Saturday 25 September 2010

General (County) update - 25th September 2010

  • I was up before dawn again this morning, on the hunt for otters, kingfishers and barn owls.
  • Well - no otter (or mink), no barn owls and the kingfisher didn't even take to his perch for me, but I had a lovely morning under clear skies and a crisp northerly wind.
  • Yet again I saw more swallows heading west -maybe a dozen or so, very low over the river - SURELY thats it for the swallows now (although I do hear that vast flocks of them and martins are being seen migrating through the county even this late in September).
  • Also saw a huge winter flock of goldfinch (maybe 6 or 7 dozen strong) - a sure sign that its getting colder when the finches form these giant winter flocks.
  • Did watch a young fox sunbathe for 30 minutes on the other side of the kingfisher pool -which was very nice!

Thursday 23 September 2010

General (County) Update - 23rd September 2010

  • The Peregrine has returned to the Thames Tower opposite the station today - first time I've seen it back in months!
  • I was in the pub when the storm passed over - followed by low sun, a double rainbow AND bolts of fork lightning (shot of a lifetime stuff!). Never mind - I still managed a shot of this year's Harvest (September full) Moon, and Jupiter rising...
  • This is the first time in 20 years or so, the Harvest Moon has reached 100% on the autumnal equinox.

HARVEST MOON & VENUS

Wednesday 22 September 2010

Swift Half update - 22nd September 2010

  • Anna found a nice big hairy caterpillar in the kitchen today (before the spostles did!) and I quickly identified it as one of our more common garden moths down here in this garden -the Buff Ermine.


  • BUFF ERMINE CATERPILLAR

  • Please click HERE to see a photo I took of an adult, last summer.
  • Eyes of a hawk, you know, my wife!
  • By the way - September full moon after midnight tonight - the HARVEST MOON.

Tuesday 21 September 2010

Swift Half update - 21st September 2010

  • Another two swallows passed over "Swift Half" this afternoon. Its almost October now - bugger off!
  • We are getting a mini Indian summer still - the patrolling migrant hawker is still a frequent visitor to the garden, the red admirals are still around, and it feels very nice in the sun - I hear its gonnae get up to 25c tomorrow - not bad for late September eh?
  • BUT.
  • The House spiders are on the move - BIG time. Every other day there's one huge beastie in the house - racing around, getting chased by one of the spostles. There's another in the kitchen as I type. (This time of year, the male house spiders get "the urge" and set off in search of a mate. You'll recognise the male house spiders by their "boxing gloves" or pedipalps - much more bulbous than the females palps). NB. Word of advice - when you find a spider in your bath - it has NOT climbed up the plughole or overflow pipe. Its got in through a window or crack by the skirting board and climbed up the bath, (often in search of a mate) and fallen in.
  • Malu decided to take a quick dip in the pond at 3am last night, then flump on my head in bed like a warm, wet pile of seaweed - purring like a V6 all the while. NORTY Malu!

Monday 20 September 2010

General (County) update - 20th September 2010

  • This morning, at around 7am I watched a mink bound up the towpath at lock island, Caversham.
  • I hadn't had such a good view of a mink for over twenty years, when a pal of mine and myself, watched a mink hunting in the GUC near Tring.
  • I know there are lots of mink in the area (and on the Kennet), but this was a mighty fine view.
  • Otter news also - I was privy (in a professional capacity) to watch a video of an otter in a culvert, filmed a few days ago in the southeast of England (I'm not allowed to state exactly where, but lets just say its a stone throw away from a very residential area).
  • So I know we have at least one (probably more) otter in lower stretches of the river near me (many more in the upper stretches) and at least one in another famous river (not the Thames) in the southeast of England. Its true what they say you know - otters are to be found in every county in England again these days - great stuff!

Friday 17 September 2010

Swift Half update - 17th September 2010

  • As the leaves turn more and more yellow, it still feels a little like summer, when the sun does come out, even with this northerly breeze.
  • Red admirals are still using the washing on the line for basking, migrant hawker dragonflies still patrol the hedges and today I saw two swallows flying south at an alarming rate.
  • Each time I've seen swallows or martins in the last week, I think that must be it for the year - but I'm not sure now...

