26 Thursday Jan 2023
Posted in birds
Tags
birding, birdwatching, British birds, Chiffchaff, Chiffchaff fly-catching, over-wintering Chiffchaff
So many flies, so little time …
Although the majority of Chiffchaffs still migrate to warmer southern climes for the winter, increasing numbers can now be seen over-wintering locally. This little beauty was feasting well on the hundreds of tiny gnat-like flies that had emerged in Monday’s sunshine.
25 Wednesday Jan 2023
I was listening to a Water rail squealing from the reeds growing alongside a local brook, getting tantalising but very fleeting glimpses of it moving stealthily along the water’s edge, when I realised I could hear another sound, a slight but regular rustling. I scanned the edge of the brook again and there, sitting in plain sight, was the well-camouflaged brown blob of a Water vole, munching contentedly on a green reed. It made for a much more obliging photographic subject, and a very cute one at that.
24 Tuesday Jan 2023
I had no idea what type of cloud this was but, luckily, one of my fellow local birders is much more knowledgeable about such things. Peter wrote: ‘I think they’re fall streaks from a contrail where ice crystals drop out of the cloud and get drifted by the winds aloft. Normally seen dropping from cirrus or other high-level clouds.’
As the cloud drifted overhead, it came to look more and more like a magnificent gigantic feather. (The photo below was taken with my phone, which is why the colours look a bit different from the photo above.)
23 Monday Jan 2023
Posted in birds
When life finally gives you a little winter sunshine, you might as well relax and enjoy it. This Common gull was doing just that, snoozing in the relative warmth of the midday sun.
22 Sunday Jan 2023
Posted in wildflowers, winter
Tags
British wildflowers, Daisy, dandelion, Field speedwell, wildflowers in bloom, Winter heliotrope, winter wildflowers
After a week of hard frosts and bitterly cold winds, it’s not surprising that I’ve found very few wildflowers in bloom. Indeed, I’m rather surprised to have found any. But those I have found seem to be particularly hardy plants and are wildflowers I’ve previously found during the winter months. They are Daisy and Dandelion, Field speedwell, Gorse, Sun spurge, and Winter heliotrope.
21 Saturday Jan 2023
Posted in birds
I was hoping to hear my first Skylarks of the year but was instead entertained by a little posse of Reed buntings, fossicking for titbits amongst the tall tufts of meadow grasses. If a noise alarmed them, they’d flit up to a higher vantage point, on a branch of Field rose or the twigs of a nearby tree, to survey the area and check out its source but, as I kept very still, the birds seemed unconcerned by my presence.
20 Friday Jan 2023
I’ve seen this lichen described as a fanfare of trumpets, which is just the most perfect description for a lichen that can be found adorning the branches and trunks of trees throughout the year almost everywhere in Britain. Meet Ramalina fastigiata.
19 Thursday Jan 2023
Posted in insects
Tags
Drinker, Drinker moth caterpillar, hairy caterpillar, moth caterpillar, moth larva, Philudoria potatoria
It will be a few months yet before I will be seeing any of these hairy beauties but they are worth the wait. These photos show the larva of the Drinker moth (Philudoria potatoria), which can usually be found feeding on grasses and reeds, particularly in damp places. The UK moths website reports that ‘This species gets its English (and Latin) name from the habits of the caterpillar, which is supposed to have a liking for drops of dew.’
In theory, these caterpillars can be found now, as they hibernate when only partly grown, emerging in the spring to continue their development, but I imagine they are currently well hidden from hungry birds. My photos were taken last May, when these caterpillars were almost fully grown and would soon be pupating. I’ve never seen the adult moth but it is also a beautiful creature.
18 Wednesday Jan 2023
Posted in birds
Tags
birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, drake Goldeneye, female Goldeneye, Goldeneye
I know I’ve blogged about this drake Goldeneye very recently but I want to share yesterday’s magical experience. The drake was much closer than usual to the boardwalk along the edge of Cardiff Bay so I was able to watch its almost constant diving for food and to admire its stunning plumage when it washed and flapped its wings.
Suddenly, a flock of Tufted ducks flew in to join the couple of hundred already present and, amazingly, they were accompanied by two female Goldeneyes. It took ten minutes or so for the three Goldeneyes to find each other, and then I was able to watch all three interacting. It was enchanting!
17 Tuesday Jan 2023
Posted in insects
Another day, another summer fly. This one, from last May, is a little bristly beauty called Nemorilla floralis, whose name means something like ‘little visitor to the flowery glade’ (according to a tweet by @ivysuckle). Unfortunately, this fly doesn’t live up to its pretty name as it’s a parasitoid, laying its eggs in the living larvae of various micro moths and butterflies.
earthstar 
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