Category Archives: spring

There’s a Chiffchaff in my tree

22 Wednesday Mar 2023

Posted by in birds, spring

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

There’s a Chiffchaff in my tree, chiffchaffing happily!

230322 chiffchaff (1)

That was my tweet this morning after I’d spent a joyous 20 minutes standing by the open window, watching this little bird flit about the cherry tree outside my living room, catching tiny insects and singing almost the entire time.

230322 chiffchaff (2)

Although some Chiffchaffs now overwinter in the warmer parts of Britain, most still migrate, and they began arriving back in my area in good number last Friday. After this morning’s home-based Chffichaff encounter, I went for a walk around Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, during which I heard and/or saw at least 23 more Chiffchaffs. Their song will soon become one of the commonplace sounds of spring/summer but, for now, it’s pure magic!

230322 chiffchaff (3)

First Blackcap

20 Monday Mar 2023

Posted by in birds, spring

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

I heard him before I saw him – in fact, it took a while to spot this little chap, who was mostly hidden amongst the greenery as he sang his little tune. Was he celebrating the fact that he’d finally arrived on land after his long migration flight? Or was he practising his melody in preparation for trying to woo a potential mate? Though some Blackcaps now over-winter here, they are mostly to be found feeding in people’s gardens, taking advantage of the goodies on offer from feeders. This little fellow was by the sea, with no houses or gardens nearby, which is why I’m fairly sure he was a newly arrived migrant. And he was my first Blackcap of the year. I look forward to seeing more.

230320 first blackcap

Two sedges

17 Sunday Apr 2022

Posted by in plants, spring

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Sedges are new territory for me, a tentative step into the vast myriad of grasses, rushes and sedges I have yet to identify and recognise. This first, Pendulous sedge (Carex pendula), lines the rides in a local ancient woodland, where it thrives on the heavy clay soil. It’s quite a tall plant, growing up to five feet, and its flower spikes drape gracefully along the track edges.

220417 pendulous sedge

I think this second plant is Glaucous sedge (Carex flacca), though there are a number of smaller sedges and they can be tricky to identify. This plant is much smaller than its stately cousin, though it also prefers the damp, living in ditches and moist meadows.

220417 glaucous sedge

First Whitethroats

14 Thursday Apr 2022

Posted by in birds, spring

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

I was watching a Moorhen feeding its five tiny chicks when I heard it, the unmistakeable scratchy song of a Whitethroat (Sylvia communis), my first for 2022. And then, forty minutes later, I was walking along a hillside when I heard it again – not the same bird, of course, but my second scratchy tune of the year. As I’m still without a reasonable camera, today’s photo shows a Whitethroat I encountered last year.

220414 whitethroat

Flowers and Cuckoos

03 Sunday Apr 2022

Posted by in spring, wildflowers

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

The coincidence of the pale and delicate Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis) coming into bloom at the same time as the first Cuckoos arrive back from over-wintering in Africa is the likely origin of this wildflower’s common name, though several other wildflowers also bloom at this time and, with the climate changing, the flower’s blooming and the bird’s arrival no longer coincide very precisely. Perhaps the alternate Lady’s-smock and Milkmaid are more appropriate names.

220403 cuckoo flower

Another wildflower that is known in some areas as Cuckoo flower, as its flowers open around this time, is Arum maculatum. I know it best as Lords-and-Ladies, but many call it Cuckoo-pint (rhymes with mint), for which there is a somewhat more risqué explanation: pint is short for pintle, meaning penis. I’m sure you can all see why.

220403 cuckoo pint

First female

01 Friday Apr 2022

Posted by in insects, spring

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

This pale lime beauty was my sixteenth Brimstone of the year (I saw my first on 27 February) but she was the first female, and the first to stay still long enough for a few photos. Male Brimstones usually emerge first from their winter hibernation (as adults) and can be seen flying purposefully up and down hedgerows, footpath edges and woodland rides, searching for females, which emerge a little later than their male suitors.

220401 brimstone

Osprey!

31 Thursday Mar 2022

Posted by in birds, spring

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

I had a mystery bird during yesterday’s walk. It flew high over the west paddock at Cosmeston Country Park, heading north, in slow circles, mobbed by corvids and gulls. It was carrying something that seemed to have a snake-like shape, long and thin and dangling from its claws. Looking through binoculars, my impression of the bird was that it had dark grey/brown wings, a very pale, possibly white body, and a small pale head.

I had an idea what it might be but had never seen that species before so took as many photos as I could with my point-and-shoot camera (the telephoto lens on my DSLR camera has died and I can’t afford to replace it at the moment – what a time not to have a good lens!). Fortunately, local expert birders and our county bird recorder were able to confirm, from my description and the photos, that I had seen my first Osprey, migrating north to its breeding site after over-wintering in Africa. Welcome home, you beauty!