Far From the Madding Crowd

Friday, 20 April 2012

Sand Lizard

Sand Lizard, a photo by Linda Yarrow on Flickr.

We went to Higher Hyde, one of Dorset Wildlife Trust nature reserve hoping to catch sight of some Sand Lizards. We found this one basking on an old tyre. Sadly this poor thing has got some ticks. This nature reserve is surrounded by tanks, guns, quarries and their huge lorries, making this reserve not the most peaceful place to visit, particularly with the clay pigeon shot gun club right next to the reserve, guns going off every minute. This place seems to be the best place to find Sand Lizards as there old tyres and heaps of tiles which these lizards like to bask on, warming themselves up.

Wednesday, 8 February 2012

Spoonbills

Bitterly cold day, we took a quick dash out to see the Spoonbills, there are eleven of them in Holes Bay, Poole. There was also a large flock of Avocets, too far away for a good picture. Numerous of other birds; ducks, geese and waders in the bay also, but it was too cold to stand around for long.

Spoonbills, a photo by Lynmiranda on Flickr.

Wednesday, 30 November 2011

November Daffodil

It is always interesting to see when these bunch of daffodils will flower, this was taken today. Last year they flowered at the end of December. I hope they do not get picked again like they have been in previous years, which is really annoying.

November Daffodil, a photo by Lynmiranda on Flickr.

My Blog

I have taken the title of my blog from Thomas Hardy's fourth novel 'Far From the Madding Crowd' which he wrote in 1874. He took his title from Thomas Gray's poem 'Elegy written in a Country Churchyard' completed in 1750. Thomas Hardy was born in Dorset where he lived for most of his life and where he based the stories in his novels. The word 'madding' means frenzied and there is a sense of freedom I get being out in the countryside and being close to nature away from the frenzied atmosphere of the towns and cities. I live in Dorset and like Thomas Hardy, it is where I have lived for most of my life, my blog is mostly about nature in Dorset. I am a member of the Dorset Wildlife Trust. I will include my garden and anything of interest about the natural world in Britain.