Wild Wanderings
Diary Entry 21 May 2018
What a lovely spell of unbroken sunshine we have had recently. The weather is really bringing things on in the paddock and surrounding fields.
Quite a few Butterflies have appeared Large White, Small White, Brimstone, Small Blue to name a few. I have spotted them all but only managed to snap the Small Whites. I have planted some Cabbages to entice the Large White to pause awhile. The Orange Tips are still flitting through and along the hedges but not one has stopped yet.
The hedges are now lined with the lovely Cows Parsley which adds a lovely white trim to them. This meadow plant is considered a weed by many. It is also known as Wild Chervil. I love to see its arrival in the hedge rows as it usually attracts the Lesser Whitethroat to nip along it on the lookout for insects.
A beautiful little bird which usually heralds its arrival with a wonderful warbling song. When I hear that song, I ready my camera as the Whitethroat is a quick little mover and very photogenic. They usually appear around or just before dusk. They don’t stay for long and only visit for a week or so but always around the same time of day.
Linnet’s are also on my ‘watch for’ list. Another lovely songbird. They usually turn up in small flocks of about a dozen or so. The male can easily be mistaken for a Red Poll, but I always look for the grey head to ID the Linnet male.
I decided to get up early today (Monday) and make the ‘Golden Hour’ my bird watching time. It’s just after dawn. The light is very soft and slightly tinged with red pink hues. I wasn’t disappointed.
I made myself comfortable and expected to wait the 20 minutes or so it takes for the birds to start to arrive but today was different. Almost immediately a pair of Greater Spotted Woodpeckers flew into the Damson Tree. They were chattering way to each other frantically and I thought at first, they were squabbling, and they appeared to be quite excited. I noticed that they were darting up and down the trunk of the tree pecking at it furiously. This went on for about 5 minutes and then the male suddenly departed. The female stayed about another minute then she too left. I was intrigued by this behaviour. So much so I left my little hideaway and walked over to the tree to look.
I soon found the source of their excitement. A squadron of Ants were marching up and down the trunk. The Woodpeckers had been feasting on them. This is the first time I have witnessed GSW’s eating Ants. I know The Green Woodpecker does like them. It was obviously an opportune moment that the birds had seized upon.
After another 20 minutes or so more birds started to arrive Yellowhammer, Pheasant, Crows , Blue Tits and Greenfinch and even the Ring Necked Parakeet made an appearance. We used to have Two RNP’s a male and a female. They have been around for about 2 years now. The female seems to have disappeared. Perhaps fallen victim to the Sparrowhawk. The bright green is an easy target for birds of prey. The RNP’s are a very exotic addition to the birdlife of the UK and they are slowly spreading across the country. I am surprised they have acclimatised to the British winter. It just shows the adaptiveness of wildlife and the will to survive.
Carry on shining Mr Sun
Till tomorrow