Wednesday 15 September 2010

General (County) update - 15th September 2010

  • Conkers are beginning to fall from horse chesnut trees now.
  • I saw a huge migrating flock of house martins just after dawn over the Thames today - maybe 200 strong and quite late in the year for them (and me)! I assume they are waiting for the wind to change to a northerly (maybe tomorrow or the next day) to assist their passage south...

Sunday 12 September 2010

General (County) update - 12th September 2010

  • Got up before dawn again this morning (4am) and went to sit by the otter pool on the local river with my wildlife pal (Mr.T).
  • Lovely to see the (male) kingfisher again and what we thought (again) was an otter or a mink in the distance, but neither of us was sure.
  • The beautifully clear morning meant that although I was able to take photographs of the stars before setting off (including the Orion nebula and Andromeda Galaxy), the stillness, hanging mist and dew (before the sun burnt it off) steamed up our cameras pretty quickly.
  • I was lucky to get the one shot of the kingfisher below. Please bear in mind that this was a shot taken with radio control (I was 30 yards away from the camera when I pressed fire, and the camera itself was probably another 30 yards away from the perch). Kingfishers are schedule 1 birds, which means one shouldn't be taking photographs of them near a nest site without a licence (in a nutshell). I know this male kingfisher (with his mate) raised a successful brood this year, which were last seen together about a month ago. So I know therefore I am not disturbing any nest site, nor would I be even without my radio controlled shutter release - but its always best to be 100% sure.
  • The roe buck is back in the flood meadow also - nice to see. This flood meadow is due to be turned into a wetland nature reserve this month - this will involve a lot of work (and disturbance), but I'm sure the wildlife will return in droves, soon enough.


SPECIAL BRANCH

***

Swift Half update - 12th September 2010

  • Firstly the bad news. The caterpillar (that I thought was a red admiral in the wrong place) that started to pupate on our big shed has been "broken into" by a wasp I expect and eaten. The chrysalis is still there - but has a hole in it and is empty. Sad, but there you are.
  • Plenty of migrant hawkers and common darters, field grasshoppers and spider-hunting wasps in and around the garden still.
  • The leaves on the trees (especially the damson trees) are yellowing quickly and falling in the blustery winds.
  • Pears beginning to rot on the large pear tree (I'll have to rescue the still-edible ones now. We tested (by tasting) one t'other night and it was very nice indeed!
  • Two woodmice still under the corrugated iron.
  • Newts (and frogs) still in pond after I gave it a little TLC (blanket weed removal) yesterday.
  • Hawks still apparent and a nice large dark buzzard flew low over the house this morning -always nice to see. Fewer kites at present though (always seems to be the way at this time of year, when I assume they follow the tractors round farmers fields at grass cutting / harvesting time).
  • Jays still coming for their monkey nuts - I'll turn up the volume on that project in October.

Friday 10 September 2010

Swift Half Update - 9th September 2010

  • Two woodmice (both very small) have started to nest under the corrugated iron I placed in the long grass in the rear garden in the spring. I've had singular woodmice there from time to time over the summer, but these two seem to be here to stay (for now).

Tuesday 7 September 2010

Swift Half update - 7th September 2010

  • The white bat has returned to this neck of the woods! Just like last year! (It must be the same individual I suppose).
  • One photo for now (out of focus - but it clearly shows the strange white bat with a moth in it's gob).
  • More on this amazing wee beastie in due course...


WHITE BAT

General (County) Update - 7th September 2010

  • After last week's brief Indian Summer (do you know where that phrase actually originates from by the way - more at the end of this post), we have gone helter skelter into autumn here - with blustery heavy bands of rain crossing the country.
  • This rain hasn't deterred the dragonflies though - plenty of common darters and migrant hawkers are about, as is normal for this time of year.
  • My cycle rides to work along the river Kennet are quite strange - every hundred yards or so for a few days, I come across a dead shrew, lying on the towpath. I used to have a bit of fun with stories of dead shrews. I used to persuade people that one happened across dead shrews (and not mice) on pavements because they were very sensitive to noise! The shrew would pop out of some roadside woodland, start to cross the road and as soon as a car passed by - the noise from the engine / tyres would give the shrew a heart attack, and it would keel over there and then on the pavement. The noise wouldn't bother mice or other wee mammals - that is why you only found dead shrews on pavements! I seriously told people that if you shouted at a shrew, it would keel over dead.
  • The truth is far less interesting though - shrews taste terrible. At this time of year, new, young predators like cats, foxes etc... are learning their skills and killing everything that moves - including shrews. Once the shrew is in the predator's gob - and chewed slightly, the fox or cat spits it out - they really taste that bad! Now THAT is the real reason one finds dead shrews on paths, towpaths and pavements!
  • Indian Summer eh? This phrase doesn't come from the Indian subcontinent, but probably North America instead - North American native Indians tended to harvest their crops in October - an Indian Summer....

