Jay vs Woodpecker (Round 2)

I find the Corvids a hugely entertaining group of birds and saw another example recently. In August 2013 I reported on (and photographed) a passing Jay which gratuitously flew at a Greater Spotted Woodpecker perched on the very top of a Larch tree and had several goes at trying to frighten it/dislodge it. The Woodpecker, despite the disparity in size, blanked it and stood firm and after a while the Jay gave up and flew off. The recent confrontation took place on our feeding station which is visible from the bed. I woke up to see a Jay perched just above the feeder that had a Greater Spotted feeding from it. The Jay stood there looking at the Woodpecker from a distance of about six inches and was ignored. After a while the Jay just dropped onto the Woodpecker who flew off as the Jay dropped all the way to the top of the wall below. The Woodpecker flew straight back as if nothing had happened and started feeding again. The Jay pretended he wanted to be on the wall and had found some interesting stuff there then flew off. Round 2 to the Woodpecker

More Damselfly action

I managed to get a picture of a male and female Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) and also came to the conclusion that I probably didn't see a Common Blue Damselfly after all as there were only Azure Damselflies at the pond today. The photo is of the Large Reds mating.

Damselflies at the pond

At least two and possibly three damselfly species on the pond today. The photo is the Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) which I recorded in 2014 in the house but which was today strutting its damselfly stuff on the pond. In fact I only saw a male but there were mating and ovipositing Azure Damselfies and possibly (but not confirmed) a Common Blue Damselfly. I thought I saw a small newt in the pond a few days ago so it is definitely coming to life despite the mass of rotting leaves that acummulate there.

No swallows, very few sparrows

Amidst the pleasure of seeing the new regular visitors to the feeding station, namely Blackcaps and Siskins, there is concern at complete lack of Swallows on site this year and seemingly just one pair of Sparrows. In every previous year there have been typically half a dozen Swallows hawking over the fields and multiple broods being raised in the barn. There have also been at least three Sparrow nests under the eaves at the front of the house. This year there are no Swallows as of today. I saw a couple at the top of the lane towards the end of April but nothing on site. Similarly there are no Sparrows nesting in our roof and just the occasional visit to our feeding station. I guess the weather being weird in the UK this winter means it probably was weird all over and that may have messed the Swallows up. In any case it is disturbing and it doesn't explain why the Sparrows have also fallen off here.

New Species - Three-nerved Sandwort

Finding a new flower species is an increasingly uncommon occurrence so it is good to report the Three-nerved Sandwort (Moehringia trinervia) in a shady area by an overgrown hedge. It fooled me for quite a while as I was trying to work out which Chickweed it was and only when I had eliminated all the Chickweeds did I stumble across the Sandwort group on the next page of the flower book.

Corvid mayhem

I was woken up by extreme crow noise and staggering to the window I could see five crows all giving it some, right below me. The noise turned into a fight between two of the the crows (the males?) whilst the the other three were close spectators. At one point two of the 'spectators' turned and swooped on some rabbits who made a hasty exit into the undergrowth. The fight looked really vicious with wings spread and beaks in action and I feared a fatality but after a little while it ended and all five birds flew off. A little while later the resident pair of crows were visible doing exactly what they normally do hopping around in the the field and in the garden picking out nice things to eat. I can only assume that this was a territorial challenge which was seen off but that is guesswork really. I certainly see our crows defending against buzzards and other birds of prey so I think this was more of the same. The photo shows the crows an hour or so after the fight.

Wildlife gardening

I don't disapprove of the usual wildlife gardening suggestions which typically focus on leaving some areas wild or planting of species that are useful to native insects and birds. My approach is different though. On the small areas that we have that might be considered garden such as some grass between the back door and a retaining wall I just make sure that I tweak things in favour of any wildflowers that may find a home there. What surprises me is how little of a tweak is required. The photo shows a brilliant patch of Bugle (Ajuga reptans) enjoying a shady spot by the wall that is at the moment a hive of insect activity. All that was required was to leave uncut a couple of spikes of Bugle for a couple of years and hey presto! For me better than anything at Chelsea.

Spring Sedge with added insects

I finally found one of my little patches of Spring Sedge (Carex caryophyllea)and took my camera out to take a few photos of this delicate little plant. I found a couple of tiny tiny insects interacting on one of the spikes. I have no idea what they are.