I had my suspicions last year but I never managed to get him in the act. This time I was in the cemetery with my camera when I heard what sounded like a mixture between woodpecker drumming and door creaking. I followed the noise and found the male great spotted woodpecker drumming on a mobile phone aerial on the council estate building next to the cemetery. I then only managed a very distant photo before it flew away. A little while later I had found the female 'singing' in a tree next to their old nest when I hear him again, so I rushed back and managed some better photos and a few movies (which I have yet to process). At one point it got chased away by a crow who thought that this was the ideal place to eat its monkey nut, and went to another one and started again. All the while, the female was continuing her calls and getting closer.
Near to the female I also saw a pair of greenfinches mating. Spring is definitely in the air. Colours are appearing everywhere: yellow of daffodils, crocus, and the "tits' tree" (box), purple and white of the crocus, pink and purple of prunus. Even one hyacinth was flowering, albeit a well sheltered one, but still it was flowering. There is still no pink on the magnolia, which is much later than the previous 2 years, but the buds are definitely getting bigger. The snowdrops are however on their way out now.
I spotted my first ladybird of the year. Not a 'classic' one, but a 16-Spot orange ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata), and not where I have seen them in previous years, which would be difficult at this time since it is on the underneath of the pink chestnut tree leaves. It was on a pine tree, and as I was taking a few photos, I heard a high pitch note, looked up and found a goldcrest happily feeding up in the tree. I tried taking a few photos but it was definitely not as cooperative as the ladybird :)
I spotted my first ladybird of the year. Not a 'classic' one, but a 16-Spot orange ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata), and not where I have seen them in previous years, which would be difficult at this time since it is on the underneath of the pink chestnut tree leaves. It was on a pine tree, and as I was taking a few photos, I heard a high pitch note, looked up and found a goldcrest happily feeding up in the tree. I tried taking a few photos but it was definitely not as cooperative as the ladybird :)
Hi Nathalie,
ReplyDeleteA very interesting post, let's hope the colder weather this last couple of days doesn't have an adverse affect on all this nature springing in to new life. I would love to see a Goldcrest, I don't remember that I ever have (and I'm sure I would remember).
It hasn't been very cold here, very windy yesterday afternoon and evening though.
ReplyDeleteMy first encounter with a goldcrest was unfortunately a 'present' from my parents' cat a Christmas morning :( I had no seen one on my patch until last October but then they seem to pop up all over the place!
I think at least one has spent the winter in the cemetery; it helps that we have a lot of evergreen trees.