Welcome to my Garden Survey site. First time users please register your garden here and report any sightings of the species listed on your sightings report page. Once your garden is registered you will be issued with a password via email that you can use to log back in to your garden pages and report further sightings as they occur.

photos

Added 03 May 2005 - Last Edited 03 May 2005

Photographs

Added 03 May 2005 - Last Edited 03 May 2005

Dont forget that now is a great time to photograph your garden and its visitors. Its easy to add them to your page. From Home, find Garden Details in the left hand column (under my garden), from there click on EDIT/UPLOAD IMAGES and follow instructions. You can upload general shots of the garden, details of special feature or shots of species plant and animal (or fungus).

Matt

Beltane

Added 03 May 2005 - Last Edited 03 May 2005

http://www.mythinglinks.org/Wheel.html

Beltane passed on the meadow with fire and music. Oxford is now in full bloom, i have noticed the Lilac all over town, the Horse Chestnut is heavey with fat conical pink and white clusters. The Hawthorn is out everywhere of course. The many birds flit from copse to copse.

Matt

Hawthorn

Added 28 Apr 2005 - Last Edited 03 May 2005

Mayday is upon us, beltane,
walpurgisnacht,
roodmas

When the Hawthorn is in flower and folk gather on the meadow to dance around the fire and greet the morning sun. Now the horse chestnut is in leaf and the the flowers are in bud, the city streets are filled with green as the last of the april showers blow through the trees. The frosts have passed and its now safe to plant out your veggies.

Matt

Black thorn

Added 15 Apr 2005 - Last Edited 03 May 2005

As I drive along the roads of Oxfordshire I keep a keen eye out for anything that is in bloom. I am trying to train myself to see the seasons arrive and to be able to recognise the cues of the natural systems. The hedgerow cousins Blackthorn and Hawthorn have a different approach to spring. The blackthorn has flowered, the white bloom stark againsts the black leafless limbs, where as the Ha`wthorn is now covered in soft saladlike leaves as not bloom untill May. So we await the return of the Mayflower.

I have seen numerouse bumble bees and also Bombus rufus. In the soil the grubs of beetles are at work breaking down the humus. The starlings have been about no longer flocking but perhaps they are going solo looking for a mate. The daffodils have now passed, and the Tulips are the pride of the seasoned gardener. Daisyes and dandylions are still filling out lawns everywhere. The april showers have been breif in these parts so far, with the cloads which hang seeming more interested in gathering rising water vapouir than refilling the low water resevoirs. A hose pipe ban could be in store if we dont see some seriouse downpours soon.

The moon has been beautiful in a clear sky with a bright star facing ( jupiter perhaps)

Looking forward to Beltane and May morning

Matt

Spring Equinox

Added 23 Mar 2005 - Last Edited 23 Mar 2005

Now the days are longer and the nights are growing in the southern hemisphere, the land will begin to warm in earest. The bumble bees and the daisys are already prevelent. What other new arrivals can you spot in your garden?

Matt

Looking for a home

Added 06 Mar 2005 - Last Edited 06 Mar 2005

Across the garden landscape you will see birds trying out bushes and areas of climbers as suitable nesting spots. If you are planning any major clearance work on your garden, such as replacing fencing which is covered in climbers, be aware of the danger of disturbing the nest builders. In the coming weeks try not to disturb parts of the garden where you think nexts are being established. If you want to increase the nesting potential of your garden its not too late to instal bird boxes.

Matt

Snow drops

Added 02 Feb 2005 - Last Edited 03 May 2005

Imolc, the first pagan festival after the winter solstice is upon us and we can now see signs of the coming spring with the Snow drops popping up. Have a look in your garden and see if they are there.

imbolc
(celtic),
Candlemas
(Catholic)

Also:
Lupercus (Strega),
Thryphon Zarezan(Bulgarian),
Disting (Teutonic, Feb 14th)

Matt

Photos of gardens

Added 05 Jan 2005 - Last Edited 05 Jan 2005

If you would like to add photos and don't know how, send a message to Matt for the process. It is rather nice to look at other gardens, don't you think?
Regards, Roger

New Sub-categories

Added 06 Dec 2004 - Last Edited 05 Jan 2005

Adding to Butterflies and Moths, we now have 2 futher sub-categories of Invertebrates namely 'Bees and Wasps' and 'Beetles'. The invertebrates lists still contains these species but they can now be found faster in the short lists.