TBR Blog news - 7th September 2010

  • You may have noticed a layout change to this blog....
  • I thought it was about time I made it easier to read (widened the text and photos, black text on grey now, instead of blue on black)
  • I think I've achieved that, but do let me know what you think.

Sunday 5 September 2010

General (County) update - 5th September 2010

  • After watching my beloved Bris lose to Esher yesterday (although we had a very nice day out again, thanks to Esher RFC), I thought I'd grab a quick opportunity to update any TBR viewerson two exciting local developments.
  • Firstly, my good old pal and neighbour (Mr.T) and I have found a pool in the nearby river where kingfishers sit and fish regularly - we visited twice over the weekend and saw at least one kingfisher about a dozen times! NB. Because kingfishers are schedule 1 species, I will only be able to photograph them during the winter, and only then, very carefully. (Google "schedule 1 birds" and you'll understand this more if you need to).
  • Secondly, whilst watching the kingfisher(s) yesterday morning, I saw what was certainly either an otter (I'd put money on that as it was milk chocolate coloured and quite large) or a mink (darker, slightly smaller) clamber around the banks of the pool (a way away) and then swim upstream.
  • Some viewers to this blog might remember me talking about hopefully finding a "local otter" that had been reported - well I may have just done that! I'll have to watch the pool carefully at dawn over autumn and winter -and it may be a mink - but I really, REALLY hope it is an otter -Anna's favourite animal of all and less than one mile from the house!
  • Keep watching this space!

Thursday 2 September 2010

General (County) Update - 2nd September 2010

  • What a superb week of weather we're having, with warm, sunny days and cool misty, still mornings -perfect for photography at the weekend I hope!
  • Lots of dragonflies and demoiselles on the Kennet and Thames still.
  • Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillars are now moving around looking for somewhere to pupate - a friend from work found one yesterday - (lucky thing!) and came to me to ID it.
  • White bat (albino) has re-appeared in my neighbours (bar one) garden again this year - same bat (obviously!!) as last year - a wonderful sight - like a flying snowball. Photo (from last year) on flickr... (My first ever photo with my first and current DSLR, taken almost exactly a year ago!)

Wednesday 1 September 2010

Photo of the month - August 2010

Had to be one of the wild loggerhead turtles that Anna and I found quite delightful to watch in the Argostoli bay, off Kefalonia in early August.
I took many photos of them, but this was my favourite.
Click to see it larger...
TURTLE HEAD

Swift Half update - 1st September 2010

  • You'll note that I'm updating here less and less since my beloved swifts have left.That said, I've seen the odd swallow and house martin in the skies above the garden over the past few days.
  • Malu has chased one of this years fox cubs (more like a lanky fox teenager now - very "boingy" and in very good nick) off the hen's coop TWICE this week. I'm very proud of little Malu!
  • Other visitors to the garden in this sunny, warm week were two migrant hawker dragonflies (photos on flickr), a few "Old ladies" (moths) and a few "Yellow underwing" (moths again) - seems like the chilly, clear nights are favouring the larger moffs right now.
  • We have what looks like a red admiral chrysalis on the large shed. Strange as ALL red admiral chrysalises are normally in a "nettle-leaf tent" - but I saw the caterpillar that produced the chrysalis, and it did look like a red admiral (albeit strangely coloured). I'll keep an eye on it. Photos on flickr
  • The jays are back collecting their peanuts from the bird table - but the woodpeckers I've yet to attract back (but I have no doubt at all that they'll be back when it gets a little colder).
  • Huge numbers of squash bugs are in the rear (rear) garden as well as a new species for me - a cinnamon bug, normally found in southern sandy coastlands, but moving north rapidly. Nice to see though.
  • Plenty of pears to pick from the trees this weekend, as well as our huge crop of football-sized potatoes!