Wild and Wonderful: frost flowers

Showing posts with label frost flowers. Show all posts

Wednesday, 8 April 2015

Tree Following ~ March to April (plus new tree)


and 2015

This post marks a complete year of Tree Following for me. My Tree Following posts form part of a wider project run by Lucy Corrander from the Loose and Leafy blog. I am following a Silver Birch, B. pendula, in Suffolk, UK. You will find the other Tree Follower links on the Loose and Leafy blog ... so do take the chance to catch up with happenings in the arboreal world!

Welcome to my new - as yet unidentified - tree! I have had my eye on it through the winter, but was in two minds whether or not to 'follow' it as I felt reluctant to move on from my Silver Birch, especially since I am now in a position, twelve months on, to make some comparisons (or contrasts) with a year ago. However, I have decided for the moment to carry on with the two trees in an organic kind of way. I may drop one or the other, but will keep the Silver Birch as my main focus for the time being. Please leave a comment if you can ID the new tree!

As you can see, the leaves are beginning to grow on my new tree, and I hope that once they have developed a little more, it may be possible to identify the species.

You can see last year's seed heads hang from the end of long stalks. I look forward to discovering more as seasonal changes take place.

These, of course, are already happening. The daisy above was spotted ten days ago under my 'new tree'. There are other signs of spring, and those of you who watched BBC Springwatch at Easter will know that Chris Packham and the team are asking us to record first sightings of the following species for their Big Spring Watch survey:

Hot-air balloon glimpsed through the branches of the Downy Birch

Some of you will recall that while I have been following a Silver Birch, I have also been keeping the occasional eye on 'another' birch, a Downy Birch seen in the photo above. It lies in close proximity, and while there was barely any green when the photo was taken some ten days ago, the Downy Birch now has definite signs of verdant leaf growth.

Silver Birch

In contrast, the only green on the Silver Birch (above) is lichen on the trunk. I'm sure the leaves will follow soon.

There have been quite a few Blue tits on the Silver Birch (and as you can see, on the coconut feeders that dangle from its lower branches). The Silver Birch plays host to some 334 species of insect, and some of these small creatures prove choice pickings for the Blue tit, as you can see in the two top photos in the link here. Aphids, Ladybirds and Hoverflies are often drawn to the Silver Birch, and I shall be keeping an eye out for these as the days go by. There is even a Silver Birch Aphid (Euceraphis betulae). Silver Birch leaves attract a variety of moth caterpillars, many with rather lovely names such as the Angle-shades (adult here), the Buff tip (adult here), the Pebble hook-tip and the Kentish Glory. I shall be keeping an eye out for these.

There have been no new birds on the Silver Birch this month. However, a pair of Mallards flew over one day for the first time, presumably a sign that the mating season has arrived. The Starlings have been regular visitors to the coconuts and, sadly, the Woodpeckers have been noticeable by their absence!

It may have been too cloudy for us to notice anything much during the eclipse, but 24 March brought a huge rainbow (the precursor to April showers, perhaps), followed on 25 March by a very icy morning.

24 March 2015: Rainbow

25 March 2015: Frost patterns on the car

MY PREVIOUS TREE FOLLOWING POSTS

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

Swan Feed at WWT Welney

Last Saturday was cold day, teetering on the brink of spring,
but with one foot definitely still in winter.

We headed off to Norfolk (UK) in search of swans at WWT Welney.

This is the migrating season,
so we were not sure how many would still be there ...

We left Ely and Littleport and drove through the fens,

between dykes and wide fields of black soil.

You can see which way leads to the swans!

A hare-spotting walk was in progress when we arrived,

and while we were too late for this,

we kept an eye out for these lovely animals.

We were rewarded with a couple of fairly distant sightings.

The wind was brisk at times,
and there were bursts of activity on the marsh
during the calmer spells.

We enjoyed keeping an eye open for Reed Buntings.

We love looking out over the Ouse Washes,
and enjoying the sense of space.

East Anglia is renowned for its wide skies.

Almost all of the Bewick's Swans had already departed

for their breeding grounds in Russia.

However there were some stunning birds left,

like the Whooper above and the Mute swan below.

We watched two swan feeds during our time on the reserve,
each accompanied by a commentary.

I found it particularly helpful to learn
that Whooper swans have a yellow wedge

(beginning with 'w' for Whooper) on their bill,

while Bewick's swans have a distinguishing yellow blob
('b', of course, for Bewick's).

Mute swans are easy to recognise
with their orange bills - no mnemonic necessary!

There is a useful swan ID chart here.

The swans were surrounded by male Pochard.

Most of the females are currently in Spain.

Whooper swans are so elegant ...

... and so are the Wigeon.

How's this for waterfront camouflage?

Pochard have bright eyes,
but the camera seems to have enhanced this particular one a bit!

