107/365 Merry as a martin

17 Wednesday Apr 2019

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

Tags

#365DaysWild, birding, birds nesting in Cardiff Bay, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay, Sand martin

I braved the school holiday crowds for a walk around part of Cardiff Bay today ’cause I wanted to see how the Sand martins were settling in to their chosen nooks and crannies. It was a delight to see so many of these charming little birds swooping back and forth over the waterways, merrily chattering all the while, and they seem to be actively nesting in almost every one of the old docks.

I watched them for a long time and loved every moment but I couldn’t help but feel sad that so few of the people there today even noticed them. They were missing something very special.

106/365 Snoozing

16 Tuesday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay, Ely embankment, female duck, female mallard, Mallard, sleeping duck

190416 female mallard

Some days, when it’s grey and misty and still a bit damp from the morning’s rain, the best thing to do is tuck your head under your wing and snooze the afternoon away – at least that seems to have been the opinion of this female Mallard on the Ely embankment today.

105/365 Number 10

15 Monday Apr 2019

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

≈ 10 Comments

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#365DaysWild, British butterflies, butterflies, butterfly, Holly blue, Holly blue butterfly, Lavernock Nature Reserve

I walked almost every path, track and trail at Lavernock Nature Reserve today hoping that, in spite of the strong cold southerly wind blowing in off the sea, I might find some butterflies in the more sheltered spots … and I did – four Speckled woods, a fine male Orange-tip, and the one butterfly I had hoped most to see, my first Holly blue and my tenth butterfly species for 2019. And what a beauty it was!

190415 holly blue

104/365 Peggles, paigles

14 Sunday Apr 2019

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

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, British wildflowers, Cowslip, False oxslips, Paigles, Peggles, spring wildflowers

I know these gorgeous wildflowers as Cowslips but they have a wealth of other names, including Hey-flowers, Peggles, Paigles, Culverkeys and Bunch of keys, according to the entry in my Flora Britannica. Perhaps you know other local names for them.

One thing I didn’t know until today is that the name Cowslip is a euphemism for ‘cow-slop’ or cow pat because these lovely blooms often grow best in fields that have been well ‘fertilised’ by cows.

p.s. My Facebook friend George has very kindly corrected my flower identification: ‘The first and last photos are false oxlips rather than true cowslips, these are hybrids between cowslips and primroses and have slightly bigger, paler and more open flowers.’ I must pay more attention next time I’m looking at wildflowers!

103/365 Distant, blurry and bottoms

13 Saturday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

birding, birding at Marshfield, birding at Pilning, birdwatching, British birds, Corn bunting, Little ringed plover, Red-legged partridge, Redstart, Ruff, Wheatear, Yellowhammer

Distant, blurry and bottoms. These three words tell the story of the photographs I took on today’s Glamorgan Bird Club trip to Marshfield and Pilning, both places across the border in Gloucestershire. But don’t be misled by the (lack of) quality of my photos – it was a superb day, with birds I don’t often see at Marshfield (Yellowhammers, Corn buntings, and Red-legged partridges), as well as several Wheatears and a stunning male Redstart. And at Pilning, at the water’s edge between the two Severn bridges, I was able to add Little ringed plover, Yellow wagtail and Ruff to my year list. And as for those photos … well, see for yourself …

190413 1 yellowhammer

The blurry bottom of a Yellowhammer

190413 2 wheatear

A distant, blurry Wheatear

190413 3 corn bunting

The distant, blurry bottom of a Corn bunting sitting on top of a tree

190413 4 redstart

There’s a distant Redstart in this picture

190413 5 red-legged partridge

The blurry bottoms of two Red-legged partridges as they flew away

190413 6 little ringed plover

A distant, blurry Little ringed plover

190413 7 ruff

A very distant, very blurry Ruff

102/365 November in Portugal

12 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, colour-ringed gull, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Flat Holm Island, Larus fuscus, Lesser black-backed gull, movements of gulls

I have been out wandering today but, rather than sharing some photos from that, I want, instead, to share this information I’ve received about a ringed bird I reported. The bird is a Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus), which I spotted at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park on 1 April and reported through the European Colour-ring Birding website.

190412 Lesser black-backed gull ringed

It’s a common enough bird, of course, and, as you can see from the list of sightings below, it seems to spend most of its time flying back and forth between Flat Holm Island and Cosmeston, except in November 2017, when it obviously fancied some time in warmer climes. I can’t help but wonder whether that was a one-off trip or whether it just hasn’t been spotted and reported on its other European sojourns.

