An Early Spring Morning in the Garden

 

 

 

We spent an hour in the garden this morning, enjoying some early spring sunshine and birdsong. These first two photographs, which were also the first two I uploaded, were actually taken on 12 February when the Fieldfares were still in our trees. All the other pictures were taken today.

We always enjoy seeing Goldfinches. This one was in the Silver Birch, which some of you may remember from the Tree Following meme.

 

This 'woody' corner of the old decking seems to suit these small Cyclamen. They don't seem to spread much, but are always a joy to see. But it was the miniature Iris reticulata in bloom that particularly caught my eye this morning. 

As you may know, we have been keeping an eye on four Wasp spider egg sacs over the winter. What you see in the photo below is, we can only think, the remains of one of them. The grassy area in which all four were last seen was under about 20cm of snow for almost a week earlier this month. All our snow has melted, but the long grass is bent over in swathes. 

Back in the summer, we were visited not only by Wasp spiders, but also by a couple of Common Lizards who, to our great excitement, were sighted on our patch for the first time. These 'firsts' may be totally unrelated, but it was nevertheless intriguing to read on @Tone_Killick's Twitter page for 15 December 2020 that it is extremely rare in the UK, there being probably only one instance, to find a photograph of a spider with vertebrate prey. It just made me wonder whether the spiders on our land were after the lizards, and not the other way round, as I might have supposed.

As for the egg sacs, well, time alone will tell whether the colony of Wasp spiders increases here or whether the wind and cold weather have killed off the overwintering eggs. 

On a more cheerful note, it was good to find two different kinds of ladybird making the most of the sunshine. The 7-spot emerged from a large pile of twigs, and what seems to be (the much smaller) Pine ladybird (Exochomus qadripustulatus), with its rim around the elytra, was perching on a leaf.

 

There were a couple of (?Nursery web) spiders running about on the relative warmth of the old tray. 

It was a delight to find two Daisies in the grass.

Here's a close-up of our first Iris . . .

. . . and photos of our first Crocuses.

This is our new feeding pole, which although empty in this picture, has already attracted Long-tailed tits, Great tits, a Robin, a Pigeon, Blue tits and Starlings. There is plenty of food for all comers, and yet the Blue tits, in particular, insist on dive-bombing their fellow Blue tits and also the Long-tailed tits. 

We have never had an Aconite in the garden before. There is just the one, in a very scruffy old pot, so I am intrigued whether perhaps we planted a few bulbs last autumn.

And finally, do let me know your thoughts on the (pretty shy) bird above. I thought it was a Sparrow, until I took the photo below, which is certainly one. The two bills don't look the same shape to me, but I am really pleased to find a House Sparrow in our garden. There was a little colony down the road, but it dispersed last summer when one of the houses had building work which interfered with a particular hedge. 

The last House Sparrow record for our garden is June 2020. These once-common birds are now categorised as Red in terms of conservation on the RSPB site. I hope we will see more of them in the days to come.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2018 - And my top bird is...

I believe for the first time, the Goldfinch came out top in my 2018 Big Garden Birdwatch survey. As you will guess, the photo above was not taken today (too much sun, too many sorrel seeds)... but I think you will agree that it is a more colourful picture than this morning's record shot, taken in dull grey weather from behind glass, which I have posted below.

The species chart records what I actually saw during the hour...

There were more sightings of these species, but the records requested are for the highest number seen at one time.

Sadly a number of previous Bird Count avian visitors were missing, including the House Sparrow, Dunnock, Robin (who is often around), Greater-spotted Woodpecker and Green Woodpecker. I suspect the weather plays a part, but it would be interesting to know what the other key factors are. We had Greenfinches in the garden when we moved in some five+ years ago, but these have not been seen for a long time. The Song Thrush was here in the run-up to Christmas and the Wren. A score of two for Wood Pigeons is very low for us.

We are also invited to record animal sightings of the last twelve months. We have seen one Hedgehog some months ago (and back in the summer, quite a few hedgehog calling cards...)

Grey Squirrels come to the coconut feeder most days... but there were none during the hour of the count.

If you would like to take part in the count, there is still time as it continues until 29 January 2018. The link is here. Happy watching... and recording!

Gold(finches) for a Grey Day

All these photos were taken in poor conditions through double glazing - sorry!

