It’s not endangered , but if you watch Gardeners’ World you sometimes see it growing amongst the vegetables.
I once had to look up Spice Girls for someone who was doing a project , I must have googled Spicy Girls instead
I had so spend hours checking that they weren’t posh or ginger though some did seem quite sporty …
It’s a Roe deer. my neighbour gets Muntjac in his garden , my view is they didn’t ask to be here, but they have a bad reputation for flowers and produce eating.
Sometimes hear them of a morning
Along the section of NCN Route 1 I mentioned above (through Holyfield Hall Farm near Waltham Abbey, Essex) I authorised planting of several thousand native hedging shrubs (whips) alongside the pedestrian/cycling path. Within 2 weeks an estimated 70 percent had been severely damaged. The rabbit proof ‘shields’ we had used (believing them to be the most likely problem source) were no protection once the deer found the tender shoots.
I believe Muntjac are officially a pest and you can call in pest control companies to get rid.
Excellent - what a joy
How nice is it to have wildlife so close, glad to see you’re encouraging it rather than some who do the opposite. Thanks for sharing.
The rarest I have seen has been a sparrow hawk , and I really want it back, to control the pigeons and doves which plague my bird table
Occasionally I find a dead pigeon that has been caught by him/her but it is too rare an occurrence .
Plenty of red kites, on a car drive to the neighbouring village I can see up to three species of raptor.
Last winter I drove across the Berkshire Downs and saw, sparrow hawk, red kite, kestrel , buzzard and star of stars a barn owl hunting in day time
I’ve seen the sparrow hawk in my garden. It’s a really small bird actually much smaller than I expected.
Ian, I’ve seen very nice fotos posted by you. What kind of gear are you using to create those photos?
It’s mixed , either a Canon 4000 D (it’s Canon’s smallest, cheapest DSLR) which I use for lightness or a Canon 6D.
The lenses are
a Canon 70-200 F4 L (non stabilised)
a Canon 70-300 F4 -F5.6 (Non L)
a Sigma 150 2.8 Macro
I photograph in Raw and then heavily crop the photo , usually I sharpen the image , but don’t have Photoshop or Lightbox
Mainly using shutter priority at about 1/1000th of a second with auto ISO
Glad you enjoy .
There I one photo I am planning and hoping it will be really good , a terracotta bowl of around 30-35 cm, filled with compost and red clover seeds .
The bowls go out on the BBQ so I can photograph any bees or butterflies at a height that is knee friendly
Thanks. The lenses are usually what brings the quality. I understand that only since I got good binoculars.
I’ve seen so many great things in the garden, e.g a butterfly which hopped each day in the ivy from leave to leave following a fixed pattern. During the annoying work morning calls the same butterfly.
Looking forward to take my own photos one day but the renovation of the garden will cost a lot first.
A pic of my allotment that I took this morning. This is my ‘pergola’ built, in true allotment style, from recycled scaffolding. I have trained a couple of vines up it to provide shade. If you look closely you can see small bunches of grapes forming.
Albizia julibrissin ombrella. Becoming one of my favourite plants in the garden. Looks like a sensitive plant and actually closes all the way up every evening like one. If handled heavily it closes up too. The flowers are stunningly tropical and the leaves are a lovely fresh green. So different. Lots more flowers to open. I mean come on, this is it.
If I send you my address , do you think she will be willing to help ?
Cracking photos
best wishes
Ian
A couple of years we had a pair of Sparrow hawks nesting on the railway banking adjacent to our garden. Our garden for that particular year was devoid of any other bird. We did have the best crop of blueberries and strawberries we have ever had. The blackbirds weren’t here to nick them.
