Tag: Blackbird

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Cozy Evening Reflections

Posted on by BITM

I am feeling cozy, sitting on the sofa, as I reflect on last weeks observations on a dark evening.

Along with the earlier sunsets, fresh mornings have begun to take hold too. I have been noticing a lot of changes occurring with trees throughout the week. Their leaves are turning autumnal and I have been able to pick fresh apples as I work. Lots of conkers are falling around the bus stop too.

One of the apple trees with lovely sweet apples is pictured below. There were other trees with Russet and Cox apples.

The Rowan tree outside my home continues to have Blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) feeding on insects. Plus I have also seen a Robin (Erithacus rubecula) and two Long tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus) eating insects on it’s branches, along with a Blackbird (Turdus merula) feasting in the berries.

Mr Blackbird wasn’t camera shy.

I still saw Small white (Pieris rapae), Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and Painted lady (Vanessa cardui) butterflies as they took advantage of the late flowering perennials.

On Wednesday I noticed a Painted lady butterfly as well as a Common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum) visiting some Ceratostigma willmottianum which is still blooming while the leaves are turning red.

Some plants have been flowering all summer, such as Geraniums and Verbena bonariensis, and now bloom alongside Sedums, Asters and Autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) painting gardens in muted colours.

Sedums and Verbena bonariensis looking lovely amongst ornamental grasses.
Geranium still flowering.
A Painted lady butterfly collecting nectar from an Aster flower.
Autumn crocuses blooming in the lawn.

Cutting back faded perennials was one of last weeks jobs which meant I disturbed a lot of Seven-spot ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata). So I spent quite a bit of time rescuing them from garden waste bins too.

Lastly, as I walked home late on Wednesday, I ended up seeing a beetle walking across the path in the moonlight and enjoyed the view of the Waxing gibbous moon amongst the clouds.

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Music to my Ears

Posted on by BITM

While my colleagues listen to their music via headphones I prefer to listen to nature as I work; especially birdsong which I find uplifting. Recently I have started to really tune in and distinguish different songs and calls as I attempt to identify particular birds. By teaching myself I now recognise Great tit (Parus major) song, Coal Tit (Parus ater) song and Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) call. However I still find it difficult to pick out certain sounds which is why last Sunday I went to an ‘Introduction to bird calls and songs’ nature talk and walk at a local park. We were introduced to 12 birds that we would most likely hear during our afternoon stroll. Most were already familiar to me however I did learn the songs of Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) and Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris).

The birds we ended up hearing (above the wind and sirens) were;
-Woodpigeon (Columba Livia)
-Carion crow (Corvus corone)
-Magpie (Pica pica)
-Wren (Troglodytidae)
-Chiffchaff
-Blackbird (Turdus merula)
-Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopus major)
-Blackcap warbler (Sylvia atricapilla)
– and Song thrush (Turdus philomelos).

We also saw a (quiet) Jay (Garrulus glandarius) along with a Speckled wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria), Red admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) and some White-tailed bumblebees (Bombus lucorum).

Last week I combined what I learned at this event with my previous knowledge; the birds I was confident I identified correctly were;
-Woodpigeons
-Magpies
-Blackbirds
-Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
-Ring necked parakeets (Psittacula krameri)
-Blue Tits (Parus caeruleus).
-Chiffchaffs
-Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
-Red kite (Milvus milvus)
-and House sparrows (Passer domesticus)

On several mornings I also watched the family of Blue tits on the Rowan tree as I ate breakfast. The parents had nested in the eaves around Easter (see Different sort of Easter Chicks) so it was great to discover they had a successfully reared a brood. I counted 6 fledged youngsters return to the tree and feed on insects together.

Blue Tit acrobatics- One of the youngsters feeding itself.

These weren’t the only sightings last week as I also saw;
-another Red Admiral butterfly

-a Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae)

-some Ivy-leaved toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis)

-Common spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii)

-Pineappleweed (Matricaria discoidea)

-As well as a common frog (Rana temporaria)

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🐝Beeing Happy in the Sunshine 🌞

Posted on by BITM

The warmer weather this week brought with it many bee sightings, including Honey bees (Apis mellifera). The plants where they were most abundant were the Californian Lilac (the Ceanothus seen in the first photo) and the Cotoneaster in the second photo. Both Shrubs, full of small flowers, are loved by Honey bees. In fact there were so many bees on them that the amazing buzzing sound filled the air.

There were also lots of Tree bumblebees (Bombus hypnorum) on the Cotoneaster too, as shown below.

This hasn’t been the only time I noticed Tree Bumblebees this week. This the weekend I was walking around a local charity allotment when I saw a bird box being occupied by bees. This is a commonly used structure for Tree Bumblebees.

I was also lucky to notice three female Hairy-footed flower bees (Anthophora plumipes) while weeding a border. These are solitary bees who care for their own young; however they can live within close proximity to one another. The three that I noticed had nests in the bare earth about 10cms apart. The females are black with yellow legs. Unfortunately I was not able to obtain a decent photo of them for this post.

