Everything was much brighter today after a very wet Wednesday and wet heavy snow was weighing all the branches down and I even had to avoid hanging branches to get out of the front door. Wonderful to have some snow at last, but it sadly won’t last…
Below are pictures of hazel in flower (the branches bent so far that the catkins are pointing upwards) and my yew tree bent so far that it touches the ground.
Most of the thrushes were gone today, replaced by a flock of about 120 waxwings (sidensvans), picking up from where the thrushes left off!
The first two videos show waxwings eating apples opened up by fieldfares and blackbirds yesterday and also eating guelder rose (krossved) berries, so far not touching the elderberries (svarthyll).
Earlier in the day, the waxwings were hunting insects on birch trees and occasionally high into the air in pursuit of insects:
…and the morning after, they had discovered the yew berries!
…and on unharvested redcurrants (rips)….with a fieldfare (gråtrost) and brambling (bjørkefink) at the end of the video!
There are an enormous number of yew berries on the tree next to the kitchen window this year and this video shows how a vine (probably
Vitis coignetiae) has found its way towards the light high up in the yew, which is Taxus × media “Hicksii”, the Anglojap or Hicks’ yew, which is a hybrid of
Taxus baccata and
Taxus cuspidata.
Most will be left for the birds, bringing both waxwings (sidensvans) and blackbirds (svarttrost) close to the house!
Perennial vegetables, Edimentals (plants that are edible and ornamental) and other goings on in The Edible Garden
