A 'First' Garden Sighting - Redwing (I think...)

I looked out of my window this afternoon just before sunset and noticed an unusual bird on the branches of the Acer negundo, which rarely attracts avian life. 

Wondering if it could be a Redwing, I grabbed my camera and was able to take three record shots through the double glazing before it flew off. I apologise for the quality, but I think the photos show a solitary Redwing (unless you can advise me of some other ID) - a 'first' in my home patch; and, in fact, my first migratory Redwing of the year. There is a clear superciliary stripe and just a hint of the characteristic russet colour around the wing area on the photo above. You can see a few stray berries in the background which had perhaps lured the bird into our garden in the first place.   

I note from the RSPB website that Redwing have been given Red conservation status. I had never seen these birds before we moved to Suffolk five years ago. 

Early Autumn ... a mixed bag

Hoverfly Syrphus sp. (I think) on the last of my Californian Poppies

I spent ten or twelve minutes in our garden with my camera this afternoon, having a look around to see what was about. There was a dragonfly, but it was on the wing and never gave me the chance to see it properly. I could hear a few birds rustling in the bushes, but the only one to break cover was a female Blackbird. There were a number of insects, as you will see ...

Hoverfly Syrphus sp.

.

Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus (I think)

Early autumn berries on the Hawthorn

Blackberries arriving over the garden fence!

The photograph above intrigued me. There is a Small White (Pieris rapae) caterpillar on my Nasturtium leaf, but what is that white mark at the tip of of my orange arrow?

As far as I can see, caterpillars do not leave a trail of slime in the way that slugs and snails do. However, I have discovered from Reg Fry on the UKLeps website (you will need to search or scroll down once you have clicked the link) that White (Pierid) caterpillars spin a silkpad as part of the pupation process.

Intriguingly, it does not actually look to me as though the 'silk' in my photos is going to be used in this way. Do let me know if you have any thoughts.

I wish my photographs were clearer, but I was leaning over an unruly clump of wild honeysuckle, and had no wish to topple over! 

Close-up of ?silk

The photo above shows a couple of Nasturtium plants that have largely survived the onslaught of the caterpillars thus far. However, as you can see the leaves have been eroded by Leaf Miners (you will need to scroll down once you have clicked the link). I blogged about these two years ago in July. My Nasturtiums have been much later this year.

What interests me, though, is whether any of the parasitic wasps that have frequented this part of our garden around my insect hotel have been laying eggs in the Miner larvae. This thought may not be for the squeamish!

Above: something more straight forward - a Daddy Longlegs or Cranefly. I expect these will soon be making their way into our homes. 

And finally, a Shieldbug nymph (I think it is the Common Shieldbug nymph, 4th instar, but, as ever, please let me know if this is not correct).

I shall try out my ten to twelve minute observation exercise again. Who knows what I may have missed this afternoon!

Seasonal Splash ~ Autumn Reds

Nature Reserves: Minsmere (& Birdwatching Survey)

These are a few photos from a very chilly winter's day at Minsmere. The bird above is a Fieldfare, and I believe I have only seen this member of the Thrush family once before. I gather these birds eat worms and insects in addition to the Hawthorn berries that the one in the photo was enjoying. 

There was one small solitary Muntjac deer grazing among the pigeons.

The bird below (and again the twilight interfered with my photography!) is a Redwing. Like the Fieldfare above, Redwings are also members of the Thrush family. You can make out the distinctive cream stripe above the eye and its Robin-coloured flank. 

And finally ...

in my last post I posed the question, 'why do we watch birds?'
These were our answers ...

[a] professionally
[b] to tick off the species as you see them
[c] casually and for enjoyment
[d] to record trends in the avian population (which you submit to relevant bodies)
[e] because you enjoy photographing them
[f] because bird watching encourages exercise
[g] other

[a] - 1 reader
[b] - 3 readers
[c] - 4 readers
[d] - 1 reader
[e] - 4 of us (with one qualification!)
[f] - 1 reader (me!) included exercise

Kay added 'My watching birds really isn't on the list...they are fascinating, uplifting, always beautiful... ' I'm inclined to think this may constitute a [g] for this purpose! 

So thank you to all who responded!

Beautiful Birds: Waxwings

I guess most of us who enjoy birding feel a thrill when we see a species for the first time. I don't methodically add 'Lifers' to a list, but it is always exciting to see new birds.

The Waxwing in the photos is my latest 'bird of the blog'. I had begun to feel it was only a matter of time until our first sighting, as we knew these birds were about on the trees with berries at Minsmere. We didn't reach the reserve until it was practically dusk, so my photos are only record shots. The thrill, however, was seeing these birds, and discovering that they were much larger than we had expected. The photo challenge now is to return earlier in the day, when the sun is out and the birds are about!

Meanwhile, Google Images has some stunning shots over here. The RSPB site has useful information, and can be found here.

I wonder (purely out of interest) whether those of you reading this watch birds ...

[a] professionally
[b] to tick off the species as you see them
[c] casually and for enjoyment
[d] to record trends in the avian population (which you submit to relevant bodies)
[e] because you enjoy photographing them
[f] because bird watching encourages exercise
[g] other

Do drop a line - or relevant letter e.g. [a] - in the Comments box if you feel so inclined. As I say, this is just for interest. Oh, and are there any Waxwings in your neck of the woods?

Seasonal SplAsh: Snape Maltings

We were at Snape Maltings for the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival today, where this menacing scene ...

. . . can be found almost alongside this tranquil view of Iken church tower (and the boat) emerging from the reedbeds. 

There were some beautiful autumn colours. The things that look like giant marrows on the cart are reed bundles ...

The bright red of the Poetry Festival banners ...

. . . and the rainbow of autumn leaves added a splash of colour to the scene. 

It was very poignant to see this beautiful ash tree, in the light of the current bout of ash disease ...

. . . and I thought the bark was beautifully mottled.

There were few birds about, but I'm sure they will love these!

Seasonal Splash: Bryony Bracelet (or Tiara?)

Bryony berries ... of the Black or White Bryony variety?

On our way back from Oxburgh Hall last Saturday, we took a detour around Thetford to enable us to visit the remains of Weeting Castle. We parked by the church (what a gem - photo below!) and there behind us was a hedgerow bejewelled with Bryony berries.

St Mary's Church, Weeting ...

... and the adjacent remains of Weeting Castle. Notice the flint: the Grimes Graves flint mine site is only a couple of miles away.

What a stunning autumnal display ... in complementary colours! 

Beautiful they may be, but they are also HIGHLY TOXIC.

Black Bryony [Tamus communis] is more abundant in the south of Britain than in other regions. Itlacks tendrils, but climbs in a clockwise direction unlike White Bryony. I wish I had taken a photo of the leaves as these help with identification. White Bryony has tendrils and belongs to the marrow family: Black Bryony is related to the yam. I understand that frugivorous (fruit-eating) birds will be attracted to these berries in the latter part of the year ... but they are very poisonous for humans.