Observations Of Nature Through The Seasons.

[knocker]

This morning at the lake. The little fella is getting quite big now and a female Chaffinch got quite skittish. The male is around but very illusive.

[ciel]

My resident bald Blackbird taking the sun in his favourite spot.

His condition seems to be neither better nor worse,  with no obvious signs of systemic illness, and so I remain hopeful that he will recover.

 

[Gael_Force]

1 hour ago, ciel said:

My resident bald Blackbird taking the sun in his favourite spot.

His condition seems to be neither better nor worse,  with no obvious signs of systemic illness, and so I remain hopeful that he will recover.

 

Is that a young one going through moult to adult plumage? I googled as I haven't seen one like it before, came across this article.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1291100/The-blackbird-thats-bald-coot.html

 

[ciel]

8 minutes ago, Gael_Force said:

Is that a young one going through moult to adult plumage? I googled as I haven't seen one like it before, came across this article.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1291100/The-blackbird-thats-bald-coot.html

 

Yes, GF, I think it is a juvenile. As your link indicates the problem could be linked to stress, but also could be due to feather mite infestation. The white skin on the head darkens with exposure to the air. Either way,  as long as the bird does not become too debilitated it should regrow the feathers.

I posted a pic, taken last week, of my bird - its on the previous page of this thread. In both photos, his feathers were fluffed out while he was sunbathing.

[Emz by the Thames]

I don't know if it's just me - but I've never seen the birds so hungry in August. At this time of year, I am only filling up the birdfeeder twice a week, at the moment I'm filing it up every 36 hours. Not only that but the rowan berries have just turned orange and so many different species of birds are fighting each other over the crop. I know they are moulting and need food, but August is usually a really quiet time for birds here and yet they are decimating the food like it's a freezing winter morning.

[weirpig]

Might be just me   But im amazed by the lack of spiders this year  usually my house is swarming with the so and so's  but nothing this year

[lassie23]

30 minutes ago, Team Squirrel said:

I don't know if it's just me - but I've never seen the birds so hungry in August. At this time of year, I am only filling up the birdfeeder twice a week, at the moment I'm filing it up every 36 hours. Not only that but the rowan berries have just turned orange and so many different species of birds are fighting each other over the crop. I know they are moulting and need food, but August is usually a really quiet time for birds here and yet they are decimating the food like it's a freezing winter morning.

Should be plenty of natural food sources for birds in August like insects etc.

[Nouska]

59 minutes ago, weirpig said:

Might be just me   But im amazed by the lack of spiders this year  usually my house is swarming with the so and so's  but nothing this year

They've Brexited to France!

Like a horror movie set here - even have to fight through webs getting in the car.

Hardly seen a wasp or a hornet this year. Early nests probably got flooded out; even the ants were scurrying around carrying their eggs to escape the rising water table.

[Emz by the Thames]

4 hours ago, lassie23 said:

Should be plenty of natural food sources for birds in August like insects etc.

I know, that's what I find so odd. Even my Dad's girlfriend who lives a few miles away says the birds haven't abandoned her bird table in the summer like they usually do. I'm still finding discarded egg shell about so I don't know if it's lack of insects - or birds fitting in as many broods as possible this year. Can't explain it!

[lassie23]

1 hour ago, Team Squirrel said:

I know, that's what I find so odd. Even my Dad's girlfriend who lives a few miles away says the birds haven't abandoned her bird table in the summer like they usually do. I'm still finding discarded egg shell about so I don't know if it's lack of insects - or birds fitting in as many broods as possible this year. Can't explain it!

I don't trust nature anymore Bees were behaving like they were preparing themselves for freezing winters, turned out they were protecting themselves from none stop gales and storms from the Atlantic instead.

[Nick L]

12 hours ago, weirpig said:

Might be just me   But im amazed by the lack of spiders this year  usually my house is swarming with the so and so's  but nothing this year

I had a whopper in my bathroom a couple of weeks back...

I'm usually fine with spiders and just leave them be, but ones that size definitely not! Psyched myself up though and caught it in a mug before releasing it outside  

[weirpig]

6 hours ago, Nick L said:

I had a whopper in my bathroom a couple of weeks back...

I'm usually fine with spiders and just leave them be, but ones that size definitely not! Psyched myself up though and caught it in a mug before releasing it outside  

Wow. Can't stand them. The wive usually catches them thankfully haven't seen a lot. Till now

[Emz by the Thames]

17 hours ago, lassie23 said:

I don't trust nature anymore Bees were behaving like they were preparing themselves for freezing winters, turned out they were protecting themselves from none stop gales and storms from the Atlantic instead.

That's interesting. My gran always used to say that 'the animals know' what kind of winter it is going to be. I'd tried to test this theory but my results have been all over the place!

