Wildlife park

Although it was cold it we had a fantastic day at the Highland Wildlife Park!

Here are some pics!

One of the things I love about the place is that wild birds are roaming around so close to the road in the safari part of the park! This one is an oystercatcher.

A lapwing, I love seeing this one close up as we have them flying around our house at this time of year but rarely see them at close range.

This trip was the first time we saw the tigers! We were lucky enough to arrive to see them at feeding time!

sunset, snowdog and moon!

The sun setting a couple of days ago.Our mad pooch enjoying the snow.

So this is how she comes in covered in ice balls!

Just managed to catch the moon sinking this morning!

Red sky at night

Stunning sky last night, so pretty!

gardening

My fave birthday present, a coldframe!

DH put a compartment in so I can make my own compost in one side ready for the springtime planting and the other side is for lettuce and carrots!

My raised bed!

I am doing the same thing in this as a bit of an experiment to see how the compost compares being made in the open to under cover and also the same seeds sown at the same time!

My lettuce came up after only 4 days, but it was very warm weather. So far the difference in the seedlings is only a couple of days.
If you don't like gardening here is a moody sky, love the sunset colours and patterns!

Sunset

Birds

I have had some birdy trauma these past couple of weeks! We have had a few small birds, mainly siskins, hitting our kitchen window, lost about 4 this way! Last week I witnessed a sparrowhawk snatching a tiny bird (young siskin I think) in its claws and flying off with it! Then yesterday we watched as a siskin seemed to be falling asleep sitting up on the bird table then it literally fell off its perch and died! Awful, I can't cope with all this trauma!

Anyway, here are some of the (still living) birds that visit our garden.

Goldfinch

not a great photo of the goldfinch as he was outside the garden, I had to use my zoom lens just to be able to identify him!

Stonechat
siskin
I did have a woodpecker on these nuts one morning but I wasn't quick enough with the camera. I am not particularly speedy first thing even for a good pic!

Woodpeckers

We spent last week in the Lake District at Center Parcs. Some of you will be very familiar with it but for those who don't it is a holiday (vacation) place in the middle of the woods.

I expected to see some red squirrels ( did but no good piccys unfortunately) but these were an added bonus. We hung out nuts to encourage birds and squirrels but got these fab creatures visiting every day!

They are great spotted woodpeckers! The pair are parent and child as one was feeding the other up in this tree!

This one is the adult male, he only has a touch of red at the nape whereas the juvenile has an all red crown.