Blackbird Family

Well, dad and two of the three kids. One moved away just as I started to take photographs.



Where can I find some more food:


I'll try here:


 

That wasn't much of a beak full, try again:


And so it went on for several minutes.

A short while later I spotted a Jackdaw in the same place:



Don't see those very often in my garden.
 

Full Spectrum Church

Though bitterly cold, Tuesday morning was really bright with a lovely blue sky. Just the right lighting conditions for taking the D1200, modified for 'full spectrum' photography, on our mid morning walkabout. First job with cameras modified to take near IR and UV along with the visible spectrum is to set the white balance as this changes a lot as lighting conditions alter. Recommended is to take a shot of green foliage, grass in this case, and set the white balance to that:



Now, after a bit of post processing, most colours will be somewhat near to true though green foliage will end up nearer browns.

A look at the village church and a few grave markers:

From the nearby estate:


East window from the public footpath:


From the old part of the graveyard:




One of the old gravestones (1860 something):


One of several old crosses:


The newer part of the graveyard:


Finally the lych gate:


A lovely morning walk unlike the afternoon when we were caught in a heavy hail shower.

Wordless Wednesday

Do not disturb

Flowering Cactus

Many moons ago I bought  couple of flowering cactus plants.
One is the usual Easter, or maybe Christmas, flowering cactus which hasn't flowered yet.
The other has a more delicate structure:



This has just started flowering.

About 30mm across:



So far I haven't been able to identify it.

First Brood of the Year

I've been watching two pair of Blackbirds collecting food recently. One pair nesting high up in a tree and the other in the nearby hedge. From time to time there has been the occasional altercation as they dispute who has the feeding rights in my garden. Yesterday one family took to the wing so the parents have been chasing around feeding them.

Just a couple of snapshots as the light was fading:





As for the Robins and the watering can - I once spotted a Robin staring back at me from inside the can but otherwise I've not really seen much sign of a nest, eggs or brood.

Cymbidium Orchid Number Two

It is about four weeks since the first Cymbidium orchid opened its flowers.
They are still in full bloom with no sign of fading as yet:



They have now being joined by the first of the flowers to open on the larger plant:



As it has just started opening I expect the colour will improve a bit over the following week.

Nearly in May and the BBC weather forecast for this area for Tuesday to Thursday threatens locally heavy Wintry showers! As it covers all the East Midlands I expect (hope) that will apply more to the higher ground in the Derbyshire Peak District but best to be prepared, just in case. It was only yesterday I put away my snow shovel until next Winter.

An amusing sight I wish I could have photographed last week. A Wood pigeon flew across the garden hotly pursued by a House Sparrow which was only six inches behind the pigeon.  I wish they would do that more often.

Just One

It's about five weeks since I planted the seeds which I hoped would become giant strawberry plants. So far just one has shown signs of life:



Now it's a question of nurturing it to full size and waiting for some runners to produce more plants.

I think I mentioned previously that my wooden lean-to shed was rapidly rotting. I had ordered a plastic shed to replace it. That arrived unannounced yesterday morning so I spent the day demolishing the old and erecting the new:



Astounding what can be achieved with a lump hammer and a wrecking bar!
Plenty of clearing and tidying up left to do once the old joints stop aching a bit.

During the demolition process a movement caught my eye:



One of the garden frogs decided it would be safer to move further away from the action.

Song Thrush

Just happened to glance out of the kitchen window at the right time:







and a bit of video from the previous day:

Greenhouse Flora and Fauna

Over the past couple of years the greenhouse has been more of a junk store than a growing house so the big clear out has started to get it back to the use it was designed for.

Clearing a bench and shelf made room for the 20 strawberry plants which arrived a couple of days ago, 10 earlies and 10 lates, hopefully for a crop of my favourite food next year:





While moving some of the rubbish out I found a mouse nest made from chewed up frost protection fleece and scuttling around a box was this 2 inch (50mm) beauty:



It looks to me to be a Eratigena atrica, sometimes called a giant house spider

Unknown Caterpillar

I am in the process of demolishing a lean to wooden shed as the roof is shot through and the wood rotting. That also gives the opportunity to move a couple of water butts. When I lifted the base of one I spotted this caterpillar hiding underneath:



I made a few attempts at identification but so far drawn a blank. Anyway, see previous post, it's not my month for getting identifications correct. Its length was somewhat over an inch, say about 35mm. After a short while it crept off to find another hiding place.