In the 7 years we have lived in this flat, we have noticed that the squirrels who live in the tree outside.are always building/rebuilding winter dreys on the 28th of August. Daylight amounts hitting the retina tells squirrels what to do - and winter dreys need to be woven when the tree is still in full leaf as the compacted dried leaf is needed for insulation. So the amount of daylight diminishing tells them to get busy building. That's out theory anyway, could be wrong! It's a lovely autumn harbinger, though.

[ciel]

I submitted my butterfly count last weekend and received an email this afternoon containing the information noted below.

 

"Dear xxxxx

Thanks to your help, more than 20,000 counts have been submitted to this year’s Big Butterfly Count so far.

But one of our favourite garden butterflies, the Small Tortoiseshell, has been seen in unusually small numbers.

Could you count again and help us find those Small Tortoiseshells in your neighbourhood?

The more counts you complete the more information we have to protect our butterflies in the future.

This summer counts have come in from back gardens, inner-city parks, local woodlands and even family bike rides. If you can, please try and find 15 minutes to complete another count.                                       

The Big Butterfly Count ends this Sunday and all sightings must be submitted by the end of August.                                                                

We're counting on your help to secure the future for butterflies.

Count again"

For anyone who is interested, there is still time to submit a first count to Butterfly Conservation..

http://www.bigbutterflycount.org

Edited August 3, 2016 by ciel

[ciel]

Autumn migration of the visiting summer breeding birds has started, here anyway. For the past few days I have noticed an influx of warblers in the garden- mainly Willows. When I took this pic, there were at least five other Willow Warblers around plus two other warblers which I was not able to identify.

The birds and the weeds seem to like this puddle.

Edited August 4, 2016 by ciel

[Methuselah]

Around here, there has been a recent explosion in butterfly numbers; the local buddleias are all surrounded by clouds of red admirals, peacocks, commas, ringlets and unidentified fritileries [I can't spell it but I'm sure that Google's recommendation of distilleries is not right either!] (oh, and whites!)...But, unless I'm mistaken, small tortoiseshells are still scarcer than was always the norm, back in the Swinging Sixties?

[ciel]

29 minutes ago, Ed Stone said:

Around here, there has been a recent explosion in butterfly numbers; the local buddleias are all surrounded by clouds of red admirals, peacocks, commas, ringlets and unidentified fritileries [I can't spell it but I'm sure that Google's recommendation of distilleries is not right either!] (oh, and whites!)...But, unless I'm mistaken, small tortoiseshells are still scarcer than was always the norm, back in the Swinging Sixties?

You should submit a count, Pete. 

I'm afraid our buddleias were pruned back late in the season this year and it will be a couple of weeks yet until they flower. 

[Methuselah]

22 minutes ago, ciel said:

You should submit a count, Pete. 

I'm afraid our buddleias were pruned back late in the season this year and it will be a couple of weeks yet until they flower. 

How do I do that - there are so many, and I'm an old codger!? 

The strange thing (maybe not all that strange really, given the warmth of last winter?) is that there were tortoiseshells and peacocks whizzing around back in February; but almost nothing since, until a few weeks ago?? I think I must get some ice plants and Michaelmas daisies...That way, they'll be around until - weather permitting - November...

[ciel]

29 minutes ago, Ed Stone said:

How do I do that -

http://www.bigbutterflycount.org

It takes 15mins 

[ciel]

The bald Blackbird is still around and appears to be doing quite well.

He had a good feed on rosehips this afternoon, followed by a rootle among the bark.

Edited August 8, 2016 by ciel

[knocker]

Fingers crossed

Quite impressed that a Jay can spot a nut at 500m

[ciel]

 

Fledged today, but just two in the brood.

 

        

[Snipper]

On 2 August 2016 at 13:10, Nouska said:

 

Hardly seen a wasp or a hornet this year. Early nests probably got flooded out; even the ants were scurrying around carrying their eggs to escape the rising water table.

Seen wasps but not as an aggravation at the moment. 

They fly in to get water from my bird bath. One lot disappears off in an NW direction and the others in a SW. 

[Snipper]

On 2 August 2016 at 11:39, Team Squirrel said:

I don't know if it's just me - but I've never seen the birds so hungry in August. At this time of year, I am only filling up the birdfeeder twice a week, at the moment I'm filing it up every 36 hours. Not only that but the rowan berries have just turned orange and so many different species of birds are fighting each other over the crop. I know they are moulting and need food, but August is usually a really quiet time for birds here and yet they are decimating the food like it's a freezing winter morning.

I think they are trying to keep up with some British workers. Just go for the easy option that doesn't require much effort. Don't worry lots of foreign birds will take their place.  Best of luck to them. 

[Methuselah]

First painted lady of the season, today...