DECEMBER 2020
Here it is, the last month of 2020 . . .and what a year it has been.
December is a month I love. I LOVE our home filled with festive decorations and our kids finishing school for the Christmas holidays, the four of us and animals all home for Christmas.
This year I'm sad I can't spend anytime with my parents or family , but I'm planning to drive down to the village and wave through their window on Xmas day. We all need to do our best to keep others safe and well.
Living here in the Liddesdale valley really makes you appreciate the beauty of this place at such difficult times. But there is light at the end, as vaccines are now being issued to the most vulnerable and key workers, so it's not long now before we can reunite with loved ones.
Wildlife keeps us all going, and gives us something to look forward to. Nature doesn't just stop.
At night the tawny owls are out guarding their territory, preparing suitable nest sites for next year.
We have a feeding frenzy of approximately fourteen long tailed tits that come to our bird feeders first thing in the morning and again at last light. I love to know they all huddle together in a line at bedtime, keeping each other warm to survive the winter months.
We have a great variety of birds coming daily to our feeders, including woodpeckers, blackbirds, blue tits, sparrows and robins to name a few. A bird I particularly love to see is the wren, so neat and small, smart looking little birds. There are so many of them that fly into the ivy growing up our house wall, they fly in and disappear deep into the ivy to keep warm.
We've seen an increase in tree creeper numbers in our garden this year. These too are lovely birds to watch. I think they look like little mice running up and down a tree, finding wee insects in the crevices of the bark.
I've started to put more bird feed out as most of the berries and fruits have gone now, so they do need a hand to get through the next few months. Remember to provide water near your feed station too and keep check on frosty mornings.
Thank you to everyone who over the months has reported sightings of grey and red squirrels in the Liddesdale area. Great work has been carried out with your help, and we're beginning to get a healthy number of red squirrels in and around the village .
Finally for this month, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Stay positive and remember nature is always there. Enjoy some winter walks and explore what's on your doorstep, you never know what you may spot.
Comments