17 March 2009

I spent more than 5 minutes watching this pair mating this morning in Margravine Cemetery. Certainly no quicky :)

Otherwise, there were lots of singing robins, great tits, blackbirds, goldfinch, as well as a pair of chaffinches, a few greenfinches, and the great spotted woodpecker was drumming.

I don't know if it's my memory playing tricks, but there seems to be much more violets this year. Small carpets everywhere.

The magnolia is finally in full bloom.

11 March 2009

Since I saw one of these, a 16-Spot orange ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata), on 1st March, which is when I took the photo above, I have spotted plenty more. I counted at least 36 on the same tree, but I have also seen clusters of them on other trees, on the bottom side of branches mostly. They're apparently to be seen from April, so they are a bit early if that's the case.

Lots of birds singing or busy nest building in the cemetery today. A pair of magpies is building a nest in a holly tree, probably one of the lowest magpie nests I have ever seen. A pair of robins were courting in the hedge by the entrance, I witnessed a food exchange,
The crocuses are pretty much finished, and finally there is an 'explosion' of soft pink on the magnolia!

I have not seen last year's partially leucistic young crow for a while, but, today, as I was getting to Barons Court tube station, I spotted a very similar one flying above the tube lines. I'd say, it's probably the same one, it has just relocated and appeared to have found a mate. Not bad for the 'runt'.

Finally, I love this photo of a chaffinch I took as it was eating prunus/cherry blossom. It has almost a menacing look, with a ciggy in its beak, imo. Or, it looks just stupid!

4 March 2009

Finally, one bud was showing some pink on the magnolia in the cemetery this morning, which is more than 2 weeks later than last year.
I heard the male great spotted woodpecker drumming and managed to find him after much effort. A lot more difficult to find him in trees! After a few days of not finding the parakeets at the nest, one was in and the other standing guard this morning.
The long-tailed tits are still building their nest. A few times now in that area I have heard a great tit with a very noticeable song,the best way to describe it is extremely metallic. Weird.

1 March 2009

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 :)

28 February 2009

I was expecting delivery of my first mealworm order this year this morning so I decided to go and check my patch early. I left home at about 6:30, before a lot of the birds woke up it seems as it was pretty quiet to start with... Apart from a singing dunnock at the corner of Margravine Cemetery by the West Lodge. The sparrows on Winslow Road were silent on my first pass, but very much aloud on my way back. I was trying to count them when something spooked them, and they all scattered, but 5 on the same roof is the most I have had there at once for a while. The first 2 I saw were mating, spring is definitely in the air! I also saw and heard a few sparrows on Distillery Road and by Crabtree Wharf.

Tide was going down when I got to Hammersmith Bridge, and there did not seem to be many birds. Still, I saw:

• grey wagtail
  
• black-headed gull: 38 at HB, 51+ at the River Cafe. Definitely a feeling that there are less of them than 2 weeks ago. Also a lot more black heads to be seen.
  
• mallard: 19
  
• teal: 68
  
• gadwall: 28
  
• common gull: 1
  
• lesser black-backed gull:: 4 adults with various degrees of streakiness
  
• greater black-backed gull: the usual pair on the pontoon
  
• coot: 3, amazing considering I only saw 1 the whole of last year...
  
• moorhen: 2
  
• pied wagtail
  
• cormorant: 1 fishing, and 9 on the pontoon
  
• starlings
  
• crows
  
• parakeets
  

And as I was leaving the path, 4 mute swans were flying over coming from central London.
No tufted ducks.

I was home in time to receive the mealworms thankfully.

26 February 2009

I haven't had much opportunity to go out so far this week, except for shopping, and this is on one of those shopping trip that I have seen yet another colour-ringed house sparrow, in the same spot by Sainsbury's. I also saw today the female I first noticed 2 weeks ago.

I haven't yet spotted any other ringed sparrow in the other 2 colonies I check on my patch.

The long tailed tits are still building their nest just outside the cemetery. I watched them picking up lichen/moss from a tree nearby, it looked such a small quantity, no wonder it takes them so long. I think they may be picking up material from what I am offering as I can occasionally hear their chirping at the back of the house, but if the blue tits are here they chase them away from their balcony! The blue tits are still visiting the window feeders for seeds and mealworms regularly, a great tit has started also coming for mealworm.
I have heard or seen wren and dunnock visiting the back gardens, which is a sign that they're improving I hope.

Still no sign of pink on the magnolia, but some of the daffodils are just about to bloom. The squirrels haven't managed to eat all the crocuses, so, at least at a distance, they're making a lovely blue carpet...

Happy Birthday to me!

My favourite flowers on my birthday, what more could I ask for? ;)

11 February 2009

I had a nice surprise this morning while sitting at my desk. I heard a tweet and, when I looked up, found a chiffchaff on the broom at the back of the garden where the tits eat the worms and seeds they pick up on the balcony. It went from branch to branch, looking resplendent in the sunshine, and wagging its tail a bit. I picked up my camera, but just as I was going to press on the trigger, the neighbours' flue started spewing steam engulfing the bush and my picture ended up all white! It probably also caused the bird to move away, but I relocated in a neighbour's garden. I then took this photo of it on a rose bush.

Later on, on my way to and back from the shops through Margravine Cemetery, I was initially thinking that it was pretty quiet, but as I got close to the grove I could see 9 crows together, they were occasionally rather noisy, but mostly they were busy pecking at the ground, while avoiding the squirrels. The male great spotted woodpecker flew to the ginkgo biloba and started tapping at a branch; I don't think I've seen it in that tree before. Plant-wise, there has been a crocus explosion, the purple carpet is expanding in the north part, and planting has finally started at the roundabout, with some little box shrubs.

Both peregrines were present on the hospital for a good part of the day, eating, digesting and sunbathing, with a bit of preening thrown in...

13 January 2009

Snowdrops are starting to flower in Margravine Cemetery.

Other signs of spring being on its way, a pair of dunnocks singing in the cemetery, as well as robins all over the place.

Both peregrines have been around and quite mobile. Black feathers were flying up in the air as the female was plucking a prey early morning.