Other observations this week have included more Seven-spot ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata), Holly blue butterflies (Celastrina argiolus) and Orange-tip butterflies (Anthocharis cardamines).

I have also managed to go on a couple of short walks this week and discovered more wildflowers blooming. These were;

– Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare).

The Ox-eye daisy flowers were originally used for the ‘He loves me, he loves me not’ petal plucking activity.

* Dog-rose (Rosa canina). The hips from this plant are enjoyed by blackbirds (Turdus merula), Redwings. (Turdus iliacus) and Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus). They are also used to make syrups and jellies to be used in winter (due to the very high vitamin C content). The hips from this rose also contain irritating hairs which can be used as itching powder.

-Smooth sow-thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)

– Common Vetch (Vicia sativa). This plant is a member of the Legume family so it causes nitrogen fixation in the soil therefore it can be used as a soil fertilizer.

On my way home from one of my walks I manage to capture this Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) on a photo too.

This weekend I saw this Feral Pigeon (Columba livia domestica) as I enjoyed a coffee.

I couldn’t resist adding this photo, sadly it doesn’t do it justice. When the sun shone, the green and purple neck feathers where incredibly vibrant and against the unusual white; I thought it was beautiful.

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Last weeks Highlights

Posted on by BITM

I have been away for a few days, emersed in beautiful countryside. Below are a few special highlights from last week.

Firstly this Angle Shades Moth (Phlogophora meticulosa) was resting on the door, early Wednesday morning, as I set off on holiday.

Then, on Thursday, I visited Chirk Castle. While looking around the old Laundry building I noticed something swoop from the ceiling and land on a beam.

This juvenile Swallow (Hirundo rustica) wasn’t too far from the nest, which was therefore easy to locate. The hint of a red throat was present but not easy to spot in this photo due to distance and low lighting.

The swallow nest in the rafters.

Lastly I awoke early on Sunday, relaxed with a cup of tea and listened to the dawn chorus. The 5th was International Dawn Chorus Day (celebrated on the first Sunday in May each year). The change of scenery brought with it a change in bird song to listen to. I heard a Collard dove (Steptopelia decaocto), Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) and House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) along with the Blackbirds (Turdus merula) and Bluetits (Parus caeruleus) that I usually hear.

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🌞Sunny weather brings many sightings

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Birdsong filled the air throughout the day. The calls I could identify were of Robins, Blackbirds and a Long-tailed tit. I also heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopus major) drumming against a tree and a couple of Tawny owl (Strix aluco) calls in the morning. Once the sun broke through the cloud lots of insects started flying around too.

In the morning I noticed another Harlequin ladybird, this one was sheltering on a Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’. Unlike Seven spot ladybirds I only find Harlequins one at a time.

During the afternoon a female Red-tailed Bumblebee was enjoying the flowers blooming on a Berberis darwinii shrub. Pollen sacks can be seen as well as her proboscis as she collects pollen and nectar.

Lastly, I saw a Small White butterfly warming up on some ivy.

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Natural therapy

Posted on by BITM
Nature enables me to be mindful, focus my attention on the present moment and help combat my anxiety. I am lucky that I work outdoors (no, I don’t mind the rain and cold weather) it enables me to dose up on serotonin and vitamin D as well as get plenty of exercise. Also, I can observe nature as I work which is great therapy.
Last week was busy but I still managed to take time out of my schedule to focus on nature.
The week started joyfully with a Red-tailed bumblebee flying around me while I was working. It was a male drone, identified by its yellow markings, along with the black and red colouring. I love hearing bees buzzing, especially when it is amplified by a trumpet shaped flower or there is a chorus of them, it is so relaxing.
Then on Tuesday, while retrieving a ladder from the shed, I noticed an adult Robin trying to fly in through the shed door. Realising it probably had a nest in there I left the door ajar and walked away. After a few moments I was glad to see it fly into the shed and reappear with a fledged youngster. It was beautiful to witness this.
On my way to work, the next day, I came across a male Pheasant dining out with some sparrows and two squirrels. The pheasant and sparrows were eating some bread and birdseed (left on the lawn by one of my neighbours). The squirrels were attacking the bird feeders. I have heard the pheasant for a few weeks now but this was the first time I had seen him. The sparrows and squirrels were unfazed by him, obviously realising he was no threat. I love the colours of a male pheasant’s plumage. They are so rich and great inspiration for craftwork. I can just imagine knitting a jumper in those colours, now there’s a thought…
During Thursdays lunchtime I watched a Magpie washing its feathers in a puddle. It was splashing around for about 5 minutes, flew into the nearby conifer only to return to the same puddle for another long cleaning and preening session. Watching it made me smile.
The working week ended with a lovely lullaby. I fell asleep listening to the beautiful song of a male Blackbird. He started singing around 10:20pm. He hasn’t sung at that hour since; perhaps he was only visiting the Rowan tree outside. It is also possible that something disturbed his slumber and the lit streetlights confused his body clock. Whatever the reason for his singing at that time of night it was a lovely way to fall asleep.