08/07/12          FLAT HOLM ISLAND, Cardiff
02/09/12          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 56 days)
13/10/12          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 97 days)
12/06/14          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 1 yr 339days)
24/08/14          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 2 yrs 47days)
14/09/14          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 2 yrs 68days)
14/09/14          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 2 yrs 68days)
26/07/15          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 3 yrs 18days)
06/09/15          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 3 yrs 60days)
03/04/16          FLAT HOLM ISLAND, Cardiff (3 yrs 270days)
24/04/16          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 3 yrs 291days)
29/04/16          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 3 yrs 296days)
04/05/16          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 3 yrs 301days)
02/07/16          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 3 yrs 360days)
21/08/16          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 4 yrs 44days)
13/05/17          FLAT HOLM ISLAND, Cardiff (4 yrs 309days)
14/05/17          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 4 yrs 310days)
04/11/17          Costa da Caparica, Setúbal, Portugal (1493 km, SSW, 5 yrs)
07/07/18          FLAT HOLM ISLAND, Cardiff (5 yrs 364days)
01/04/19          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 6 yrs 267days)

101/365 Slow-worms

11 Thursday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, nature, reptiles

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, Anguis fragilis, British reptiles, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, refugia, slow-worm

I was walking with my friend Sharon around Cosmeston today when we spied a refugia and couldn’t resist having a look underneath. This is what we found … but what is going on?

190411 slow-worm (1)

These are Slow-worms (Anguis fragilis), and there look to be two of them intertwined. We assumed they were mating but I’ve been reading that they don’t usually mate until May, and that males and females differ in colour and appearance – these appear to be two females. And what’s with the ants? Are they trying to attack the Slow-worms, irritate them so that they move away?

190411 slow-worm (2)

Answers on a postcard … or in the comments below. Thanks, and if/when I find out more, I’ll update this post.

p.s. I’ve been told by a friend that if one Slow-worm finds a nice warm place to bask, others will join it – so just friends enjoying the warmth together, I think. And the ants don’t like them ’cause the Slow-worms will eat their pupae but the ants can’t harm the Slow-worms.

100/365 Boy meets girl

10 Wednesday Apr 2019

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

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, British butterflies, Cuckooflower, Orange-tip butterfly, Orange-tip egg, Orange-tip female, Orange-tip male

A sequence of events that unfolded before me this afternoon….

190410 Orange-tip male

A male Orange-tip butterfly feeding on one of its favourite flowers, and the host plant for its caterpillars, the Cuckooflower.

190410 Orange-tip male and female (1)

Finished feeding on that flower, the male flies on and suddenly smells a female. Woohoo!

190410 Orange-tip male and female (2)

Sadly for him, this female has already mated, which is why she’s holding her body in that odd upright manner. He remains hopeful for a moment or two, then gets the message and flies off.

190410 Orange-tip female

I follow the female who flies to another flower. She’s not eating so what’s she’s doing, I wonder.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Aha! Can you spot the single egg attached to the flower stalk, in the very centre of the picture? I’ll have to go back in a week or so and see if I can spot any caterpillars on these flowers.

99/365 Yellow dishwashers

09 Tuesday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay, Ely embankment, Grey wagtail, Motacilla cinerea, Yellow dishwasher

190409 grey wagtail (1)

I knew that one of the Pied wagtail’s vernacular names is Polly dishwasher but I’ve only just found out today that its cousin, the Grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea), is sometimes known as Yellow dishwasher … and Barley bird, and Gypsy bird, and Winter wagtail, and Oatseed bird. Such fascinating names, and such pretty little birds. These two, a male (above) and female (below), were picking their way along the rocks of the Ely River embankment in Cardiff Bay this morning.

190409 grey wagtail (2)

98/365 Under pressure

08 Monday Apr 2019

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

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, chaffinch, Chaffinch foraging for food, male Chaffinch

190408 chaffinch (2)

Judging by how single-mindedly this male Chaffinch was searching the ground for food snacks and how he totally ignored me when I moved quite close to him – and, in fact, walked even closer towards me, I’m guessing he had several hungry offspring in a nest somewhere nearby and was feeling pressured to fill those gaping beaks.

190408 chaffinch (1)