2024 Wildlife Diary Menu
Use the Menu below to scroll through this years diary as it grows month by month
2024 wildlife diary May to June...
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2024 Wildlife Diary January & February
February 28 2024 : Wet weather and so spending time going through some old unprocessed photos
A look back to last year
February 19 2024 : An overcast day that ended with blue sky so I took a walk around the fields. The pond was quiet with only the two Mute Swans on it, although the pair of Oyster Catchers did put in a late appearence!
The sun brought with it Honey Bees! the hives were busy and the garden full, there's not much out in fower yet, but the young crocus and Snowdrops were giving some food.
Lets hope that weather keeps on improving
February 18 2024 : Stroll around Parkside, Cleator Moor, Cumbria
Parkside, Cleator, Cumbria
February 19 2024 : An overcast day that ended with blue sky so I took a walk around the fields. The pond was quiet with only the two Mute Swans on it, although the pair of Oyster Catchers did put in a late appearence!
The sun brought with it Honey Bees! the hives were busy and the garden full, there's not much out in fower yet, but the young crocus and Snowdrops were giving some food.
Lets hope that weather keeps on improving
February 17 2024 : Look back at Margaret River , Australia
Margaret river, Western Australia
February 17 2024 : Wet weekend and I havea chance to go through some photos from the Australia trip nearly two years ago now, and I found ones I didnt know I had !
February 11 2024 : Parkside, Cleator moor
Parkside, Cleator, Cumbria
February 11 2024 Another mixed day of weather, but when the sun shone the birds came out ! The pond was busy with Tufted ducks, Gooseanders, Mallards, Mute Swans and Oyster Catchers. On the banks the Herring Gulls were grazing along with a dozen or more Jackdaws and Carrion Crows.
In the garden the tits were flitting about, and the Tree sparrows were on the feeders. Chaffinches were everywhere and we even had a visit from a couple of Siskins.
February 10 2024 : Sunny Saturday in Parkside, Cleator moor
Parkside, Cleator, Cumbria
February 10 2024
The Sun came out today for the first time in a while and with it the birds came out too. The Oyster Catchers returned to the pond for the first time this year, fingers crossed they will stay to nest. The pond was busy with Teal, Mallards, Gooseanders (12) and 2 mute Swans.
The Buzzard put in an appearence but I only managed to get a photo when he flew off!
Perhaps the most important sign that Winter is coming to an end was the Bees were flying from the hives for the first time this year. All six of the hives were buzzing with bees coming and going, and the garden was buzzing with them all over the Snowdrops and the Crocus
February 09 2024 : Flashback Friday, a few photos from the archive
Parkside, Cleator, Cumbria
February 10 2024
Wet, windy , grey and cold so didnt get out much , so just a few from the archives to brighten up a Winters night !
February 02 2024 : A few photos from the past, which I have had time to look at and organise today.
Parkside, Cleator, Cumbria
February 01 2024
A week of mixed weather and only really been out and about in the garden, hence the garden birds !
February 01 2024 : In the garden
Parkside, Cleator, Cumbria
February 01 2024
A week of mixed weather and only really been out and about in the garden, hence the garden birds !
January 25/01/24 - 28/01/24
Parkside, Cleator, Cumbria
January 28/01/24
A mixed weekend weatherwise, but the sun did shine on occasion ! The garden was full of the usual suspects, the pond was full with a dozen Gooseanders, Three Mute Swans and two visiting Cormorants. Above the ground there was no further sign of the Hen Harrier seen earlier in the week, but the Buzzard and Sparrow Hawk were out and about hunting.
January 25/01/24 - 28/01/24
Parkside, Cleator, Cumbria
January 28/01/24
A mixed weekend weatherwise, but the sun did shine on occasion ! The garden was full of the usual suspects, the pond was full with a dozen Gooseanders, Three Mute Swans and two visiting Cormorants. Above the ground there was no further sign of the Hen Harrier seen earlier in the week, but the Buzzard and Sparrow Hawk were out and about hunting.
January 24/01/24
Parkside, Cleator, Cumbria
January 24/01/24
Tody was the tail end of a storm and it didnt really get light till just before dusk when the sun shone for an hour or so. I took my chance and spent some time in the garden watching the 8 Gooseanders and 2 Mute swns on the pond. Just before sunset a lone Tufted duck made and appearence and then high up I spotted a first for here, a Male Hen Harrier flying past looking for a roost for the night.
In the four years Ive been watching this area , this is a first and not a common sight for anywhere in Cumbria. I'll keep my eyes peeled tomorrow if the weather allows and hopefully will see it again.
January 19/01/24
From the kitchen window ! Parkside, Cleator, Cumbria
January 19/01/24
Nothing much out and about today, but just when I had given up, I spotted a Greater Spotted Woodpecker in the garden from outof the kitchen window!
