BLUE-GREY

I THOUGHT I'D....

2008-11-25T20:02:00.002Z

I THOUGHT I'D...., originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

.... better upload a quick JAY PEG, (taken this morning), as I haven't uploaded anything for a wee while....

You will need to click the photo, to fully appreciate the terrible pun....!

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THE BLACK RABBIT (ONE)

2008-11-20T15:23:00.002Z

I have just published a large, premium silky-paper hardback book of my first year taking digital photographs.
160 glossy pages, over 150 photographs (in chronological order from December 2007 - November 2008).
If you've frequented BG (early this year) and visited the New Warren since last, you'll know the type of subjects I've shot.... pretty well everything I've seen, with a strong bias towards macro shots of wee beasties.
Click the banner below to take a free peek at the first 15 pages of ...

THE BLACK RABBIT I. (A YEAR BEHIND A LENS).

Hey - christmas is coming - now what about that gift for that person you know who has "got everything"?!
(You KNOW it makes sense)!
TBR

THE BLACK RABB...

(A year behind a l...

By Doug Mackenzie Dodds

Book Preview

JAY (PORTRAIT 2)

2008-11-14T14:24:00.001Z

JAY (PORTRAIT 2), originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

They're taking pictures of themselves now, my jays. ;-)

"JAY LOW"

2008-11-09T08:54:00.001Z

Click to enlarge..

GULP!

2008-11-07T17:30:00.001Z

GULP!, originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

Bored of these yet???!!!

MACRO WOODMOUSE

2008-11-05T08:33:00.005Z

Just uploading the odd photo for now. (CLICK the photo to enlarge)

Visit the NEW WARREN for more information,and the FULL SIZE photo....

This photo was taken at about 0615 hrs, this morning.

Lens to mouse distance..... EIGHT INCHES.

WOODMOUSE

2008-11-03T18:34:00.002Z

A SECOND TASTE, originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

If you've been visiting the New Warren recently, you'll know that I've attracted two woodmice to the camera - using an upturned beer bottle top full of peanut butter!
They can't get enough of that!
Today I received my radio controlled remote shutter release, so I MAY try for some macro shots of these wee beasties!

Click the photo to see it fully, in larger sizes, in the New Warren....

TBR

JAY (PORTRAIT 2)

2008-11-03T16:30:00.002Z

JAY (PORTRAIT 2), originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

Go on then.
One more.....

Click to get FULL picture (in the New Warren)

JAY (PORTRAIT)

2008-10-31T17:15:00.001Z

JAY (PORTRAIT), originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

Just a quick shot of one of our beautiful Jays I've atrtracted to the garden over the past few days.
More (of course) in the New Warren....
TBR

BOOK LAUNCH

2008-10-02T15:28:00.001+01:00

SRI LANKA

Photographic memor...

By Doug Mackenzie Dodds

Book Preview

CLICK THE ICON ABOVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT MY FIRST PUBLISHED BOOK, PREVIEW THE FIRST 15 PAGES, AND THEN, OF COURSE, BUY A COPY OR TWO!

STILL ON A BREAK!

2008-09-17T09:08:00.003+01:00

KITKAT'S NEW PRESS AD?, originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

Blue Grey is still on an extended break.
Thanks for all your comments whilst I've been away - I've read them all, and responded to a few.
Still VERY busy.
Thanks.
TBR.

HARVEST MOON

2008-09-17T09:05:00.001+01:00

HARVEST MOON, originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

Still out there grapple fans?
Le lapin noir is still around, taking photographs for www.flickr.com/photos/the_black_rabbit
(The New Warren).
This is just a simple shot of the Harvest Moon this year (September 15th 2008), just to let you know I'm still alive....!

BLUE GREY TAKES A BREAK....

2008-05-13T08:03:00.003+01:00

Ok... well it was always coming.

Due to the fact that yesterday I found out that the regional offices I work in will all be merged into one in Sheffield, due to my sisters wedding in Chicago in a fortnight or so, due to my and Anna's impending wedding in Shrewsbury in August and due to other pressing matters, I am afraid to say that I will not be posting regularly on Blue Grey for a few months.

I WILL however be posting very regularly on my online photo album site (the New Warren).

Most people who use that "flickr" photo-hosting site don't add much text to their photographs - I always like to - its pretty well Blue Grey really, without the links.

The Web address for the New Warren is : www.flickr.com/photos/the_black_rabbit and I'm sure once there (if you haven't been already) you'll recognise my "Black Rabbit" avatar (symbol of a Black Rabbit on a blue square).

Should you visit Blue Grey over the next few months or so, you'll see the odd post, from time to time possibly, and the most recent twenty photographs in the New Warren scroll through a slideshow in the top left corner of the home page - but that will be that I expect.

Blue Grey was a bit of an online diary, and so, now, is my flickr account, and at present, I have a lot to do - and that is why I cannot justify running (effectively) TWO online diaries...

Want to still keep up with what Anna and I are up to (and seeing) then nothing's really changed - you just have to visit the Black Rabbit's flickr account...

Easy.

Blue Grey will still be kept open (I will use it if no-one else does, as a very useful links page for myself, so I can keep up to date with Urban Extension, Shirl, Shirley and Words etc...), and soon I hope to start posting on the blog again, but its ta-ta for now grapple fans.

I'll leave you with one of the best photographs I've taken recently. Yesterday, as it happens, of a Red Damselfly in the drainage ditch by the "rec" behind the house.

(As always.... click to enlarge).

This photo and MANY others are of course viewable at the New Warren....

See you there!

BRIEF UPDATE, PHOTOS AND THE NEW WARREN

2008-05-10T07:06:00.003+01:00

I've been a bit busy recently what with one thing and another, so haven't had time to update BG AND The New Warren.

Lots of new photographs in the Warren though, complete with explanatory text.

Click on any of the small selection above to enlarge them, and visit the New Warren, by clicking HERE (or by clicking on the "New Warren" link at the top page of BG) to see far more photographs and a lot more corresponding text.

Thanks.

A FEW MORE PHOTOS

2008-05-05T22:40:00.002+01:00

Ready for a good week of weather?

Here we go....

Just a few more recent photographs...

A Serotine bat over the Thames (apologies for the ridiculously poor quality of that one!), a Swift over the house (more on them in time with luck), two pictures of the newly hatched Goslings on the Thames at Caversham and one of a Great Crested Grebe.

Visit the New Warren to see accompanying text.

MAY BANK HOLIDAY

2008-05-03T22:16:00.007+01:00

Silly season again.

The fairground is finally getting some punters on the opposite bank of the Thames from the office, the CAMRA beer festival right next to the office is in full swing, the hot air balloons have started drifting over the house, the geese have produced their little furry goslings (pictures soon), the male Zebra spiders (with their HUGE fangs) have appeared in earnest, and I'm stuck in bed during the day, and in the office at night...

Humph.

Some recent photographs I've taken are above - as always click to enlarge or visit the New Warren to see them in all their glory accompanied by some explanatory text...

Oh....

On the subject of the New Warren and my photographs - I was emailed t'other day by an online news/media thingy, that wanted to use one of my Jumping Spider photographs for an article they were running.

I said yes, of course you can use it, (if I get credit) and use it they did!

YOU can read the article (and see my accompanying photo(s)) HERE....

Maybe I should start charging for my art, darlings....?!

PINCH, PUNCH etc.... etc...

2008-05-01T12:30:00.001+01:00

THE PEEKABOO SPIDER, originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

"You ain't see me. Right?"

STRIKE A POSE

2008-04-29T20:11:00.001+01:00

I think she's met her match.

Grroan.

(Click photo to enlarge).

ICHNEUMON AND TWENTY-TWO SPOT

2008-04-28T07:54:00.005+01:00

I'm off for a few days now (and I think the weather is meant to get a little worse - aw well).

Thought I'd just pop a few photographs up from yesterday, in the garden.

The FIFTH species of Ladybird has turned up in the garden - the tiny (3mm long MAX) Twenty-two spot ladybird. I'll put my photographs up of all SIX (expected), for comparison, when I photograph the final Ladybird in the garden this year - when the 2-spot arrives...

Easily recognised - like I said, its minute, with yellow elytra and 10 or 11 black spots on each. A yellow and black spotty pronotum is present also, and unlike other small yellow and black ladybirds, the 22-spot has no thick(ish) dark line down the middle of its "shell" (separating the elytra).

We've got half a dozen or so of these lovely ladybirds feeding on the mildew and mould in the long grass by the fence - I'll try ( maybe) to get a shot of one on a 5p piece so the scale becomes clear, but for now, the shot above is of one on that fence...

The Ichneumon wasp is one of those stunning insects that fly in occasionally.

I think its a Pimpla hypochondriaca, but I can't be 100% sure.

Talking of hypochondriacs, it did act a little sick - it was quite slow, unlike most of these stunning beasts - which are CONSTANTLY on the go, searching for the next caterpillar to lay their eggs in, (which eventually gets eaten ALIVE, from the inside out).

Enjoy your breakfast.

ANOTHER "SIMON'S CAT" FILM....

2008-04-27T20:10:00.001+01:00

I love these short cartoons, (thanks to my eldest sister this time for sending this to me).
NB. For cat lovers ONLY....!

THE BLACK RABBIT

2008-04-27T11:19:00.004+01:00

I saw my namesake yesterday, in the gathering gloom of a remote spot in the Chiltern hills, near our secret badger sett, and right opposite the Barn Owl field...

I've only EVER seen ONE Black Rabbit before in my entire life - and that was about twenty years ago, in the rolling mists of a deserted golf course. This was a VERY NICE surprise!

Some people say Black Rabbits are common in some areas of the UK.

Not round these 'ere parrz.

You'll see I did manage a shot, in the low light, from about 2-300m away, with full 18x zoom.

Click on the photo to enlarge it.

You'll note that the Black Rabbit is glowering at the bog-standard brown bunny in front of him (probably flashing his red, glowing eyes), and that the brown bunny has come over all subservient - lying prone on the ground!

Luckily Anna and I were a good distance away, like I said, so the Black Rabbit didn't spot us and turn his fiery glare in our direction.....

BIX BLUEBELLS. BUCKS BADGER. BIG BARN OWL. BONES. BUZZARD. BLACK RABBIT.

2008-04-27T09:48:00.006+01:00

All the "B's" then.

B is for Bluebells and Bix.
Anna and I decided to go and gawp (and take a few photies) of the explosion of purple that has occurred in the woods of the Chilterns over the past week - probably not quite as magnificent as last year's display, but stunning anyway!
So thats the B for Bluebells then (and just for good measure we photographed these Bluebells at Bix (in oxfordshire) .... click on the photo above to enlarge (or as normal, visit the "New Warren".

B is for Bucks Badger.
After the Bluebells, we drove to a secret wood in Buckinghamshire, quite remote, but I wood I know well and have surveyed before for a local wildlife group, many moons ago.
It was in this wood that I had the immense pleasure of watching a whole family of badgers one summer (up to seven at one time) feeding and playing around me (with cubs) - something I'll never forget.
Well, the sett has changed a lot since then, but Anna and I were very surprised to have a wonderful view of a large sow badger snuffling around the woodland floor not 15 yards from us, before she shuffled fatly off, and we left the wood - our first badger together and a really nice moment! (No photo - WAY too gloomy under the wood's mixed canopy, even if the badger did emerge at about eight thirty pm - very much light enough for our eyes - but not for my camera unfortunately.
Anna and I have vowed to return, in the summer maybe, and look for the cubs - you never know, in a little better light I may get a photograph or two...?

