New Christmas Cards & a Festive Website Offer!

'Ello 'ello 'ello!

So that time of year has zipped on round again! My new Christmas cards have arrived which I'm rather excited about, six British Wildlife designs based on past pencil drawings and printed on lovely glossy A6 cards. The lovely Rob at Knight Graphics has once again done a sterling job with the printing!

6 Wildlife Designs:
Badger, Otter, Hare, Fox, Barn Owl and Hedgehog

The reverse of each card features an enlarged, greyscaled version of the main design on the front. Supplied with red envelopes, these cards come in mixed packs of 6, 12 and 18 with 1, 2 and 3 of each design in a pack respectively. Each pack is cellophane wrapped and gift-tied.

My A5 Barn Owl and Sled Dog designs from last year are also still available to buy from my website in either a mixed pack of 6 or 6 of the same design.

SPECIAL FESTIVE OFFER!

Spend more than £12 on my website***, whether that be Meg's Mugs, Meg's Mirrors, cards, originals or prints and receive a free pack of pin badges!  These little treats come in two sets, Woodland or Aquatic Animals - perfect little stocking fillers!

***(Offer exclusive of postage costs)

Hurry though, this treat is only for those organised folk who can get their orders in before December! Offer finishes midnight November 30th :)

Have a browse on my online shop :) http://megghyll.co.uk/shop.html

Happy shopping!

Meg x

A day at Leighton Moss

I had started to type this up a few days ago but as usual, stuff gets in the way so this is actually a post about last Sunday's trip!

As it was a lovely sunny day oop north, we decided to check out Leighton Moss, a reserve I have shamefully not managed to find the time to visit despite not living a million miles away...until Sunday. Cracking reserve belonging to the RSPB, brimming with wildlife. We'd not got there as early as I'd hoped in favour of a lie-in but getting there for 10ish we certainly weren't disappointed!

About 10 mins into the reserve walk and out pops this little fella, very curious and very happy to pose for photos! Even started chirruping away at us, I do love a Robin serenade :)

A bit of a preen...

Very tame indeed.

Heading down the Causeway we found a haven for dragonflies, more specifically Common Darters, living up to their name and darting about all over the place!

Common Darter (male)

Common Darter (male) with head cocked to the side

Not sure on this one but I think it's a Brown Hawker,
possibly newly emerged?

One of the highlights of the day, we were treated to some stunning views of a male Marsh Harrier, he landed in the reeds a couple of times and sent the ducks crazy for a little while... Not great shots as I'm still to lay my hands on an SLR but  you get the gist!

This was just before he landed in the reeds,
unbeknown to a group of ducks who sailed right past his hiding place!

And some other pics from around the reserve:

Cracking idea, the name suits it very well

A plucky pheasant

Great Egret in flight

Little Egret, spot the yellow feet!

A bathing Water Rail, in the middle of the day,
such a treat!

Redshank feeding

A hide of Twitchers! Must be the collective noun...

The Eric Morecambe Hide. And a silly Me. Eric was a keen birdwatcher
and spent most of his childhood watching wildlife in the Morecambe area.

If you get the chance to visit this reserve I highly recommend it, a great range of habitats and you are guaranteed to see a whole host of species whatever the weather or time of year.

I shall leave you with this cute picture of a certain spiky critter we found on the way home one night, moved him off the road and watched him shuffle on up someone's garden :)

Not my hands by the way!

Hoping you've all had a great weekend :)

Meg x