Moth Identification Using Google Images

Not for the first time when trying to identify something I used the Google search where you can upload a photo and Google will try to find similar images.

Use Google search as normal, enter your search words and start the search. Once the results have loaded choose Images and a camera icon appears in the search bar:

 

Clicking on the camera allows you to upload a photo or give a URL with the photo you are trying to identify. Once loaded scroll down a bit and click on 'Visually similar images'.

 

If you are lucky you may be able to scroll through those and find what you want. I say 'if you are lucky' as it is far from perfect and has only worked occasionally for me. Also not all images are named.

I was trying to identify this moth I spotted on Sunday:

   

As luck would have it there was one shown which looked very similar so I think there is a good possibility this is a Poplar Grey moth (Subacronicta megacephala)

Not my month for getting identification correct. Many thanks to Ragged Robin of Ragged Robin's Nature Notes  for pointing out this is an Early Grey not a Poplar Grey Moth.

What Are We Looking At?

Sunday was another glorious hot day with the temperature peaking a little under 25C according to my weather station. Before it got too hot we went for a short walkabout. We ended up on the edge of a large field of oil seed rape. From my eye level I could see a sea of yellow stretching into the distance but for a change I thought I would photograph it from somewhere nearer to Penny's viewpoint:



Not so inspiring. I can see why she concentrates on the smells of the countryside while I appreciate the sights and sounds.

Holly Blue Butterfly

Just as we set off for our mid morning walkabout a flash of blue flew past us and landed on the ivy growing on the outside of my fence:





My luck was in as I rarely seem to see these settle long enough to photograph.
My thanks to Conehead54 for correcting my intial mis-identification of Common Blue.
This one is a Holly Blue.

All in all a glorious April day today.
Wall to wall Sunshine:
 

Maximum temperature 19.7C:


Sunday promises to be even hotter.

A Greenfinch Comes Visiting

A few years ago I had lots of Greenfinches visiting the bird feeders, that was until the dreaded finch disease reared its ugly head. Then for three years it was the Greenfinches which seemed to bring the disease to my garden. Consequently numbers of Greenfinches and Goldfinches rapidly declined.

Nowadays I watch with some trepidation when one arrives at the feeders.
Fortunately this one seemed to be in good health:







A bit of video:

The Flying T

Spotted resting on the shed door.
A common Plume Moth:



In its usual resting configuration with the wings rolled up.
Not managed to see one with its wings open as yet

I've Got My Beady Eye On You

About tea time yesterday we were sat outside enjoying some Sunshine and the warmest part of the day when a female Blackbird settled on the roof of the Summerhouse just a few feet away:



Fortunately the camera was within reach as I had just missed a great photo opportunity. I had heard some sounds. Just the occasional single squawk. At the same time the local Wood Pigeons had scattered to the four winds. When I looked out to see what it was I was astonished to see two birds of prey flying round together. Not a sight I get to see more than about once a year, if that. Too high and too far away to identify and even further away by the time I grabbed a camera. It was then I decided to sit outside hoping they might fly back this way but that was not to be.

Also missed this morning, a bit of Robin bonding. Female was on one of the cameras when the male flew up to her and fed her the Sunflower heart he was carrying. I've only seen this happen once before and would love to photo it or even better - grab some video.

More moss was being added to the watering can today.

Would You Adam and Eve It?

Been watching a Robin collecting grass or moss and disappearing in the same direction every time so I went on a nest hunt. Now, there is a perfectly good, safe, dry nest box on the back of the shed set up for any Robin looking for a des res:

   

As can be seen from the grab from the video camera inside the box, completely deserted.
Anyway, that wasn't the direction the Robin kept disappearing. That was almost to ground level at the side of the greenhouse. What was there which would be of interest to a Robin?

An abandoned watering can?:


A quick peek inside showed some fresh moss near the back:


A closer view:


Yes, definitely signs of recent activity.
Now, is this going to be a safe place to bring up a family?
Too many cats prowling at all times of day and night so we will have to wait and see what happens.
Maybe I could erect some wire netting to protect the area.

No problem with the can filling with water when it rains.
It was abandoned as there is a large crack in the base so it has good drainage.

Robins are well known for using anything they think suitable as a nesting site from kettles to cardboard boxes in outbuildings.