Late January Garden, ahead of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Update of 31 Jan. 2021: I have tried several times to upload my Big Garden Birdwatch results to the RSPB site, but apparently the volume of results has caused a glitch. According to messages on the RSPB England Facebook page, we are invited to keep trying to upload our data, and this can be done right up until 19 February.

I look forward to taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch over the weekend. Long-tailed tits may not gain my highest score, but I expect they will be in the top three. We hardly ever saw these exquisite birds when we lived in South Wales: I wonder whether they have become much more prevalent in recent years. We placed a robin-sized nesting-box of brushwood and a small roosting pouch in the garden today. It will be interesting to see in the coming weeks whether we have any takers.

 

'Our' nettles had a very poor summer season last year, so the ones in the photo above, taken this morning, make we wonder if 2021 will be a better year for them. I would love butterflies to lay their eggs in this corner of the garden.

Sadly this Dockbug has come to grief. I noticed it in the old shallow tray of water we keep out for the birds. On a happier note, I watched a ladybird moving along a branch in the sunshine. I expect it should really be overwintering, but the unexpected warmth had probably lured it out. I also saw what looked like my first bee of 2021. I always look forward to the return of the insects. 

The specks of ice (or hail?) on this leaf caught my eye the other morning. I have greatly enjoyed seeing the icy wonders on BBC Winterwatch this year.

Swan Feed at WWT Welney

Last Saturday was cold day, teetering on the brink of spring,
but with one foot definitely still in winter. 

We headed off to Norfolk (UK) in search of swans at WWT Welney. 

This is the migrating season,
so we were not sure how many would still be there ...

We left Ely and Littleport and drove through the fens, 

between dykes and wide fields of black soil. 

You can see which way leads to the swans! 

A hare-spotting walk was in progress when we arrived,

and while we were too late for this,

we kept an eye out for these lovely animals.

We were rewarded with a couple of fairly distant sightings.

The wind was brisk at times,
and there were bursts of activity on the marsh
during the calmer spells. 

We enjoyed keeping an eye open for Reed Buntings. 

We love looking out over the Ouse Washes,
and enjoying the sense of space.

East Anglia is renowned for its wide skies.

Almost all of the Bewick's Swans had already departed 

for their breeding grounds in Russia.

However there were some stunning birds left, 

like the Whooper above and the Mute swan below. 

We watched two swan feeds during our time on the reserve,
each accompanied by a commentary.

I found it particularly helpful to learn
that Whooper swans have a yellow wedge 

(beginning with 'w' for Whooper) on their bill, 

while Bewick's swans have a distinguishing yellow blob
('b', of course, for Bewick's).

Mute swans are easy to recognise
with their orange bills - no mnemonic necessary!

There is a useful swan ID chart here.

The swans were surrounded by male Pochard. 

Most of the females are currently in Spain.

Whooper swans are so elegant ...

... and so are the Wigeon.

How's this for waterfront camouflage?

Pochard have bright eyes,
but the camera seems to have enhanced this particular one a bit! 

There was a bit of feather ruffling going on ...

... and a bit of sleeping. I love the feathers. 

I'm guessing that this duck
 is probably a domestic variant of the Mallard. 

The hares were not very active - but just wait until March arrives!

As the daylight began to fade,
we noticed a Kestrel hovering above the water. 

The sun began to set as huge flocks took to the sky. 

We particularly enjoyed watching the Lapwing. 

A sense of peace pervaded the reserve
in between the frantic bursts of activity.

The sunset was stunning ...

... and the Shelduck were still going about their business.

Welney - what a place!

Every so often it got very stormy. 

This was the view from the the hide
as the dark clouds tried to get the upper hand.

It was soon time
for the evening swan-feed ...

... which was a popular event for birds and humans alike ...

... in bitter temperatures beneath the February moon.

*


Postscript

This was the car roof the following morning.

Winter Scenes in Suffolk

The road through the woods that leads to RSPB Minsmere ...

The beach at Minsmere, sunset

Evening Light on the Reserve

A shard of ice, NT Sutton Hoo

Above and below: more frost flowers ...

For more ice and frost flowers, vines and roses ...

• Kuriositas
• Dr James R. Carter
• Ice Vine, New Scientist blog
• The MailOnline - patterns on frozen pools of stagnant water
• The Icelandic Web of Science

Frostflowers: Fractal, Feathered or Fern-like?

This is the time of year for Jack Frost and his ice patterns!

The swirls in the photo above graced the roof of my car some days ago and made me wonder how they came to form in the way that they do.

I am, alas, no scientist, but it seems that small environmental changes, for example in air temperature, air movement, in the number of water molecules or in the quantity of dust particles, cause an ice pattern to grow, perhaps by developing long frond-like arms, thereby deviating from its original flower-like design.

But what causes these formations in the first place? Well, in the case of windows, it seems that frost patterns emerge when a pane of glass is exposed to sub-zero temperatures on the outside and moist air on the inside. Water vapour in the atmosphere condenses and becomes frost on the internal surface of the glass. These days with central heating, we rarely see frost patterns inside our homes, but I recall the high sash windows of my teenage years and the chilly patterns that delighted us on winter mornings.  

• The Story of Snow: what we sometimes miss
• Fern pattern
• Frost photos

Seasonal Splash: Flatford and Felixstowe, Snow and Sunshine

This post comprises a miscellany of photographs from our weekend. The welcoming sign below greets you as you enter the RSPB Wildlife Garden at Flatford.

As you can see, there was still some snow around on Saturday. There was also quite a lot of frozen water. The Moorhen below was lifting her large yellow feet very gingerly.

I really enjoyed taking the shot below, and watching the play of light on the water, parts of which were frozen over and parts of which were not. I love the reflections and the small trail of bird prints.

The copse below was looking particularly beautiful ...

I wonder whether these tree roots above are always submerged.

The Mallards were skating around a bit at the water's edge!  

The landscape above reminded me so much of my rural Norfolk childhood. This part of Suffolk is definitely more undulating, but I recall those snowy plough lines with much affection. There were several pheasants about.

Cut ... to Felixstowe, and the container port, where we hoped to see some birds in the vicinity of the Bird Observatory at Landguard Fort. It was bitterly cold on Sunday afternoon, and there were few birds to be seen.

We found a short boardwalk, which led us towards this Cormorant. It was too breezy to hold the camera still, but it seems to me that the bird has an unusually white head. The link here (you will need to click and then possibly scroll down a little) is not about Cormorants in Suffolk, but it explains about some of the white markings that can be seen on the heads of these birds.

There were one or two Herring Gulls around on the shingle, among the Pigeons.

And finally (for now), this was a photo I took at Flatford on Saturday of the Barn Owl as it coursed the field in the fading light.

We have occasionally heard owls back home, but to date, this one below is the only one we have actually seen! Its eye sockets contain small solar panels, which shed tiny beams of light on our garden after dark.