Alder Bird

It rained all morning so I got stuck into admin. After lunch it dried out and brightened up so Ollie dog and I walked at Fishers Green. It wasn't very busy there even though it is half-term, probably because of the parking charges. The Bittern Hide was locked. :( We did meet some nice families. Ollie is a one dog charm offensive for the GSD breed. Children are wary at first but soon warm to her as she is so gentle. They love petting her soft ears. 

The ring-necked parakeet in my pic is in an alder tree. The image shows the young female catkins and the female catkins from last year which have developed into the shape of little cones. The pinkish, dangling male catkins appeared in the late winter on the same tree. 

This got me wondering why Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool is so-called. As far as I can find out it was named after a fine house in Alder Road called Alder Hey.