B is for Big Barn owl.
On leaving the wood, (still in reasonable light) we returned to the car and I suddenly noticed a beautiful Barn Owl quartering over a field pretty close to us - COMPLETELY unexpected - and quite magical in the half light!
Anna thinks its her first ever experience of a wild Barn Owl (not surprising really as they're bloody rare these days - I've only seen two beforehand).
We watched it for a good fifteen minutes, like a ghostly (completely silent) white moth, low over the scrubby long grass.
At this time of year, the Owl should be breeding, and if so, it will quarter over that field all summer long - I think we may be in luck here.
However, and this is a BIG "However", the Barn Owl, because of its scarcity, is a "Schdeule 1" species - one needs a licence to photograph these birds anywhere NEAR their nest, in season. So we won't be getting very close to this Owl - and not even approaching any nest - not even close!
Wonderful stuff and so unexpected!

B is for Bones.
Fallow Deer bones to be exact.
Rewind to the Bluebells at Bix, and Anna and I literally stumbled over two Fallow Deer carcasses (does and not together), lying in the wood, close to the road. Both had been there a year or more - just bones left - and we suspect one (at least) was hit by a car and thrown into the wood.
Anna allowed me to glean one of the skulls, which I'll clean and photograph when I get time.

B is for Buzzard.
Another carcass I'm afraid, in the same wood.
My father has done a spot of gamekeeping, when it was almost de rigeur to shoot or poison birds of prey on estates, so will have come across such things - but as for me, this was the first such carcass I'd ever seen.
Dead for some time again - as it was mainly just feathers and bones - and I took one of the magnificent primaries for myself.
Was it poisoned? Doubt it.
Shot?
Ditto.
I think it just died naturally (everything does I suppose), fell out of a tree, and the bugs and beasts cleaned it up.
Wonderful to see the plumage at VERY close range though - that feather I've got is a byoot!

B is for Black Rabbit.
And that OBVIOUSLY deserves a post (above this) all to itself....

a
a
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What an incredible few hours Anna and I had last night!

SWIFTS.

2008-04-27T09:39:00.002+01:00

After my post two days ago on the return of my favourite bird, its fair to say they're back IN NUMBERS now, over Reading.
Anna and I spent yesterday afternoon sorting out the garden and there were at least three dozen screaming about high in the sky above us.
At last....!

SSSSWWWWIIIIFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!

2008-04-25T18:54:00.002+01:00

NOW THEY ARE BACK.
2 MINUTES AGO I JUST SAW ONE LONE SWIFT, SILENT AND HIGH ABOVE THE REC BEHIND THE HOUSE!
FIRST SWIFT!
WELCOME TO SUMMER EVERYBODY!

(ANNA AND I ARE OFF TO THE BADGER BEER PUB ON THE THAMES TO CELEBRATE - IN THE RAIN PROBABLY!)

MORE LATER....

LITTLE OWL CAM ANYONE?

2008-04-24T16:54:00.003+01:00

Well ok, so no Blue Tit nestbox live streaming from Black Rabbit towers this year, but you've now got links to EXCELLENT birdcams on Blue-Grey now.
A Goshawk nest in the New Forest and a Peregrine nest in Derby. Both are SUPERB - please, if you haven't used these links - do so!

What else can I give you?
Hmmmm....

How about a Little Owl nestbox camera or two? (From Holland).
Well worth a visit, the "angry-looking" little niblet is sitting on her eggs now, the fourth egg (vierde ei in dutch) was laid on the 20th April.
Both cameras are WONDERFULLY clear - please click HERE or use the (new link) in my expanding link section on Blue Grey.
You'll not be disappointed... There (like I said) is a wonderful live feed, and also plenty of clips of the pair of Owls battling Pigeons, Jackdaws and even a Barn Owl INSIDE their nest!

(NB. When you get to the site, you have to specify which camera you'd like a stream from by clicking the appropriate tab).

THEY'RE BACK!

2008-04-24T07:28:00.005+01:00

No.

Not my Swifts (although they WERE back by this date this year).

My favourite spiders - the "Fence-post jumping spiders" (Marpissa muscosa).

These wonderful jumpers, significantly more furry and larger than their Zebra Spider cousins, have now taken over our fences in the back garden it would seem, although the Zebras are still around.

We've had a lovely couple of days of sunny weather now - the leaves on the Lime tree have really got going (the tree has started "raining sap on us" again), all our potato plants have poked their green noses through the soil, into the air, the ladybirds are flying about (always nice to see the tiny yellow and black 14 spot ladybirds, especially with all the Harlequins about).

I hear this saturday may be warm and sunny too (after a day or two of light rain showers and rain from sunday onwards next week), so Anna and I have decided to carry out ANOTHER Bluebell recce and combine it with a trip deep into the Chilterns, to see if my old Badger sett is active at present...

Click on any of the images above to enlarge or visit my online photo album (the New Warren), to see them titled and at their best.

WARMTH? AND SUN!!??

2008-04-22T09:58:00.003+01:00

Looks like we're in for a spot of warmth today, and a bit of sunshine too!

Yesterday (afternoon at least) wasn't too bad either, and even though our prevailing wind may bring a little rain on wednesday and thursday, its fair to say we may have broken the back of the cold winter rain and murk...

Anna and I hope to take pictures of our favourite Bluebell wood THIS weekend now, and with luck, pop up to the badger wood to see whats occurring...

I managed to take a few photographs of some insects & spiders in the garden yesterday - a Red Mason Bee has commandeered an old hole in our back gate, the Zebra Spiders were out having fun with all these midges (there DO seem to be an awful lot of midges presently - is this across the whole country?), the Hoverflies were soaking up a little sun on the fence, and even the wee evil weevils were scampering about.

Please visit the "New Warren" online photo-album to see all the above shots in their original size (with accompanying text as normal), or failing that, do click on any of the photo's above to enlarge them...

FRANCE, FRENCHMEN AND A LATE SPRING

2008-04-21T07:33:00.004+01:00

My sister in Paris is often very good enough to let me know when les martinets arrive in Paris each year. A couple of days later they generally arrive in Berkshire, in the UK.

No word yet, and last year in the sun-drenched south of England in April, the Swifts arrived on St.Georges day here - the 23rd April - IN TWO DAYS TIME!

We are lucky enough to have Swifts nesting up and down our street, and all last er.... cough cough.... "summer", the air was shred with the screams of my favourite bird of all.

That said, I think they'll be another week yet.

Allegedly after a horrid easterly wind over the weekend, we'll revert back to our prevailing south-westerly mid week this week, with temperatures up 7c on last weekend - that may help my Swifts on their journey home...

I await notification from Paris.

Talking of France, Anna and I were treated to a lovely sight of two "Frenchmen" this weekend.

We spent two days with one of my cousins in the Worcestershire countryside, and even though the weather was a bit dour, its always fantastic to unwind in a place where one wakes up to the sound of lambs bleating and Rooks cawing, rather than suped-up Vauxhall Novas hissing down the road, or Eastern Europeans shouting at each other over a can of rocket fuel.

The "Frenchmen" in question were Red-Legged Partridges - the more flamboyantly-coloured of our two Partridges here in the UK, always VERY nice to see.

Unfortunately the only shots I got were from inside my Cousin's house, through double glazing and drizzle, so not the best photo's in the world I'm afraid.

(In case you weren't aware, the Red-Legged Partridge is called a "Frenchman" in slang, as the orangey/red legs of the bird allegedly reminded people of the red trousers the french military used to wear....

Now then.

Each year in March you'll hear the same nonsense, often from the same mouths regarding:

"OOOoooh! A bumblebee! Spring gets EARLIER and EARLIER eh?!"

"Is that a WASP? In MARCH? That's global warming I tells ya. We're ALL DOOMED"

Ya dee ya dee ya. Uninformed hysterical clap trap.

This year more of the same I'm afraid - specifically regarding Daffodils (some American hybrids flower at Christmas time dopey), Wasps and a Cuckoo that was allegedly heard in February or something daft - That would be a Collared Dove. (Go get yourself an extra gene).

It has become increasingly clear this year since March, that over vast swathes of the country, spring is actually LATE this year. Unequivocally so.

My cousin is a farmer, and we spoke at length to two more on the subject, during our weekend in Worcestershire.

Ask any farmer about acres of grass or bales of hay, or whether their dairy cows are out on pasture yet.

You'll get similar answers from all over the country.

Anna and I will check on our Bluebell Wood later this week (with luck), but I think now it may well be another week or ten days. Remember they exploded around mid April last year (albeit after a bone dry month with temperatures well above the summer average).

Yes folks.

Spring is LATE this year. With luck it might arrive this week, and STAY!

NB.

I hear (after writing this that ONE (unconfirmed) Swift has been seen in Berkshire at the back end of last week). I still think it may be a week before they start to arrive in numbers...

A FEW THOUGHTS...

2008-04-18T07:21:00.004+01:00

Anna and I are lucky enough to have another few days off together this weekend, so we have had a trip down to a cousin's country pad in Worcestershire (on the side of Bredon Hill) planned for some time.

Unfortunately I hear its going to sh.... ship it down for the entire time, with a biting Easterly wind!

Hmmm...

Anyhoo -

Spring does seem to be slowly making progress.

Anna collected another Large White Butterfly for me yesterday whilst I was at work.

When I say collected, it had obviously emerged from its chrysallis in the sitting room somewhere- and she just shut the door - so when I came home, I could grab a snap of it.

I'm a lucky boy eh?!

We both went for a very nice ramble around a local Nature reserve that I know very well - Hosehill lake near Theale.

Thats where I managed to get three very nice photographs of an incredibly tame Robin.

I think if we returned with a handful of meal worms - that chap would eat out of our hands - all of my robin photographs (recent) on my online photo album were taken under a Hawthorn Bush, with the robin no more than 2.5 or 3 feet away from the camera - so clse I had trouble focusing on him, with any more than 3X zoom (my camera goes up to 18X zoom)!

The Cowslips seem to be out in force now, and our Maris Peers seem to be tentatively poking their way through the soil in the garden bed...

We may well have found a Kestrel nest box on our recent rambles - makes up for hearing that a loca Barn Owl nest I know of has been deserted and TWO dead Barn Owls have been found on the M4 nearby - VERY sad indeed.

And then there's the steam train that chuffed past our house t'other day.

I'm hardly a trainspotter, but I really SHOULD bugger off up the station (a mile away) and find out when all these old engines pass through Reading on a timetable - I'd love a close up shot from the station itself...... maybe I'll do that.

Anyhoo - We're off, until sunday afternoon.

Click on any of the images above to enlarge them or DO visit the "New Warren" flickr online photo album (as usual) to see the butterfly and robin pictures (especially), full size and with decent accompanying text.

Cheers.

DUCKLINGS AND DEAD NETTLES

2008-04-15T19:16:00.003+01:00

Still experiencing the typical April weather?

Make the most of it - this weekend looks like a washout.

Anna and I are in the Worcestershire countryside then, pity it looks like it'll be wet.

Well...

Until the Bluebells explode, (a week now), I'll just have to make do with the White Deadnettles (always a month later than the much more abundant, red deadnettles) , and the first brood of ducklings to hit this part of the river this year - all ten of the little bundles of fluff, yesterday to be precise....

Come on spring....!

SPIDERS, BEE-FLY AND THE MOON

2008-04-13T17:06:00.004+01:00

Enjoying the typical April weather?

"Sunshine and showers" - the Met Office meaningless cliche eh?!

Last April, on the equivalent sunday, when the London Marathon was run (as it was today) it was 28c (82f) - a little different this year I think!

That said, the bugs and buds are responding well.

Its my birthday tomorrow, and I hope the weather will be decent enough to allow Anna and I a trip to a local wood for some Bluebell shots - fingers crossed.

(If not tomorrow, then within a fortnight I'm sure - I don't want to miss them with my camera this year!)