 What a grey day. 

The car thermometer registered two degrees, but it felt more like zero in the damp air and relatively thick fog. It has been a good day for bird sightings. Thus far I have spotted the following...

• a charm of 19+ Goldfinches on the Silver Birch, presumably feeding off its winged seeds.
• One Starling on the coconut fat-feeder
• Several Blue tits
• At least two female Blackbirds, and a male on the coconut fat-feeder
• A Wren among the dead stems near the window
• A couple of Great tits on the feeder
• At least a couple of Long-tailed tits on the feeder
• At least five Wood Pigeons
• A Robin
• A Magpie on the next roof

I wonder why we see so few Chaffinches here. As I was tidying up this post a flock of about 20 Crows flew past, presumably in advance of the evening's roost.

I am hoping that some of these species will stay to be counted in the forthcoming RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend.

Incidentally, a few Waxwings apparently made a brief appearance less than a mile up the road earlier this morning...

Goldfinch Surprise

This was the scene outside our window this morning when a pair of Goldfinches came to peck the lavender. I am so glad that we had not cut off the dead seedheads! 

Tree Following - January and early February 2016

 Welcome to my Tree Following post for January and early February 2016. 

These tree posts form part of a wider project initiated by Lucy Corrander from the Loose and Leafy blog and continued by Pat at The Squirrelbasket. May I express my thanks to you both.

I am based in Suffolk, UK, where I have been keeping an eye on an Acer negundo (aka a Box-leaf Maple). I am also continuing to watch my Silver birch, B. pendula. Those of you who have read my previous posts will know that I love following the Silver Birch; but, for some slightly indefinable reason, I have not found the Acer negundo a very rewarding tree to follow. I may exchange it for a small flowering cherry sapling that we were given four years ago. I will let you know my thoughts on the matter in a month's time! 

You will find the other Tree Follower links by clicking the Mr Linky link here ... so do take the chance to have a look at these new posts!

Once again, the main activity this last month concerns the birds who live around my home patch. Many of them showed up on cue - in, on, around or under the Silver Birch - during the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. You will find my report here.

Since my last TF post, I have noted the following ...

• The feisty Robin (and another Robin)
• Blue tits, a large cluster
• Great tits, again a good number of these
• Long-tailed tits, always in a small group
• Starlings, every so often
• Blackbird, around the tree, rather than on it
• Magpies
• Wood pigeons, the usual suspects 
• Carrion Crows, three noisy ones!
• Greater Spotted Woodpecker - a male and a female
• Bullfinch, male - seen once during its brief spell in our patch
• Grey Heron, seen overhead twice, going in opposite directions
• Sparrowhawk, which flew past the Silver Birch and on over the fence
• Goldfinches, a large charm
• Collared Doves, a pair 
• Jay, a few days before the Birdwatch.

There has also been a Grey Squirrel, who is perching precariously at the top of the Silver Birch as I type. A large black and white cat has visited the base of the Silver Birch on occasions, leaping up at a Magpie who was hovering by the coconut feeders.

On the insect front, I have one early moth to report, but it flew off before I was able to identify it or take its photograph. I also watched a queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee fly past the Silver Birch, and I gather from friends on Facebook that there have been other sightings of these bees during the past month.

And now for a few photos for this month ...

Silver Birch - this morning

Slow signs of spring (Silver Birch)

Acer negundo, looking pretty wintry still

Great spotted Woodpecker, male

You can see his back-of-the-nape red band very clearly

The Grey Squirrel managed to knock the lump of fat (with berries) to the ground ...

... ate as much as it could, and managed with some difficulty to carry the remains over the fence.

One of the Dunnocks at the foot of the Silver Birch

Blue tits feeding in peace

One of the Starlings

Above and below: Magpie (before the cat leaped up)

 

I mentioned in January that I would post my full TF species list once again this month. I shall probably continue to do this every other month or at intervals as it is becoming rather long! Here it is:

(Largely) Silver Birch Sighting Update
The few Acer negundo entries have been marked as such.    

Avian sightings (on, in and around the Silver Birch, seen at any time since I began the Tree Following project over a year ago) are shown in pink.

I have marked the 'wild things' seen during this last month in yellow.

