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Observations Of Nature Through The Seasons.


Jane Louise

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Posted
  • Location: Near Beverley, East Yorks. (5 metres a.s.l.)
  • Weather Preferences: Something good in all four seasons
  • Location: Near Beverley, East Yorks. (5 metres a.s.l.)

And now I've just spotted a Queen Bumble Bee in my garden.

Seems awfully early and chilly for her to emerge.

B. 

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Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.

A few birds were checking the nesting boxes in the garden today.

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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Fairly quiet down at the lake yesterday although the rookery is getting up a head of steam.  I did have some fun with this little fella

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who was quite happy to linger on my hand for quite a while and have a nosh. Unlike the Great Tits who prefer a quick zoom in and out technique.

Alas this didn't last very long as I was spotted by the advance guard of the SAS (Swan Attack Squadron) who spotted I was dishing out largesse and mounted a rapid pincer movement. They hoover up bird seed and nuts quicker than a Dyson and hiding the bag in your pocket doesn't work as they are in there in a flash. Retreat is the only option.

 

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Edited by knocker
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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Excellent doc. on BBC4 last night (first part of two) The Last Seabird Summer presented by Adam Nicholson. It's a study of seabird decline in the N. Atlantic. Like Nicholson I had a bit of a problem with the hunting, butchering of Puffins.

Mention of Fulmars took me back a bit as they were frequent visitors to the weather ship stations.

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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Quite chilly down at the lake this morning but the signs of spring were there. Rooks carting large branches around and just general bird noise.

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Did manage a quick snap of a Jay from a distance before it scooted as I got closer.

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And a woman had a variation on throwing a stick for her dog to fetch. She hurled into the middle of the small lake!!

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Edited by knocker
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Posted
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.
  • Weather Preferences: Thunder, snow, heat, sunshine...
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.

Just seen hundreds of geese fly over...What do they know that we don't?:D

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Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker on the Peanut feeder just now. The Rooks are making a right old racket morning and night her now, The sky is black with them at times.

20160311_160529_Richtone(HDR).jpg

Edited by Polar Maritime
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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Excellent PM and lucky you. I just had two fat wood pigeons on my bird table this morning. Do you levitate to top the feeder up?

Edited by knocker
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Posted
  • Location: Solihull, West Midlands. - 131 m asl
  • Weather Preferences: Sun, Snow and Storms
  • Location: Solihull, West Midlands. - 131 m asl
32 minutes ago, knocker said:

Excellent PM and lucky you. I just had two fat wood pigeons on my bird table this morning. Do you levitate to top the feeder up?

 

Just been watching a pair of Goldcrests in a bush right next to my window.

Really cheeky and very unafraid of me.

A really cute and  little seen very small bird.

MIA

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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Cracking day down at the lake yesterday although I was nearly crowned by a quite thick six inch branch dropped by a Rook from a great height. Anyway saw a couple of Nuthatches. A Great Tit keeping an eye on Sidney and a Jay popped in.

Nuthatch.thumb.jpg.610c8334e9ae7b8cd92ecBS.thumb.jpg.32b649a5f21d783fcd89fec01b4Jay.thumb.jpg.bf6a9eae50c76b1bcfca530cf2

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You can tell Spring is in the air as the Mallards have started mating. They normally have a ritual which involves the male dipping his bill to his mate and she then reciprocates but I must have missed it on this occasion. As can be seen the female is often submerged during the mating. Mallards are monogamous but paired males actively pursue forced extra-pair copulations which produces mixed paternity in broods.  There are often other males in the vicinity and the mating process excites them to attempt to mate with the female too. This can result in a ruckus but on this occasion all the males swam off clucking leaving the female to swim serenely on her own. It wont be long before a load of ducklings arrive but unfortunately not many survive as the predation rate is very high.

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As an aside I have to say the last couple of times I've been down to lake I've approached it with some trepidation. The reason being I was down there a couple of weeks ago and suddenly fainted. One minute I was standing there and the next thing I knew I was lying face down on the ground and a chap was asking me I was alright. Apart from being a little shaky I was. Cutting a long story short I've seen a couple of doctors since and they ruled out a stroke and tentatively put it down to sudden drop in blood pressure possible not helped by some medication I'm on. So you can't help wondering if you are suddenly going to keel over. Of course that is stupid as if you live on your own as I do you would be worse off keeling over indoors. Anyway investigation ongoing so off this morning for quick blood pressure check as the last doc. stopped my beta blockers. :)

Edited by knocker
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Posted
  • Location: Surrey and SW France.
  • Location: Surrey and SW France.
11 hours ago, knocker said:

As an aside I have to say the last couple of times I've been down to lake I've approached it with some trepidation. The reason being I was down there a couple of weeks ago and suddenly fainted. One minute I was standing there and the next thing I knew I was lying face down on the ground and a chap was asking me I was alright. Apart from being a little shaky I was. Cutting a long story short I've seen a couple of doctors since and they ruled out a stroke and tentatively put it down to sudden drop in blood pressure possible not helped by some medication I'm on. So you can't help wondering if you are suddenly going to keel over. Of course that is stupid as if you live on your own as I do you would be worse off keeling over indoors. Anyway investigation ongoing so off this morning for quick blood pressure check as the last doc. stopped my beta blockers. :)

That happened to my brother-in law's wife. They were taking a walk on a boardwalk in Florida - when he suddenly realised she was no longer with him, he turned to find her splashing in the water. Cut a long story short, meds to reduce hyperthyroid palpitations had caused her blood pressure and pulse to drop like a stone. Take care.

