5/366 Musk mallow

05 Sunday Jan 2020

Posted by sconzani in nature, wildflowers, winter

Tags

British wildflowers, Malva moschata, Musk mallow, wildflowers in bloom, winter colour, winter wildflowers

This Musk mallow (Malva moschata) must be the prettiest wildflower I’ve found still in bloom so far this year.

200105 musk mallow (1)

They can usually be found in dry places, like ‘chalk pastures, roadsides, churchyards and old quarries’, according to my Flora Botanica: this one was on a roadside verge next to Grangemoor Park, a former rubbish dump now park.

Plantlife’s website has some fascinating snippets about this pretty plant. Did you know …

The ancient Greeks used musk mallow to decorate friends’ graves.
Musk mallow was once an ingredient in soothing cough syrups and ointments, and it was also valued as an aphrodisiac!
In the Victorian “Language of Flowers” it is said to be a symbol of ‘consumed by love’, persuasion, and weakness.

Can you spot the itsy-bitsy spider?

4/366 Empty nests

04 Saturday Jan 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, winter

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birds' nest, birds' nests, empty nests

Nest: noun; ‘A structure or place made or chosen by a bird for laying eggs and sheltering its young’ (Oxford Dictionary).

At this time of year, when the trees are leafless, it’s much easier to see empty birds’ nests, and these are a few I found during today’s walk. The first (below) was only exposed because the local authorities have done their usual harsh cutting back of the bushes and brambles that border the local section of the Wales coastal path. It would have been very cosy as it was lined with sheep’s wool. From what I could see from ground level, the other nests were much more basic, stick-and-twig constructions.

200104 birds nest (1) 200104 birds nest (3) 200104 birds nest (4)

3/366 Stroll around Forest Farm

03 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, walks, winter

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Dipper, Forest Farm, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, Great spotted woodpecker, Grey heron, Kingfisher

Today’s was another merry meander, this time around Forest Farm Nature Reserve. The sun was actually shining for part of the time, which was a very pleasant change, and I was lucky with my bird sightings.

200103 1 dipper

As soon as I stepped on to the pedestrian bridge that crosses the River Taff from Radyr Station to Forest Farm, I could hear a Dipper singing – such a delightful melody! And there it was, sitting on a rock on the far bank, almost directly under the bridge. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the day.

200103 2 great spotted woodpecker

The little birds – the tits and finches, Robins and Wrens – were also very vocal and it wasn’t long before I had paused to hand out some sunflower seeds and enjoy their feasting. As I watched, I caught a flash of red – my first Great spotted woodpecker of the year. I also heard, then saw a Green woodpecker but wasn’t quick enough for any photos.

200103 3 kingfisher

I popped along to the second bird hide but all was quiet there and I’m not one to just sit and wait for the birds to come, so I headed along to wander the length of the old Glamorgan Canal, and back. I was soon lucky there too – a Kingfisher was flying and perching on low branches, trying to fish but being almost continuously disturbed by passing dogs and their walkers and noisy families.

Four hours later, I had dished out all of my seed offerings and managed to clock 30 species, four of which were new for 2020 and all of which were lovely to see. But the highlight of the day was probably the sight of 10 Grey herons in one huge dead tree (at one point also joined by a Buzzard but two Magpies soon saw it off)!

2/366 New Year Plant Hunt

02 Thursday Jan 2020

Posted by sconzani in nature, wildflowers, winter

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

British wildflowers, Cardiff Bay, New Year Plant Hunt, wildflowers in bloom, winter wildflowers

While I was walking around Cardiff Bay yesterday, not only was I keeping an eye on the sky for birds, I was also looking down a lot, trying to find as many wildflowers in bloom as possible for the New Year Plant Hunt – to be honest, it’s amazing I didn’t fall over, with my head bobbing up and down like one of those nodding dogs you used to see in the back windows of cars (some of you may be too young to remember those!).

The New Year Plant Hunt actually goes on for four days, from the 1st to the 4th, so you’ve still time to join in. The event is run by the BSBI, the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland, and aims to ‘find out how our wildflowers are responding to changes in autumn and winter weather patterns’. You can read all about it on their website, and follow along on the social media of your choice.