All the photographs above can be enlarged (as normal) by clicking on them, or use the "New Warren" link at the top page of BG to see them in their full size with explanatory text on my online photo album.

The first is a photo of the half (but waxing) moon, I took after work last night, the second is of a Bee-Fly (taken a few days ago) and the third is of a "Nursery Web spider" (taken this morning in the back garden

Want to find out more - please do visit the New Warren...

LIVE PEREGRINE NESTCAM

2008-04-13T08:15:00.001+01:00

I haven't been out much locally recently, to see where our Berkshire Peregrines are nesting, so I thought I'd add ANOTHER link to BG - a Live feed from the top of Derby Cathedral, where a pair of Peregrines are nesting NOW!
Click HERE or use the Peregrine Nestcam link in the links section of BG.
Enjoy.
Er... I know I will.
(You seeing a pattern emerging here yet?)

LIVE NEW FOREST GOSHAWK WEBCAM

2008-04-12T16:09:00.002+01:00

A new link on BG, from one of my favourite places on these shores - the New Forest.
A live stream from the Forestry Commision, of a Goshawk nest.
As I write this, the female is incubating four eggs.
Enjoy.
I know I will.

Click HERE or use the "Goshawk cam" link in the links section of BG.

WOOLACOMBE AND MORTEHOE, NORTH DEVON

2008-04-12T06:52:00.006+01:00

Its very rare Anna and I get a few days off together (other than booked holidays), so it was nice for us to spend two days (nearly) in one of my favourite parts of England - the north Devon coast, a few days ago.

We booked a room at a hotel (pub really) called "The Smuggler's Rest", in a sleepy little (almost model) village called Morthoe just north of Woolacombe Sands - where I've been to quite a lot over the years...

You takes yer luck with April weather. We rolled the dice and came up with a double six as far as I'm concerned - lovely sunny weather for one and a half days, and a band of rain when we left on thursday.

Its a strange year so far.

Snow (quite heavy you'd call it for Britain) AFTER the Easter celebrations, and staggered Easter holidays for the nation's schoolchildren have combined to really strangle the coastal tourist industry in the UK.

Do YOU celebrate Easter? (Other than breathing a collective sigh of relief for a quite ridiculous period of about ten bank holidays in as many weeks if you're an office worker).

As I've mentioned on BG before, the arcane rules governing when EXACTLY we celebrate Easter laid down to us by the Roman Catholic Church are a bit silly really - the first sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox etc... etc...

Easter this year was the earliest its been for about 95 years, and the earliest it WILL be for about 100 and something - and I can tell you with absolute certainty, the very early Easter this year, combined with the cold snap (remember last years April - hot and sunny ALL month?), AND the staggered holidays, will have put many businesses that rely on tourists, OUT of business this year.

I've been going to north Devon at various times of the year (high season and low), and I've NEVER seen it as quiet. Never.

On Wednesday, we had sun pretty well all day (with a cool sea breeze granted, but bright sun nevertheless) and there were maybe a dozen people on the 2 mile stretch of Woolacombe sands.

Granted there was no surf to speak of, so the "dudes" and "dude-esses" were not there either, but there was quite literally no-one in the pubs or restaurants.

Well.... Anna and I liked the privacy of course - no kids running around, very few dogs, no drunks.... very nice, but slightly unsettling, in a strange sort of way.

The Ewes have obviously just had their lambs in the south west - much gambling, sorry, gamboling, was occurring in the fields, and speaking of the fields, Devon is lit up at present with the wonderful yellow Gorse bushes.

The Swallows and Sand Martins have arrived in force over that neck of the woods - we were surrounded by them on our ten mile trek around Baggy point on Wednesday, and its always nice to see Stonechats and Ravens at the coast.

We were HOPING to see a Grey Seal or two - I've spent many an hour perched on the end of Baggy Point Cliff peering down at Seals, but I'm told its just a little early to see them there with any regularity.

What we DID see though, I haven't seen since I was eighteen - a wonderful bright green male Common Lizard, sunning itself on a molehill, and sloughing its skin at the same time.

I'm lucky enough to have seen both Common Lizards and Sand Lizards at Braunton Burrows (a HYOWGE set of sand dunes near Saunton sands - a mile or so down the coast from Croyde and Woolacombe), when I was about 17, but none since - that really made up for the lack of seals!

No Peregrines either (which I've seen in the area before) or Wheatears (strange that), but Sparrowhawks, Buzzards, Kestrels, Ravens, Fulmars, Herring Gulls, Stonechats, Swallows, Sand Martins, Foxes, Bees and Butterflies all were just what the doctor ordered. As was the wonderful light down there and the sea air. We'd love to live near the sea when we can. We'd never watch television again!

Click on any of the photographs above to enlarge them, or click HERE to immediately be transported to my online photo album where there are many more photographs from our two days in Devon, all in their original, large size, and all with explanatory text.

Before I disappear briefly though, I should point out the wonderful beetle in the photo above (as that photo is NOT in th online album).

Anna found that chap in the Marram Grass deep in the dunes behind Woolacombe beach - its a "Bloody-Nosed Beetle". Its elytra are fused together, so it cannot fly, and instead ha a defence mechanism which means if stressed it "bleeds" a quasi blood from its nose.

This beetle was great! It didn't bleed on myself or Anna I should point out, and we popped it back in amongst the Goose Grass, on which it feeds...

Please DO visit my "New Warren" (online flickr photo album) - to see more photographs, like I said - of a few spectacular sunsets and a vampire spostle, if nothing else.

Finally - I can heartily recommend the "Fillet of Gurnard Broth" that the "Ship Aground" pub in Mortehoe serve as one of their specials. Sounds a bit dodgy doesn't it.

Nope.

It was beautiful!

NORTH DEVON FOR A DAY OR TWO...

2008-04-08T08:11:00.002+01:00

Just to let any interested parties know Anna and I are off to north Devon for a day or two, to find a seal, (or something like that).
See you soon...

A WIN AND A BRIEF RETURN TO WINTER.

2008-04-06T13:02:00.003+01:00

Click on any photo to enlarge, or visit my online photo album - click HERE.

Eh?

18c on friday, and 3" of snow on sunday?

Still....

Doesn't matter eh, IF you were on my Grand National Tip, yesterday!

Three years Anna and I have been together, for three Grand Nationals.

Year1 - Numbersixvalverde - WIN.

Year2 - Silver Birch - WIN.

Year3 - Comply or Die - WIN.

You KNOW what to do next year don't you?

Log onto "Blue-Grey" and "Use Your eyes"!

A VERY BRIEF GLIMPSE OF SUMMER

2008-04-04T17:18:00.005+01:00

Yes yes, I know.... SNOW is forecast for sunday.

Before we break out the gritters though, today gave us a glimpse of the first stirrings of the silly season here in Berkshire.

Fat, pasty teenage mothers were proudly displaying thongs and tattoos whilst pushing their bairns up the pavement, the kids all broke up for ANOTHER holiday - 2 or so weeks this time, and crowded into newsagents for their alcopops and cigarettes, and I caught a young couple smoking crack behind the derelict swimming pool near the office...

AAhhhh... summer in the city!

Actually, today was the first day for some time I really didn't feel like going into work.

The weather was quite beautiful. maybe around 18c, and once again, all the insects and bugs responded magnificently.

I took all three of the above shots this morning - all can be seen in their largest, original sizes on my online photo album (click HERE), together with some explanatory text.

I still, as yet, haven't had the time or opportunity to try and take a photo or two of the office pipistrelles (TWO now, like last year), but hope to soon, when I alter shift patterns temporarily...

All that remains for me to say on this post is I hope you made the most of today, and tomorrow if you live in the south of the UK, because by monday, if you listen to the Met Office, you'll be shovelling snow off the porch, and wondering where on earth spring has gone!

Whats that?

You want the winner of tomorrow's 40-horse strong Grand National?

Go on then...

One of these TWO:

COMPLY OR DIE 10-1

D'ARGENT 33-1

And for GREAT e/w value...

NAUNTON BROOK 100-1

TUMBLING DICE 100-1

You heard it here first...

YELLOW MOTHS AND GREEN BUDS

2008-04-03T10:02:00.003+01:00

Blimey does it feel like its been a long, long time since its been anything like this warm.

It gives me a very good feeling to see that the large Lime tree at the end of the garden is tentatively producing its first, small, green leaves - in a month or so, we won't be able to see if there's one of the Woodpeckers on its branches - so dense will be that tree's foliage - and personally speaking - I can't wait.

Yesterday, even though the Met Office got the forecast spectacularly wrong, was warm - and the insects and arachnids responded as though all of them had had a simultaneous "button push".

Anna and I were outside after I returned from work at half past ten, trying to take a photo of a VERY large House Spider on the fence (it wouldn't sit still, so no worries for you arachnaphobes out there), when I spotted a beautiful Brimstone Moth had fluttered into the kitchen.

Click on the photo above to enlarge it or click HERE to take a flying trip to the "New Warren" (my online photo album), where I've uploaded quite a few pics recently - all in their large size and with explanatory text...

I hear the weather really IS going to be very summery tomorrow (friday).

AT LAST!!!

FIRST BAT

2008-04-01T20:08:00.003+01:00

After being tipped off by Urban Extension about the emerging bats recently, its taken me a while to see one...
There were two Pipistrelles hunting around the office all last summer (must have been a bad year for the insectivores I reckon), and tonight, a few minutes ago, I noticed one in exactly the same place.

There are a few hunting over the Thames outside the office, but I won't be able to see tham until I am rostered in on a morning or night shift.

I hope to grab an 8 second exposure of this office bat - something I've not tried before, and it may well not work, but I'll give it a go when I bring my camera down to work next, and we get a clear evening....

SPRINGING INTO (BUG) LIFE

2008-03-29T05:48:00.004Z

Just a quick update on a few things.

No time for a very long post as we're away to Shrewsbury this weekend, for a "Wedding Summit" with both sets of parents....

We seem, recently, to be in a pretty weird pattern of weather - quite April-like in its ferocity of showers interspersed with (almost) warm sunshine, and very blustery also.

This has brought on the bug life in the garden pretty well. (I hear the north of the UK, from a pal, is not so far advanced at present).

In the sun, in the garden, I have counted AT LEAST twenty Zebra Spiders, (though not one Garden Cross Spider yet), many Andrenid mining bees, (and a Tawny Mining Bee - which I haven't got a photie of yet, but I'll keep trying!), all types of fly, a Seven Spot Ladybird (VERY nice to see - makes a change from all those bleedin' Harlequins), Pine Ladybirds, Hoverflies (still rare as yet), Soldier flies (ditto), Honey Bees, Bumblebees and even the first (Queen) Wasp of the year!

I hear from Jane over at Urban Extension that the bats are out, though as yet, I haven't seen any, and people are seeing Butterflies all over the shop (though, once again, I've seen none apart from that one Cabbage White a week or so ago - must be something to do with the fact that at present I have no flowers to speak of in or tiny garden...)

All the photographs above were taken by me in the last 4 days, and ALL can be found in my online photo album, at full size, complete with notes, by clicking HERE.

Thats it for now I'm afraid....

Got to bugger off to sodden Shrewsbury (where I know some Mad March Hares are, though I won't be seing them this time I fear).

Have fun in the wind and rain this weekend, grapple fans...

NOT ALLOWED...!

2008-03-25T10:31:00.001Z

Hmmmm...

EASTER SLEET

2008-03-24T09:12:00.005Z

SOooo... "Spring has sprung" eh?

Hmmm...

Like I said, I did think I was being a bit premature...

After an Easter weekend of hail, snow and sleet (its sleeting as I write this), it does feel like Spring is some way off still.

The met office weather forecast at the office (direct from Exeter) suggests it may be Thursday before we see temperatures back in double figures.

