The comma butterly

I’ve had writer’s block for a while now; I like my blogs to be reasonably positive and have been bogged down with the covid 19 pandemic which has affected everyone in some way.The title has not yet been written but I’m hoping that one will come to me as I continue.

Because of the lockdown,the places I frequent have had restriction of movement imposed on them and as you get older you need to have access to refreshments, seating,conversation ,peace and quiet when you want it,so I have limited myself to my garden in pursuit of nature .

Blue tits ,goldfinch,starlings,long tailed tits.

I have had bird feeders in my garden for about five years, and I get a good variety of garden birds that visit daily and everyday I will spend some time watching and photographing the birds in the apple tree and on the feeders. I always try to improve my photography trying to get as close as I can without disturbing them. However the ability to get lots of birds and now wildlife in your garden is not easy. It takes care and a little knowledge to entice creatures in.You can look up how to do this on the internet.I have gained some birds and lost some .I used to get the rare goldcrest and nuthatch but since my neighbours cut down their leylandi they have gone.

Lesser spotted woodpecker,Chaffinch,Robin,tree sparrow, collared doves and my goldcrest.

As the garden has developed , I have made the effort to make it as wildlife friendly as my wife will allow.There are places untouched by a lawn mower or shovel.We have a pond and some bird baths.The pond is now totally widlife as it used to have Koi in it,until a heron visited for breakfast. It seems that every habitat has a season which is a joy. At the moment the pond is full of newts and fresh water snails ,pond lillies  and reeds which rustle in the wind.

Pond Life, newts, reeds,water snail and damoiselle fly

At my most judgemental times I refer to degenerate human beings as pond life as but the creatures above give me” nothing but joy”(my title) it somehow doesn’t seem fitting.If anyone wonders how I got the newts and snails I did the bucket of water challenge to see what emerged pouring the water from the pond into a fishtank .It worked.

Since covid I try to keep busy but it’s not easy .A while ago I invested in a flash but rarely used it.So I decided to go on a night safari in my garden. After several attempts and staying up past midnight I was relatively successful .It’s quite funny how much you panic first time ,trying to get a shot, because I was surprised my plan to capture these creatures actually worked.I learnt so much,where they live ,how fast they are ,what happens when you shine a torch on them.The results,although technically not good will stay in my “to keep” folder.

Night safari (click on picture for best results)

Paraqueet, goldfinch, bumble bee, magpie, woodpigeon, woody,fox and a greenfinch all taken this year.

When I look back at these past three months and I feel I have wasted my time,I can look at the blog and pictures and reflect on the times spent in my safe place which brought nothing but joy.