are off to see Jasper Carrot this weekend. "Is he still around?" - I hear you ask. He was always a laugh in the past so we thought we would give him a try in our quest to get out a bit more.

We re-listened to some early recordings of him. Some of them are still very funny, but some are let’s say from another era. There is nothing completely outrageous but the odd thing is a bit un-PC.

It is amazing how one’s perspective changes over time. The other day a friend was getting very upset about a delivery not turning up on time with the weekly shopping.

“It is not good enough where are they?” 

“If they don’t come soon they might as well not come at all!”

It isn't that long ago that one would chase the bread van down the road to get their daily loaf or the vegetable van to get their weekly veggies. Those vans didn’t have a schedule they just came round when they could depending on who wanted to buy their wares.

We have advanced, but somehow our expectations are outstripping our progress!

Have a good weekend!

If you liked this post then please use the 'I like this page' button to give me feed-back. It only takes a second!

Why not register your email address to get notified of updates and get the answers to any questions that have appeared in this blog. Visit the Register for Updates page for instructions.

Alternatively, please make a comment (no names or locations please), but be aware that everyone will see it. Please do not write anything abusive if you don’t like this, just vote with your feet.

An unrelated bit of colour to brighten the page

As it is nearly time for the Oscars I thought a few film questions might make the juices flow!

Oscars

1) This actor has been nominated for a best actor award this year, his eighth nomination for an award.  Appearing in films for several decades, this man has previously been able to travel in time in one film, a ruthless vigilante in a second and African political activist in a third.

2) This nominated film features a man who saves lives whilst being a conscientious objector. Directed by a very well-known actor who has previously won an award for the story of a Scottish legend

3) This lady seems like a serial nominee. She has been in everything from films about Australian dingo snatches to intense dramas filmed on the Dorset coast

4) This lady has also been in many films and has been previously nominated for a film about a famous French cabaret venue

5) At least three actresses nominated this year have previously been in the same film about racial tension in America, also nominated for several awards  – what was the film? 

6) This previous film winner in the last 10 years was about a famous public figure of state struggling to cope with a physical impediment?

7) This film is the last to win the best actor and actress awards at the same ceremony. It is a comedy about a rich misanthrope who goes on a journey across America with two other people with hilarious consequences. 

8) This cinematic spectacle illustrated the life of Puyi living through an age of change for him and his country never to be repeated. Which film is this? 

9) The only X-rated film to win best picture saw Dustin Hoffman play a con man with a limp – what was the film?

10) This musical won several awards including Best Picture and Best Director. The music is legendary and captured the spirit of life for a family in Austria. But which year was it released?