Beautiful Birds (13): RSPB BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH 2011

We sat down with mugs of coffee, camera and binoculars in our Swansea home in Wales, UK. The plan was that David would do the 'census' this morning and that I would spend my hour recording birds while we were out (along with representatives from the RSPB) in the National Botanic Garden of Wales this afternoon. The photo from home (below) was taken behind glass.

The Starlings gather . . .

Birds in our garden were certainly down on last year's count. Perhaps it was just the result of a cold morning (minus 7 degrees Centigrade at 8 am), but I fear it may be a true reflection of the damage wreaked by this unusually harsh winter as a whole.

The results of the survey from our home were as follows:

Sent from Big Garden Birdwatch Log  
My spottings:

Skylark.
Number Spotted:0.

Siskin.
Number Spotted:0.

Song Thrush.
Number Spotted:1.

Blackbird.
Number Spotted:2.

Dunnock.
Number Spotted:2.

Magpie.
Number Spotted:2.

Chaffinch.
Number Spotted:4.

House Sparrow.
Number Spotted:4.

Starling.
Number Spotted:20.

David also spotted two unidentified birds. The sun was low and right in our faces so it was hard to see some of the birds that flew in. The gulls and pigeons circled round but were not counted as they failed to land until our time was up!

We had high hopes for the afternoon, but were actually very disappointed with our recordings.

The Crow was happy enough, despite freezing conditions

Fun and games on the Ice

I love the reflection

The National Botanic Garden of Wales, hosting the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

Remnants of hoar frost in the Botanic Garden

Ice!

 In the whole of one hour in the Botanic Garden, I only recorded the following:

Blackbird.
Number Spotted:2.

Carrion Crow.
Number Spotted:3.

Robin.
Number Spotted:1.

Treecreeper.
Number Spotted:1.

To cheer ourselves up after a lean hour in the Botanic Garden (where, to our great delight, we had seen Lesser Redpolls on a previous Big Birdwatch), we drove home via the Larch that I am observing as my part in The Tree Year project. The creatures we saw in the vicinity of this tree will not count for the Birdwatch, but they really lifted our spirits, as you will see if you click to my next post when it is 'up'.  

if you live in the UK and have not yet undertaken a bird survey, you might like to visit the RSPB site and have a go before the end of the weekend. Happy sightings!  

• Crafty Green Poet: RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch in the Botanic Garden in Edinburgh

Dragonflies (2): Golden-ringed Dragonfly

The weather was cool, blustery and grey, with the occasional sunny interval. It didn't seem particularly promising for Odonata. I was thrilled to spot the Golden-ringed Dragonfly above from the short boardwalk in the National Botanic Garden of Wales, as I had only seen one once before (at WWT Llanelli), and had failed on that occasion to photograph it. It is certainly one of the largest I have seen.

This species can apparently be found in the UK, across Asia Minor and in India. I was surprised to learn that these Dragonflies sometimes eat tadpoles and fish, alongside their usual diet of snails and the larvae of insects.

Butterflies and Moths (7): Caterpillars - fur, hair and bristles!

The Peacock (or possibly Small Tortoiseshell?) caterpillars above
were spotted on nettles
beside the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path in August 2009.

These furry things above are the barbed hairs of the caterpillars
of the native Brown-Tail Moth (Euproctis Chrysorrhoea).
We saw them at Spurn Point, Yorkshire, in April 2009.

Our car park ticket informed us that the adults
emerge in spring from their white webs
to feed on Sea Buckthorn.
Apparently they shed their skins,
releasing the hairs before pupating and taking wing.

Early September 2009:
we watched this Fox Moth caterpillar crawling about on Raasay,
the small island between Skye and Applecross
on which Calum built his road.

You can see another furry caterpillar on the island
if you follow this link and scroll down.

I spotted this Fox Moth caterpillar (above)
at Hartland Point in Devon,
on 16 April 2010.

You might like to look at the Marsland Moth blog,
since Marsland is closeby,
on the Devon-Cornish border.

This caterpillar
(below, with detail above)
was much close to home,
at Oxwich on Gower.

I noticed it on 22 August 2009.
It is as yet unidentified!

P.S. 2012 ... a Fox Moth caterpillar?

The yellow and black creature below
only just qualifies for this post of hairy crawlers!
It is a Burnet Moth caterpillar
(and I plan to do a post on this moth soon).

I photographed the caterpillar
at Mwnt in Cardiganshire back in late May 2010.

A Knot Grass caterpillar (above and below)
on St Columba's fascinating inland island (photo here),
situated in the Snizort River on Skye.
The adult looks like this.

The caterpillar below was spotted way back on 5 August 2006
at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

Do take a look at Rosie's Vapourer moth over at Leaves 'n Bloom here.

Beautiful Birds (7): Cute Coots

I spent my teenage years in rural Norfolk,
the setting for part of Arthur Ransome's Coot Club tale
about the Callum children.

Perhaps this is why I find Coots fascinating.

The female above
was photographed at the National Botanic Garden of Wales
some weeks ago.

This young Coot was spotted
in May, along the banks of the Thames.

We also saw those controversial Green Parakeets,
but they flew around in a frenzy and were too fast for the camera!

Mother Coots must be adept
at making the most of the material to hand.

It may be a case of the 'town mouse' and the 'country mouse'
(to mix metaphors for a moment);
but if I was a young Coot,

I know which nest I would choose!