October 2011 part 5

25th Home local reserve. First new sighting here is a Shoverler duck.

Shoveler(Anas clypeata) Can be found in marshes or lowland grassland close to shallow water and reservoirs. Feeds on crustaceans, snails, insects and their larvae, seeds and leaves of water plants. Nests on the ground close to water and lays 9-11 eggs from April.
I count over 100 lapwings and loads of Canada geese and in amongst them is a barnacle goose- another 1st

Barnacle Goose ( Branta leucopsis) Can be found on coastal low-lands , estuaries and near farmland. Usually seen in noisy flocks. Grazes on vegetation, leaves, stems and seeds. It nests in the Artic.
We also see a blue hawker dragonfly and a red(male) and a grey(female ) darter dragonfly.

Amongst the hedge are a holly is full of berries and a spindle berry is also present.

Spindle berries grow on the spindle tree or bush (Euonymus europaeus) Found throughout Europe. The seeds are poisonous. The wood is used to make knitting needles, pegs and toothpicks, makes excellent charcoal.
At the oak hide we see chaffinches, 3 male and 3 female pheasants, blue tits , great tits and green finch.
29th Local river
"9 long tailed tits fly into view, 3 magpies and a blackbird too, 7 mallards float on by , while across the water  3 pigeons fly,  a robin sings and a blue tit plays and in glides a heron to complete this phrase." P Beach 
Water levels  are low. Back home a female blackbird eats the pyracantha berries.
It has been the 7th warmest October in 100 years.

October 2011 part 4

22nd 8 buzzards today to either side of us in 2 groups circling higher and higher if only they were closer. More flocks fly through on this sunny but windy day.
23rd Mix of sun, cloud and wind.  More buzzards fly across a dramatic sky and a pair of rooks fly past.

 Rooks (Corvus frugilegus) Mainly living amongst tall trees, most rookeries are found on farmland . They are a very gregarious bird. They feed on farmland, rubbish tips and on road verges eating earthworms, grain , berries, beetles and other insects. Nests are built at the top of the tree in groups of up to 1000 each may contain 3-4 eggs.
As we pack away to come home I spot a beautiful spider and I don't like spiders much.

Common cross spider (Araneus diadematus) An extremely common spider variable in colour but always has a cross-shaped mark on its abdomen.

October 2011 part 3

21st Back at Home Farm Hereford. Sunny but windy 6 Buzzards are riding the wind  effortlessly over head they really are beautiful powerful birds. The field now is home to a flock of sheep. They have black faces and black legs - just like I used to draw when I was a child.

Suffolk sheep (ovis domestic) A large powerful sheep suitable for meat it had become internationally popular. Ewes weigh about 82kg, rams up to 135kg. Lambs are born as early as Nov or Dec.
Several flocks of birds fly over one of which contains redwings which are coming back to our shores along with fieldfares for the winter.

 Redwings (Turdus iliscus) arrives in October and stays until March. Can be found in hedges and orchards or parkland and gardens. A rather shy bird that is sociable outside the breeding season. Feeds on wind fall apples and berries in winter but will eat worms, snails and insects. Only a few pairs breed here and they lay 4-5 eggs.

October 2011 part 2

15th Local nature reserve woods. On arrival we can hear birds all around us the first I see is a blue tit looking busy as usual in the tree. The crunchy leaves make it impossible to walk quietly. A woodpecker can be heard and we tread very carefully but cannot find him. 2 longtailed tits flutter into a nearby tree and 3 nuthatches explore the bark of trees on the other side of the path.. The wood goes quiet as a buzzard flies over head.  We hear lots of commotion coming from the beyond the trees -geese- we think but as yet we cannot see them so we speed up as we go to the hide. Once there we see a large group of greylag geese feeding in the field I count around 1000 with others joining them from the lake all the time as they slowly move towards us.

A gaggle of geese on the ground , a flock or skein in flight.
Later that night 12pm I see the hedgehog and give her an extra hand full of mealworms feeding her up for her long sleep I cant help wondering if this is the last time I will see her this year.
20th 6 longtailed tits in the garden.

October 2011 part 1

 "Now Autumn 's fire burns slowly along the woods,
and day by day the dead leaves fall and melt." W. Allingham
October starts with the weather 10deg above average. By the end of the first week the breezy weather has started the fall of the leaves. However when the sun is out it is still beautifully warm.
9th Blue and Great tits feeding in the garden as well as the female G.S. Woodpecker. The orange pyracantha berries look like jewels in the hedge. Just like last year there are lots of berries in general around so are we in for another bad winter? Found a woodpecker feather on the ground.
11th Both male and female G.S. Woodpeckers in garden.
12th Dovedale Derbyshire on the river we see 5 dippers. Startling one when we arrive, then seeing a pair and 2 others, one of which chased the other one away. I love the way they bob up and down.

