Owlsland in March
The Mountains in Early Spring - Birds and Wild Flowers
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We waited all through November, December, January & February this year (2015/16), but winter forgot to come!
Hardly any rain, lowest night temperatures -7 degrees, and that for only a couple of nights, the result being a very early Spring.
Even the tortoises came out of hibernation in February, a full month early.
Days are gloriously sunny, skies are bright blue, and the almond blossom is in full bloom. |
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The Almond trees in bloom in Bezirgan are utterly breathtaking.
We have wondrous displays
of blossom, and if the rainfall isn't high, the flowers stay on the trees a long time.
This view of Akdag (white mountain) is taken from the hillside immediately behind Owlsland,
and shows clearly how the mountain got its name.
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To say that there must be trees like this at the gates of Paradise is maybe going too far, but still....
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And the individual flowers are as gorgeous as the trees themselves.
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The spring sunshine is covering the mountains in carpets of wild flowers.
This is Romulea, the sandcrocus, which isn't a crocus at all!
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This pen was built by one of the local shepherds to keep his goats in the spring and summer.
We reckon it's not only useful, but a work of art, vastly superior to the sort of thing that wins Turner prizes.
Not to mention
being a superb example of recycling in action - the door's an old bedspring! |
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The swallows returned from Africa last year on March 16th.
We'll update this page with the news when the first swallows arrive and Spring comes to Bezirgan.
And today's the day - March 15th, 2015, these tiny miracles are back, and spring has definitely come! |
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This was the hectic scene at their nest in our garage last year, as Mum and Dad struggled
to feed the five fast-growing babies impossibly crammed into this tiny space. |
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The reason for Owlsland's name! One of the many Little Owls found here. |
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You can hear the quite distinctive call of the Scops Owl just now. Last year, this pair nested just across the road, and we're hoping they'll nest again in the same place. |
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Another unmistakeable sound is the drumming of woodpeckers, as they mark out their territory for this season. It's surprising how far the noise can travel. |
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Absolutely delighted when not one, but TWO hoopoe appeared in the garden at Owlsland! |
The Garden in early Spring - Herbs & Flowers & Wildlife
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With winter having been fairly mild, the red squirrels who live in the oak tree were out and about searching for food and playing in the winter sunshine much of the time. And now that spring is round the corner they're out every day racing about the oak tree and making an astonishing racket as they chatter and chitter to each other. |
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This massive common toad, just out of hibernation.
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With winter ending, the plants start to come into their own.
The rosemary bushes surpass themselves for both scent and flowers. They attract whole swarms of bees, mostly honey bees, but already the carpenter bees are out in force. |
The Village in Spring - What's happening on the farms
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This is the time for babies! The first lambs appeared as early as December, and they're growing apace.
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The first kids have already been born, it's great to watch them prance and leap! And the cockeral struts round with his harem. |
And that's a taste of Spring in the mountains
Email
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