Pretty Polly

Whilst supping a coffee this morning and casually glancing at the garden feeders, I mused to myself that as two were empty and one was about a third full that I probably should re-fill them one more time (I usually stop feeding during spring). Seconds later I almost spluttered the coffee all over the place as a small finch landed on the feeders. I dashed upstairs to grab the camera, and thankfully it was still there when I got back to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of shots ....

Well, I wasn't expecting a Lesser Redpoll any time soon! Throughout the day, it kept re-appearing and occasionally spent time loafing in a neighbours large shrub that overhangs our garden. I grabbed a few more shots, but all were through the windows.

Eventually I decided it was time to try and sneak down the path from the front garden and see if I could get shots without a window in the way. I was in luck ....

That'll do to mark this unexpected garden tick.

Seeing as the sun was out and I had the camera, a few other birds hit the sensor.

House Sparrows have always been a garden scarcity up until the last year, there is now a pair nesting in the eaves of one of the houses that backs onto our garden. So nice to see and hear them more regularly. Also on the garden bird front, yesterday I noted both Blue and Great Tits gathering mosses for nests, just before the skies darkened and we had a series of hail showers. I'm still awaiting Blackcap in the garden; they're late this year, I normally see and hear one well before Chiffchaff.

Here's another pretty Polly, coincidentally singing about Good Fortune ....

The sun has been out for most of the day, so it felt quite spring-like despite the temps still not being quite up where they should be. I should have been in for chemo today but it was deferred as bloods not right (possibly an effect of my second Covid vaccine dose) so later in the afternoon we walked down to the Dog and Gun for a pint or two. Aside from enjoying a pub pint in sunshine, the walk also provided unexpected square ticks with a Field Pansy on a roadside verge, and some escaped Wood Spurge and Aubretia.

Also some Ivy-leaved Speedwell growing on my front garden again ....

Finally, I've recently set-up an new fish tank to replace the BiOrb I set-up in 2010 as that was a total pain to clean out and I wanted something bigger. The new tank is triple the volume and should be easier to maintain. Once it was settled I transferred the remaining fish from the BiOrb and I'm gradually adding a few new fish every couple of weeks. Tank cleanliness is also assisted by the likes of these Amano Shrimps ....

Before you ask - I didn't stick the TG-6 in the water to get this shot. Cheers!

Brassica

So far this week a couple of skilled and influencial musicians have departed this mortal coil. It's not as if I knew them personally, and I am not 'saddened' by the loss in the way I am when a friend or relative goes. But there is a weird thing that goes on when someone who created something that you love and enjoy departs. Dave Greenfield was the highly skilled and talented keyboardist with The Stranglers, and Florian Schneider was the co-founder of Kraftwerk, surely one of the most influencial bands ever created.

Enough of the maudlin stuff, here's a cheerful and, if I say so myself, thoroughly wonderful image of a Blackbird I took today. I use the term image rather than photo deliberately and will explain why later.

This morning I endured an MRI, which I'm actually starting to find quite therapeutic rather than claustrophobic. After catching up and setting the world alight in the home office, later in the afternoon I headed down the lane for the third day on the trot. I know, three daily outings in three days rather than the previous three in three weeks. For all it faults (crap verge and hedgerow 'management' by the farmer, unsightly but necessary ditch management by the farmer, flytipping by complete fucking arseholes) I like the lane.

Looking north-west back towards the estate.

Looking south-west ish.

Before I got to that bit though, I had a look around this bit ....

A pull in looking due-west, where idiots keep dumping garden waste. And worse.

I only looked there as on the left out of shot there is a fallen branch in the hawthorn/elm tangle that often has flies on it. I then walked to the gate to have a squint, and right down in the left corner is a pathetically small clump of Garlic Mustard. This clump.

As I went to try and take a photo of a fly on the hawthorn, I noticed something on the garlic - no way, surely not .... I grabbed a quick photo and realised the camera was on the wrong settings ....

I got the camera sorted, went to get a proper photo and bugger me, I knocked them off never to be seen again. So there I am, elated at seeing my first ever Brassica Shieldbugs, amazed that they were so close to home, and completely pissed off that I'd screwed it right up. I've been wanting to see this species for a long while, but not enough to ever work out how/where I might find them. It's only earlier this year that I discovered that garlic mustard was a likely place to find it, and on the last couple of walks down the railway line with a net I made an effort to sweep properly big swathes of it without success. And here they were sitting in the open, in cop, and I ......

I was completely demoralised by that but carried on anyway and managed to cheer myself up by pointing the camera at a few other bits with better results, despite the fierce direct bright sunshine .....

Dock Bug

Harpocera thoracica

Common Malachite Beetle

Common Pheasant

House Sparrow

I have a few others for another day too. After walking for a while, I headed home and decided I might as well have another look at the clump, given that all the others I'd checked were bare. Amazingly I was in luck as (presumably) the same pair were back in view.

Brassica Shieldbug - a bit more like it should have been in the first place!

Back to that Blackbird image. Here's the unadulterated photo complete with the gaffer-taped TV ariel that is on one of my neighbours roof .....

And here's the same vista with the camera fully zoomed out rather than in ...

I shit you not! I'm very pleased with my stupidly long zoom and my photoshop skills.

Outstanding

Not in the sense of excellence, in the sense of still waiting for something to happen ....

The garden moth trap is still stubbornly dithering, although there was at least a NFY this morning - albeit a worn specimen that's lost it's lustre ...

