Friday 30 June 2017

30 Days Wild - Day 30 - The Last Hurrah!

It's the last day of 30 Days Wild! One more Random Act of Wildness to write about but also a time to look back over the past month and to think ahead.

Although I managed a RAoW each day and posted about it (very pleased with that!) I didn't do quite as many active activities as I would have hoped. I haven't got the wildlife pond sorted yet, although I have researched it and it will definitely be done soon. I didn't get my granddaughter as involved as I wanted as it turned out we didn't have her as much as I thought we would, and then when we did it was so very hot! The times we did include her though were special and she is only just beginning her journey of discovery.

It was too hot to get out much to walk which was a shame, but we walk most weekends normally and will continue to spot and photograph as much wildlife we can while we walk - and blog about it.

I still have spaces in the garden for more plants - an ever continuing project - and as many of these as possible will be bee and/or butterfly friendly.

The trail cam will go back out over the summer to catch up with the hedgehog and there's a great meteor shower in August that you absolutely do not need a telescope to watch.

So much to remember, so much more to enjoy. I have loved reading the other 30 Days Wild blogs and I hope some of them have enjoyed mine. If you are reading this please drop me a comment to say hi, and do pop back soon. You can also find me, and my photographs, on:

Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Flickr
TDP Website

And what of Day 30? Well there's only one 30 Days Wild Random Act left to do really - join my local Wildlife Trust!

I hope you will continue to drop by The Nest throughout the year but definitely hope to see you back here in June 2018!




Thursday 29 June 2017

30 Days Wild - Day 29 - What's the difference..


... between a grasshopper and a cricket?

This was my task for today's 30 Days Wild.  We found this one at Wicken Fen the other day - in fact I very nearly stood on it! I immediately said a cricket, my husband said grasshopper.  Grasshoppers are green aren't they he said? No it's something to do with their antennae I replied. No surely it's more than that he wanted to know.



So...

according to the Amateur Entomologists' Society (AES):

"One of the commonest questions asked about grasshoppers and crickets is how to tell them apart. There are a number of ways to tell if you're looking at a grasshopper or cricket:
  • The main difference between a grasshopper and a cricket is that crickets tend to have long antennae, grasshoppers have short antennae.
  • Crickets stridulate ("sing") by rubbing their wings together, while grasshoppers stridulate by rubbing their long hind legs against their wings.
  • Grasshoppers detect sound by means of little 'ears' at the base of their abdomen; in crickets these are on the front legs. 
  • Most crickets are crepuscular (which means they come out at dusk) whereas grasshoppers tend to be out and about during the day. 
  • Grasshoppers mostly eat grass, but crickets are partial to animal matter aswell."
Okay well ours wasn't eating or singing and I couldn't see any ears. It was out during the day so could be a grasshopper but its antennae were definitely of the longer variety so I'm right cricket...?

Actually having researched it a bit more and compared my photo with others online I have decided it could be a Roesel's Bush-Cricket (Metrioptera roeselii) but if you think otherwise please feel free to enlighten me! 





Wednesday 28 June 2017

30 Days Wild - Day 28 - Reminiscing

I've been reminiscing a bit today for 30 Days Wild.

Someone posted a photo of some old Ladybird fairy story books on Twitter which reminded me of the i-Spy books I had as a child of the 70s!

I remember going shopping in Saffron Walden and my treat would be a visit to the book shop that sold these small pocket books. Then the hunt would be on. Birds, insects, shells, even not so wild London landmarks and car journeys featured!

My interest in nature was caught earlier than the i-Spy books though by a story called The Children of Cherry Tree Farm by Enid Blyton. These sickly city children get sent off to stay at their Aunt and Uncle's Farm where they befriend a 'wild man' in the woods who teaches them about wildlife. I remember so desperately wanting to be those kids as the fox came and sat by the fire to hide from the hunt. I downloaded it recently to read again. Still loved it!

 


Another favourite, although it scared and worried me equally, was the much loved Watership Down. I also had a nature handbook. I've been trawling the web to see if I can find a photo of it but nothing so far. It might still be on the book shelf at my mum's house so I'll have to have a look next time I visit. This handbook and going on a Saturday morning to a nature club got me hooked. Unfortunately it didn't last long though. The mid 70s saw me off to secondary school and all those wishes to conform. We had the long hot summer of '76, Elvis died, Grease was at the cinema and nature wasn't cool anymore.