Well, the first Swallows have arrived in the county. The (right) Royal county of Berks. (Take that either way!)

There are a few martins and swallows that do overwinter in the UK, right on the south coast, (especially the south west) but they are very few indeed and the recent arrivals in Berkshire have (I'm reliably told) travelled from their traditional winter feeding grounds in sub-saharan Africa.

There ARE still Redwing and Fieldfare about - generally in large migratory flocks - though I still haven't seen any for some time.

Finally - we have a pair of Blue Tits nesting in one of the tiny boxes in the office courtyard.

I feel like I've been well and truly "given the bird" (so to speak).

Unfortunately, the box that they've chosen is right next door to one of the huge mirrored panes of glass that provide the outside skin of the office - and I watched the male bird today repeatedly fly up and down the window (and into it), chasing away its reflection, or trying to.

I hope that behaviour stops, as they'll need all the energy they can get, when raising their brood - and certainly can ill-afford to spend the time and effort chasing shadows...

The picture above (CLICK TO ENLARGE) is a portrait of one of the three Collared Doves I've been watching at night - all roosting together in the office courtyard, in a tight huddle.

They're obviously getting the same weather forecast as me!

THE "LENTEN MOON"

2008-03-23T23:11:00.001Z

THE "LENTEN MOON", originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

'Twas a full moon on the 21st. The "Lenten moon", (named after "Lent" - the period of fasting before Easter.
Talking of Easter - Easter sunday (today) is the earliest Easter has fallen for 95 years!
Ever wondered about Easter and why the DATE changes?
Blame the Catholics (as per usual).
Easter Sunday HAS to be celebrated on the FIRST sunday after the FIRST full moon AFTER the Vernal Equinox.
The Equinox (21st) and the full moon (21st) fell on the same date this year, and the first sunday (23rd - today) was only 2 days later - THAT'S why Easter feels so early this year.
It is. (It can hardly BE any earlier)!

NB.
That doesn't explain the bitter conditions though! Or the snow in the east of the country!

HAS SPRING SPRUNG?

2008-03-20T10:22:00.004Z

Well... ok, maybe I'm being more than a little premature (what with talk of wintery showers over Easter) .... but I can't wait any longer!

Firstly the bad news.

I've given up on our Blue Tit box. Both birds seem completely disinterested in it - have been for about a month now.

There are boxes all over the country that have the beginnings of nests being built in them now - (a few are linked to BG in my links section), so if you want to see Blue Tit nests - feel free to use those links!

Its fair to say we feel dreadfully disappointed, especially after last year and the activity in the box over winter, but hey ho - you can't win 'em all!

The pair do come to the garden each day, to steal from the feeder - I'll pop a sign up before too long - NO BLUE TITS ALLOWED!!!

Anyhoo... we'll keep the set up, and take it with us wherever we move to. Here's to the future eh?

Ok.

Thats the bad news. What of the good?

Well... I know some people have reported seeing Redwing and Fieldfare over the past few days here in the south of England. Not for long now - if at all. I haven't seen them for at least two weeks.

What is apparent though, is that we're experiencing the first influx of Hirundines*** (Swallows, Swifts and Martins) into Britain.

*** Always makes me think of "Hrundi Bakshi", the character played by Peter Sellers in the film "The Party" (Still one of the funniest films ever made, in my opinion).

Generally the order is ALWAYS the same, each year - first to arrive are the Sand Martins (they're here in good numbers already). Then it's the Swallows and House Martins, (never were the same after Fatboy Slim left...), then, finally, my favourite bird of all - my Swifts "scream" into Britain in late April, or very early May.

I've yet to see the Sand Martins - because I've not had time recently to visit my "haunts", but I know they're there!

An awful lot of birds appear to be nesting already - Magpies, pigeons (no suprise there) and even Blackbirds. I wandered down to the garden centre t'other day, to pick up some heather, and got run over by a juvenile Blackbird, which had obviously fledged no more than a week or so ago, and was indignantly peeping at it's ma for some scran.

The Egyptian Geese goslings at the University lake seem to be doing well also - I don't suppose it'll be tha long before the Mallard Ducks start getting serious, and little balls of fluff are bobbing up and down on the Thames.

I am also aware that Ospreys are on their way back to us again, from Africa. One has been spotted fishing over a large gravel pit near London (well.. Slough really) this week, though I've not checked the Scottish websites yet (or Rutland, for that matter) to see if any have arrived at their breeding sites yet.

I know (from my friend Jane as much as anybody), that Badgers are up and about after their winter slow down, and Hares (Nic) are starting their annual madness. I am up in Hare country next weekend, but am otherwise engaged in wedding duties, so won't be going to see these marvellous animals.

Should you want to see Badgers and Hares, I advise you most sincerely to visit "Urban Extension" (Jane's site) where she's recently uploaded at LEAST two fine videos of these critters...

(UE can be found near the bottom of my alphabetically-ordered links section).

I really hope to find time this year to visit the setts I know (with Anna) and get some photographs of at least a fox, if not a badger or a deer, (a Roe I hope, but a pesky Muntjac will do!)

Time will tell.

The "bug life" has bounced into action also.

Mating Ladybirds, and lots of bees.

Garden Cross spiders have JUST started to spin their first orb webs of the year, and it will be any day now before the Squash bugs and other shield bugs appear.

Big sticky Horse Chestnut buds have appeared over the last ten days, and I'm sure its only a fortnight, maybe 3 weeks before our large Lime tree starts budding and raining sap on us again in the garden below!

I spent the last two mornings in the garden, knocking back the er.... cough cough... "lower paddock", in preparation for the seasons ahead, and have scattered a few Poppy and Cornflower seeds for the insects in a few months.

The Bumblebee box is buried and covered in heather - maybe we'll get lucky there instead of the Blue Tits eh?

All the photographs above have been taken by me in the past few days, and I think they are all in my online photo album, the "New Warren" (flickr account).

Click here to visit my album, to see the images in their largest, original sizes, and read a little more about them.

Anyhoo - HAPPY EASTER! to anyone dumb enough to be reading this! I am on nights for the next 7 nights (including the er..... festive? weekend), so if you could all be a little considerate with any levels of noise during the day, I'd be most appreciative!

EMERGENT LARGE WHITE BUTTERFLY (2)

2008-03-17T17:18:00.001Z

EMERGENT LARGE WHITE BUTTERFLY (2), originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

Monday - a day off and MUCH better weather.
The insects responded today....
Greenbottles buzzing around, mining bees and this emerging "Cabbage White" butterfly.

No cabbages in our garden (I TODAY put in 28 Maris peers and a little heather for my bee box), so this chap is my friend.

Click on the photo to see a full size version of this photograph I took on our backdoor step this afternoon.
Have a little wander around the "New Warren" whilst you're there if you like.
I've also today uploaded a photo of the FULL butterfly (showing the very dainty wing scales) and a photo of a small "Greenbottle" blowfly, with its eyes nicely in focus...

Like I said - click the photo above to be transported to my online photo album, or click the link at the top LHS of the home page of "Blue-Grey".

MATING HARLEQUINS (1)

2008-03-17T17:13:00.001Z

MATING HARLEQUINS (1), originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

Well...
We've had a bleedin' abysmal day or two - weatherwise (not to mention the rugby).
That said, the wind and rain didn't stop these two (Succinea) Harlequin Ladybirds indulging in a bit of what comes naturally in the office courtyard yesterday.

I also managed to spot a "Conspicua" Harlequin (black with red bullseyes) sheltering from the rain also - but failed to get a decent photo.
Click on the photo above to view the full size Harlequin ladybirds photo in the "New Warren".

GARDEN SNAIL

2008-03-14T07:46:00.001Z

GARDEN SNAIL, originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

Well. At least the snails have come out tonight to play - they've liked this wet weather, clearly.
The garden was crawling with these tiny snails this evening.
I don't know much about Gastropods or indeed Molluscs in general, but I'd hazard a guess that this is one of the tiny round garden snails from the Zonitidae family, and very possiblly Oxychilus cellarius, which as the name suggests, is very common in gardens, parks and cellars.

These snails tonight in the garden all had (calcium carbonate) shells of about 8 or 9mm across (no more, for sure).
Just in case you weren't aware, there are about NINETY species of terrestrial snails in the UK.
Most snails exhibit 4 retractable "tentacles" at the front of their head. The bottom two are "olfactory" organs (smell), whilst the top (upper) two are the "eye stalks" or, if you want a posh word to impress people with at dull dinner parties (or more likely, bore them to tears), you can call them by their proper name..... ommatophores

WAXING MOON AND MINING BEE

2008-03-12T20:32:00.004Z

After yesterday's shenanigans - lying on my back in a pool of muddy rat urine, shooting bumblebees infested with mites (does life GET more glamorous?), I thought I'd spend this afternoon chasing a teensy weensy Mining Bee around the garden - the first such bee I've seen this year.

Its only about 1cm (no longer) in length, and was trying to indulge in a spot of sunbathing, before the giant ogre disturbed its "me time".

I'm afraid I didn't manage to get a great shot (the photo will only be on BG - NOT flickr), but the photo WAS good enough to tentatively ID it as a solitary mining bee yes, an Andrena sp, (almost certainly), specifically Andrena haemorrhoa - (very probably), and a male Andrena Haemorrhoa, well yes... it has brown facial hair you see, not the silvery grey of the female.

Phew.

These mining bees are all solitary, all look quite similar, all are tiny, and all have the female burrow a small hole in the earth, where she lays her eggs and stocks the hole with food for her young.

Don't ask me what the male does.

No honestly. Don't. (I have no idea, apart from the obvious).

A.haemorrhoa is one of the FIRST mining bees to appear in the year - as early as March certainly - timing their arrival for the Blackthorn blossom...

n
n
n

The other shot above is of the Waxing moon (leaving new, approaching full), which I took at ten to seven tonight.

I'm rather proud of this photo - as I had to hold the tripod steady in the blustery winds tonight to get it - FAR from ideal moon photography conditions.

This moon shot IS in the "New Warren". (see link at top LHS of "Blue Grey").

BLUE TITS, BLUE-GREY AND FLICKR

2008-03-12T12:21:00.003Z

Just a few points really...
It has been recently pointed out to me (by a good blogging pal of mine) that I seem to be using "Flickr" (The "New Warren" online photo album of mine) more than my blog at "Blue-Grey (use your eyes)".
This is absolutely right.

I use my "Flickr" (my New Warren) as it is SET UP to deal with large file size photographs - something I am very much getting into at the moment, and enjoying thoroughly - especially the macro or close-up shots I take.

I will be posting on "Blue-Grey" (my blog) regularly, and feel free (possibly) to use slighly er... fruitier language on my personal site (my blog)!

There will be some (many possibly) instances where I won't be able to get a decent photograph of what I'd like to post about, and therefore I will be posting about those times on my blog alone.

There will be times when I don't feel the post warrants any photo -again, "Blue-Grey" will (obviously) be the place I make that post, still.

Then are the videos I intend to keep taking with my stills camera - again - these cannot be uploaded to the New Warren (Flickr), so have a place in my blog (and on my "youtube channel") reserved especially for them.

Finally there's the nestbox.

I am afraid we are both (Anna and I) very pessimistic about the chances of our pair of Blue Tits nesting in our nestbox any time soon - if AT ALL this year.
As mentioned briefly a week or so ago, I was worried that the pair hadn't visited the box in some time after being SO interested in it, and visiting every day for some weeks.
I'm afraid (after briefly becoming optimistic after the "Long-tailed Tit incident") that I've seen no nestbox activity AT ALL since then, so can only assume they've really lost interest now.
Was it the rat? The woodpecker? The windows in the box? The wee camera? Us? The bloody awkward neighbours (but one)?
Who knows?
Lets just say, that I am WELL aware that Blue Tits can nest as early as the middle of march, and as late as May, so we have a few months to "re-attract" them to their rightful home...
Fingers and toes crossed please, everyone, and any activity we manage to get - I (of course) will post on "Blue-Grey".

