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earthstar

~ a celebration of nature

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Monthly Archives: December 2015

Meet the Muscovies

31 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, nature photography

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birding, birds, birdwatvhing, ducks, Muscovy duck

I met these three Muscovy ducks during this morning’s walk around Roath Park lake. I’ve not seen them before so I’m not sure if they’re recent escapees from a local waterfowl collection or not-so-local farmyard, or are feral – they were certainly friendly enough, toddling over to beg for food.

151231 muscovy

The Muscovy (Cairina moschata) isn’t native to Britain, nor does it come from the area around Moscow, in Russia, which is what the word Muscovy normally means. This duck came originally from Central and South America but has been domesticated by the Native Americans since pre-Columbian times, and has long been introduced to many other countries.

151231 muscovy 1

Being larger than the mallard, Muscovy are favoured for eating and apparently have a stronger flavour, which some liken to the taste of roast beef. In culinary circles, the bird is known as Barbary duck so don’t be confused when you see Barbary on the menu – you’re actually eating Muscovy. Since their introduction to Britain, many birds have escaped or been released from domestic confinement, so there is now quite a large wild population. And, in case you’re wondering, the name actually refers to the strong musk odour the bird produces from a small pouch below its beak.

151231 muscovy 2

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Nature’s nutcracker

30 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, nature photography

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birding, birds, birdwatching, British birds, nuthatch

The nuthatch (Sitta europaea) can frequently be seen upside down, scrambling down a tree trunk or hanging from a bird feeder while pecking urgently to extract its favourite nuts and seeds. As its name implies, it loves nuts and, like squirrels and jays, frequently stashes nuts in chinks and crevices. This can cause problems for homeowners – I read one story of a nuthatch burying seeds in the cracks between patio pavers and in potted plants. If the bird didn’t return for all its buried food, the homeowners got its (unwanted) treasure of sprouting trees, shrubs and sunflowers.

nuthatch (3)

Many of the nuthatch’s vernacular names refer to its habit of wedging nuts in crevices and striking them with its ultra-sharp beak: ‘nut topper’ and ‘woodcracker’ in Surrey, ‘nutcracker’ in Shropshire, ‘nuthack’ and ‘nut jobber’ from Berkshire, and ‘jobbin’ in Northamptonshire (‘job’ is from an old English verb meaning to peck or jab). The nuthatch’s other common names refer to its mud-plastering nest-building habits: ‘mud dabber’ from Somerset, and ‘mud stopper’ in various parts of southern England.

nuthatch (2)

Cracking and eating nuts is a favourite human pastime at Christmas, and The Nutcracker a favourite Christmas-time ballet but I think, in terms of entertainment, Nature’s nutcracker has them both beat!

nuthatch (1)

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Feeling sheepish?

29 Tuesday Dec 2015

Posted by sconzani in animals, nature, nature photography

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idioms, sheep

I come from a land of sheep (New Zealand) and now I live in another (Wales). Sheep are not only important in the cultures and economies of both countries, they also figure in many aspects of our daily lives. We wear clothes made from their wool, use products made from their leather and, in the English language, we regularly use many sheep-based idioms.

sheep nz

If you’re feeling sheepish, you’re embarrassed because you know you’ve done something silly or wrong. You might be the black sheep of the family, the one who’s different, perhaps disreputable, maybe unloved. You should beware the wolf in sheep’s clothing, the dangerous person who’s pretending to be harmless. If you work as a manager, you might need to separate the sheep from the goats, i.e. separate those people who are competent and worth keeping from those who are not. If you fancy someone but feeling shy and a little foolish, you might make sheep’s eyes at them. And if you’re having trouble getting to sleep at night, then you could always try counting sheep!

sheep welsh chirk

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The sexual habits of lichen

28 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by sconzani in fungi, lichen, nature, nature photography

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fungi, fungus, lichen

Lichen have two methods of reproduction: one is asexual – they simply expand to cover more of the surface on which they’re living; the other is sexual but, it’s not the actual lichen that is reproducing sexually, it’s the fungus the lichen is in a symbiotic relationship with.

151228 lichen sex pontcanna trees (1)

The saucer-shaped discs in my photos are apothecia, one of the two main types of sexual fruiting bodies of the fungi in the Ascomycota group, to which the majority of lichens belong. Spores (the correct term is propagules) are dispersed from these discs by air, water or attaching themselves to minibeasties, and must then meet up with an algal partner in order to form new lichen.

151228 lichen sex pontcanna trees (2)

The yellow- and orange-coloured lichen in these photographs are, I believe, Xanthoria parietina, which is very common on both tree bark and stonework throughout Britain, and has a particular liking for Elder trees and coastal rocks.