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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Jonathan has his first bath at 184.

The world's oldest living animal, a 184-year-old giant tortoise, has had its first ever bath.

Jonathan, a giant tortoise living on St Helena, was cleaned up by the island's vet in preparation for an upcoming Royal visit.

Almost two centuries' worth of grime was scrubbed off its back using a loofah, soft brush and surgical soap.

tortoise-1-large_trans++qVzuuqpFlyLIwiB6

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/good-news/2016/03/23/worlds-oldest-living-animal-aged-184-has-first-ever-bath/

Edited by knocker
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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Finally caught with the last part of the excellent series The Last seabird Summer. It had a close look for the reason behind the current decimation of seabird populations in Iceland. Apparently the SSTs around Iceland, particularly the west, have a cyclical warm and cold phase which seriously alters the composition of the food chain. We are currently in the warm phase with temps up to one degree warmer which is seriously bad news for the feeding grounds of seabirds. But what is exercising minds at the moment is whether the cycle will be modified by climate change. In other words will the seabirds ever return to Iceland as they have done in the past?

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Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.

Didn't even know it was on Knocker, Theres that many channels knowadays its hard to keep up! I will try and find it on the tinterweb..

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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne
2 hours ago, Polar Maritime said:

Didn't even know it was on Knocker, Theres that many channels knowadays its hard to keep up! I will try and find it on the tinterweb..

Two parts on BBC4 PM first part was March 1st I think.

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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Keeping an eye on a little splash of colour on Good Friday. I must admit I have a soft spot for the Female Mallard who is often considered drab in comparison to the males but I don't think so.

Can.jpgMoor.jpgMal.jpg

Jay.jpg

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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

They are the big bullies at the bird table, scoffing all the food and leaving smaller birds to go hungry. And woodpigeons’ self-preservation is paying off — they have increased more than tenfold in gardens since 1979, far faster than any other species, according to the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch survey.

They were spotted in 77 per cent of the 300,000 gardens surveyed by volunteers during the last weekend of January. The total UK population of woodpigeons is now more than ten million.

I can vouch for this as they are daily visitors and the other day I had four cavorting in the garden at the same time.

Edited by knocker
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Posted
  • Location: Hoyland,barnsley,south yorkshire(134m asl)
  • Weather Preferences: severe storms,snow wind and ice
  • Location: Hoyland,barnsley,south yorkshire(134m asl)

Was testing my new cam out yesterday and got snap happy down at the local water park

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got this capture when a dog was chasing the canadian geese away

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apple tree blossom

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and a bee on a flower

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i must say that i am impressed with this new camera:D

 

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don't know how i got my dog on there,i was uploading the pic but didn't put it on,oh well.

Edited by Allseasons-si
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Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.

Plenty of activity here with Blue Tits nesting in one of the boxes while yesterday i was out sorting one of the outhouses and noticed what i think is a little Wren building his nest, I will try and get a snap of him later this evening.

20160402_150540_Richtone(HDR).jpg

Edited by Polar Maritime
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Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.

From what i have read Wrens can build several nests with the female chosing one of them, Hopefully this one will get the feather lining although the others cant be that far away..

Edited by Polar Maritime
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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

A very fine day down at the lake yesterday. There are still four of the first Mallard ducklings surviving bu it's easy to see why they are so vulnerable. They decided to go ashore and have a kip in the undergrowth. Now this is probably okay during the day but at night they must be at the mercy of rats of which there are plenty.

D.jpgD 1.jpg

 

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Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.

Not the best of shots as they are pretty fast birds but managed to catch the Wren busy picking moss of the wall.

 

20160406_075350_Richtone(HDR).jpg

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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

I was fortunate this morning by being in the right place at the right time to see two swans perform their mating/courtship ritual. Apparently it can go on for quite a time but this was fairly short although I may have missed the start. It’s very graceful and beautiful to witness

It starts off with the two lining up side by side and then they start dipping their heads below the water and then pulling them out and preening themselves (this went on for about 5 minutes). When this has finished they start to make more physical contact where they press their breasts against each other’s, as they raise and lower their necks in a graceful, smooth fashion. The amount of eye contact increases during this time, too.

They will stare at each other during the up and down motions of the necks and will sometimes raise both heads together at the same time to look at each other with sideways glances as they turn their heads from side to side.

Again, this can continue for a few minutes, until there comes a time when the necks actually start to intertwine with each other’s. One swan will drape their neck over their partner’s.

It’s at this stage where the actual copulation is about to take place. To do this, he paddles himself so he’s right alongside side her, but facing in the opposite direction. He will then turn himself so he’s ninety degrees to her side and then clamber himself onto her back.

Once the copulation is complete, he will quickly dismount her and the two birds will face each other and rise, by paddling vigorously, so they’re almost completely out of the water and will then perform some more head turning. During this time you can also hear a few more, low pitched rumbling snorts coming from the pair – a groan. It’s a very weird noise.

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Meanwhile Sidney was lunching

Sid.jpg

 

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