In fact it didn't really feature in my life again until fairly recently. Having a digital camera and the freedom to fail when a bird took off before I pressed the shutter helped. Finding happiness in walking or just being outside is a big factor.

You can still buy i-Spy books I've found out so they will be a part of my granddaughter's Christmas stocking or shopping treats in a few years time, although I've yet to figure out how i-Spy Dinosaurs will work!

(Images from Google Images)

30 Days Wild - Day 27 - Snail Trail

And then the rain came!  After our heatwave of last week where I couldn't move for sweating today the drips are coming from the skies!

Some people may not enjoy the rain but my garden is crying out for it! My water butt is on empty and the grass is curling at the edges. So welcome the rain! It is forecast to continue for a couple of days, which it needs to soak through - the initial downpours just running off the hard earth.

Today in the office, we saw the lightning light up the dark oppressive sky and we jumped as the crack of thunder came immediately behind. The gutter leaked under the deluge with a waterfall outside the door.

Then the snails came out. Outside one of the office windows the foliage has not been cut back for a while and is covering the glass. Three snails made their way across the windowsill to the tender shoots on the other side. My 30 Days Wild act for today was to encourage my colleagues to put down their pens and stop looking at their screens for a few minutes and come to the window to see the snails. They may have thought I was mad but they came and we watched and we chatted about the rain and the snails and how not a ripple could be seen as they slid over the glass.

A nature break without leaving the office.




Monday 26 June 2017

30 Days Wild - Day 26 - Curious Creatures

After a heavy day at work I was sitting eating my dinner this evening, half wondering how I was going to fit in a Random Act of Wildness for 30 Days Wild before I fell asleep on the sofa, and I idly flicked on the TV.

Onto BBC Two and there were Kate Humble, Chris Packham, Lucy Cooke with guests for the new wildlife quiz programme Curious Creatures! What a timely tea-time treat!



So, I have now learnt:

  • The most poisonous animal on the planet is a frog and the only predator it has is a snake.
  • Some (herrings) fish fart to communicate.
  • The narwhal's 'tusk' is actually a tooth, and...
  • The capybara is "bigger than a chicken"'and is actually the largest rodent in the world.

Not a bad fact cache for a meal time! 

PS - below is a frog from my garden not a golden poisonous dart frog (in case you didn't guess!)



Sunday 25 June 2017

30 Days Wild - Day 24 & 25 - A Wasp Saves the Day & Other Wildlife

 

I've linked Day 24 of 30 Days Wild in with today (Day 25) purely because I was at a wedding all day yesterday and had no time, nor the correct clothing on, for anything random or wild! However, whilst sitting outside the venue in the sunshine we got 'attacked' by the first wasp I have seen this season! No photo sadly but I promise you it was there!

Today, after a week of no walking due to the heat and well other bits of life that needed attention, I really wanted to get a few miles in first thing and if possible to take the new lens. So off we went to Wicken only to find when we got there that I had forgotten my socks!! My husband was all for turning around and going home but my walking shoes are well worn in so I reckoned I would be ok for at least a couple of miles. I promised I would speak up at the first sign of any blisters so we had chance to walk back to the car before I damaged my feet too much!

The lens was great - it is heavier than anything I've had before so I have to get used to that but actually it wasn't as cumbersome as I thought it would be.

We watched some Konig foals tussling and playing and saw a hare. I would never have got the photos I did on the other lens - the hare was a good way off and between us was a double gateway. I decided not to get too close to start with and knelt down to shoot through the fence. Our scent was carrying on the strong breeze though so after just one shot it was off down the track.

In the end, as we were visiting one of the hides about half way round, my husband insisted we swap and I wear his socks. That's love that is right there! :)















Friday 23 June 2017

30 Days Wild - Day 23 - Researching ponds

Today I have been researching small wildlife ponds for 30 Days Wild. We have a bigger raised pond with fish but I wanted to do something to encourage the frogs more. We used to get quite a few in the garden but in recent years we have struggled to find one.

Obviously we have our granddaughter to consider so it needs to be not easily accessible to her but in a suitable location for the wildlife.  I have read various websites recommending in the sun, not in the sun, semi shade, no shade! The jury seems to be out on that but as our garden is small anyway we have limited options.