As for "flickr" (the New warren)....
Many people post photographs on flickr with little or no text. I always like to add a bit, even if its where I photographed what I photographed, or a little information about the shot or subject of the shot.
For my benefit, if no-one elses!

Feel free to peruse both "Blue-Grey" and "The New Warren" should you wish, and comment on either, if that takes your fancy.

But please be under no illusion - "Blue-Grey" is not going anywhere, or being taken over by my online photo-album.

Hey thangyew.

QUEEN BUFF-TAILED BUMBLEBEE & MITES

2008-03-11T19:29:00.001Z

QUEEN BUFF-TAILED BUMBLEBEE & MITES, originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

I am seeing these big Queen Bumblebees everywhere at the moment - all looking for a suitable nest site.
Unfortunately, the individual I snapped on the garden fence this afternoon was carrying a few passengers...

Please click on the photo to be immediately transported to the New Warren, where you'll not only be able to see the full size photo, but also be able to read a little about these Bumblebee mites in my explanatory text (should you so wish...!)

LARGE YELLOW UNDERWING MOTH CATERPILLAR

2008-03-11T19:26:00.001Z

LARGE YELLOW UNDERWING MOTH CATERPILLAR, originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

Click on the edited photo to be transported to the New Warren, where you'll not only be able to see the FULL version of this photograph I took today (with its head still on!), but get some explanatory text to go with it....

THOUGHTS OF SPRING...

2008-03-09T18:17:00.002Z

I hear that we are due a bit of a storm tomorrow with gale-force winds and driving rain.

I'll make this quick then.

Just over the last couple of days, I've noticed far more insect life out and about in the garden.

Queen Bumblebees (of a few species I'm sure) are always flying around the garden like big bomber planes, (I nearly got a shot of one today), as are the Common Carder Bees (always early to rise in the year, and late to disappear).

I saw my first Mirid Bug of the year today, and the first two species of Hoverfly. One was a "Marmalade Hoverfly" (I've posted on this species before), but I wasn't quick enough to identify the second.

I've noted some aphids (Greenfly to be precise) on the Daffodils in the front lawn, and Wolf spiders in long grass on my walks.

Finally - I've seen two Harlequin Ladybirds in the past few days - one in the garden (see above). So now we have loads of Pine Ladybirds out and about (I saw dozens on lichen on an Oak tree t'other day), and the evil intruder also...

I'm a little concerned about our Blue Tits once more. I know both are alive. I see them about a bit - but they really seem to have lost interest in the nestbox. We'll just have to wait and see on that score...

The female Woodpecker is visiting the feeding post quite often these days, and the rat has yet to walk into our live capture trap - though our neghbours have caught a baby rat in a similar device - (I'm a bit jealous to be honest)!

Click HERE to see the full size versions of a few pictures I took today (of a Harlequin Ladybird and a Dunnock) and explanatory text to go with them in my "New Warren" online photo album...

HOSEHILL LAKE.

2008-03-09T08:52:00.010Z

I'm writing this a little later than I thought. We're just recovering from a day spent in the pub yesterday, watching Anna's team win (Wales) and mine too (Scotland). What a turn up for the books - Wales could win the Grand Slam this year if they beat France next week, and Scotland could still yet win the wooden spoon, if Italy beat us next week, even though we've beaten England! I am pretty sure that event (if it happens) is rare indeed...

Annnnnyway....
On friday (gone) I took a train to a local lake, where I normally spend time watching the Peregrines and interesting Ducks - Hosehill lake (a nature reserve near Theale).
I think this was the first time I walked round this lake and hardly even looked at any birds - I was far more interested in photographing the flowers and views around the lake.

It was nice to see the Oak buds appearing. I have been worried for the past few days that we were in for an "Ash before Oak" season (you're in for a soak) rather than an "Oak before Ash" (you're in for a splash), as I'd seen the Ash buds out already.
The first large Oak I happened across though - and it had obviously been in bud for ar least as long as the Ash.
I've posted a picture of a "Marble Gall" on an Oak branch below. This was made last summer by a single female parasitic wasp, but it hs been deserted for months now, and turned quite woody.

I think we have something to the tune of 90 or so different types of Galls and Gall Wasps in the UK - and around half of those are found only on Oak trees.

I also think friday was the first day that all the midges hatched in huge numbers. I really could have done with some "Jungle Formula" walking around the lake - but I very much enjoyed watching some spiders "make hay" with these chironomid midges.
The Zebra spider I photographed above had just finished her meal of midge when I took her photograph.

It was also nice to try and learn a little more about our wild flowers which are now popping out of the ground all over the place - that book I bought t'other day is really coming in handy now! I fully admit my knowledge of flowers and plants is pretty abysmal - I've stepped on them for as long as I can remember, but am starting to really appreciate them now...

Finally - I thought I'd take some photographs of a grazing horse, which seemed very happy to follow me around. I like the photograph so much (above), that I'm thinking of printing it up nicely, and asking the horse's owner (who I don't know) if they'd like to buy it off me! What have I got to lose eh?!

Anyhoo - click on any of the photographs above to enlarge, as normal... AND click HERE to see more of my Hosehill lake photographs (and others) in the "New Warren" online photo album.

COMMON LUNGWORT IN GARDEN

2008-03-06T17:09:00.003Z

As I snapped the first "wild" flowers to appear in our back garden this year (the red dead nettle flowers), I thought I'd snap this bunch too - the second species to flower in our BACK garden.

The above photo I've just taken - and shows a tiny plant of Common Lungwort, growing in the lawn, near the "Polish fence".

It's very easy to recognise, with pink buds (blooming to purple or mauve little bell-shaped flowers), but its the leaves that this plant is named after.

Common Lungwort has spotted oval-shaped leaves (see second photo above), which are supposed to look like lungs.

In olden days, (ddd-ddddurrrring da warr, as Uncle Albert might say), concoctions brewed up from these leaves were meant to help with chest infections and problems with one's lungs...

Anyhoo. Common Lungwort, is as the name suggests, a very common plant (although less so in urban gardens like ours), flowers between MArch and May, and allegedly likes damp, alkali hedgebanks....

NB. Most of that information above is paraphrased from my NEW (and first EVER) Wildflower identification field guide, which I bought from good-ol Waterstones in town this afternoon...

BLACK ANT ON DAFFODIL

2008-03-06T16:06:00.002Z

BLACK ANT ON DAFFODIL, originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

The Daffodils in the front garden are seemingly overlfowing with critters recently.
Two Angle Shade moth caterpillars, a Spider Mite (or a dozen) and now some black ants.
The larger version of this photograph is now in the "New Warren" for you to take a look at, should you wish...
Click on the photo again to do just that...

WHITE DUCK DUCKING

2008-03-06T09:32:00.003Z

WHITE DUCK DUCKING, originally uploaded by THE BLACK RABBIT.

Another photo from yesterday's marathon walk along the Thames.
See my "New Warren" for more details...

(Click on photo to be immediately transported to the "New Warren"...)

FIVE HOUR SPRING FLOWER HUNT

2008-03-06T07:25:00.004Z

I finished another week of nights the night before last, and yesterday thought I'd disappear on another of my epic treks into the Amazon, cough, walks up the Thames, in search of new spring flowers, immediately after finishing work at 7am.

Well, it was a glorious day - you know, one of those spring days that starts with a crisp frost and chill in the air, and ends up pretty damn warm - certainly too warm for 2 jerseys, a fleece and my hat!

The insects were very slow to get going after the frost, but the bird life was in full spring breeding mode - Rooks noisily building their nests and Grebes constantly shouting for each other - just two examples. You might be able to see from the "Rook's nest" photo above that this year, I think the Rooks are building their nests "low in the boughs". Not great news if you believe that country folklore!

I thoroughly enoyed escaping for five hours and seeing what I could see - I found an awful lot of things to photograph, and am learning so much, especially about flowers and blossoms - subjects which I really don't know that much about.

The photographs above are a taster of the FULL SIZE images I took yesterday and uploaded onto my "New Warren" Flickr account. (My online photo album, if you like).

I've uploaded pictures of a diving white duck (mid dive), a few very close up shots of new Daisies, Buttercups and Dandelions, a very disgruntled pheasant and much more.

Please feel free to click HERE to immediately be transported to my online photo album, or click on the permanent "New Warren" link at the top of "Blue-Grey".

A FEW MORE GARDEN BIRDS ON THE FEEDER

2008-03-03T18:14:00.003Z

1) Female Greenfinch.

2) Male Greenfinch

3) Robin - your guess is as good as mine (male or female)?

All photographs taken this morning.

"LIGHT PAINTING"

2008-03-02T19:03:00.003Z

Click HERE to see a MUCH larger version of this - my treble clef painted by me with my torch, and an explanation behind it, in my "New Warren" online photo album.

I guess I should remind any readers of "Blue Grey" that "Use your eyes" was never meant to be JUST about the natural world...

DUNNOCK IN GARDEN

2008-03-02T16:52:00.001Z

BLOWFLY BLOWING BUBBLES

2008-03-02T16:40:00.006Z

I first wrote about this species*** of "Blowfly" on September 18th 2007, so once again, no real need to go into this fly's biology.

It might be wise to point out though, straight away, that "Blow flies" are not so-called because they blow these bubbles (as in the photo above - click to enlarge as normal), but because "blown meat" was an older English term meaning meat that had been spoiled by having fly eggs laid in it.

The bubble the Bluebottle*** is blowing above is a regurgitation of its stomach contents.

The fly will sit somewhere quiet (usually!), blow these "stomach content bubbles" and suck them back in, a process which aids digestion allegedly.

This one was bubble-blowing on the back garden fence this morning.

I've uploaded this photo (which although is a bit full on, I like it a lot) to the New Warren, in a large size - that can be viewed by clicking HERE.

Some people have remarked that they think my "macro photography" is gorgeous (a lovely compliment, I'm sure you agree).

I wonder if they still have that opinion after this photograph?

Aw well...

Anybody slightly nauseated by the photo above might want to pretend the Bluebottle*** above, is simply blowing a "Bubble gum bubble".

(A little digital manipulation of my original image... and hey presto)!

NB. 7/3/08 After a little more research on this fly, I've now positively identified it as NOT Calliphora vomitoria (the "Common Bluebottle") but the almost identical C.vicina.

How did I come to that conclusion? Because its "cheeks" (the spots on the face under the eyes) are RED(ish) in colour - in C.vomitoria the cheeks would be BLACK.Just as well I got the head in focus. Only C.vomitoria is strictly speaking the "Common Bluebottle". Calliphora vicina is very closely related, but not as blue as the Bluebottle.

There you go - I'm learning something every day...

NICE START TO THE MONTH.

2008-03-01T10:29:00.003Z

On walking through the station at 7am this morning, I noticed the Peregrine had returned to its roost overnight. (I know exactly where to look, from a distance these days, and can virtually make out if the bird is on its spot, from the office, about 1/2 mile away).

Took the shot above with the teleconverter in place. Click to enlarge.

Anna and I were fortunate enough to see a lovely male Sparrowhawk with his bright-orange breast hunting around the Lime trees at the rear of the house when we returned from the farmers market also.

Unfortunately, the camera was upstairs at the time, and we were discussing other matters such as "Unions" and "Striking" etc... (Don't ask).

Hey ho!

Oh.

Did I mention our female Great Spotted Woodpecker returned to the feeding post in the garden this morning too? (I didn't want to boast or owt!)

