USO (Unidentified Slithering Object)

Firstly, sorry that I have been unable to enter post recently. I have ordered a memory card for my camera with no memory space left, but it hasn't arrived yet. In the overgrown part of our garden, where there are often lizards, I saw something rather strange...

A "snake" was seen in the overgrown part of our garden that inhabits large numbers of lizards already. It was a sunny day, and I was outside filling up the bird feeders. The sun-bathing lizards caught my eye, and I watched them for a bit. Then, to my left there was some movement in the undergrowth. I got closer and saw a large browny, silvery creature slithering. I didn't see its head, which would have given it away, so I am not entirely sure what it was. Through trial and elimination, I have ruled out the Adder and the Grass Snake. Unfortunately, this leaves me with the rarest of the 3, the Smooth Snake. While they do live in our area, and in other southern areas, they are known for being particularly scarce. According to its article/factfile on the BBC website, they primarily eat lizards, which would explain why it was there.

However, there is another species it could have been too. The slow worm is a legless lizard, which can grow to be nearly as large as some snakes. The reason why I am not sure if it is a slow worm is because most of the time, they aren't very active, but this one was moving quite fast. It might also have been a bit large to be a slow wom. Okay, now I am just confusing you! Can somebody help?

Here are some pictures of the suspect creatures.

Top: slow worm from google images
Bottom: Smooth snake from BBC website

Plenty to choose from

The bird feeders in our garden attract a decent variety of garden birds. In order to attract different species, however, we put out lots of different types of food. Below, is a list of the foods we put out for the birds.

Peanuts: A food source which is used mostly by tits, and finches and will, very occasionally invite woodpeckers. I have seen a Greater Spotted Woodpecker twice, and they are a treat to see. Unfortunately, as we discovered, they also attract squirrels. While they are great fun to watch, they destroyed our original peanut feeder in its effort to remove the food. Apparently though, other food sources are now much preferred to peanuts. No idea why!

Feeder Seed mixes: We used to feed the birds with black sunflower seeds, and sunflower hearts. These were popular with finches in particular. The seed mixes are generally more popular with the smaller birds, such as tits and Dunnocks. The seeds were small enough that the Blue Tit parents fed a few of them to the chicks in our nest box this year. I think this food also helped see the return of House Sparrows in our garden. The spillage, from the feeders keeps the ground feeding birds happy too.

Table mixes: We sometimes provide Robin foods bought from the local pet store. It includes mealworms, seeds and cereal type things. It is quite expensive, but I find that the birds love it. As you may have guessed, it attracts Robins. However, House Sparrows, Blackbirds, Collared Doves, Magpies, Wood Pigeons Dunnocks and tits are also attracted by these foods. I also put some Raspberries and Blackcurrants on the table, alongside a few scraps, which keeps the bird table busy.

Fat: Keeps our Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Robins, Blackbirds, Magpies and the odd flock of Long-tailed Tits busy. Earlier in the year, Starlings were an entertaining sight at the fat cakes and balls, but I have seen an absence in them recently.

Nyjer Seed: In our garden, it almost exclusively attracts Goldfinches, but Greenfinches are occasionally seen feeding on them.

Images all from CJ wildlife website apart from raspberries (google images)

Bunny watch

I'd like to introduce you to our pet rabbits. We have a grand total of 2 bunnies (1 male, 1 female). One is called Maisy, and the other is called Sparky.

Maisy is over 2 years old now, and we got her when she was very young. We got her a rescued companion, called Jake, but he sadly died last year. We then got Sparky (another rescued rabbit from the RSPCA). We are not exactly sure of his age, but we do know he is a young rabbit. They have very different personalities, yet they get on so well together. Sparky is a friendly, sociable rabbit, who cleans and cares for Maisy. He is quite lazy though. He is mostly white, save a brown stripe down his back, and a lovely brown/ginger patch behind his ears. His shape is more like a stereotypical wild rabbit. Maisy is a larger bunny. She is a very funny creature to watch. She will often does a loopy sprint around the run, for no particular reason, while vaguely chasing Sparky. She is nervous, and she gets spooked by slight movements outside (even if its just me). She is white all over, with floppy ears. They have a large run, and hutch which they spend their time in. They mow our lawn nicely, and fertilize it too! We have become surprisingly attached to these pets, and thought this post might just show it. Below are a few pictures I took.

p.s. I saw the scrawny fox checking out the bunnies, but again, couldn't get a picture (it was too dark).