2023 Daily Photos // Days 169 - 175

 

18th June 2023
I popped down to the recycling village today to get rid of some wood and found this guy in the middle of a busy path.
I was petrified that they would get stood on and there was no safe place to relocate them nearby, so I brought them home and put them in our garden.

19th June 2023
Return to the Rhinns!
Last year we took Baker on holiday to the Rhinns of Galloway for his 10th birthday in August.
He enjoyed it so much that we decided to go back this year!
We arrived in the early afternoon, and this was our first evening at the campsite.

20th June 2023
On day 2 of our camping adventure we decided to take the short drive over to Portpatrick and do our 'Treasure Trail' that we'd brought with us.
It ended up being a lot busier than I'd expected and the weather was insane, super hot with an intense fog, so I was quite overwhelmed.
However, we managed to find some hidden gems due to the trail and spotted some gorgeous wildlife, including Black Guillemots which I have never seen before!

21st June 2023
This morning we went back to the bay that Baker and I swam in a year previously for another swim.
 The three of us only managed a short time in the water because the high tide was approaching and it was a very pebbly beach which was difficult to walk on.
We were happy to see that there were still lots of Gannets around though and also spotted a ladybug, A Greenfinch and some Linnets (from afar, they were not easy to photograph!) which was another first for me.
As our day at the sea was cut short, we decided to have a drive and ended up at Port Ryan, an absolute highlight of our holiday.
It was relatively quiet, a perfect temperature and just beautiful!
We saw (what I'm hazarding a guess as being) a juvenile Stonechat as soon as we left the car, then an adult a little later on as well as another bird on the rocks that I'm struggling to identify - possibly a Skylark...though it could be wishful thinking and it might just be a Thrush.

Ending our day with a rainy evening at camp we enjoyed the company of the sheep and a wet little Robin stopped by.

22nd June 2023
Upon arriving home today, we were happy to see both of our Raspberry plants doing very well!

23rd June 2023
I've missed all of my little birdy friends!
Mr Blackbird brining his baby to the garden was a lovely treat today.

24th June 2023
I didn't know if we'd get a visit from the wasps who strip the bamboo on our fence during this 30 Days Wild, but this beauty didn't let us down!
We saw a lovely sky on our way to bed too.

2023 Daily Photos // Days 162 - 168

 

11th June 2023
Although I feed and water the birds every day already, I decided to put some more suet feeders out the back today with so many parents and fledgelings needing extra energy.
They had it all demolished in no time! I already needed shares in bird feed before this haha!

We also have had a special Pigeon with its lower beak missing.
I've been keeping an eye on them and so far they seem to be managing quite well.

12th June 2023
We had a surprise visitor tonight! Very exciting that they stopped by during 30 Days Wild!
I was checking the security cameras before bed and spotted someone having a
drink from the bowl in the back garden...so I ran downstairs and grabbed my camera.
I got to sit on the doorstep and enjoy watching them wander about in our grass, the border under
the Hollyhocks and Nasturtiums, and listen to them munching away,
before they sneaked out under our gate.

13th June 2023
I like to get a photo of the front of our house regularly to document how the garden changes.
The colour has all started to reappear which is so nice to see.
I also got to spy the baby Starlings in next door's roof!
We don't get to spend much time out in the front garden so this was a lovely time.

14th June 2023
Proof of how important gardening for wildlife is!
The Goldfinches love to eat from our wild lawn and the Sparrows love to play and hide in the Hawthorn!
Hela also had some time downstairs today and liked to have a peek out the window with me.

15th June 2023
Finally replaced the temporary bird-crash deterrents on the kitchen window.
I used some matt black sticky back plastic and traced/cut out some bird shapes.

16th June 2023
It was a bit of a traumatic morning as this stunning Sparrowhawk sadly took one of the gorgeous fledgling Starlings that have been frequenting our garden. 
I am absolutely gutted because they are drawn to our garden as it's made for them, and then one has been taken right outside my gate.
Of course, I know it is the circle of life and in a way it is nice to see a bird of prey up close.
Still very sad though.

I also painted the toilet room today.

17th June 2023
Water is life!
We got a little bit of rain today and I went to sit outside in it.
I got to see a spider running to escape the raindrops, a bee stopping by for a drink from the water bowl (that I was just about to clean out!) and photograph the drops in the bird bath.

Later in the day, an injured young pigeon appeared in our front garden.
We kept an eye on it, but it didn't move in over 3 hours so we decided to step in.
I'll share more about our latest rescue soon.