2005
April 9 First Cuckoo call
April 30 Arrival of swallow – 2 pairs nesting here this year
End April Rainfall so far this year 314mm well below average- water shortage coming
May 19 3 fox cubs chasing each other round and round in North field.
July 1 2 adult grass snakes seen in separate compost heaps
July 14 3rd or 4th sighting of heron flying up the hill probably from the canal to the Punchbowl
July 18 Water shortage becoming serious so vegetables struggling.
2006 entries now almost always from bunkhouse or campers
January 7 Hen pheasant moved into the orchard outside. Unbothered by the cats, it seems.
April 16 Swallows arrive
May 12 Fantastic Mr Fox running up nearby field (child entry)
May 17 Cuckoo somewhere on the hill behind the farm.
July 22 Greeny yellow woodpecker heard calling and flying through trees then seen perched in tree about halfway up towards the Punchbowl
August 17 Enjoyed the company of bats flitting over the pond at 5.30 am and the call of frogs/toads.
August 21st A great opportunity to view the night sky, unpolluted by light.
Week of 24th November saw badger running on Oak Lane. Also heard a couple of owls hooting about 5 am. Lots of rain during this week.
November 26 John (aged 7) saw 3 ducks and 1 worm. 1 duck ate the worm. Poor little wormy. Saw 2 horses and a cat. I saw your Mum !
Christmas Eve Conversed with an owl on the way back from the Punchbowl at dusk. Flew into a tree for a few twit twoos, very close to us, then flew off.
December 28 Disturbed a green woodpecker on the bank of the Punchbowl lake as I came over the dam.
December 31 Buzzard circling over the farm.
2007
March 17 Hundreds of frog making sweet froggy love in the Punchbowl. Many didn’t make it as far as the water though and ended their life in a rather crispy fashion.
May 18 Couldn’t believe my eyes when “Brown Duck” chose to lay her egg right by my feet. Magi!!! What a gift.
July 22 This am Buzzrds, a frog, cat plus kittens and a duck and very cute duckling, and swallows.
July 22 today kittens horses, duck, ducklings, dogs, some sort of small bird and large whilte butterflies.
July 22 A boxer dog, my auntie and Boris, Dad’s spider.
August 6 and 7 Ringland Youth Group spotted horses ducks, kittens, birds, sheep, butterflies, dragonflies may have heard a fox?
August 10 and 11 Always Youth group. The Kermit frog, Fozzie bear Miss Piggy (Muppets) in a rave mobile at approximately 12.30am
October 28th 2 buzzards flying over the Punchbowl, 1 fox , 1 caterpillar 1coal tit, 1 rat Hopping along in water by the pond
2008
July 26 Rowan Alder moth trapping at Middle Ninfa. Butterflies: large white, green veined white, small tortoiseshell, comma, ringlet Moths: Poplar hawk moth, the flame, white plume moth, brimstone moth, large yellow underwing, buff arches, snout, drinker, early thorn, broad bordered yellow underwing, flame shoulder, cloaked carpet (nationally scarce), phoenix, cotoptria pinella, true lovers not, poplar grey, slender brindle.
July 27 Lesser stag beetle, Red Admiral, black tailed skimmer, blue tailed damselfly, common blue damsel fly, anther moth, common toad just outside the door sheltering from the rain and the ducks!
August 2 Saw Shakira the cat catch a vole.
August 15 Tom (aged 15) and Charlotte his sister (aged 12) I saw a tortoiseshell butterfly and a gate keeper butterfly. And a willow warbler in a tree near the pond which the 4 ducks swam in. I also saw a extremely small frog. Plenty of swallows that lived in the end barn where the cat sleeps when he’s not in the bunkhouse eating go cat. There was also a buzzard which landed on the post behind the barns. There were 2 horses in the field, one white, one brown. The end.
August 15 Charlotte I saw a peacock butterfly on the buddleia. We saw plenty of spiders and Daddy longlegs in the bunkhouse! We got a fright one night when we saw a massive green and brown handsum slug! Not really. It was disgusting. There was a rat by the pond this morning. The slug was in the sink by the way. I love the cat. It is funny watching it chase moths.
No date We saw a heron bird using a swim river as a runway for its take off. Stunning
2009
July 19 Lovely weekend here at Middle Ninfa. Walked around Blorenge on Saturday – No rain! Saw 2 red kites. Very exciting. A little less exciting when we realised they were being flown by their owner. Lovely nonetheless and enjoyed watching “the naughty one” being chased.
Saw 3 bees one yellow, one orange, one redbum. Lunched on wild wild strawberries and blueberries. Yum. Saw a real live owl too (in the shopping centre in Abergavenny on display)
December Mr Fox was outside the bunkhouse door on a fantastic, moonlit, snowy night. Red robin followed us all the way up the field as we crunched and stomped through the snow ourselves. Not much else around in our winter wonderland. Next time. D,J,F,K,C and A
2010
February 20 Snowdrops and crocuses popping up through the snow this morning. Walked up to little punchbowl and then over to the larger one. Then home through white farm for late lunch. Saw a heron, stalking sheep on walk to Abergavenny. More snow predicted tonight. I, N, G and C