I think I have decided it should go up near our bug hotel and the wildflower patch. It has lots of places nearby that frogs could use to hide out, it should be protected from little hands but open enough that she can see it.

I have an old washing up bowl that should be ok to use but I want to bury it so it's flush with the ground to give maximum access. Having an interview today and a wedding tomorrow I didn't want 'gardener's fingernails' so this project will have to be postponed for a few days.

In the meantime though while surveying for suitable sites I was really pleased to see some of the wildflowers I seeded a while ago are beginning to flower. I seem to have some oil seed rape in there too along with niger seedlings from the bird feeders but as long as it flowers I'm not too bothered!




30 Days Wild - Day 22 - Late night gazing

I nearly had to admit defeat for Day 22 of 30 Days Wild! It had been a busy day at work then out for a meal with some friends and not a wild thing in sight! But as I got ready for bed just before midnight I looked out of the window and the clouds had parted revealing a starry sky.

I love looking at the stars at night - it's mind blowing at times contemplating our little existence in the grand scheme of the universe. It hurts my head thinking about it!

Summer skies are often not dark enough to see things clearly although it is the best time of year to see the Milky Way if you can find a dark spot. Last night though I could see Saturn in the south and the W of Cassiopeia clearly towards the North alongside the easy to spot Ursa Major 'The Plough',

The photos below are from my archive but I went to bed promising myself I would get back into star gazing!









Wednesday 21 June 2017

30 Days Wild - Day 21 - Summer Solstice & The Longest Birthday

Summer solstice.
First day of summer.
Longest Day.
My birthday!

One of my 'to dos' on Pinterest is to see the sunrise on my birthday on the solstice at Stonehenge but in the meantime and for 30 Days Wild I made a point of getting up at 4am to watch the sunrise.  I have learnt a few things already this morning:




The times given for sunrises on my weather app can strangely change overnight!
The sun does not rise in the east at this time of year - more north east!
There is a tree directly at north-east from my house!
Summer solstice times given for my town on various websites do not seem to match!
The birds are incredibly loud at 4.30am!
Today will be 16 hours and 38 minutes long.
Solstice comes from the Latin for sun (sol) and stand still (sistere).
I should have got dressed and gone out for a walk for a better view and experience.
The experience was still amazing. Quiet. Peaceful. Well worth getting up.
I'm going to be sooooo tired this afternoon!







Tuesday 20 June 2017

30 Days Wild - Day 20 - Evening Birds

Once again my nature watching has been confined to the garden at dusk! Tomorrow we have a warning for violent thunderstorms so maybe the humidity will break a little after.  In the meantime for 30 Days Wild I have been trying out the app that identifies bird songs and calls that I downloaded a few days ago.

I can't say it was entirely successful. The song needs to be clear and preferably with no other calls going on at the same time but I got one or two good recordings which I know were right as I could see the bird!

Interestingly I kept getting a 30-40% on Nightingales which, although I'd love it to be so, I'm pretty sure we haven't got even in the trees beyond the garden. The song thrush was going up and down the scales though so wonder if they are similar?

So I think it needs trying out a bit more before I can be confident it's giving me the right answer.




30 Days Wild - Day 19 - Evening Viewing

As the heat is still rising and the coolest place is my office I haven't even been out for my regular lunchtime walk, or been inclined to go outdoors at all. However, it looked like it might be a nice sunset and by 9pm it was comfortable enough to sit in the garden, so I took my camera and phone out and waited for the sky to colour up for my 30 Days Wild act.

While I was waiting I thought I'd tick off another random act of wildness and check out some webcams and as it was for 30 Days I looked up the Wildlife Trust to see what they had.

How great it is to be able to turn on and watch wildlife that was previously unaccessible. How many people just a few years ago could say they had seen inside a Peregrine nest? Amazing privilege.

Osprey nest at Rutland Water with two chicks.



A barn owl nest at Blue House Farm nature reserve in Essex.



Peregrines on Buckinghamshire County Council's County Hall in Aylesbury.



And the sunset? By now the sky had become streaked with clouds and vapour trails and a strip of orange hung on the horizon. Not a spectacular sunset in the end but such a pretty sky.