• ABOUT
  • BIRDING 2018
  • Birding 2019
  • BLOG POSTS
  • Butterflies 2018
  • Resources

earthstar

~ a celebration of nature

earthstar

Category Archives: 365DaysWildin2019

51/365 Tawny!

20 Wednesday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

birding, British birds, British owls, intuition, owl in a tree, Tawny owl

There are times when I think birding is about developing a sixth sense. Today I was out walking somewhere I’d never been before, I was loving being surrounded by glorious old trees and constant bird song, but then it started to rain, just lightly but enough to be unpleasant. I’d been out for several hours so figured I’d increase my pace and head back to the station for the train home. I was stomping along the track when I suddenly felt an overwhelming need to stop, turn around and look back the way I had come. There was no particular sound that triggered this feeling and I didn’t immediately see any reason to stop, until I looked up … and saw this gorgeous Tawny owl snoozing in a dead tree. Sixth sense, intuition, luck, call it what you want – it was certainly working for me today.

190220 Tawny owl

Like Loading...

50/365 Conifer mazegill

19 Tuesday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, fungi, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, British fungi, Conifer mazegill, fungi on conifers, Gloeophyllum sepiarium, mazegill fungi

I first found this fungus last week and went back today to get more photos. It had me flummoxed at first – it looked mazegill-ish but is growing on a handrail so I couldn’t identify the wood and couldn’t match the fungus to anything in my books. Fortunately, there are some extremely knowledgeable fungi experts around who are generous with their assistance and one in particular, Andy Overall, was able to identify this from my photos.

190219 conifer mazegill (3)

This is Conifer mazegill – its scientific name is a bit of a mouthful, Gloeophyllum sepiarium – and it’s a wood-rotter, feasting, as the name implies, on the dead wood of conifers.

190219 conifer mazegill (2)

The examples I’ve found are very young and don’t look anything like the stiff brackets they will grow in to, though the Mushroom Expert website has one image of this early stage, and a lot more information if you’re interested.

190219 conifer mazegill (1)

Like Loading...

49/365 With laser-sharp chants

18 Monday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Great tit

190218 Great tit

‘The laser-sharp chants of great tits’ is how Brett Westwood describes the sounds these enchanting little birds sing out as the fever of spring begins to take hold and they vie with each other to advertise their charms and attract a mate. I think, however, that this little one’s chirping at me today was more about food than anything else.

* The quote is from Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss, Wonderland: A year of Britain’s wildlife day by day, John Murray, London, 2017.

Like Loading...

48/365 Prints in the mud

17 Sunday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, animals, mammal, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, British mammals, Otter, Otter paw prints, Otter prints in mud, prints in mud

190217 mud prints (2)

Today has been another fabulous day out with my friends from the Glamorgan Bird Club, enjoying the magnificent Welsh countryside and marvelling at all its amazing birds – and I’ll report on that in tomorrow’s blog post – but, for me, the most exciting thing today was these prints in the mud under a bridge near Dryslwyn. I think these are the closest I’ve yet been to a live Otter!

190217 mud prints (1)

Like Loading...

47/365 Cherry blossom

16 Saturday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, flowers, nature, spring, trees

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

#365DaysWild, blossom, Cherry blossom, Cherry tree, Spring blossom

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Today was a chores day so I just had a little tootle around my local haunts. But my photo was taken right outside my house. As a first-floor-flat dweller, I don’t have a garden but the tiny stone-filled front yard of my building has a magnificent Cherry tree, which fills half the view from my living room window and brings me great joy throughout the year. I have been watching its buds swell fatter and fatter until, finally, today the first several of its blossoms have opened.

Like Loading...

46/365 Barry Fox

15 Friday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, animals, nature, spring

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Barry, Barry Island, British mammals, fox, fox lying in the sun, Red fox

Under blue skies and glorious sunshine, I returned to Barry for another long exploratory meander today so I expected this blog post to contain one of the many photos I took of water lapping on sand, aerobatic gulls soaring overhead, seaweed floating in and out on the waves, birds feeding amongst the reeds and rivulets in the Old Harbour …. But then I happened to glance over a railing into someone’s allotment and saw this gorgeous creature basking in the warm afternoon sun. And all thoughts of a marine theme vanished in a blink of a sleepy fox’s eye.

190215 fox

Like Loading...

45/365 Sweet heart

14 Thursday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, fungi, nature

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, British fungi, elfcup fungi, red elfcup, Scarlet elfcup

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

To be honest, I’m not one to get excited about days like today – too much commercial hype and money wasted on needless rubbish. But, when I spotted this almost-heart-shaped Scarlet elfcup, I thought I would at least share a little love for Nature from Nature.

Like Loading...

44/365 Bee-lieve it or not

13 Wednesday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature, spring, wildflowers

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, Alexanders, first bee of the year, Smyrnium olusatrum, Spring is in the air

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Today has been incredibly mild and Spring-like, and the warmer temperatures encouraged the birds to sit singing on tree tops, flowers to open (the flowers in this photo are Alexanders Smyrnium olusatrum – the first I’ve seen open this year), and lapping up the pollen from those flowers was my first bee of 2019.

Like Loading...

43/365 Spring in the air

12 Tuesday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, spring

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birds mating', birdwatching, British birds, Great Crested Grebe, Great crested grebes mating

The scent of Spring was strong in the air today or, at least, all the birds I saw thought so. The Great crested grebes were being particularly amorous. First, though, this female fancied some lunch – just a little snack to keep her energy levels up.

190212 great crested grebe (1)

Then she climbed on to the minimal nest that she and her mate had created and got herself ready. The male seemed unsure – perhaps he was shy because I was watching.

190212 great crested grebe (2)

After a couple of minutes when nothing had happened, the female stood up, gave herself a little shake and directed some stern squeaks at the male.

190212 great crested grebe (3)

He had obviously got the message!

190212 great crested grebe (4)

The end made me laugh out loud as he slid unceremoniously over the female’s head in to the water. Let’s hope their efforts were not in vain. I’ll be keeping an eye on them, from a suitable distance.

190212 great crested grebe (5)

Like Loading...

42/365 Strata

11 Monday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, geology, nature, walks

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Lavernock Point, south Wales coast, south Wales coastal path, St Mary's Well Bay, St Mary's Well Bay geology

190211 St Mary's Well Bay strata

I know nothing at all about geology so I’m not even going to attempt an explanation of what these rocks are, what the formations are called, which periods they date from. I just think they look damn cool! This photo was taken on today’s walk from Sully back to Pernarth, looking east across St Mary’s Well Bay, with Lavernock Point in the background.

Like Loading...
← Older posts
Newer posts →

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.

View Full Profile →

Follow earthstar on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent blog posts

  • Target acquired January 14, 2026
  • First beetles January 13, 2026
  • City Hall Peregrine January 12, 2026
  • Blackthorn in bloom January 11, 2026
  • Weevil: Mecinus pyraster January 10, 2026

From the archives

COPYRIGHT

Unless otherwise acknowledged, the text and photographs on this blog are my own and are subject to international copyright. Nothing may be downloaded or copied without my permission.

Fellow Earth Stars!

  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • earthstar
    • Join 669 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • earthstar
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d