Frogs and Fruitcake

 No birding again this week😢 due to a combo of rain, illness and laziness, the garden has provided some interest. Our new Pond has been getting a lot of Frog action, we think there are at least 3 maybe 4 frequenting it, they have produced at least one large lump of Spawn so far!! Not sure how successful this will prove to be as the Pond being new not sure how much food they will find in it!! We added the first new plants today, there was already Hornwart from the old pond, but now we have Common Rush, Flag Iris and Great Spearwort as well!

Bit of a mud bath still but hopefully will start to grow around soon!

Common Rush, Flag Iris and Great Spearwort all native plants, be expecting Bitterns and Corncrakes once they grow up a bit 😂😏

These plants are in the shallower parts of the pond, there are three levels so we need to get some for the next level and maybe some sort of lily for the deep part! The Frogs are pretty jumpy bit hard to get pics but seems the two below were a bit distracted!!

Phone pic showing the size difference between the male and female, yes I'm assuming their Gender and Sexual Orientation😲 Just going by the amount of Spawn!😂 

Plenty of other signs of spring apart from the rampant frog sex 😂 Both the Hawthorn and Bird Cherry are showing signs of budding and lots of Crocus and Snowdrops. The Snowdrops are nearly finished!!

Hawthorn

Snowdrops

Bird Cherry

Lots of bird action as well, with the Starlings and Sparrows more active, Goldfinch still on the feeders, Blue Tits singing and a Wren very active in and out of the Jasmine and Honeysuckle at the back!!

Wren

Tricky to get pics of, these through the window!

So lots of interest, hopefully the pond will develop quickly, we are optimistic that  the Water Mint which had colonised the surrounds of the old pond will reappear and likewise the Marsh Marigold. The lawn/meadow is a mud pit at the moment especially around the pond, so not sure what we are going to get, hopefully the Snakehead Fritillary I put in will appear in a couple of weeks!

Out of the Garden into the Kitchen, I produced a pretty good Gluten Free fruit cake yesterday, using Cassava Flour, Tiger Nut Flour and Tapioca Starch which came out very well! The flour mountain my daughter bought me for Christmas is finally starting to shrink, though not sure what I'm going to do with the Green Banana Flour!!😂  I've a packet and a half of M&S Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns left, they aren't great to be honest, pretty stodgy, so going to turn them into a Bread and Butter pudding in a minute!! 

Hoping the weather relents around my work schedule and I will get some birding in soon!!!!!!!