January 18/01/24
Around and about Parkside, Cleator, Cumbria
January 18/01/24
Another cold day with frost on the ground, only managed a short walk through the fields but there was some nice wildlife about.
The pond was nearly frozen over with only a small patch of free water, and this was full with the two Mute Swans that are resident here, all the other water birds had left, looking for none frozen lakes. There was however a very fast Kingfisher which spent a short time looking for a patch of open water before giving up and heading on towards the river a mile away. The hedgerows were busy , with the Fieldfares hunting for the remaining Hawthorn berries, and Tits, Sparrows, Finches and Robins were everywhere.
The Greylag geese are still here in large numbers alternating between the fields and the pond, although the ice has put them off somewhat. While watching the Geese we saw we were being watched by a lone Buzzard, it sat on a Hawthron bush for five minutes before flying off accross the fields.
The highlight however was a Goldcrest that was fliting through the hedgerow, it seemed unbothered by me being there, but was hard to photo as he was fast!
The weather looks set to warm up and become wet so it could be the last time I get out for a while.
January 15/01/24
Walk around Longlands lake, Cleator, Cumbria
January 15/01/24
Very cold and frosty this morning but the sun was out so I thought I'd have a change of scene and have a walk around Longlands Lake. I was a little late getting there and there were plenty of dog walkers so most of the birds in the woods had been spooked, but there were plenty on the water.
Golden eye were in the middle of lake, more females than males, and then around the edges there were at least a dozen Little Grebes. The Herring gulls were there in force as normal and most were perched on the landing stage.
As I was leaving I had a quick trot along the river and in the field were Fieldfare in a flock of a dozen or so.
All in all a nice change of scenary, next time I'll get up a little earlier!
January 14/01/24
Sheep in the sunset and a crow in a tree, Cleator Moor, Cumbria
January 14 2024 : Parkside, Cleator Moor, Cumbria
Just a quick walk around the fields tonight in the cold sunset, looking for a Barn Owl but no joy , so I watched the sheep for a while ! At one point they lined up and stared me out !
January 13/01/24
Pheasants, Gooseanders, Herons and Teal on my walks around Parkside, Cleator Moor, Cumbria
January 13 2024 : Parkside, Cleator Moor, Cumbria
Cold but sunny day and the pond was busy. Teal were on and off the pond during the day, a maximum of 8 at anyone time, The Gooseanders are still on the water with two males and three females. There was some figthing going on between them but one male seems to have won and has two of the three females!
The young Mute Swans are back , and have been here now for a few days, as is the Grey Heron.
We have a couple of male Pheasants and a female which regulaly visit oour garden, today one of the males was at the pond side drinking and bathing and in the sun he looked very smart indeed.
The Greylag Geese are still in the area, with about 200 in the far fields. In the garden the Treecreeper and Greenfinches are back, along with large numbers of Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Great tit and Coal tit.
The Jackdaws, Magpies and Crows are now a regular fixture in the garden and can strip the feeders of fat balls in an hour or two, so I've started to put them on a diet and limit the amount I put out.
January 09/01/24
Meadow Pipits & Geese and a flyby by a Great Egret on my walks around Parkside, Cleator Moor, Cumbria
January 09 2024 : Parkside, Cleator Moor, Cumbria
Sunnyand freezing in Cumbria today, the Greylags are still in fields and were spending the day flying and feeding . The pond was frozen over so there wasnt much to see, a Grey Heron searching for a thawed bit, two Mallards and a few Herring Geese.
I didnt see anything else until spotting a small flock of Meadow Pipits feeding next to a frozen flood in the fields. I didn look for the Barn Owl at sunset, but no sign. Fingers crossed for tomorrow!
January 08/01/24
Walks around Parkside, Cleator Moor, Cumbria
January 08 2024 : Parkside, Cleator Moor, Cumbria
Sunny but cold in this afternoon and just a quick chance to capture a flock of 200 Greylag Geese taking off in the sunset. These birds have been here now for two weeks and spend the evenings in one of the local fields.
January 01/01/2024 - 05/01/2024
Walks around Parkside, Cleator Moor, Cumbria
January 2024 : Parkside, Cleator Moor, Cumbria
Well its been a wet start to the new year but did manage to take a few snaps while I was out and about. The pond is high now after the rain and we are seeing Gooseanders, Teal, Mallards and the Grey Heron most days. The garden is getting busy now with Coal Tits, Dunnocks, Great Tits, Long Tailed Tits, Blackbirds, Robins (x5), Magpies, Rooks and Jackdaws, Goldfinch and Treecreeper.
The Redwings and Fieldfare seem to have gone now, but the Sparrow Hawk was out and about hunting today, and the Greylag Geese have grown in number to about 200 in the fields now most day. Fingers crossed for some nice weather now and some more photos soon.
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