There was a bit of feather ruffling going on ...

... and a bit of sleeping. I love the feathers.

I'm guessing that this duck
is probably a domestic variant of the Mallard.

The hares were not very active - but just wait until March arrives!

As the daylight began to fade,
we noticed a Kestrel hovering above the water.

The sun began to set as huge flocks took to the sky.

We particularly enjoyed watching the Lapwing.

A sense of peace pervaded the reserve
in between the frantic bursts of activity.

The sunset was stunning ...

... and the Shelduck were still going about their business.

Welney - what a place!

Every so often it got very stormy.

This was the view from the the hide
as the dark clouds tried to get the upper hand.

It was soon time
for the evening swan-feed ...

... which was a popular event for birds and humans alike ...

... in bitter temperatures beneath the February moon.

*

Postscript

This was the car roof the following morning.

Thursday, 8 January 2015

Tree Following ~ Silver Birch in December 2014 and early January 2015

and early 2015

This post is the ninth in my Tree Following series, part of a wider project run by Lucy Corrander from the Loose and Leafy blog. It is the first post of the new year, but is actually largely about December 2014. I am following a Silver Birch, B. pendula, in Suffolk, UK. You will find the other Tree Follower links on the Loose and Leafy blog ... so do take the chance to catch up with happenings in the arboreal world!

2015! Silver Birch Sunrise

Welcome or welcome back!

December has, inevitably, been a month of bare branches. Unlike this time last year when the weather was mild and damp, we have had a run of sub-zero temperatures, with wonderful frost-flower patterns on the car roof.

The chill factor has not prevented the Silver Birch from developing: take note of those forked 'twig ends'! Spring may not quite be on the way and last year's seeds are still winging their way on to my windowsill, but this kind of new 2015 growth is good to see. As I write the sky is overcast and the air is saturated with moisture, but it was bitterly cold at dawn.

New growth at the end of each twig!

I see the occasional Grey Squirrel in the tall tree that marks the start of the Local Nature Reserve, some 200 metres beyond our garden, but I have not seen a squirrel our side of the fence since December 11th. We have been trying hard to keep our supply of bird food topped up, and the squirrel in question discovered a feast of fat balls inside the feeder that hangs from the Silver Birch.

The creature climbed, dangled, hung upside down and gorged.

There came a point at which s/he could no longer reach the remaining bits of food, so s/he tried biting the wood on the outside of the feeder to enlarge the hole. I hope it didn't cause indigestion!

Then when that ploy no longer seemed the best option, the creature simply flipped off the lid of the feeder and climbed inside the cylinder. One very overstuffed Squirrel, and the only mammal noted in the vicinity during this period.

I can't *really* count this as a Tree-Following sighting as it was way up above the Silver Birch, but it was lovely to watch a Grey Heron flying past. This is an infrequent occurrence in my neck of the woods. I noticed a charm of Goldfinches on the Nature Reserve tree on 15 December: I have not seen this species in the vicinity of the Silver Birch since the early summer (May-June post).

David, my husband, spotted the Green Woodpecker on the Silver Birch for the first time. I went to grab my camera, and the bird flew off, so alas, no photos.

We have hardly seen the Great Spotted Woodpecker this month. The Starlings have been frequent visitors, and when they are busy squabbling among themselves and slicing of bits of fat, there is usually a wily Robin underneath, waiting for the bits that fall. I have also noticed the Blackbird in the undergrowth and the Magpies up to their usual dive-bombing antics.

The Blue tits and Great tits have been constant visitors to the coconuts. A Thrush has been seen under the drooping birch branches from time to time. I'm guessing it is a Song Thrush. According to this BTO fact sheet, the little heart-shaped markings would suggest as much, since Mistle Thrush markings are more pointed like arrowheads.

The stars of the Christmas show (acrobatic squirrel apart) have been the Long-tailed tits, who have delighted us with their intermittent appearances. They visit the coconuts on the Silver Birch in groups of three and four and are such fascinating birds to watch as they interact with one another.

Moving on to insects and other creatures, I have seen a few moths, but these have been less frequent sightings. It was slightly off-limits in terms of distance from the tree, but we had a sleepy seven-spot Ladybird on our front door over the holiday. This morning there was a spider, but it vanished before I could take a close look.

For a list of species seen in, on or around the Silver Birch to date (nothing new to report for this last month), please follow the link here and scroll down.

Don't forget that the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is just around the corner, taking place on 24-25 January. And if you can't wait until then, you might consider subscribing to the BTO Garden Bird Watch, which I have only just heard about.

What surprises does February have in store?

* * *

Postscript
Just to show that I am keeping my eyes open, here is a mature Silver Birch I noticed on Dunwich Heath some days ago, making my tree seem barely more than a mere sapling! Look at the rather grotesque fungus ...