To date, the only birds seen on the Acer negundo are TFb13 Goldfinch and  TFb19  Chaffinch. 

• TFb1   Great Spotted Woodpecker (a male and female)
• TFb2   Great tit (several, often on feeder) 
• TFb3   Long-tailed Tit (large family, including juveniles)
• TFb4   Blackbird
• TFb5   Song Thrush   
• TFb6   Blue tit (several frequently on feeder)
• TFb7   Robin (the feisty Robin has put in frequent appearances)
• TFb8   Magpie
• TFb9   Wood Pigeon (up to ten perching around the feeder area)
• TFb10 Dunnock (two occasionally below the feeder)  
• TFb11 Starling (one or two)
• TFb12 Carrion Crow 
• TFb13 Goldfinch 
• TFb14 Jay
• TFb15  Green Woodpecker
• TFb16  Wren 
• TFb17  Bullfinch (a single visit from a male)
• TFb18  Sparrowhawk
• TFb19  Mallard
• TFb20  House Sparrow
• TFb21  Chaffinch

New bird species this month ...

• TFb22 Grey Heron (I have seen these in our home patch before, but apparently not since the start of my Tree Following observations. There is a stream in the local nature reserve at the back of our garden, so we see these birds occasionally). 
• TFb23 Collared Dove (a pair)

Mammal sightings include ...

• TFm1 (?Wood) Mouse
• TFm2 Bat ... first 2015 garden sighting 7 May 2015 [Apr/May 2015]
• TFm3 Shrew
• TFm4 Grey Squirrel (high up on the Silver Birch) [Jan/Feb 2016]
• TFm5 Stoat
• TFm6 Hedgehog, a single sighting 

 No new mammals this month.


Insect sightings include ...

• TFi1 Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly [March 2014]
• TFi2 Buff-tailed Bumblebee [March 2014] [Jan/Feb 2016]
• TFi3 Brimstone Butterfly [April 2014]
• TFi4 7-spot Ladybird [April 2014] [October 2014] [Apr/May 2015] [Jul/Aug 2015] [Sept/Oct 2015]
• TFi5 Skipper Butterfly [July 2014]
• TFi6 Meadow Brown Butterfly [July 2014] [Jul/Aug 2015]
• TFi7 Large White Butterfly [July 2014]
• TFi8 14-spot Yellow Ladybirds [July 2014]
• TFi9 Small White Butterfly [May 2014] [Apr/May 2015] [Sept/Oct 2015 - caterpillars]
• TFi10 Orange tip Butterfly [May 2014]
• TFi11 Harlequin ladybird  [May 2014] [October 2014] [Sept/Oct 2015 - on three on Acer negundo!]
• TFi12 Garden Chafer (Phyllopertha horticola) [June 2014] 
• TFi13 Ruby-tail Wasp [June 2014] [May/June 2015]
• TFi14 Blackfly [June 2014] 
• TFi15 Marmalade Hoverfly [July 2014] [Jul/Aug 2015]
• TFi16 Shield bug [July 2014] [Apr/May 2015]
• TFi17 Migrant Hawker dragonflies [July 2014]
• TFi18 Unidentified Damselfly [August 2014]
• TFi19 Comma butterfly [August 2014]
• TFi20 Red Admiral butterfly [August 2014] [October 2014] [Jul/Aug 2015]
• TFi21 Peacock butterfly [August 2014] [Jul/Aug 2015] [Nov/Dec 2015] - flew past window
• TFi22 Green bottle flies [August 2014] [May/June 2015]
• TFi23 Ants [August 2014] [Apr/May 2015]  [May/June 2015] [Jul/Aug 2015] [Sept/Oct 2015 Acer negundo]
• TFi24 Squashbug aka Dock Bug, Coreus marginatus [August 2014]
• TFi25 Birch Shieldbug (late instar?) [September 2014]
• TFi26 Lacewing [October 2014] [Sept/Oct 2015]
• TFi27 Cereal Leaf Beetle [Apr/May 2015]
• TFi28 Unidentified Moth [Nov/Dec 2014] [Feb/Mar 2015] [Jul/Aug 2015] [Sept/Oct 2015]
  [Jan/Feb 2016]
• TFi29 Rosemary Beetle [[Sept/Oct 2015]
• TFi30 Hawthorn Shieldbug [May/June 2015] 
• TFi31 Forest Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes) [Sept/Oct 2015] 

 No new insects this month.  


