Last Monday the weather was a bit iffy, however my bird class decided to go out so we walked through Ward and Castle Park, up to the Walled Garden and back again. It only rained when we were in the Walled Garden and so we went into the glass houses to see what they had planted this year.
There were the usual Black headed Gulls and Mallards and we enjoyed seeing the birds in the aviaries (later post). As you would have seen from yesterday's post, the Greylag Geese have arrived, however these 2 Geese looked different and I think they are a mix of Canada and Greylag.
These are part of my Bird Group. There are 10 members although not all were there that day. One thing I did not know until that day and that was that 4 of them were over 80 years old and all as sharp as a tact!!
As we walked through Castle Park we looked at various trees as they are a great age and this one caught our eye. The bark was fantastic. I took some close ups (see below).
As we walked through we hear Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, saw Blackbirds, Magpie and Derek, one of our members spied a Heron on top of a very high tree some distance away. It took quite a while before all the group were able to see it.
This is the group sheltering from the rain. The gardeners had planted quite a number of varieties of tomatoes, some aubergines and peppers. (see below)
Then we went into another glass house and saw this beautiful bud on the twisted stem, another bud bursting out and then the purple flower. If anyone knows what it is, please let me know.
As we were walking out of the Walled Garden, I looked up and saw the mast which they had very cleverly hidden in this conifer tree above.
Then we passed the Greylag Geese as we headed for home but not before passing these lovely Kaffir Lilies, Begonias, Hostas and Nausturiums.
Now I have a very short video that can be accessed at
http://youtu.be/WmPaBE8eHZs
If there is a black space below, click it and the video will appear.
http://youtu.be/WmPaBE8eHZs
If there is a black space below, click it and the video will appear.
Many thanks for visiting my post today and I hoped you enjoyed it.
dear margaret,
ReplyDeleteit looks like a wonderful day was had by all. what a beautiful place for a walk.
incredibly beautiful shots!
love all of these. they are all stunning!
have a great week ahead! :))
betty
It's not easy getting old the blind leading the blind and the deaf hearing for the deaf and none of us willing to acknowledge our failing facilities.
ReplyDeleteYou are a star,
Thanks for spelling Nasturshum. It's a very difficult word for an evil smelling plant. Some Chefs consider it edible. Daft they are.
HI Adrian Blogger is playing up today again. Well what is new!!! My star may get demoted when I tell you I had to look up the spelling of Nasturshum!! I have personally eaten both the flowers and the leaves of this plant and survived!!! The flowers look lovely in decorating a salad, even if you don't eat them. Well I hope you enjoyed the post!
DeleteIt was only spelt Nasturtium cos the person that found it was anorexic and couldn't spell Nasturshum. Don't feel bad. I am now very PC but there are some silly folk out there.
DeleteSo have I. I've eaten it but it is one of the worst things ever considered for food or olfactory pleasure.
How could I not enjoy. The group look either worse or on a par with me, you give me hope.
HI Betty It is a lovely place to walk round and only 2 minutes from my home. I am very glad you enjoyed the photos. Hope you have a wonderful week
ReplyDeleteWhat fun it would be to be in; this bird group! Love your shots and looks like the gardens are really plentiful in this park. Love the moss on the bark
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanne Yes it is a great group. I formed it about 5 years ago really for people who would like to know how to recognise at least the birds in their gardens but I have a very mixed bunch of people. Some are just learning while others know a great deal but we all share and ask questions and all have a great love for nature and the great outdoors. I am glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comments.
DeleteA loving group of birdwatching, cheers Margaret.
ReplyDeleteHI Bob you are right. Lovely group of bird watchers. I am glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comments.
DeleteLooks to me like you belong to a lovely bird group.
ReplyDeleteHI EG Yes my group is very special to you. We a; share what we know when we are outdoors. When we have to be inside, I give a lecture. I am glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comments.
Deletelooks like some well-prepared birders. :) like those hybrid geese! and that cool tree!
ReplyDeleteHI Tex Yes I have them well trained!! I am glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comments.
DeleteBeautiful photos, Margaret. Looks like you had a great outing despite the weather.
ReplyDeleteHI Gunilla Nothing much stops us and we escaped getting wet. I am glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comments.
DeleteOHHHHH! Your flower pictures are just stunning today!!!! The big purple flower, and the bud that looks like a tiny cabbage, and even the bee!! It has stripes that run in both directions and looks a bit like a paper wasp. A gorgeous post, making a Monday beautiful after all.
ReplyDeleteHI Ginny I am glad you enjoyed the the flowers and the wasp. Thanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteLove it. And how I hope to be still doing the things I love at 80. Smart as a tack would be an improvement too.
ReplyDeleteHI EC Yes, I know I also want to be that good at 80. Glad you liked the post and thanks for comment.
DeleteWhat a great group of birders you hang out with! The flower photos are lovely. I especially liked the yellow one with the bee.
ReplyDeleteHI Linda Great birders in my group. Glad you liked the the yellow flower with the bee and thanks for comment.
DeleteYou may have had some bad weather, but it didn't stop you from taking all these beautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteHI Pat Bad weather never stopped me!! Glad you liked the post and thanks for comment.
DeleteLove that enormous old tree! Some "things" and people just get better with age:) Great captures of the geese and the flowers too! thanks for visiting me earlier:)
ReplyDeleteHI Jesh Glad you liked the old tree, flowers and the geese and thanks for comment.
Deletea lovely outing with your group Margaret. I don't know the mystery flower but I have just pulled out all my spent nasturtiums, and seed bulbs are everywhere so no doubt plenty more will spring up soon. The bees love them and they're a colourful filler; I keep them contained and not romping too far; that seems to send the flowers up too. The photos of the geese are great..
ReplyDeleteHI Carole So far no one knows that lovely flower. I will have to go and ask. Good to know your are woring in your garden, I still have to plant bulbs! Glad you liked the post and thanks for comment.
DeleteBeautiful photos and a great outing Margaret. I especially love the nasturtiums one of my favourite flowers :)
ReplyDeleteHi RR I am glad I posted one of your favorite flowers today. Many thanks for your kind comments.
Deletelovely images, all of them!! i need a bird class ;)
ReplyDeleteHI Debbie I am glad you enjoyed the images. Now I have quite a bit of information on some of my posts so consider yourself an honorary member of my class!! there is more than one way of learning! Thanks for the comments.
DeleteReally nice walk around the park.....and i love that you have a birder group. Something similar happened with me last year. I discovered that 80 isn't such a bad thing:) I've gone birding with a group of people who are in good health. They inspire me to take care of myself better.
ReplyDeleteHI Chris What you say is very interesting. No matter how old you get, you usually can learn from someone even older. I am glad you like the park and I thank you for your comments.
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