Thanks, Mungo; I'm getting stronger all the time and, fingers crossed, it won't have too much effect on the early Spring programme
I'll be relying on public transport or the kindness of those offering lifts, though, since I'm currently declared unfit to drive
Unnecessarily so, I'm sure - but it's better to be safe than sorry...
Anyway... after managing to escape from Frenchay Hospital, news of a Long-eared Owl roosting at
Splatt Bridge, Frampton-on-Severn on February 18th was enough to tempt me into making the 25-mile journey north to have a look. (As I'm sure everyone's realised I've a bit of a backlog to catch up with, which I'll try to post as quickly as possible...
) The owl was easy enough to see; although, well-camouflaged against a hawthorn bush, views were hardly brilliant! Plant-wise there wasn't a lot in flower around Frampton itself (no doubt a result of the weather) but not a million miles away, in the village of Oldbury-on-Severn, is an old churchyard (
St. Arilda's) well known for its display of naturalised spring flowers
Hence, I was able to add
Wild Daffodil (
Narcissus pseudonarcissus, of the alien ssp.
major) &
Yellow Crocus (
Crocus x stellaris) to the photo catalogue - the latter were in full bloom and made for a magnificent sight, thanks to Tiggrx especially for advising on ID
Plenty of
Common Snowdrops (
Galanthus nivalis) were also in bloom, as were the very first
Lesser Celandines (
Ranunculus ficaria on a grassy bank - addition No. 3 for the morning