Arachnids

• TFa1 Zebra Spider (about ten) [Apr/May 2015] [May/June 2015]
• TFa2 Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) [May/June 2015]
• TFa3 Unidentified spider  

 No new insects this month. 


And finally ...

MY PREVIOUS TREE FOLLOWING POSTS

• December 2015 to January 2016
• November to December 2015
• October to November 2015
• September to October 2015
• August to September 2015
• July to August 2015
• June to July 2015
• May to June 2015
• April to May 2015
• March to April 2015
• February to March 2015
• January to February 2015
• November to December 2014
• October to November 2014
• September to October 2014
• August to September 2014
• July to August 2014 
• June to July 2014
• May to June 2014 
• April to May 2014
• March to April 2014
• February to March 2014

Tree Following - May to June

Welcome to my Tree Following post for May and early June. Even more transformations have taken place this month.

These tree posts form 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, and what has up to now remained something of a mystery tree. You will find the other Tree Follower links on the Loose and Leafy blog ... so do take the chance to catch up with happenings in the arboreal world!

Having had a tree surgeon in the garden this month to deal with a couple of dead trees, I can now reveal that my mystery tree is indeed a Box Elder, or a Box-leaf Maple (Acer negundo), as we tend to call these trees in the UK. I feel pleased that I got there in the end - before the intervention of the expert!

Both the Silver Birch and the Acer negundo have continued to respond to the stimulus that is spring, and, of course, this month sees us marking the longest day. Can it be June already?

An abundance of catkins on the Silver Birch

Silver Birch

Acer negundo

The chief excitement in a strange kind of way has been the arrival of two ... House Sparrows!

What a strange sentence to write when through my childhood these small LBJs were, as the song says, 'two a penny'. But the UK Sparrow population declined rapidly, falling by 60%, according to the RSPB, between 1994 and 2004. The reason in urban environments seems to be linked to a lack of suitable invertebrates during the birds' breeding season. The Sparrows have flitted between the two trees, showing a distinct preference for the Silver Birch. Is the Acer less popular with wildlife because it is not a native species, I wonder? Or have I failed to look hard enough for signs of life and biodiversity?

It has been exciting to watch a family of young Starlings feeding from the coconut that dangles from the Silver Birch. The mother was very helpful at times, and at others she seemed to hang back to encourage her brood to gain a little independence and nourishment of their own.

Breakfast?

Feeding time again!

Base of Silver Birch on right

On the insect front, there have been few butterflies. However there have been three partially red insects, all in the area around the Silver Birch. You can read about them here. I am fascinated by the Ruby-tailed Wasp, which is really a 'cuckoo' species of Solitary Bee. It may look stunning, but it lays its eggs in nests that were made by another insect, and then when the larvae hatch out, they feed on the larvae of the host insect.

The native Kidney-spot Ladybird below was found on the same garden post as the Ruby-tailed Wasp above, pretty close to both Silver Birch and Acer negundo. Its identification has been verified by the UK Ladybird Survey, and its photo has been posted on my iRecord pages.

You can read about the Fire bug below in a previous post here. The pansy is close to the Silver Birch, but, of course, I cannot claim with any certainty that there is a tree-insect link! 

I have mentioned from time to time that there is also a similar but slightly different Birch tree, a Downy Birch in the vicinity. Individuals in the cluster of Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) spiderlings below were beginning to emerge from their creche by this tree. My understanding is that they begin to disperse if they are disturbed, then quickly move back to the safety of the crèche.

The Acer negundo finally had some bird and insect life about it. A charm of Goldfinches arrived, and there seemed to be birds trying to pair up prior to breeding. One of the Goldfinches seemed to have a taste for some tiny Forget-me-not type flowers in the grass.

I saw a cloud of flies and then this rather secretive insect, which is proving hard to identify on account of the poor quality of my two record shots below! It may be a Hawthorn Shieldbug, which is not always found on Hawthorn. And, incidentally, there is a very attractive deep pink and white blossomed hawthorn nearby. 

Had the Shieldbug hopped across to the Acer from this Hawthorn 'Crimson Cloud'?