Regards, Matt

new birds

Added 22 Nov 2004 - Last Edited 03 May 2005

new birds



Collared Dove
Crested Tit
Crossbill
Feral Pigeon
grey wagtail
SHELDUCK

just added

THANKS FOR REGISTERING

Added 22 Nov 2004 - Last Edited 22 Nov 2004

NOW I HAVE HANDED IN MY PROJECT
I would like to thank you all for registering your gardens, we have over 90 now. The data which we have collected so far has been useful in describing garden ecology and showing how this website is designed to work. From here we will extend the species lists, improve the reporting system and tidy up the features. When we find some funding we can look at upgrading the whole system, intergrating mapping inside the site and promoting the site nationally through wildlfie and gardening networks.

Thanks again

Matt

New features online

Added 16 Nov 2004 - Last Edited 17 Nov 2004

Ali has now programmed a list of species ranked in order of most common

go to the top of the reports page. You can also see ranks for the major groups.

Enjoy

Matt

Numbers surge

Added 16 Nov 2004 - Last Edited 16 Nov 2004

As the numbers of registered gardens surges upwards, 50 the 60 then here comes 70, the amount of useful data we can feed back to you also increases, so now you can see by clicking on species in the log which species have been most reported, in the reports page there is also an option to:


"View The Growth Rate of Numbers of Species against gardens and sightings"

This shows how we are nationally reaching a plateaux for species numbers as new log ins dont add to the total number of species sighted. However every new garden does add to the local lists, the more your neighbours get involved the more detailed the species lists for your area become.

Watch this space !

Matt

Horray for Holly!

Added 14 Nov 2004 - Last Edited 03 May 2005

Due to demand we have added Holly to the list, it can also be found under Common holly.
Both are Ilex aquifolium

Righto !
Matt

BIRD FEEDER

Added 14 Nov 2004 - Last Edited 14 Nov 2004

We have added a BIRD FEEDER to the list of Extras, so please EDIT GARDEN DETAILS to include one if you have one.

Cheers Matt

Building up the bird list

Added 09 Nov 2004 - Last Edited 10 Nov 2004

I have been comparing the species list from garden-birds.co.uk with the one we have used from ArKive. I have added the following species so far, more to come

Blackcap
Black Redstart
Brambling
Bullfinch
Buzzard
Chiffchaff
Coal Tit

Have you seen any of these birds in your garden ?

Garden Lists Added

Added 09 Nov 2004 - Last Edited 09 Nov 2004

Now you can click on the Gardens Online link in the stats on the left to view a list of all gardens online. They are listed with the most recently added at the top.

Gardens that have reported sightings have a sightings icon (magnifying glass) and gardens that have uploaded images have an image icon (camera), at all times gardens only show the street and postcode and NEVER house number and NEVER owner names and email addresses.

You must be logged in to browse gardens.

Sparrow Hawk

Added 09 Nov 2004 - Last Edited 03 May 2005

Sparrow hawk has been added to the list with a link to www.garden-birds.co.uk, have a look, its a great site.

Thanks Matt

Amphibians

Added 09 Nov 2004 - Last Edited 09 Nov 2004

We have been having a bit of bother with the amphibians, but not to worry all fixed now, so please input your toad sightings.

Cheers Matt

Species list extended

Added 08 Nov 2004 - Last Edited 08 Nov 2004

The lists of species will now be extended by myself and Ali as species and groups of species are identified. Any new species that YOU see that is not on our list, please let us know and we will remedy that as soon as possible.

Regards Matt

Messaging System Up and Running

Added 31 Oct 2004 - Last Edited 31 Oct 2004

Users of the site are now able to send and receive messages from other users via an internal messaging system.

To send a message to a user log in and visit the My Messages section, click on Compose and you will be presented with a blank message form with a drop down list of potential recipients (other users). When you receive a message you will be alerted via email to your email address that a message awaits you on the site.

Whilst browsing other users gardens there also appears a link to message them directly.