What season is it again?

This week has managed to fit in all the seasons in one go! I've been caught in several snow/sleet/hail storms and i'm pretty much done with it all now. A little more sunshine please.

It's not put a damper (see what I did there!) on the birds, the garden has been buzzing with Blackbirds, Starlings, Magpies, Blue Tits, Sparrows, Robins, Dunnock, Woodpigeons and Collared Doves.

I've seen my first young Robin of the year near work and also had a Mistle Thrush chasing a Woodpigeon practically around my head, there was a brief moment when I ducked but i'm sure they weren't as close as I thought!

Another week or so and the Swifts should be back over the house, I look forward to hearing their screaming.

Rodley Nature Reserve

The week before the snow hit we spent the afternoon at the reserve. It was a gorgeous spring day and we saw plenty including a Mandarin duck on the river as we drove in.

There were the usual Coots, Moorhens, Mute Swans, Mallards, Herons, Canada Geese and Cormorants. We also saw Teal, Tufted ducks, Pochard, Great Crested Grebe, Gadwall and my favourite spot of the day a pair of Snipe by the Kingsfisher hide.

Unfortunately I couldn't get a good shot of the Snipe.

There were frogs everywhere in the ponds a few large groups (not sure of the right term) of frogspawn too.

My daughter spotted a couple of Red Kites circling overhead with a flock of Black Headed Gulls

Final shot from the managers garden.

Spring has Sprung

The warmer weather has brought out all sorts of signs of spring at last. There are Crocus everywhere including just two in my garden. The verges along Woodhouse Moor in Leeds look beautiful with them, lots of purple, white and yellow, looks lovely every year.

Daffodils are popping up and some look like they are about to bloom any minute, though they are not my favourite flower it means we are definitely coming out of these winter months. My Bluebells are just coming up too along with many others which I have to confess until some of the flowers open i'll have no idea what they are! My garden does need a really good tidy up though.

The birds have been pulling apart the head of some Pampas grass which my little one brought home from a friend (I don't know why?!) and we left by the hedge. It seems to be some good nesting material for them. The House Sparrows spend a lot of the day in the hedge in the front garden and have made a nice little dust bath under it, which they must use as a break from nest building. The Dunnocks have increased in number and spend a lot of time flitting about the branches flapping their wings at each other.

I also spotted two Woodpigeons building a nest in a tree right in the centre of Leeds, not sure if this is a good idea as the tree doesn't seem strong enough but I guess time will tell.

This afternoon I saw my first bee, which had snuck into the house, I did set it free of course. So some very welcome signs that spring is well on it's way, looking forward to what it brings next.