Happiness is (2)

Nice Gattina :)))))))))))))))

Batmen will arrive, do not worry. Just need time to limber stiff joints.

Is your hoopoe a regular visitor then? They're funny birds, aren't they . . . only seen one, in a car park in the Pyrenees!

Glad you're happy - it's the little things in life. We had three ducks visiting this morning - a rarity. :))

Oh yes, we look forward to at least two of them in the neighbourhood. Our friend has a pair that return to their nestsite just down their drive each year, and they have to be careful not to drive over the babies that are around, learning how to fly. Beautiful birds.

I've never heard of a hoopoe .... there can't be any in Wales lol. I'm glad you've heard it though.
We've got lots of bats in the summer. There are several different types here. I hope you see some this year.

They are handsome birds, Hywel, with buff, black and white plumage, a lovely orange crest, and a call that sounds exactly like its name. I think you will probably only find them in the middle to southern bits of Europe, and they overwinter in North Africa.

We do get to the waiting stage for our regular visitors, pleased yours have arrived, always get bats in the summer flying low over the gardens...

We used to have dozens of bats every summer, but last year they were just not there any more. We saw about two. It's very distressing.

Hoopoe's are a rare summer visitor to the south of England. Would love to see & photograph them, that would be a highlight. I built two bat boxes 2 years ago, no visitors yet but the anticipation is exciting non the less.
When I lived in Italy I was furious one evening when I went out for the traditional 'walk' & found these lads catching bats by throwing cardboard boxes in the air & bringing them down just to kill them. Love the Italians, hate some of their attitude to wildlife. You can guess their opinion of me when I spoke out against that - - - "Oh he's English" - - - say no more !! ( they didnt do it again for the year I lived there )

Well, you'll have to make that trip and do the diversion off the Autostrada del Sole, and we'll make sure they're waiting for you!

You are really full of happiness this week Gattina :) Hope the bats turn up - is there a name for a trio of happiness? :))

'triptilarious' ???

Tried to get pictures of hoopoes in France never could , would hear them most days but never catch them on camera......

I think "triserenity" will do until I can think of something more appropriate, Scottish. "Triptilarious" is far too energetic, Bampy. It's always the way, DD2, the camera is never to hand, turned on and waiting when these lovely birds appear. It's so frustrating.

True.....

Actually, there's a fourth thing that would make the happiness complete, and that's to find that we still have hedgehogs. We know there were at least three hibernating in our cellar, and we haven't come across any little corpses, but there is absolutely no sign of them, and the winter was incredibly hard...... I shall wait to hear them singing when the weather warms up a little. I hope.

At last my third and fourth happinesses have arrived: a little later than expected, but there, none the less. We have been told that watering the garden is only allowed after midnight, but before 8.00 a.m., so we have become nocturnal, and there, swinging around the street light at the top of our drive two night ago, as I hauled the hosepipe up towards the squash patch, were three bats. They seemed to be dipping and diving, not so much food catching - there are so many night-flying insects that they would probably burst if they ate everything available, but more, it seemed, for pure joy in the warm night air.
The night before last, having given up all hope of ever seeing any of our resident hedgehogs from last year again, at around 1 in the morning, I heard a familiar chirrup down by the front door. I raced to look out of the window but could see nothing. Then yesterday, I was sweeping up spilled cat food in the cellar, and heard a rustle from under a pile of polythene dust sheets in a dark corner. There, just disappearing from view was a definitely prickly bum!
So we hadn't lost them all to the filthy February weather. There are no signs that any of them is in permanent residence, but their presence alone is very reassuring.
So, Happiness complete. Well, nearly. Could we have some rain, too, please?