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Communing with cormorants

27 Sunday Dec 2015

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, nature photography

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birding, birds, birdwatching, British birds, Cormorant

The cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is common around the world – the Chinese have long been known to train domesticated birds for fishing and, in 17th-century England, it was a court fashion to tame cormorants for fishing, a trend so prevalent that the royal household included a Master of the Cormorants. Though they fish by diving underwater for up to two minutes at a time, their plumage is not waterproof, which is why cormorants can often be seen with wings outstretched, drying in the wind and sunshine.

cormorant (2)

Cormorants are large and very distinctive birds – to some, quite reptilian in appearance, and can be found throughout Britain, in their preferred habitats of rocky coastlines and coastal estuaries, though in recent years the European subspecies has increasingly been populating inland lakes and waterways. For this the cormorant suffers very bad press from fishermen, who have been demanding the right to cull these superior fishers. One place where the birds are particularly well regarded, however, is Liverpool, where the Liver Bird – actually a cormorant – has long been the city’s emblem.

cormorant

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The trooping of the funnels

26 Saturday Dec 2015

Posted by sconzani in fungi, nature, nature photography

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fungi, fungus, Monk's Head, Trooping funnel

My photos of this most majestic of mushrooms were taken on 16 November, yet these fungi have only just disappeared, succumbing eventually to the almost constant rain we’ve had in the past month. But what a show they put on! Clumped together in twos or threes and standing up to eight inches tall, they trooped grandly across a garden bed at my local park in an arc that was at least five metres long, as if they were parading for royalty!

Clitocybe geotropa Trooping Funnel (2)

This is the aptly named Trooping funnel, until recently known by the scientific name Clitocybe geotropa – clitocybe means ‘sloping head’ and geotropa, in ancient Greek, means ‘towards the earth’ – but now reclassified Infundibulicybe geotropa. Such reclassifications are common in the fungi world now that their individual characteristics can be more accurately identified with the benefit of modern technology. This fungus also has other common names: Monk’s Head (I guess its soft leathery texture does look a bit like a shaven pate) and, in Scotland, the Rickstone Funnel-cap (its shape resembles a particular method of stacking corn, straw or hay).

Clitocybe geotropa Trooping Funnel (1)

The Trooping funnel is a common enough woodland fungus but is most famous for its impressive fairy rings. One such ring in France was recorded at more than half a mile wide and was believed to be 800 years old!

Clitocybe geotropa Trooping Funnel (5)

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The lion’s tooth: Dandelion

25 Friday Dec 2015

Posted by sconzani in nature, nature photography, wildflowers

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dandelion, medicinal plant, wildflowers, yellow flowers

One of my favourite wildflowers is the humble dandelion. On grey winter days it provides a welcome burst of cheery yellow, and seeing the fluffy seed heads brings me fond childhood memories, of dandelion clocks to tell the time from the number of blows it takes to remove the seeds, and of making a wish when the last of the seeds blows away.

151224 dandelion (1)

Officially labelled Taraxacum officinale agg., the common name dandelion comes from the French dent de lion, lion’s tooth, a reference to its deeply toothed leaves. In England, it is also commonly called ‘wet-the-bed’ and ‘pissy-beds’, from the idea that just touching a dandelion causes bed-wetting. Luckily, that’s not true, though the dandelion is a scientifically proven diuretic.

151224 dandelion (2)

In fact, the dandelion is an extremely useful plant. It’s a good source of beta-carotene, is rich in Vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins and also high in protein, so has been used for thousands of years to improve the functioning of the liver, gallbladder, and urinary and digestive systems. And, though I’ve never tried it, dandelion is also widely used to make wine. So, the next time you’re tempted to eradicate these ‘weeds’ from your garden, think again and, instead, make use of Nature’s bounty.

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Christmas greetings

24 Thursday Dec 2015

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birding, British birds, Christmas greeting, Merry Christmas, robin

Xmas robin tw

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Posted by sconzani | Filed under birds, nature, nature photography

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A tree a day for a year

23 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by sconzani in nature, nature photography, trees

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a tree a day, photography project, trees

I love trees! Not only are they beautiful to look at, trees provide food and shelter for humans and for wildlife; trees release oxygen and clean our air by absorbing greenhouse gases; trees help reduce flooding and water pollution, and stabilise ground at risk of erosion; trees are the source of many medicines; trees provide income for a huge number of the world’s people; and so much more.

151223 year of trees (1)

Each year I like to set myself a photographic challenge and, in 2015, my project has been to photograph a tree (or trees) every day for the whole year. These are two of those images.

151223 year of trees (2)

Spending so much time with trees this year has brought me enormous pleasure. The Japanese have a term for walking in the woods that I particularly like – it’s shinrin yoku, which literally  means ‘forest bathing’. I think the world would be a much better place if we all bathed regularly in forests.

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What’s small, brown and often polygamous?

22 Tuesday Dec 2015

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, nature photography

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

birding, birds, birdwatching, British birds, dunnock

151222 dunnock (2)

I am a huge fan of this small sparrow-like bird. Its name, Dunnock (Prunella modularis), comes from the Old English word for ‘little brown’ and its brown and grey colouring is certainly nothing flashy but it does blend in perfectly with the hedges and shrubs, bracken and leaf litter through which it constantly shuffles to find its snacks of beetles, ants and spiders.

151222 dunnock (1)

The dunnock may look rather drab but its sex life is anything but. It may have an incredibly short copulation time, of a fraction of a second, but it more than makes up for that by being the most frequent fornicator of Britain’s small birds, recorded at once or twice an hour for a 10-day period! What’s more, it frequently dabbles in polygyny, polyandry and polygynandry. It seems that by mating with two or more males a female not only increases the diversity of the breed, she also helps to prevent rival males from destroying her eggs and encourages more than one male to feed her ravenous offspring. Smart female!

151222 dunnock (3)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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