I did get a few photographs of her, but until I get back into the garden hide (which Anna is already tentatively beginning to suggest I remove, for the sake of the grass!!!), I'll not upload any more, just yet.

Like I said.

A nice start to March.

(BLACK) CHERRY PLUM BLOSSOM

2008-02-29T16:20:00.003Z

I rather think I might have already talked briefly about this early blossomer - Prunus cerasifera 'Nigra', the Black Cherry Plum.

It does blossom ridiculously early in the year, with many thousands of delicate pink/white flowers that are often mistaken for Blackthorn.

I did see a bush of Cherry Plum flower almost a month ago now (or at least a few branches of it were flowering, anyhoo), but now all the local trees are exploding in this pink-white colour.

Although the species is a little, how can I put it.... er.... cultivated? Urban? I still think its very nice to see. It'll do me, anyway, Tommy.

Click either image to enlarge (both are now also in the "New Warren" even larger still).

LONG-TAILED TITS AND BLUE TIT UPDATE

2008-02-29T09:38:00.002Z

Just after I wrote the post below, I thought I'd sit and watch the garden from the spare bedroom, to see if any Blue Tit did visit the box.

We've just had a flurry of activity in the garden, with a pair of Great Tits, Dunnocks, House Sparrows, Greenfinches, a hen Blackbird, a pair of Woodpigeons, about 15 Goldfinches in the bare Lime tree, and a first for the garden - a pair of Long-Tailed Tits. Excuse the photo again please - taken from inside, in a hurry, with the wrong lens.

It often seems to be that way in this garden - as soon a two birds appear, (often the ever noisy Goldfinches), every bird appears.

The GOOD news is that in defending their "patch" from the pair of Long-Tailed Tits (maybe the winter LTT flock has dispersed after all now), both Brittany and her mate appeared and BOTH went very briefly into the box.

BIG sigh of relief - we're still on for mid March then maybe?

NB. By the way - happy "leap day" to any readers of BG.

FOLIAGE SPIDER AND A FEW THOUGHTS...

2008-02-29T08:09:00.004Z

Two days ago, our overwintering Chiffchaff (the one that's been here all season with his white primary feather) started to sing for the first time in 2008.

It was a sound Anna and I got used to during last spring and summer - but I hadn't heard him utter a peep since last autumn.

Early yes - but cheating a bit, as I know he's not flown south for the winter.

On that sort of subject, I can see that the winter Goldfinch flocks have yet to break up yet, nor have the winter flocks of Long-Tailed Tits. Won't be long now though...

What about our Blue Tits - Brittany and her mate?

Slightly worrying news I'm afraid to report.

I'm well aware that I haven't uploaded any recent nestbox videos in the past fortnight or so.

For two reasons - firstly I've been extremely busy, and secondly, because I've hardly seen them anywhere NEAR the box. In fact, I've hardly seen them at all, and am not convinced they are both still alive - but they might well be.

I'm pretty sure the male is alive - I occasionally hear him calling.

Time will tell of course, though I was rather hoping that in about 2 weeks, (like last year), they'd be stating to put nesting material into the box.

Maybe someone down the road has put up a more desirable nestbox than us?

I do hope they are (BOTH) still alive, and are just taking a break....

Keep your eyes open on the roads at present.

I took a phonecall the other day from a lady in Northern Ireland, reporting hundreds of dead frogs on a road near a lake.

Pretty normal in February and early March I'm afraid.

I saw it myself t'other day, on a road in Berkshire - lots of frogs squashed on a short stretch of road, with the spawn literally forced out of them in some cases - not a particularly aesthetically-pleasing sight.

Lots of amphibians are now involved in migration back to their place of birth (or as near as dammit), to spawn this year.

Now - the "Foliage Spider".

Apologies for the poor quality of the two photographs above.

I took them last night, in the dark, and I should tell you the spider was about 12' up our exterior kitchen wall, and we've got no ladder.

It certainly is some kind of male "Foliage Spider" (a Clubiona sp.) but there are about 19 species of this genus of spider in Britain - and I couldn't possibly narrow it down further than the genus from these poor photographs.

I have a suspicion its Clubiona reclusa but I can't be sure.

Most Foliage Spiders look very similar. Elongated abdomens, fine brown hair (almost like fur) covering their abdomen and cephalothorax, with long spinnerets at the rear.

They normally dwell in foliage (as their name suggests), or under stones on the ground, behind tree bark, or in gaps in fences - weaving a silk retreat purse if you will, in which they lie during the daylight hours.

Come night time though, and they're on the prowl - they are hunting spiders, and don't make webs as such.

I assume this one (a male - see his club-like pedipalps) maybe lives in a gap in our wooden fence, or in a little spot under the gutter for example.

I don't suppose we'll see him on the bare wall that often.

As a rough scale of size, I'd say he was just under one inch long - so hardly a monster, but not really that small.

I'll try and get a better photograph of this genus of spiders as and when, in more ideal photography condusive circumstances, but for now, click either image to enlarge...

GO ON THEN. ONE MORE...

2008-02-27T13:16:00.003Z

This is now the THIRD species of "Jumping Spider" I've photographed this week.

Along with my "House Jumping Spider" in the spare bedroom, and my "Fence-Post Jumper" on the Blue Tit box, I've now re-found this little lady, hunting on our back gate, in the warm sun today.

This, of course, is the most famous Jumping Spider in Britain - the "Zebra Spider", Salticus scenicus, and this indivdual is once again, a small female (no HUGE chelicerae (fangs) on her like the Zebra Spider males), at about 2-3mm high and 4mm long.

I've gone into this species' biology before, so no need to again, but do click on any of the above images to enlarge them...

I've added the best to the "New Warren" and enlarged it MUCH larger if you'd like to take a look HERE.

TALKING OF SPIDERS... ANOTHER OF MY FENCE-POST JUMPERS...

2008-02-26T17:41:00.003Z

They ALL want their photographs taken now...

This little "byoody" (as the late Steve Irwin might have said), I've just this second photographed on the front of the nestbox.

(The pale clour behind her is the circular nest box entrance hole for the Blue Tits...).

I think she's safe at present though - our Blue Tits only seem to visi the box in the morning.

Click, as always, to enlarge.

SHE WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE...

2008-02-26T17:13:00.003Z

As I uploaded all my photographs into the New Warren, my little lady friend reappeared next to the computer on the window frame.

She seems intent on having her photo taken now - fickle eh?

This, of course, is the female "House Jumping Spider" I chased around our ceiling a few days ago...

Anyway - couldn't resist.

Click to enlarge.

SCAUP AT SANDFORD LAKE.

2008-02-26T16:28:00.003Z

I always thought I used my eyes very well indeed. "Use Your Eyes" is BG's motto after all.

Not yesterday I'm afraid.

I had a day off yesterday and took a train 9 minutes east of town (unlike the usual train journey to Theale gravel pits, 9 minutes west), to Dinton Pastures County Park, and Lakes, near Wokingham in Berkshire.

This is a large park, but a water park, full of lakes. The river Loddon runs through it.

I knew there was the possiblity of seeing the park's overwintering Bittern, which seems to spend its time in the reeds on one of the lakes - there will always be a chance to see a Barn Owl - a nest box has a pair roosting there now, and you never know what else could turn up.

I had a very nice relaxed day, wandering about peering at stuff with my camera.

I managed to see a large party of feeding Snipe (photo in my online photo album, the "New Warren" (see link above)), plenty of Teal (photo New Warren), Shoveler, Pochard, Peewits, a Redshank, some Pheasants and a very big rat,that was preoccupied eating, and didn't notice me take a very nice photo of it (in the New Warren again).

I don't consider myself a bird watcher, more of just a watcher really, and I am sometimes amused by the point-scoring "birders" engage in, whilst talking with (more like "to") each other at spots like this.

I did overhear some chap saying he'd seen a Scaup on an adjacent lake. I know what a Scaup (pronounced SCORP rather than SKOWP) is. Its a sea duck, rather like a Tufted Duck, but found on the coast. Instead of a the Tufty's black back, the Scaup has a grey back, instead of a blue sheen to its black head (like the Tufty), the Scaup exhibits a definite green sheen with a steep forehead, and no tuft, but other than that, they do appear very like Tufties, especially from a distance.

I had never seen a Scaup before, though like I said, I knew exactly what one looked like.

Annnyway... on my amble around the last lake before walking back to the station, I noticed a couple of Goldeneye drakes not too far away. Another of my favourite wildfowl - they really are quite beautiful - I stopped to get a shot of one.

I managed quite well I think. The photo is at the top of this post (its the first photo), and you'll see a number of species in the photo.

It was only when I got home and downloaded my photographs, and started to look through them, that I remembered about the Scaup. I'd only gone and taken a VERY poor shot of one - out of focus - but CLEARLY visible in the Goldeneye shot - and I hadn't even noticed it - so intent was I on getting the Goldeneye in focus...

The first photo (like I said) shows the Scaup.

The duck top left is my subject - the Goldeneye.

The duck bottom right is the bird I completely missed - the Scaup.

Never mind eh?

I'll be 6' under before I join the "Twitchers" of this world, so don't intend to beat myself up about a bird that I've not seen before, being missed by me - RIGHT UNDER MY SNOUT!

The pint of Wadworths 6X I had at the local watering hole waiting for a train is worth mentioning here also.

I hope that Anna and I will return when it gets a little warmer, to see maybe the Owls, maybe the Bittern, maybe have a pic-a-nic Boo boo, and maybe a pointa zoider after, in that very nice pub...

NB. The best photographs of the day (in my opinion) can ALL be found, now, on my online photo album, together with some facts about each species photographed.

Click HERE or use the link on the top lhs of the front page of BG.

BLACK SWANS ON THE THAMES

2008-02-23T07:32:00.005Z

Some readers of BG might know that Black Swans are special birds for me and Anna. We are at present, designing our wedding invitation cards using images of Black Swans.

When we got together in London (and I moved to be with her in Walthamstow (nicer than it sounds)) we regularly used to watch a Black Swan on Walthamstow reservoirs and the river Lea.

I think we both appreciate "different" sights or animals, slightly unexpected or abnormal events and sights, things that are out of the ordinary or improbable. Doesn't everyone?

We were always delighted when we saw that swan fly down to the reservoirs or river (although smaller than the normal Mute Swans, you'll not miss a Black Swan flying - they have longer necks than Mute Swans, are jet black all over (at least it appears that way from a distance) and have very showy white wing flashes in flight which are hidden when it is on the ground or water).

The wild Black Swan (Cygnus aratus) is native only to Australia and Tasmania, although there is a significant breeding population in New Zealand also, where it was introduced.

It is a popular wildfowl collection bird, all over the world, many have escaped these collections and are now often found in "the wild". It was thought that they couldn't breed in the Northern hemisphere, so in tune were they with the southern hemisphere's "winter" breeding season - but that is quite clearly untrue.

I have no idea where the pair of Black Swans that appeared on the Thames at Reading have come from. There is a Wildfowl collection very close - and this stretch of the river is no stranger to exotic avian visitors because of that. Maybe they came from that collection. Who knows?

During the 1980's I enjoyed boating up this part of the Thames because you quite literally never knew what you were going to find - maybe a Carolina Wood Duck, possibly a Mandarin Duck, and ever since we've been living in Reading (for the last year or so), a Barnacle Goose, a dozen Egyptian Geese, and a semi-tame Tufted Duck - all of which I know can fly, and fly elsewhere should they want.

Well, now, possibly two of our favourite birds (as a couple anyway) have turned up right under our noses in Reading - maybe they took their time following us from Walthamstow!

I'll try and get much better photographs of these beautiful yet different (slightly unsettling) birds if we get better light here - its very warm and dull at present. We do hope they stick around for a while...