 Dipper (cinclus cinclus) Stands on rocks bobbing in the water. Will walk ,swim and dive below the surface of the water to search for food. They hold their territory throughout the year. The song a "zit zit" can be heard over the sound of the water. Mainly eats small invertebrates. Lays 4-5 eggs

September 2011 part 5

 28th 6 longtailted tits in the garden flitting around, 2 goldfinch, 2 blue tits, 2 great tits and a cole tit. It is sunny ans warm.
At the nature reserve we see swans, lapwings, cormorants, herons, gulls, mallards, starlings and a snipe.
                                                                     Snipe
                                     " So lonely his plaint by the motionless reed,
                                        It sounds like an omen or tale of the dead."      ...James Hogg

Snipe ( Gallinago gallinago ) A secretive bird that fly's in a zig zag motion in loose flocks called "wisps". Breeds in more land and bogs or low-lying marshes. Eats from wet ground worms and insects. Lays 4 eggs.
30th September ends with another sunny hot day of 28 deg - a few days of an Indian summer.

September 2011 part 4

27th After hearing about the problems Horse Chestnut Trees are having throughout the country I went to visit my old childhood haunts "conker island" and "the green" to see for myself. Sadly there is evidence of the problem here. Leaves have turned prematurely brown and the pattern on the leaves show the pattern of the lavae eating the leaves.

Lots of conkers lay on the ground so maybe the game of "conkers" is dying out as a children's game anyway as in my day and even my children's day they would have all been collected up.

Horse Chestnut tree (Nesculus hippocastarium) native to the Balkans it has naturalised in Europe. Can grow up to 30m. Fruit is green globular and spiny splitting when ripe to reveal brown shiny seeds (conkers). Sadly they are under threat by the leaf minor moth whose larvae  eats the leaves. There is one small hope as the blue and great tit like to eat the caterpillars.

September 2011 part 3

23rd Home farm Hereford . The Autumn Equinox. - The same amount of day as night.
Sunny but windy. The swallows and pied wagtails are still here. We have beautiful views over the countryside from this pitch.
24th Watching the pied wagtails while eating my breakfast I wonder if they compensate for the wind or just fly like crazy against it? I think as some are blown off course they just fly like crazy sometimes winning and sometimes not. On our walk we see loads of blackberries, hips on the hawthorn and flowers on the ivy, where flies are gathering a vital last source of nectar.

 Blackberry jam
Put 900g of blackberries into a large pan
Add 50ml water, 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice and bring to the boil.
Simmer for 15 mins until friut is soft,
Add 900g of golden granulated sugar.
Stir over a low heat until sugar has dissolved.
Raise heat bring to a rolloing boil for 10-12 mins
DO NOT STIR until setting point of 105 deg C is reached.
Remove from heat skim off scum.
Stir in knob of butter leave for 15mins to settle.
Pour into sterilized jars, label, seal and enjoy.
   from Good Food Mag 2009.
25th  2 pairs of buzzards in one direction and a group of 8 in another in the skies above us stunning.
While packing up to come home Andy spots a hen harrier in the sky and calls me to look. It stays for quite a while scanning the fields around the van we dont mind the interuption.

Hen harrier ( Circus cyaneus) Usually seen alone but will gather in winter roots. Lives in heather moors, conifer plantations, lowland farms, river valleys and coastal marshes. Feeds on small birds, voles mice and rabbits. Lays 4-5 eggs.

September 2011 part 2

9th -12th Home farm Hereford
Once again we are at the caravan. Strong winds all weekend as hurricane Kattia blows through. I'm glad to see that the swallows are still here but they are having trouble flying in the wind. The pied wagtails are hunting on the ground around the vans. Starting at one end of the field they work their way up towards the oncoming winds waiting for the flies that it brings them. The wind catches them as they take flight and swoops them away.
Back home the hedgehog is still visiting I'm hoping she is big enough to survive the winter to come.
17th Travelling to see friends we see a kestrel hovering by the roadside hunting on the verges.

                                  My feet are locked upon rough bark.

                                  It took the whole of Creation

                                  To produce my foot, my each feather.

