Old bird, new camera

11 Thursday Aug 2022

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, robin

At last, I’ve been able to address the photographic gap that resulted when my 75-300mm lens stopped working a few months ago, though rather than simply replace the lens, I’ve opted for a new camera, a bridge camera with a 25-400mm lens, so I no longer have to lug about a camera body and multiple lenses (the details, if you’re interested, are on my ‘Resources’ page). I’m still adjusting, learning, experimenting, running on auto much of the time but, so far, I’m pleased with the images I’m getting and hugely delighted to be able to photograph my beloved birds, like this little Robin, once again.

220811 robin

Finally, Brown argus

10 Wednesday Aug 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects

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Aricia agestis, British butterflies, Brown argus, butterfly

The Brown argus butterfly (Aricia agestis) usually has two broods each year, the first adults flying during May and June, the second brood appearing in late July and fading away in late September. Somehow, I missed the first brood this year so, for the last couple of weeks, I’ve been systematically checking the spots of every female Common blue (at a glance, they look quite similar to Brown argus – see my July 2018 blog Flying on the wings of confusion for tips on how to differentiate the two species). Finally, last Friday, this beautiful Brown argus flitted into my field of vision. I didn’t quite do a happy dance but there was a not-too-loud ‘Whoop’!

220810 brown argus

Feather: Green woodpecker

09 Tuesday Aug 2022

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birding, birds feathers, British birds, feathers, Green woodpecker, Green woodpecker feather

What a treasure this is! Almost as good as finding a Jay feather, and just as distinctive, with the green colour all down one side of the central spine (called the rachis). Of course, I brought it home … I was going to write ‘to add to my collection’ but my collection is gone. All the gorgeous feathers I had collected and placed in a container in my living room were attacked by house moths earlier this year, munched to smithereens by their larvae. Now I only keep the smaller feathers I find and glue them into my nature journals, where I’m hoping they’ll be safe.

220809 feather green woodpecker

The killing stone

08 Monday Aug 2022

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, broken snail shells, Song thrush, Song thrush killing snails, thrush anvil

I heard it before I saw it, that persistent tap tap tap of a bird, a Song thrush, dashing a snail against a stone, its anvil, to free the shell of its juicy contents. I’ve read that thrushes often use the same stone over and over and, when I found this particular stone, I could certainly believe it. Just look at all those broken snail shells. It’s sad for the snails but good for the Song thrush and its offspring.

220808 thrush anvil

Wild word: sessile

07 Sunday Aug 2022

Posted by sconzani in plants, wildflowers

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British wildflowers, Cirsium acaule, Dwarf thistle, sessile, thistle, thistle species

Sessile: adjective; Botany zoology (of a plant or animal structure) attached directly by its base without a stalk or peduncle (Oxford Dictionary).
Dwarf thistles (Cirsium acaule) are also known as Stemless thistles and are a good example of a sessile plant. The only local patch of Dwarf thistles I know is flourishing this year, as their preference is for ‘dry grassy habitats’ on ‘calcareous soils’ (Naturespot website).

220807 dwarf thistles

Cygnets

06 Saturday Aug 2022

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, cygnet, Mute swan, Mute swan cygnets

Cygnet. It’s an unusual word, a strange combination of letters, so I checked the Oxford Dictionary for its origin: ‘Late Middle English from Anglo-Norman French cignet, diminutive of Old French cigne ‘swan’, based on Latin cycnus, from Greek kuknos‘.
The Mute swan cygnets below are some of this year’s fledglings in Cardiff Bay. They’re now mostly living independently from their parents, though still like to keep close company with their siblings.

220806 cygnets

Humongous fungus

05 Friday Aug 2022

Posted by sconzani in fungi

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bracket fungi, British fungi, Dryad's saddle, fungus, Polyporus squamosus, summer fungus

During Monday’s local meander I was hugely surprised to spot this humongous fungus, though I shouldn’t have been. Dryad’s saddle (Polyporus squamosus) is actually one of the first bracket fungi to appear each year, often sprouting its saddle-shaped ledges during the summer months when you’d least expect fungi to appear. This one was in a shady woodland, in an area less affected by the scorching sun that’s parched much of the land around here, so it was certainly a much more fungi-friendly location.

220805 dryads saddle

Parasitic wasps on Teasel

04 Thursday Aug 2022

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Dipsacus fullonum, parasitic wasp, Teasel, wasps on Teasel

A year ago I wrote about the moth larvae I’d found living inside Teasel seed heads (Inside a Teasel seed head, July 2021). This year, during my recent walks, I’ve noticed small parasitic wasps on many of the flowering Teasels I’ve seen. I haven’t been able to identify these wasps but it occurs to me that they may have been seeking that same species of larvae I saw last year, prodding and poking with those fierce-looking ovipositors until they found a soft body in which to lay their eggs.

220804 parasitic wasp on teasel

A hawking migrant

03 Wednesday Aug 2022

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Aeshna mixta, British dragonflies, dragonfly, Hawker dragonfly, Migrant hawker

The latest dragonfly species for 2022 to blip on my inexpert odonata radar is this Migrant hawker (Aeshna mixta) that was lurking amongst the brambles along a local footpath. I disturbed it with my blundering and it flew off, hawking a few insects as it wove this way and that. Fortunately, after a couple of minutes, the hawker returned to its perch, and I was able to get a closer look and a few photos.

220803 migrant hawker

Twinkle toes

02 Tuesday Aug 2022

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Moorhen, Moorhen chick, Moorhen chick's toes, Moorhen feet, Moorhen toes

Can you even begin to imagine what it would be like to have toes as long as this Moorhen chick? It would be like having toes as long as our bodies. We’d be falling over ourselves trying to move about. But not the Moorhen. Although this little one was still young enough not to have full control over its lengthy extremities, one of its parents put on a display that showed exactly what they’re good for, spreading its weight as it sprinted across the leaves of water lilies, almost as if it was walking on water.

220802 moorhen chick