Tree Following ~ The Silver Birch in October
This post is the seventh in my Tree Following series, part of a wider project run by Lucy Corrander from the Loose and Leafy blog. I am following a Silver Birch, B. pendula, in Suffolk, UK. You will find the other Tree Follower links on the Loose and Leafy blog ... so do take the chance to go on a virtual exploration of the arboreal world!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, let's begin with a couple of diary entries ...
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Diary
Sunday 21 September
Noon
Weather: fair
David had seen a Jay TFb13 in the garden some days before, and this time it was my turn to watch the bird pecking around in the sandy soil for caches of acorns. We have had a Jay in the garden in previous years, but these two sightings constituted the first visits for 2014, as far as we are aware. I expect the underground acorn store in which fresh supplies could be deposited for the winter was the attraction, but since the bird was very close to the Silver Birch, it seems right to record its presence in this post.
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| Jay in garden a year ago |
Wednesday 25 September
Mid-morning
Weather: fair after a cold start
A flicker of silver caught my attention as a Grey Squirrel tail disappeared in the foliage, only to re-emerge moments later. I have not seen a Grey Squirrel TFm4 in the garden for quite a while. The creature perched on the trellis, looking towards the coconut feeders that dangle from the Silver Birch. I waited but the Squirrel headed off towards the Local Nature Reserve. I am wondering if it was sniffing out a previous subterranean acorn stash that needed replenishing before the winter.
Postscript: the Grey Squirrel re-emerged on the trellis a couple of days later, but has not been spotted since.
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General round-up
I had anticipated a major change this month, and while it's true that the Silver Birch has been shedding more leaves, it is far from bare. In fact, there are still patches that are still full of green leaves.
There are other patches in which gold predominates.
Strangely the 'other Birch', just the width of the house away, is looking far more autumnal. The ground below is a carpet of leaves and the foliage is lacking the green sheen of its near neighbour.
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| Below the 'other' birch, Swedish Birch, B. pendula 'Darlecarlica' |
The two birches are not identical specimens since my birch is Silver Birch, B. Pendula and the other is B. pendula 'Darlecarlica', but I wonder whether this is the only factor causing the different leaf-shedding rates.
New Sightings
I have been particularly interested in two new sightings. One involved a shield bug and the other a woodpecker. We were watching the Great Spotted Woodpecker, no longer such a juvenile, as he (the red patch on the back of the head makes me think it is a male) flitted cautiously from the decking to the coconut.
He pecked away for a few seconds before flying off towards the local nature reserve. No sooner had he departed than a new arrival swept in. It was a Green Woodpecker TFb14, and a 'first sighting' for our garden. The green bird pecked away in the grass, presumably devouring grubs or ants. What a thrill!
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| Note eyelid: is this its nictitating membrane ... and if so, why is it showing at this point? |
The second newcomer was a strange reddish Shield Bug. I have yet to get a definite ID, but I suspect it may be a late instar Birch Shield Bug TFi24. If my hunch is correct, there are no prizes for guessing why it might have arrived in our garden. I have to say, though, that it looks more (though not exactly) like the Red Shield Bug. My jury on this one is still out.
PREVIOUS SIGHTINGS of birds (on, in and around the Silver Birch) include ...
- TFb1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
- TFb2 Great tit (several frequently on feeder)
- TFb4 Blackbird (I have not seen the Blackbirds so much this month)
- TFb6 Blue tit (several frequently on feeder)
- TFb7 Robin (one or two appearances)
- TFb8 Magpie (about three frequently dive-bombing feeder)
- TFb9 Wood Pigeon (up to ten perching around the feeder area)
- TFb10 Dunnock (two frequently below feeder)
- TFb11 Starling (infrequent appearances of up to three birds)
Previous birds not seen this month ...
- TFb3 Long-tailed Tit
- TFb5 Song Thrush
- TFb12 Carrion Crow (on fence at back of Silver Birch) - first seen on 14 May 2014
- TFb13 Goldfinch
- TFm1 (?Wood) Mouse
- TFm2 Bats
- TFm3 Shrew
- TFm4 Grey Squirrel
- TFi1 Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly [March]
- TFi2 Buff-tailed Bumblebee [March]
- TFi3 Brimstone Butterfly [April]
- TFi4 7-spot Ladybirds [April]
- TFi5 Skipper Butterfly [July]
- TFi6 Meadow Brown Butterfly [July]
- TFi7 Large White Butterfly [July]
- TFi8 14-spot Yellow Ladybirds [July]
- TFi9 Small White Butterfly [May]
- TFi10 Orange tip Butterfly [May]
- TFi11 Harlequin ladybird [May]
- TFi12 Garden Chafer (Phyllopertha horticola) [June]
- TFi13 Ruby-tail Wasp [June]
- TFi14 Blackfly [June]
- TFi15 Marmalade Hoverfly [July]
- TFi16 Shield bug [July]
- TFi17 Migrant Hawker dragonflies [July]
- TFi18 Unidentified Damselfly [August]
- TFi19 Comma butterfly [August]
- TFi20 Red Admiral butterfly [August]
- TFi21 Peacock butterfly [August]
- TFi22 Green bottle flies [August]
- TFi23 Ants [August]
- TFi24 Squashbug aka Dock Bug, Coreus marginatus [August]
MY PREVIOUS TREE FOLLOWING POSTS
10 comments:
Lovely post! I love the photo of the leaves in the grass and all those of the woodpeckers. How amazing to see the green woodpecker in your garden, such an elusive bird in my experience!
What a handsome shield bug, though i can't help with id!
Startled and impressed by the Shield Bug. I've seen a jay only once and was taken aback by its pink-ness. It must be exciting to have woodpeckers in your garden. Near where I live it's water birds (for brackish, fresh and salt waters) which are specially interesting. But although there are are lots of birds in gardens and hedgerows they seem to come in numbers rather than variety.
Well you have had a lot going on, how nice to get a woodpecker in the garden then a Green one, so exciting
Amanda
A lovely post - great woodpecker photos and well done on the visit from the Green Woodpecker - I've only ever had one sighting of Green here. Its very interesting to read about your birches - most of the leaves on ours are still green with just a few turning to a yellowy gold.
I love all the critters who also love your tree. And I especially love the green woodpecker.
Neat to "meet" these unfamiliar birds. The green woodpecker sports quite an outfit!
Oh what a variety of special visitors in the vicinity of your silver birch Caroline. We see grey squirrels daily here and unfortunately they do a lot of damage in the garden. Interesting to read about the variation in the foliage colours of your two birches. Did the leaves bud at the same time?
I love your two woodpeckers. Beautiful photos too.
I expect all your squirrels have trecked down to my garden. They will be busy for a while eating all my walnuts.
Some great sightings there. Would love to have a Green Woodpecker pay us a visit as I hear them often enough in the surrounding countryside.
Lovely pictures! My shield Beetles don't keep still!
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