RaggedKite

This is easily the best shot of a Red kite that I've ever managed to get, with a backlit glow and reasonably sharp eyes (click the photo for a larger version).

It's a shame this bird is only just recognisable as a kite though. It's so tatty! The distinctive V tail needs a little bit of imagination to see, and the wing feathers aren't much better. I even had to think twice about whether it really was a kite or just a buzzard, but the length of the tail and those distinctive white patches on the wings make it clear. If I was better at this game I'd also be confidently talking about the wing shape I expect.

It spent a long time flying low and slow over Butterfly World near St Albans, giving me ample opportunity to snap away, albeit with only a 18-200mm lens at the long end (the photo is fairly severely cropped and not as sharp as I'd like). I wish I'd had my 400mm lens that day!

The BBC has an absolutely brilliant gallery of woodland wonders, from the Woodland Trust's recent photo competition, as judged by Simon King. Definitely worth a look.

RingletButterfly2

Here are a few things I've noticed of late.

  • The sun has been shining so butterflies have come out of hiding. Mostly I have seen Ringlet (pictured), Large white (Cabbage white) and Gatekeepers. It's nice to see them flitting around finally.
  • Bumble bees seem to have been fine whatever the weather. I have a nest of them under my deck and they're still buzzing in out to the lavender.
  • It's been so wet there's been quite a bit of fungus about – I have various types of mushroom growing in my lawn.
  • The slugs and snails continue to run rampant. Step out into the garden in the darkness and it can only be described as crunchy/squishy underfoot!
  • The birds are back after their summer break (apparently they've been lying low as they moult into new feathers) and are hoovering up the sunflower seeds in my feeders. Mainly tits (Blue, Great, Long-tailed), Goldfinches and sparrows in my garden. Wood pigeons wait for the crumbs on the floor.
22. July 2012 · 3 comments · Categories: Birds

CardboardBirdBoxBattered
You may recall the installation of my cardboard bird box, where I wondered how well it would survive. Well technically it has survived, but it's not looking very inviting to the average family of birds. There's no evidence of nesting, but it often takes a long time for boxes to get used so that doesn't really prove anything.

I'll leave it in place to see whether eagles start nesting in it anytime soon.

Update, Spring 2013: It bit the dust over the winter and is now contributing to the compost heap. Oh well, it was fun whilst it lasted.

The BBC reports on the impact on fauna and flora of the multi-month wet spell this 'summer'. In a nutshell, plants, slugs and snails win – though my Lupins would beg to disagree, the slugs and snails being all conquering in that portion of the garden. Bees, butterflies and birds are particularly hard hit. All the details are in the article.

29. May 2012 · 1 comment · Categories: Birds, News

Well, actually several moments/weeks too late if you ask me what my definition of Spring is!

The team are back on BBC 2 at 8pm in the evenings, having started yesterday. Can you believe the weather's been so good that I've been outdoors of an evening and missed all the trails on TV that presumably heralded its imminent arrival. Get your fix from the BBC Springwatch website.

This evening I watched a small Kingfisher pop out seven eggs that seemed to add up to more than its total volume. Apparently it actually took a week over it and the images were therefore a shade misleading, but still very impressive regardless. I'm pretty sure I couldn't do that. Egg laying has never been a strong suit of mine.

TheEarlyBird
Apparently the early bird catches several worms. Or a single very big one folded up.

I just realised I don't have a blog category for worms. I had to look it up but they're annelids (not molluscs for instance) but I can't bring myself to create a category just for that. Any suggestions?

Here are some things I've noticed recently:

  • It's still wet. Very wet, but at least we get the odd half day of respite, and sometimes even a full day before it tips it down again.
  • Birds are flocking back to garden feeders over the last week or two, at least in my garden. Blue tits, Great tits, Chaffinches and Robins in particular. They were notably absent for the month or so before. Is is the wet weather that's forcing them to the feeders?
  • Plants are springing up at a ferocious rate. The wet and warm weather with occasional bursts of sunshine seems to be just perfect for rapid growth.
  • There aren't so many bees, wasps and butterflies to be seen since the droughtmonsoon began, presumably because the weather is keeping them off the wing.
  • Ants don't seem to be especially phased by the weather.

DuckyStyle
This picture also affords a good look at the 'speculum' – the blue flash on the wing bounded by black and white – of the male in this case.

Parakeet2

Parakeet