Shoulder Stripe

Actually, the better results came whilst I was in the garden emptying the trap; a Mistle Thrush singing from somewhere over on the industrial estate and, better, a couple of fly-through calling Meadow Pipits. Later in the morning, whilst having a squint out of the window, another surprise with a Green Woodpecker bouncing across the sky following exactly the same trajectory as Monday's Red Kite. Otherwise, the House Sparrows that seem to have rocked up over the last week or so seem to be staying, and thankfully looks like a couple of the houses at the back have soffets in disrepair. There are more knocking about than can possibly be setting up home in the immediate vicinity, and yet not one of them has actually come into the garden to use the feeders. They seem to loaf about on the embankment, shuffling around a bit and generally sitting partially hidden whilst chirruping away.

Meanwhile, I've been listening to a lot of Yello, new(ish) and (very)old. If there were a more underrated band I couldn't name them.

Back to Basics

Today was a gloriously sunny, but crisp cold day. This morning we had to get the boys sorted before off-loading them onto my Mum for the weekend - no chance of getting off out for some early morning birding. So I decided that instead this morning would be the ideal time to participate in the RSPB Garden Watch. I'd already loaded the main feeders and distributed plenty of mealworms and fruit in readiness - all I needed now was the peace and quiet after the boys left and a bit of luck with the local birds.

As it turned out, the garden and feeders did okay for species but numbers of individuals were down on previous weekends (obviously I don't get to see much coming and going in the week whilst at work). The total (excluding flyovers) was 41 individuals of 17 species:

6 Blackbird
2 Blue Tit
4 Bullfinch
1 Carrion Crow
2 Chaffinch
2 Dunnock
4 Goldfinch
1 Great Tit
4 Greenfinch
2 House Sparrow
2 Long-tailed Tit
3 Magpie
3 Robin
1 Song Thrush
2 Starling
1 Woodpigeon
1 Wren

I was disappointed at the low numbers of tits, Greenfinches, Goldfinches and Chaffinches, and no idea where the usual Collared Doves have got to. Really pleased though with 2 pairs of Bullfinches, and nice to see a Wren pop up at just the right time. Watching the garden birds is something I still thoroughly enjoy even after all these years of birding - something therapeutic about it. After the counting I grabbed a few photos of a few of the visitors.










I ate the Collared Doves

Later this afternoon, I went over to Sence Valley Forest Park with Nichola for a walk around. Haven't been here for years, so I was interested to see how much it had grown up. Quite a lot as it happens. It was pretty busy with casual visitors and dog walkers, but I was only there for the fresh air and a bit of pseudo-birding (albeit with non-birding wife rather than kids). Click all images for a closer view.


Looking down onto Horseshoe Lake


Stonebridge Pool (looking into strong sunlight) (obviously)




Horseshoe Lake


Reedy predator


Stonebridge Pool was partially iced over

I really enjoyed the walk, despite nothing too exciting birdwise. Plenty of Wigeon, Teal and Mallard around, with fewer Gadwall, Tufted and Pochard and a Little Grebe on Stonebridge Pool. Good numbers of gulls on Horseshoe Lake - almost all Black-headed with a handful of Common.

Nuts

I listened out this morning whilst emptying the traps and was pleased to hear the Marsh Tit again. After a while it showed, and another called from further away! Eventually both were on show together, tentatively making their way to the nut feeder so I went to get the camera again. Before they could start feeding a large mob of House Sparrows descended on the feeder and the surrounding bush which deterred the Marsh Tits, but a couple of Blue Tits confidently piled in and put the spuggies on the back foot. House Sparrow: "cheeky bastard - get off my nuts" Blue Tit: "feck off" Like father .. .. like juve

Watermead CP 07/05/2009

I nipped over to Watermead Park after work for a quick look and walk around - nothing in particular in mind though. It had looked quite nice and sunny out from the office window, however once out and about it was actually a force 10 gale (okay, just very windy). Immediately obvious was a good 200 or so Swifts zooming about, but notably there was virtually no hirundines joining them (just a couple of Sand Martins and Swallows whilst I was there). Sedge and Reed Warblers were in good voice, and there were a few Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs singing but I didn't hear a single Willow Warbler - maybe their feeble songs were being carried away in the wind. I always find this site to be a real mix of fortunes and feelings - 50% of the site is peaceful and looks great for wildlife, 25% is a bit indifferent and 25% of it is a shithole thanks to the endless procession of bread-throwing fuckwits that are destroying the site. As ever, there was an unnaturally high number of non-breeding Mute Swans loitering about - they are not even bothering to fight and kill each other which should be their normal spring behaviour. Thankfully though, I didn't see too much evidence of Canada Geese breeding around the site - looks to be a couple of pairs on the island but only one brood noted on the way around. Five small Canada Geese - maybe I should have alerted the pager services Fluffy scum Aside from the plague of Swans, aberrant Mallard types, and white farm geese, the car park area also has an unnaturally high population of scraggy looking Crows. All look in poor condition and there are more white feathers amongst them than should be expected - probably all a bit in-bred (in-bread?). One of the less scruffy individuals The mindless twats that come to aid the spread of disease and vermin can't even dispose of the bread bags without causing more trouble. Lazy fucking bastards I can feel a letter to the Council coming on - I shall endeavour to make it expletive free. At least this pair of Greylags had the decency to avoid the masses, preferring the secluded marshy bit at the southern end of the southern lake. A few House Sparrows of cottoned of to the easy pickings, but they are okay as they chirp a lot and have character. Rock, Sparrow Bright eyes. At least until it gets Myxomatosis.