                                  Now I hold creation in my foot.

                                  Or fly up, and resolve it all slowly-

                                  I kill where I please because its all mine.

                                  There is no sophistry in my body;
                                  My manners are tearing off heads...                  Ted Hughes

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) Usually seen alone hunting by either hovering in the wind or from a perch. Lives in towns and rough grassland. Feeds on small mammals- voles, shrews, mice small birds, beetles and other insects. Lays 4-5 eggs.

September 2011 part 1

September     "Best I love September's yellow,
                      Morns of dew-strung gossamer,
                      Thoughful days without a stir,
                      Rooky clamours, brazen leaves,
                     Stubble dotted o'er with sheaves -
                     More than Spring's bright uncontrol
,                    Suit the Autumn of my soul."       ...Alex Smith
The first week has been mixed weather wise - some sunny days others mixed with rain. On our first trip to the local nature reserve we see a rise in the number of swans on the lake, a large number of geese, starlings and various gulls, lapwings and a group of 7 young heron's on one of the islands and others on the far side of the lake.

A group of herons is called a "scattering, a siege or a sedge."
Something scares the flock and they rise to the air as one but still within their own distinctive groups proving I suppose that "birds of a feather flock together".
We also saw lots of common darter dragonflies.

 Common Darter (sympetrum strolatum)
middle sized and restless regularly perching on bank side vegetation or on plain ground to gain warmth.
We also see this grasshopper but I'm having trouble identifying it.

 Later a walk along the river shows a huge growth in the Himalayan balsam, a small fire has taken down some of the grass but it is already starting to regrow. A pigeon flies over and apart from a pair of speckled wood butterflies there is little else.

August part 8 2011

19th Beautiful morning 2 adult robins in garden, also male and female blackbird and  a group of "tits". A buzzard circles over head.
21st Home farm Hereford
Awoke to a beautiful morning with swallows zooming around the field and hedges. Pied wagtails hunting for food in the adjoining  field. A squadron of pigeons fly through on a mission not at all like the slow climb and stall of solitary pigeon at home. Beautiful sunset.

26th Juvenile robin in the garden along with blue and great tits on the feeder , a dunnock feeds on the floor. Later the hedgehog arrives to feed.

August 2011 part 7

Lake Vyrnwy
Another bird and a first spot for me is the beautiful Siskin.

Siskin (Cardaelis spinus) Found in coniferous forests, mixed woodland and plantations. Outside the breeding season it visits birch and alder trees, often near water. Mostly feeds at the tops of trees on seeds from tree tops and wildflowers. Will eat small insects in winter.

The female is duller in colour a is the juvenile.

Nesting season depends on the food supply. The small nest is is a neat cup shape built by the female from conifer twigs, grass, heather, moss, and spiders webs. The female incubates the 3-5 eggs . Both adults feed the young, which fly at 15 days. They usually have 2 broods.
"And the small mad Siskins flit by
Flying upward in little skips and erractic leaps...
...and I seem to lean forward,
As my eyes follow after
Their sunlight leaping.                  Theodore Roethlee
7th August a sunny day is suddenly interrupted by THUNDER, LIGHTENING AND HAIL!!

August 2011 part 6

Lake Vyrnwy.
The R.S.P.B. provide a free hides around the lake but we only had luck with seeing birds at one where they have feeders right next to the window which attract some lovely birds. Great tits, cole tits, nuthatch, greenfinch, woodpeckers, pheasants and chaffinch.

Juvenile Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) Pairs form in late winter. The female builds a cup shape nest with an outer layer of lichen. The 4-5 eggs are incubated for 12 days. Both parents feed the young for 13 days and when they fledge for a further 3 weeks.

August 2011 part 5

Day 5 It's raining but there is a lot of activity in the garden: Male and female greater spotted wood peckers, 3 juvenile robins, 2 thrushes, male blackbird, blue tit, great tit, pied wagtails, juvenile chaffinch and a juvenile nuthatch.

Nuthatch (Sitta europaea) Nests in natural holes in trees, the hole is reduced in size by the female adding mud while the nest is filled with bark and leaves. The 6-8 eggs are laid in April- May and are incubated by the female for 17 days. The young are fed for 23 days before fledgling . They sometimes have 2 broods.
Later we go on a trip to Lake Vyrnwy and see an adult Nuthatch.

