looking at the wildlife

From Gabor:

It’s raining, so I’ll tell you about the wildlife.

Sitting outside, we regularly hear the calls of the local buzzards, who Mark tells me nest in the oak trees to the south. Occasionally we can see them circling overhead.

Then, as we drive down the single track road away from the house, we regularly see a pair of smaller brown hawks patrolling the fields. They perch on the telegraph wires, which obviously provide a good lookout point as they watch for the next meal. However, a car driving by obviously unnerves them and we can find ourselves following one of these birds as it flies low and fast down the road for 20 or 30 yards before turning off across the fields.

The sun brings out the little lizards, basking and running across the walls, especially by the pool. I haven’t yet been lucky enough to catch one on camera.

The pond has a vigorous frog population. In the evenings there is a regular chorus coming from the pond. on Sunday evening I walked round the pond and counted no fewer than 14 splashes as frogs jumped for safety from the bank.

And then there are the slugs. Big juicy ones, and the rain certainly brings them out. This one was climbing the french doors at about midnight last night. On the outside, thankfully.