No, it’s not a re-group of the 90s rock band but a section of our land behind the house that always seems to have water.
We live on top of a hill, however, there always seems to be water on a section of the land behind the house, even in the hot, dry summer there is evidence of water. There are a few theories; Does our Water Cistern (we have a bore hole) leak? Does our Septic Tank release the clean water here? Does it take the water from the roof guttering here? Is there some strange water spring?
No matter how this water gets here, it creates a fantastic Oasis of wild plants. I’ve noticed that this time of year, the returning winter birds congregate for breakfast just after sunrise. Numerous Finches, Robins, Waxbill, Chiffchaff, Stonechat to name a few feast on the flower seeds and insects.
You can tell from this photo that the water is reaching quite a long way down the hill at the back of the house from the green patch. Look at the comparison to the very dry land all around. This will all be green once we get more substantial rains.
Near the top the vegetation is thick so I have placed a make-shift perch.
I’ve placed my pop-up hide looking over this area and with a few early mornings, I hope to get some images of these feasting birds. As you can see, my “Oak” coloured hide has got sun-bleached, so a few cans of fabric paint is needed, but I’m sure the birds won’t care about the colour.
I hope to share some images with you in the very near future. If this area becomes a successful project, I’ll place a more permanent hide here.