Macclesfield V Grimsby!!

What a day, had fantastic ticket's to my local teams match that found me in the Directors seating area, welcomed personally by one of the Directors, who at half time took us into their exclusive lounge for soup, nibbles and drinks!! On the pitch it was a whole hearted down to earth scrap, against a team five places above us in the league table. We did not deserve to go one down after 37 mins and to add salt to the wound it was scored by Connor Jennings, who is out on loan to Grimsby but at the beginning of the season he was on loan to us!! until injury put him out before Christmas, ( he was not expected to be fit enough to play the rest of the season) and this was only his second game back. We held on well even though our Goalkeeper (not our usual one) made unbelievable errors some that could easily have cost us the match, I can only assume he was still suffering a concussion from being knocked out for half an hour in the game against Northwich in the Cheshire Senior Cup. It went right to the last minute of three minute extra time when we were awarded a well earned penalty and the match ended one all!!! Well done you Silkmen!!!

Able To Post Again At Last!!

When I bought my new computer the only thing that could not be transferred from my old one was the Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0, I didn't have a disk and it's the only version that I know how to use (although I know there are more up-to-date versions available), I was able to down load a Free Trial but that ended at the end of February, so really glad to receive a disk that I purchased on E-Bay today, so back in business so to speak. I have been waiting for a road side display of daffodils to come into flower but they are still only in bud, so to remind you all to wear a Daffodil for March for the Marie Curie Cancer Care these ones are out of my own garden. I came home on the last day of February to these colourful sky's, although they did not last lon

Bingo Fox At Last!

Well even though we had a great deal of rain last night, I was surprised to be woken by the Tawny Owl calling at 5.30am, have just fetched in the Scout Cam which has been outside for two days now and BINGO!! got my first fox both mornings right on the spot I had put out food for him, recorded at 3.11 am on Wednesday and 4.01 am this morning, so have re set camera to go out again now and will put out more food for him, have to time it right so it is late enough not to have local dogs getting a free meal!! Also had a male Pheasant caught on camera.

Twice In One Day!!

I don't believe my luck, I was woken by the Tawny Owl at 6-15 am and opened the dining room window to listen to the haunting melody of the call, to see it fly from the coppice across the causeway into the fir trees to my right, then I have just been sitting quietly checking my e-mails while waiting for my bath to run, when at 5.50pm there was the call again distant at first but getting closer all the time. I desperately need to get some nest boxes out there, as they obviously like the area!!! Have also put out the Bushnell camera this evening.

Unexpectedly Adding To Sighting List.

I was not expecting to add to my sighting list today, had two of the Siskin return that were sighted yesterday and good numbers still of Redpoll and Goldfinch, but while sitting down to Sunday Lunch a beautiful specimen of a male Bullfinch popped up in the bushes opposite the dining room window, he was indeed a very handsome fellow in deed!!Total now 29!!

Back To The Home Patch.

I was up early this morning to get out and fill up my feeders, in the hopes I had not lost any of my regulars, did not take long before I had a couple of dozen birds milling about in the tops of the trees waiting to come down, glad to see I had not lost my Redpoll and Goldfinch numbers and was hopeful of adding Siskin to my list as I know they had been seen in the area last week while I was away, had great views of the little resident Wren who is a joy to watch as it pops in and out of the ivy covered tree stumps along the fence line, here the predominant bird is the Blue Tit, were as in the Cairngorms it is the Coal Tit that are abundant and hardly any Blue Tits are seen, followed by the Jackdaw which seem to be their equivalent to our Grey Squirrels being a real nuisance on the feeders. I had to wait until I came back this afternoon around 3pm before I spotted Siskin on the feeders, I had two adults and one juvenile and they only stayed a matter of minutes and did not return. With the sighting of the Tawny Owl last night that now brings the total up to 28, just to put that sighting into context, I have lived here now in this area for two years in April and all of that time within woodland and although heard many times before, so close that you would think you could touch them, that is the first sighting I have had and because the embankment is long and narrow like an airport runway the view was close and very low and in view for around 50 yards or more.

Last Post Of Garten Trip!!

The first two pictures are of Burghead Harbour were we struck gold with so many species present, the last five are of Finhorn Valley, were I still say I climbed the equivalent of a small mountain, Pete assures me that in the grand scheme of things it was just a hill, all be it a sheer face with no paths, I was still impressed how far up I was able to get and was rewarded by the views of the White Mountain Hare. Will leave you to view the rest on my Zenfolio site.