Adult Nuthatch. An elusive bird that can be very vocal with a 'tuit, tuit' call. Its action on trees is distinctive as it is the only bird that moves head down on the trunk. In winter the resident pair will defend their territory. Found in deciduous woodland, mature woods , established parkland with old trees. Feeds mainly on insects like small beetles and spiders. In autumn and winter will eat berries and seeds. It's name comes from wedging nuts into  the bark of a tree and hammering it open.

August 2011 part 4

Day 4 A smart looking frog sits under my chair as I sit down for breakfast. A Buzzard does a low level fly past with such effortless power. The Pied Wagtail gives us a lesson in catching flies as he walks and runs around the garden.

Pied Wagtail ( Motacilla alba) Found in a variety of locations, often near water. Breeds in open countryside, farmland and towns. Their main food are insects, especially flies and midges but also caterpillars. Most food is taken on the ground but can be caught in the air.

The female (here is looking at a fly) is greyer in colour. Nesting begins in April and most are built in clefts or holes or in ledges in banks or buildings. Both sexes build the nest lined with hair, wool and feathers. Incubation of 5-6 eggs is by both adults and lasts for 13 days. young are fed for 14 days before they fledge and are feed for a further 4-7 days. They may have 2 broods.

Here 2 fledglings are being fed.
"Little Trotty Wagtail he went in the rain,
And tittering, tottering sideways he ne'er got straight again."       John Clare

August 2011 part 3

Holiday day 3
Buzzards circling above, too high for a photo. A mouse scampered under the window and the squirrel revisits the tree. A fledgling robin, his red breast just starting to develop joins us.

Robin ( Erithacus rubecula ) Breeds in woods and copes with plenty of undergrowth. Found in hedges, mature gardens, parks and open country. Starts to nest in late March. Nests are built by the female and is made from leaves, moss and grass. The 4-5 eggs are incubated by the female for 15 days. Both parents feed the young for another 13 days. Unless the female starts another brood. Young become independent 16-24 days. There are 2-3 broods.
A blue tit hangs on the outside of the cottage while swallows show off their flying skills until dusk when bats take over. A Tawny Owl flies overhead. We can hear at least 3 in the surrounding forest.

Swallows ( Hirundo rustica) Most of their time is spent on the wing but they do land on wires or the ground.Nests in small groups in open country. Lives some of the year in Africa. Feeds on flying insects. A brood of swallows need 6000 flies in one day to survive.

August 2011 part 2

Holiday day 2
Open the curtains to 2 Buzzards flying across the line of trees down the valley. Good Morning!
A Pied wagtail is in the car park as we drive to the Red Kite centre. AMAZING!!
100 -200 Kites flying around, hanging in the air and swooping down to collect the food off the floor with their talon's. A white Kite appeared amongst them and joined in the frenzy. I took time to put the camera down to enjoy the hole experience.

Red Kite (Milrus milrus) Breeds in mature but open deciduous woodland. Hunts in farmland and moorland and will scavenge. Eats mainly carrion including dead sheep, earthworms, mammals, rats ,mice, voles,small rabbits, birds and reptiles.

August 2011 part 1

Holidays in Shropshire day 1
Greeted by a mass of juvenile pheasants on the roads and in the fields as we get closer to our cottage. Sadly it's nearly the "glorious 12th" so I hope they are enjoying themselves.

Pheasants ( Phasianus colchicus) Prefer to live on the ground but will roost in trees or bushes. A cock Pheasant often as a harem of 2 or more females. Nesting on the ground amongst vegetation lays 10-14 eggs between March - June and are incubated by the female. Young hatch after 23-28 days and brooded by the female  they can feed themselves. By 12 days they can lift off the ground if danger threatens and are fully independent at 80 days.
A squirrel sits in the tree and rabbits feed in the field. An adult male Pheasant visits the garden briefly and above a Buzzard flies over harrying a crow.

July 2011 part 8

25th Fledgling Goldfinch on feeder fluttering for food.

Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) The nest is buit towards the end of the branch looking precariuos. It is a neat cup made of moss, grasses, small roots and lichen lined with down , hair and feathers. The 4-6 eggs are incubated for 13-15 dyas. The young leave the nest after 11 days and are fed for a further week. 2 broods sometimes 3.
26th Spent a happy hour this morning watching the acrobatic display of 5 bluetits as they feed. They are joined by 2 great tits, young goldfinch,  a coletit, a male and female blackbird and a starling. Later a young collared dove comes to the garden.

