Category Archives: Lockdown Diary

An ill wind, they say, blows nobody any good. An ill wind was blowing yesterday and I mistakenly thought it would blow some good birds my way. Rising later than intended I shilly-shallied about as the wind seemed in the … Continue reading →

Insect activity today was down to one Dronefly and a few small diptera that I’ve not identified… probably a species of Sarcophagidae or Flesh Fly? It’s not surprising I can’t be more specific, most can only be identified by dissecting … Continue reading →

I’m sure I’ve mentioned more than once that we are still ‘shielding’ from Covid-19. Yesterday, shielding took on a whole new meaning when I came across only the second ever shieldbug we’ve found in the garden… perhaps my insect, wood … Continue reading →

Preparing for winter is not just about cutting out the dead and clearing away the fallen leaves, it’s also about winter-flowering plants and anticipating spring with hardy perennial plants. A few late flowering plants are also putting in their first … Continue reading →

My lockdown diary today is the latest Random Rant – Shielding

I’ve struggled to identify a critter observed a couple of months back on Graveney Marshes. Its not helped by my rubbish photos! Lesser Marsh Grasshopper Chorthippus albomarginatus It was a lot easier to identify this chap on Maggie’s hand in … Continue reading →

Having determined to identify everything that flies, walks, crawls or grows in my garden, some plants arrived today… A cheap deal of ‘nurseryman’s choice’ of perennials.  I was happy for the serendipity but did expect to have the plugs identified. … Continue reading →

For months the daily question has been: ‘does the garden need watering’? The curse of gardening in containers is that they can dry out very quickly. Moreover, this year the hot, dry weather has often been windy. I don’t recall … Continue reading →

We have survived lockdown and shielding because we have each other and the garden. Latterly we have been able to go and do some contactless birding, nature with social distancing. But, for most of lockdown, we just had each other … Continue reading →

Yesterday was an odd day of migration. Having dipped out at the cemetery we drove over to Sandwich. Gone were all the warblers and finches but the air was full of hirundines. Mostly Swallows but a fair number of House … Continue reading →