I was surprised and delighted with my haul from yesterday, finding 28 (!) wildflowers in bloom. My tentative identifications are: a thistle species; Common ragwort; Winter heliotrope; Red clover; a Gorse species; Daisy; one of the Cat’s-ears (I think); a member of the carrot family, perhaps one of the parsleys; Bristly oxtongue; Red valerian; Hemlock water dropwort; a dandelion species; Black nightshade; a sowthistle species; a mayweed, I think; a buttercup species; Bramble; Sea radish; a hawkweed species; Groundsel; Petty spurge (with a rust fungus); Narrow-leaved bittercress; White melilot; Yarrow; Oxeye daisy; Common kapweed; Shepherd’s-purse; and Herb Robert.

1/366 And we’re off!

01 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, winter

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, Black redstart, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, Goosander, Lesser black-backed gull, Turnstone

And so another year, another decade has kicked off, and I started as I mean to go on, with an 8-mile walk around Cardiff Bay, immersing myself in the local wildlife. I counted 43 species of birds, found 28 species of wildflowers in bloom (more on them tomorrow), and spotted 1 moth. I finally met someone I’ve ‘known’ on Twitter for ages, and bumped into 2 fellow birders. The weather may have been shite (gloomy, partly foggy, partly low cloud, sometimes drizzle) but it was a mighty fine way to jump start a new year.

My good camera didn’t come out often as it doesn’t like the wet and the photos I did take are very grainy due to the poor light, but I’ll include a couple anyway.

This male Goosander was posing nicely – wish I could’ve done him justice

200101 3 turnstones

There were 14 Turnstones along the Ely embankment today, 7 of which ventured up on to the pavement – never seen that before. Lingered watching for quite a while …

For those who like lists, the birds were: Robin, Lesser black-backed gull, Feral pigeon, Starling, Great tit, Blackbird, House sparrow, Woodpigeon, Herring gull, Carrion crow, Dunnock, Blue tit, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Cormorant, Coot, Great-crested grebe, Mallard, Goosander, Grey wagtail, Turnstone, Collared dove, Mute swan, Redshank, Tufted duck, Wren, Blackcap, Black redstart, Moorhen, Pied wagtail, Raven, Goldfinch, Song thrush, Little grebe, Linnet, Reed bunting, Cetti’s warbler, Shoveler, Sparrowhawk. Pochard, Grey heron, Meadow pipit, and Jackdaw.

A record shot of the Black redstart

A bit gory, sorry, but a reminder that it’s a ‘bird eat bird’ world out there! Not sure what the victim was

365/365 Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

31 Tuesday Dec 2019

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

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, blackbird, British birds, dunnock, robin

From me and today’s small feathered friends, here’s wishing you a very Happy New Year. Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

364/365 Trees in fog

30 Monday Dec 2019

Posted by sconzani in nature, trees, weather, winter

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

fog, thick fog, tree, trees in fog, trees in silhouette

The fog was so thick this morning that I could hear the fog horns blasting out their warnings to shipping using the Bristol Channel. So, I figured I’d go for a local wander and see what photos opportunities I could find. Trees in fog it was.

191230 trees in fog (1) 191230 trees in fog (2) 191230 trees in fog (3) 191230 trees in fog (4)

363/365 An extremely early bumble

29 Sunday Dec 2019

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, winter

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Bombus hypnorum, British bumblebees, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Tree bumblebee, winter bumblebee sighting

I was amazed today at Cosmeston to hear a buzzing sound and then watch this bumblebee fly slowly past, to settle on the trunk of a nearby tree. It’s a Tree bumblebee, I think, Bombus hypnorum, a species that usually emerges from its winter sleep in March.

191229 tree bumblebee (1)

Yesterday I saw a Red admiral butterfly, and now today this bumblebee. It just shows how mild our winter weather has been so far.

191229 tree bumblebee (2)

362/365 A handsome hybrid

28 Saturday Dec 2019

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, hybrid duck, hybrid Mallard, preening duck

191228 hybrid duck (1)

During today’s wander, I spotted this duck sitting on a log alongside the River Ely, preening.

191228 hybrid duck (2)

I presume it’s a hybrid Mallard of some kind, as Mallards do seem inclined to hybridise with many other types of duck. In this case, I’d guess one parent was a domestic species but it’s impossible to know.

191228 hybrid duck (3)

It was certainly a very handsome creature, a beautiful combination of clean crisp white and glossy dark green.

191228 hybrid duck (4)

361/365 Soggy shanks

27 Friday Dec 2019

Posted by sconzani in fungi, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British fungi, Flammulina velutipes, fungus, Velvet shanks, winter fungi

It was so misty and soggy out today that I could hear more than I could see, particularly as my specs were alternately splattered with raindrops or steamed up.

191227 velvet shanks (1)