Collared Dove (Steptopelia decaoto). They lay 2 eggs from Feb-Oct but mainly in May. They are incubated by both parents for 14-18 days. The young remain in the nest for 19 days becoming independent after another week. Can be 5 broods.
29th Another day watching all the young feeding . The adults seem to be scarce as they often are at this time of year. They are around but resting after all their hard work and molting old feathers.
Its been the coldest July since 1998.

July 2011 part 7

19th Visit to the reserve and we are pleased to see 3 young herons all fluffed up against the colder day.

Young heron ( Ardea cinerea) Grey Heron's breed in colonies in a  large nest of sticks built at the top of a tree by both adults. 3-4 eggs are incubated for 25- 27 days . The young are brooded for about 18 days when they leave the nest and clamber in the branches. From 70 days they will start to disperse from the colony.
We also see a tufted duck on the pond.
"As for the duck. I think God must have smiled a bit seeing those bright eyes blink on the day He fashioned it. And He's probably laughing still at the sound that came out of its bill!

 Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula ) Smaller than the Mallard . A diving duck, diving with a distinctive jump. Forms flocks outside the breeding season. Breeds on inland lakes, flooded gravel pits and reservoirs. Eats food from the bottom of lakes or rivers like, mussels, shrimps, crustaceans,  insect and vegetation.
We also see greenfinch, great tits, and a beautiful blue dragonfly with damaged wings.

July 2011 part 6

3rd Hedgehog back in garden ( hav'nt seen her for a while).
10th Female greater spotted woodpecker in garden feeding on the peanuts if the squirrel has left any.
15th The hedgehog is back but early at 7-30 eating the mealworms left by the birds. St Swithins day is sunny despite the forecasts. "St. Swithin's Day if it do rain, for forty days it will remain. St.Swithin's Day an it be fair, For forty days t'will rain no mare".
16th Very rainy so much for the saying above. The hedgehog appears at 5:45. Seeing one in the day is said to mean something is wrong but she looks OK , is eating and drinking so I'm not worried at the moment.

July 2011 part 5

As we walk towards the kingfisher pond I notice a ragwort being eaten by a group of caterpillars.

The caterpillar of the Cinnabar moth grows to 2.5cm long and feeds on ragwort as in the picture in July - August. The colour acts as a warning.
Once back home I see a fledgling house sparrow in the garden ( we had lots last year ) but this is my first in 2011.

House sparrow (Paser domesticus) Pairs stay together for life. Both adults build loose round nests of grass and straw in  a tree or bush, crevices or eaves of a house. They lay 4-5 eggs and incubation lats up to 14 days. Both parents feed the young who leave the nest after 16 days and are fed for a further 19 days. There can be up to 3 broods.

July 2011 part 4

Sill by the car park the rowan tree and the hazel is bearing their fruit and nuts.

Hazel (Corylus avellana) widely found in Europe found in woods, thickets and hedgerows. It can grow up  to 12m tall. Bears nuts in clusters of 1-4 partly enclosed in a green husk ,they will be brown in autumn.
We walk towards one of the ponds and peeking through the hides we see 2 sedge warblers in the rushes.

Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)  Can be seen clambering amongst plant stems and frequently feeds on the ground within the tangled vegetation. When it sings it is easily visible perching on the outside of a bush.  Lives in thick vegetation in marshes, reed beds and sometimes in drier areas in bramble and hawthorn. Feeds on insects and small invertebrates. Plum reed aphids are important food before it migrates to Africa.
On the pond by the car park we spot 3 Little Egrets.

Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) Smaller than the grey heron but still an elegant bird with white plumage.In spring it has fine plumes on its breast and long plumes on its hind neck. It lives in marshes, fiver banks and estuaries, nesting in trees and feeding on small fish.

July 2011 part 3

2nd Still at the reserve. The reed mace or bull rush is looking like a sentry on guard around the ponds.

Great Reedmace (Typha latifolia) can grow 1.5 - 2.2 m in still or slow moving fresh water. Flowers June - July. The female flower is brown, the male flower is yellow. Leaves are used for basket weaving.
By the car park the grass sounds alive ! It turns out to be the pods of the common birds-foot trefoil popping in the sun. Amongst the grasses I spot  large skipper butterfly and a ringlet butterfly.

Large Skipper (Ochlodes venatus) 27-35cm. Inhabites meadows flying from May - August in one or two generations.The caterpillar is mostly green and lives in a silk tube on grasses where it also over winters.

Ringlet butterfly (Aphantopus hyperanthus) 40 -50mm common near woods in most of Britian. in flight June- July.