Click HERE for a review (in the Telegraph) of the book "The Black Swan" by the very rude, frank, Lebanese epistemologist, Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

I think that might be worth a read - "Plato was a nerd" eh?!!

Should be a giggle.

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NB. A day later. After a little more research on the web, and after being told an interesting tit-bit of information by a colleague, it seems that Winston Churchill may have introduced the Black Swan to Blighty, at his country residence, Chartwell.

Lifted from the web:

"Out in the garden is a small lake with an island that Churchill helped to build himself. Unusually for England there are black swans resident in the lake. The original swans were a gift to Churchill from the people of Australia in recognition of his wartime achievments. He was very proud of them and their successors are there today".

The Black Swan means "Perth" (Western Australia) to Australians, in the same way that the Kangaroo means "Australia as a whole". There is an ancient Western Australian legend that explains the origin of the Black Swans. Allegedly a pair of White Swans stole some Eagles' boomerangs. The Eagles were so furious that they plucked those White Swans alive. Their blood stained their bills, and so concerned were the local Crows, that they covered the Swans in their own black feathers...

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TONIGHTS TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

2008-02-20T13:47:00.005Z

As discussed right at the start of the month, HERE, we have a Total Lunar Eclipse to look forward to tonight.
After a good ten or so clear nights recently, its pretty cloudy today (at least where I am), so we'll just have to cross our fingers, and hope this grey sky clears as the day and night go on.
Its not as user friendly as the spectacular eclipse of March 3rd 2007, which was completely clear of cloud, and at a more respectable time of about 10pm.

Tonight's Total Lunar Eclipse will begin about 1:30am, totality will occur at 03:26am, and it will all be over until the next time, by about 05:15am ish.

Your next chance to see a Total Lunar Eclipse in the UK?
December 21st 2010.

Make the most of this one if you can...

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NB. (The next day). Unfortunately, here in Reading, whilst at 11pm the sky was clear, if very hazy, by 11:10pm, we had pretty thick cloud cover on and off - so no view for us this time...
Hey Ho.
Lets hope December 21st 2010 will be better eh?

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Later still. I have just (12pm on the 21st) found out that my "statcounter" (the facility to record visitors to BG found right at the very bottom of the page of the blog - under the feeds) crashed this morning, what with all the hits I was getting with specific reference to last night's lunar eclipse.
I've reset it now, but it is even more of a shame I couldn't see it last night and pop some photographs on the blog, eh?
Aw well...

Pseudeuophrys lanigera "THE HOUSE JUMPING SPIDER"

2008-02-20T12:57:00.004Z

I always thought this was called the "Wall jumping spider", but after a little research, it seems like it has no common name - just Pseudeuophrys lanigera.

I found this on our hall ceiling this morning, and its taken me an hour or so to get a few half decent shots of it.

I'll add to this post when I can, after finding out more about this tiny wee jumping spider - about 4mm in length and 3mm in width.

Click any image to enlarge...

NB. Later today.

After some more research I have found that this spider is one of eleven species found within this genus in Europe. Our spider is a female (its fore legs are not darkened - as is the normal colouration for displaying males), and it does have a common name - the "House Jumping Spider". It is very often found near or in human habitations - often on or in roofs, and sometimes in rooms - like the one I photographed.

ANNUAL HAWK CONSERVANCY PILGRIMAGE (2)

2008-02-19T09:24:00.002Z

ANNUAL HAWK CONSERVANCY PILGRIMAGE

2008-02-19T08:58:00.003Z

Anna and I try to get to the Hawk Conservancy near Andover, every year if we can.

Its a wonderful place full of many species of Hawks, Buzzards, Falcons, Owls and Vultures - run by very knowledgeable and friendly staff (who CLEARLY enjoy their work), and not only provides a valuable conservation service, but also an excellent hands-on educational service to boot.

Just as a paying day visitor one can have a Harris Hawk fly to your fist, or have a Barn Owl sit on your gauntlet-clad fist, and watch some fantastic flying demonstrations.

Ashley, Gary, Cedric and staff clearly know their stuff, and its always a pleasure to visit.

We hope to take part in one of their falconry days next time, or maybe a photography day, or even "Owls by moonlight" evening...

Above are a few of the 90 photographs I took whilst we were there yesterday, (3 on this post, 3 on the next).

The first is a close up of a Harris Hawk - a bird widely used by Professional Falconers here in the UK (even though its not native to these shores), as its a reliable "all-rounder".

Strictly speaking its no Hawk, nor Buzzard, as its scientific generic name suggests "Parabuteo" -part Buzzard.

The second is a portrait of a female Barn Owl.

The third photo shows a large Milky Eagle Owl (named after its milk-coloured eyelids) flying low over the gathered crowd at the Woodland Owls display.

The fourth photo (on the next post, above) shows a Saker Falcon (with attached radio transmitter in case it buggers off - I'm told they often do!) over our heads in a hunting flight demonstration.

The Fifth photo on that post shows the same bird before flying, shaking his feathers. The pre-flight checks if you will.

Finally, the sixth photo (the next post above this one), shows an old stalwart of the trust, catching his prey in mid air in a demonstration. This is Frodo, a 24 year old Tawny Eagle, who I first saw at the trust 22 years ago with my family. Its grand to know he's been well looked after, obviously!

I personally would like the trust to show off more British birds - the last time we went, we were treated to flying Peregrines and Tawny Owls - which I always find more interesting than African Sea Eagles or Turkey Vultures.

That is a small whinge though, I understand why they can't do that more often, and both Anna and I look forward to our next trip down there...

NB. You can visit the trust's comprehensive website by clicking on the "Hawk Conservancy" link in the links section of BG.

Click any of the photographs to enlarge them slightly...

BAD NEWS...

2008-02-17T09:28:00.004Z

After a week or so of walking up the river at dawn to see my Barn Owl again, I am reluctantly going to say that I don't think its hunting "south of the rivvarrh" at present.

There is clear evidence of motorbike activity (trail bikes by the look of the tyre prints) all over the Owl's hunting field.

Having come across these morons before, I assume they are out at night (de-restricted, unregistered bikes very often) - at least 2 or 3 of them by the look of the mess they've caused.

I don't blame the Owl for finding "pastures new" (quite literally), as they will be making quite a racket at night.

I hope I know roughly where the Owl is still roosting at present, and assume it will be hunting just north of the river - but that is a good two hour walk for me (4 hours round trip at least), and at the moment, will not be do-able by me.

I'll continue to walk up the river at dusk and dawn occasionally, for a time, in the hope that the cretins on their bikes get reported or bored.

I hope to meet them one evening...., with a catatpult and a few stones maybe...

The picture above is another photo I took this morning of a barb on a barbed wire fence, running next to the Barn Owl field, covered in a heavy frost.

Click as always to enlarge.

ANOTHER MOON SHOT (TONIGHT)

2008-02-16T18:49:00.002Z

I think I'm slowly getting the hang of this photographing the moon business.

Took a few shots tonight, on different manual settings.

This was the best, and I think makes ALL my other efforts at photographing the moon look absolutely awful. (Its all to do with resizing your digital image, but I won't bore you with all that nerdy stuff).

Click to enlarge.

NB. Remember the Total Lunar Eclipse at 3am (ish) 21st feb. I may get up for that if (big IF) the sky is clear - thats when this moon-training may well come in handy!

VALENTINE'S ROSE

2008-02-16T07:47:00.004Z

A still life, taken early this morning (couldn't sleep), of one of the dozen red roses I gave Anna for Valentine's day this year.

Don't all vomit at once...

NB. Sharper (better) version of my photo in the "New Warren".

MOON TONIGHT (WITH NEW LENS)

2008-02-15T22:27:00.002Z

I've recently bought a new (well, second hand, but new to me) teleconverter for my camera, from the same chap who sold me the camera in the first place.

Thought I'd try it out on the Gibbous, Waxing moon tonight.

I'm dead impressed.

Cheers pal!

Click, as always, to enlarge.

THE COMPOST HEAP RAT...

2008-02-15T14:11:00.003Z

You know... one day I'll take a photo of a Bengal Tiger, or maybe even a Golden Oriole or something...

Photo taken 5 minutes ago from the spare bedroom.

Click to enlarge.

ANOTHER PIGEON PORTRAIT

2008-02-15T13:48:00.002Z

You can tell how crap I'm feeling.

Another bleedin' pigeon.

Click to enlarge.

RED KITE OVER GARDEN.

2008-02-15T13:42:00.001Z

Less than an hour after the Peregrine...

Click to enlarge.

PEREGRINE OVER BACK GARDEN

2008-02-15T12:21:00.004Z

I'm very under the weather at present. My circadian rhythms have been well and truely knocked out of kilter by those recent night shifts, so I'm at home, doing a few jobs and mainly resting.

I was gazing out of the window a minute ago, when I noticed a bird of prey spiral relatively low over the rec behind our house. It was behaving like a Sparrowhawk, but it was only when the 3 dozen or so pigeons all leaped into the air a few seconds later, I realised what it was.

Its very impresive that the pigeons can tell the difference between a real threat (what THIS was) and something that isn't (a Sparrowhawk).

One of our Peregrines. Drifting lazily towards one of its hunting reservoirs, a few miles west of us.

By the look of it, this one was big enough to be a Falcon (female) and in good nick (nice and plump) by the look of it...

Managed one shot, and one shot only.

Click to enlarge.

DUNNOCK AND SQUIRREL

2008-02-14T11:06:00.004Z

Sat in the hide for an hour or so today, hoping to get a shot of the Woodpecker.

The light was SO bad though (it was like night), that I gave up after that time, having got the shots above, using a high speed film setting for most. Not great quality I'm afraid.

Of course, as soon as I came in, the garden went bananas with all manner of birds flocking in - (including the Woodpecker right above me) - aw well, I'll wait for better light...

Click any of the photographs to enlarge.

WOODPIGEON PORTRAIT

2008-02-13T10:23:00.002Z

The last sunny day for a day or so I fear and the female Woodpecker got on her post at exactly the same time as yesterday.

I wasn't inside the hide though - I've picked up some sort of gastric bug, and couldn't face an hour or so in a frosty tent, so for now you'll have to make do with this close-up of one of the Woodpigeons to visit the garden.

MOON TONIGHT AND INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION WITH SHUTTLE VIDEO (BY MARS)

2008-02-12T18:34:00.000Z

Another nice day today with more insects making the most of the glorious temperatures and sunlight.

I thought I'd snap tonight's waxing moon again, and try and get a video of the International Space station (with Shuttle Atlantis still docked to her) flying overhead.

Managed it just, and by a complete fluke, recorded (with the stills camera set to video mode again) as the station and shuttle flew "past" Mars.

Excuse the poor quality of the video (all hand held, shot in a panic again, (poor old Anna's marrying a headcase you know)).

If I'd have known it was going to fly right by the red planet, I'd have made a much smoother video...!

As always, the photo above can be enlarged by clicking on it, and the video can be found on my "Youtube channel", or at the bottom of the home page of BG, on my "Youtube player", or by clicking HERE. (All that providing your server gives you permission to view youtube videos of course...).

FEMALE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER ON POST!

2008-02-12T09:52:00.001Z

This morning is the first time I've seen the hen on the post - previously it had always been the bolder male.

Good news - though I was gutted I wasn't in my hide, not 8' away from the woodpecker, instead I was watching from behind double glazing again, about 80' away.

I'll hope to get some great shots when I do get back into the hide!

As normal, click either image to enlarge.

"WALL SCREW MOSS"

2008-02-12T08:21:00.000Z

This is the very common (especially on urban walls), "Wall screw moss". Its scientific name is Tortula muralis - and it doesn't take a graduate in classical languages to realise that quite literally means : Winding/twisted of walls.