Silver Birch Sighting Update


Avian sightings (on, in and around the Silver Birch, seen at any time since I began Lucy's Tree Following project over a year ago) are shown in pink.

I have marked the 'wild things' seen during this last month in yellow.

To date, the only birds seen on the Acer negundo are TFb13 Goldfinch and  TFb19  Chaffinch .   

• TFb1   Great Spotted Woodpecker 
• TFb2   Great tit (several, often on feeder) 
• TFb3   Long-tailed Tit
• TFb4   Blackbird
• TFb5   Song Thrush   
• TFb6   Blue tit (several frequently on feeder)
• TFb7   Robin (frequent appearances)
• TFb8   Magpie (about three frequently around below the feeder)
• TFb9   Wood Pigeon (up to ten perching around the feeder area)
• TFb10 Dunnock (two frequently below feeder)  
• TFb11 Starling (several on feeder, noisy - and with young!)
• TFb12 Carrion Crow (one every so often, once with nesting material in bill)  
• TFb13 Goldfinch (a small charm, and a particularly active pair)
• TFb14 Jay - seen after a long absence on 10 June (it may not be the same bird!)
• TFb15  Green Woodpecker
• TFb16  Wren 
• TFb17  Bullfinch (a pair)
• TFb18  Sparrowhawk
• TFb19  Mallard (three overhead) 
• TFb18  House Sparrow (about four sightings. We think there are two birds.)
• TFb19  Chaffinch

Mammal sightings include ...

• TFm1 (?Wood) Mouse
• TFm2 Bat ... first 2015 garden sighting 7 May 2015 [Apr/May 2015]
• TFm3 Shrew
• TFm4 Grey Squirrel

On the insect front, sightings include ...

• TFi1 Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly [March 2014]
• TFi2 Buff-tailed Bumblebee [March 2014] 
• TFi3 Brimstone Butterfly [April 2014]
• TFi4 7-spot Ladybird [April 2014] [October 2014] [Apr/May 2015]
• TFi5 Skipper Butterfly [July 2014]
• TFi6 Meadow Brown Butterfly [July 2014]
• TFi7 Large White Butterfly [July 2014]
• TFi8 14-spot Yellow Ladybirds [July 2014]
• TFi9 Small White Butterfly [May 2014] [Apr/May 2015]
• TFi10 Orange tip Butterfly [May 2014]
• TFi11 Harlequin ladybird [May 2014]
• TFi12 Garden Chafer (Phyllopertha horticola) [June 2014] 
• TFi13 Ruby-tail Wasp [June 2014] [May/June 2015]
• TFi14 Blackfly [June 2014] 
• TFi15 Marmalade Hoverfly [July 2014]
• TFi16 Shield bug [July 2014] [Apr/May 2015]
• TFi17 Migrant Hawker dragonflies [July 2014]
• TFi18 Unidentified Damselfly [August 2014]
• TFi19 Comma butterfly [August 2014]
• TFi20 Red Admiral butterfly [August 2014] [October 2014]
• TFi21 Peacock butterfly [August 2014]
• TFi22 Green bottle flies [August 2014] [May/June 2015]
• TFi23 Ants [August 2014] [Apr/May 2015]  [May/June 2015]
• TFi24 Squashbug aka Dock Bug, Coreus marginatus [August 2014]
• TFi25 Birch Shieldbug (late instar?) [September 2014]
• TFi26 Lacewing [October 2014] (about fifteen) 
• TFi27 Harlequin Ladybird [October 2014] 
• TFi28 Moths (though not so many in December) [Nov/Dec 2014] [Feb/Mar 2015]
• TFi29 Cereal Leaf Beetle [Apr/May 2015]
• TFi30 Hawthorn Shieldbug [May/June 2015] 

Arachnids

• TFa1 Zebra Spider (about ten) [Apr/May 2015] [May/June 2015]
• TFa2 Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) [May/June 2015] 

MY PREVIOUS TREE FOLLOWING POSTS

• March to April 2015
• February to March 2015
• January to February 2015
• November to December 2014
• October to November 2014
• September to October 2014
• August to September 2014
• July to August 2014 
• June to July 2014
• May to June 2014 
• April to May 2014
• March to April 2014
• February to March 2014