Two nice surprises from Mum's garden

My next few blog posts will be from my Mum's garden. After a very intense operation and a long eleven day stay in hospital, she is now at home with strict orders for her to rest.

 

Mum's garden has often been good for wildlife. Regular readers will remember last year when I photographed Great Spotted Woodpeckers, House Sparrows, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Red Kites, Buzzards, Frogs, a Kestrel, a Grass Snake, the disappearing view of a Muntjac deer and much more.

 

Today though, I wasn't quite prepared to find my first wildlife surprise not in the garden but in Mum's kitchen !

 

I had pulled out the dustpan and brush after sweeping Mum's kitchen floor, when a tiny and very still Common Newt fell out of the pan......

 

 

It was lifeless, cold and almost certainly dead.

 

Not quite knowing what to do with the poor thing, I gently picked it up and placed it on a large stone in Mum's back garden....

 

But it was very still, and it really didn't look too good.

 

But then it stated to slowly move......

 

the little Newt was alive....

I sat on the step with my camera, and gave the Newt some space, and eventually it's movements got quicker and it started to explore the stone and plants I had placed it on......

 

and eventually it made it's way under the stone never to be seen again.

The pot below is where I left it, and hopefully it will spend the next few months in quiet undisturbed hibernation there.

 

 

Later in the day I was sitting in the conservatory watching the usual Blue and Great Tits flitting around the feeders, when I noticed a solo Coal Tit amongst them. I've not seen one in Mum's garden before so was quite excited to add it to the list of sightings.

 

 Unfortunately my only photos of this lovely little bird, were taken through glass, but it was nice to get such good views when it landed for a drink right in front of the doors.....

 

 

So a nice first day from Marks Mansion.

It will be interesting to see what the next few days turn up.