Very apt name for this bryophyte - this is the moss you are (by far the) most likely to see on brickwork around urban areas - with stems growing from a plump, moist cushion.

I found this moss on the office wall a few days ago, and snapped it last night.

Click (as always) to enlarge the image.

MUCH COLDER THIS WEEKEND...

2008-02-12T05:46:00.000Z

15c might be the norm over parts of Britain today - I hear N.Wales might even reach the giddy heights of SEVENTEEN DEGREES!
All these newly emerged Hoverflies, Ladybirds, Butterflies (Primroses seen in places already - but not by me yet), Bumblebees (saw a big queen "Buff-tail" in the garden yesterday) and Weevils (one of the back fence yesterday also) are going to find it tough this weekend - VERY tough.

From 15c to 4c (daytime temp) in two days, and no warming sun either.

TONIGHT'S WAXING MOON

2008-02-11T19:21:00.000Z

TWO GREBES 'A COURTIN'

2008-02-11T11:38:00.000Z

On my ramble up the river this morning, (for any interested parties, I was just "saaaf of ver rivarrh" (sorry, "in joke")), I did manage to record on video a Great Crested Grebe calling his mate (very rarely heard outside the breeding season), and then the very nice sight of is mate responding, and the two Grebes participating in their famous courtship dance - waving their heads at each other etc...
I didn't manage to video them giving each other presents of weed (thats the next stage) or actual copulation (the final stage), but I'm really happy to have caught a bit of their famous dance on video.
I've uploaded both videos to my youtube channel - visible at the bottom of "Blue-Grey", or by clicking "My youtube channel" on the links section.

They are labelled "Podiceps cristatus" (the latin name for a Great Crested Grebe), which (as I've mentioned before), literally means "Crested Anus-foot".

I hope you enjoy watching them...

I'M ADDICTED.

2008-02-11T11:11:00.001Z

No Owl again this morning.

Just a heavy mist (fog really) and a beautiful sunrise.

Click to enlarge.

ANOTHER RIVERSIDE WALK AT DAWN...

2008-02-10T10:29:00.000Z

I was a bit late (I hope?) to see the Owl today, so I took a few more pictures of other sights again...

Descriptions can once again be found in the "New Warren".

Click any image to enlarge as usual.

DOES OUR MALE BLUE TIT HAVE TICKS?

2008-02-09T12:25:00.000Z

I'm more than a little concerned about our male Blue Tit. He now has TWO round, black marks on his cheeks, one under each eye. He look like he has four eyes!
Has he got ticks? Or are they abrasions?

He IS behaving normally though - I've been watching them remove the leftover shavings from the box this morning and have recorded another 50 seconds of footage (PC 6) which can now be found on the youtube channel as normal, or at the top and bottom of the home page of Blue-Grey, as usual....

THE THAMES AT DAWN (2)

2008-02-09T11:58:00.001Z

THE THAMES AT DAWN.

2008-02-09T11:52:00.000Z

I took another walk along the river at dawn this morning, straight after work.

To be honest I was hoping to get another (better) video of the Barn Owl, but only saw a fleeting glimpse of it this time. I'll try again soon...

So... instead, I took a few photographs of a few sights along the Thames this morning, in the dawn light.

I'll not describe the photographs here - I've already done that in my online photo album, where you can see them enlarged and described a little. Click the "New Warren" link at the top of the front page of BG to visit that album, and feel free to leave any comments...

SPACE SHUTTLE AND SPACE STATION. PHOTOGRAPHS.

2008-02-08T19:33:00.000Z

Anyone want to see the space station and/or the space shuttle (the space shuttle Atlantis was launched at Cape Kennedy yesterday, with a mission to carry out work on the International Space Station or ISS)?

Click on the link "ISS tracker" on Blue-Grey, and you'll immediately get a live tracker of both orbits on screen - letting you know when you can expect to see them over any part of the world.

I should point out here that to have any real success, and see them at their brightest (and they can be VERY bright), one needs to view them just after the sun has gone down, or just before it comes up, so there is enough sunlight around the other side of the globe, to light them up (reflect off them) in YOUR part of the night sky.

Both are travelling at about 17,300 mph, and the ISS takes about 91 minutes to orbit the world.

When you time it correctly, they DO appear VERY bright, obviously not planes, and do not blink (like planes).

The shuttle looks to be travelling much faster (it fairly races across the sky) as IT is flying at an altitude of about 230km, whereas the larger ISS is orbiting at about 340km up.

They are both travelling WEST - EAST over Britain - a good way of telling them apart from other satellites...

I managed to grab two hasty photographs of them just after the sun had gone down here.

The first I took at 17:57, facing due east, with the camera set to an eight second exposure. I apologise about this photograph - I had no time to set up a tripod, so I was holding the camera on the fence! The star to the extreme right of the first photograph is "Procyon" in "Canis Minor" (just above the neighbours roof), and the star above the trail is "Pollux" (NO jokes here please!) in "Gemini".

The trail of light is an eight second trail of light left by the ISS as it travelled due east.

The second I took approximately 25 minutes later, at 18:20, again with the camera pointing pretty well due east. This time I had a chance to set up a tripod, and could zoom in a little more. The darker (second) photo shows an eight second trail of light left by the Shuttle Atlantis, on ITS orbit west to east. By the way, the two stars in that photo are Castor and Pollux, the twins of Gemini.

It really is worth checking that ISS tracker link occasionally, around dusk especially.

These things are worth seeing (well, in my opinion, anyway).

Its not all about wildlife you know...

NB. Anna and I watched a spectuclar view of the ISS snd shuttle (docked together) traverse the night sky at around 18:20 on the saturday evening after the report above. The light was so bright, I assumed the Shuttle had docked with the ISS, and when I checked the NASA (amongst others) site, I found that it had, early on Saturday morning. I can't imagine how we'd ever get a better view of the ISS - perfectly clear skies, hitched up with the shuttle (so considerably bigger than normal) - it was incredibly bright...

"BUG LIFE" BLOSSOMS TODAY

2008-02-08T14:11:00.000Z

Its been glorious here in the south of England today - beautiful blue skies and I think a temperature of about 14c - not bad for early February!

Thus, today was the first day that the wee beasties came out to play in the garden.

I'm working nights at the moment, and haven't gone to bed yet, because of all the life in the garden to take photographs of...!

I've had cluster flies, hoverflies (drone flies), bluebottles, ants, ladybirds and spiders.

I'll just post 4 photographs on BG though (and not upload them to the New Warren (my online photo album - I'm dog-tired and think I can do better) - 3 of another "jumping spider", the "Zebra Spider" (Salticus scenicus), a bolder, brasher, brighter, more famous version of its cousin, the "Fence Post Jumper" (Marpissa muscosca). The Zebra Spider is more likely to bite you than the Fence-Post Jumper, and it may hurt a bit (a bit like a sting). It has MUCH larger fangs *chelicerae) if its a male, than its cousin, although these are almost invariably hidden behind its pedipalps. You'd have to really go some though, in order to provoke one of these to bite you.

The scenicus part of their scientific name literally means "actor" - quite apt I suppose - these are entertaining wee spiders...

This one was a very small example of a female (small chelicerae) though - no more than 4 or 5mm long.

The last photo is of a Pine Ladybird - sometimes called a 4 spot ladybird. It is smaller than many ladybirds (obviously early to appear though), black, with a noticeable rim around its elytra, and 4 red smudges. Some say the front 2 smudges look like commas, I think the four smudges look like 2 red ducks watching two red feathers floating down towards them.

Yes. I know. The men in white coats haven't quite caught up with me yet...

The Pine Ladybird is a hardy beastie. It often starts mating in warm days in mid February, like today, and lives on many trees - not just pines. It is certainly noted for eating Scale insects which dwell on Urban Lime trees - like the one behind our fence. It very possibly is the most adaptable (native!) Ladybird in the UK.

Click any of the images above to enlarge.

What a glorious sunny day! Right. I'm off to bed...

MALE WOODPECKER ON FEEDING POST. AT LAST.

2008-02-07T12:02:00.000Z

Click on any image to enlarge.

Forgive the background to these shots won't you? (I can't help it if the recreation ground behind our house was condemned afer the summer floods, can I? Atually, I know a little more about this recreation ground than the powers that be would like, but I can't let on here....)

I took these photographs not from the hide, 12' away from the post, but from inside the house, 80' from the post, through double glazing, in a blue funk, so to speak.

Note the lil' beggar's clawed feet - two claws facing forward, and two back, unlike most birds with three forward and one back, which is also unlike the swift - all four forward! Note also the pronged tail, comprising of VERY stiff tail feathers, which it'll use as a support - to brace itself against the trunk or branch of the tree its on.

I know the male has visited the feeding post I erected months ago, but possibly only once or twice.

I wish I was in the hide to take these, but I now have new resolve to take a big mug of tea into the hide, and wait for this very nice bird to make a guest of honour appearance once more!

BARN OWL ON VIDEO!

2008-02-07T09:46:00.000Z

What a rare treat I've had this morning.
So rare (for me anyway) the last time I saw one of these birds NOT near an Owl nestbox, just quartering, was in Scotland, over twenty years ago!
There are only about 4,000 pairs of breeding Barn Owls in the UK, and that figure is probably declining, although the BTO amongst others are doing a sterling job of putting up thousands of Barn Owl boxes to give these fantastic birds a helping hand.

The Barn Owl. Tyto alba. (From Tuto - Owl and Albus - White).
I took a walk at dawn this morning, along the river Thames, and happened across this beautiful ghostly apparition, quartering like a giant white moth in the gloom over the rough grass of a riverside meadow.

I must have watched it for about 30 minutes, on and off, but as the light was coming up, and it kept gettng a bit disturbed by the odd fluorescent-vested mountain biker hot-pedalling it down the towpath, it never got that close, and was often out of sight behind the hedgerows.

I think this Owl may well be here for the winter, just before I walked home, I saw it cross the river towards a boat house which may well be its roost?
Barn Owls are mainly nocturnal, using their assymetrically-placed ears to pinpoint their bank vole (often) prey as well as their eyes. In winter, however, when prey is scarce, you may well be able to see Barn Owls hunting during the day, and certainly at dawn and dusk.

Unfortunately, I am on nights for a week now (thats a 7 day week - not a 5 day easy peasy week like some!), so probably won't be able to return at dawn for 8 or 9 days.

I will return though, to see if this wonderful bird is still around, with a view to gettting better videos. I do apologise about the quality of the videos - VERY short in length (only about 4 seconds long each), taken handheld, with my stills camera set to video mode, at a distance of about 150 yards, in low light.
I will do better if I can though, next time.
I CAN' T WAIT!

NB. By the way, on my dawn walk up the Thames this morning (I started about 06:30am, so not that early), I also managed to see a Peregrine (flying along the river at height), two Red Kites and a Buzzard.
Not bad for the sump-hole that is Reading, eh?

NB. If all you can see is a blank (black) screen on the videos above, click on the play button (twice) anyway, and you should be able to view my two very short videos. These are also availabe on my youtube account I should point out. (Click on the My youtube channel on the links section of BG or use the larger "player" at the bottom of the home page of "Blue-Grey")

BOTH WOODPECKERS AT THE SAME TIME...

2008-02-06T17:08:00.000Z

I don't want to boast or owt, but....

Thought I'd pop 4 photographs (taken this afternoon) of both of our woodpeckers feeding in a nearby Lime tree (the one adjacent to ours).

They're not great photographs - taken from distance again - I'm having trouble getting near these beautiful birds.

The last photo is of the male, the penultimate of the female, and the two before, of both - see if you can spot them amongst all the branches! Click any image to enlarge.