Nature playing Catchup

Things are certainly moving on a pace now the weather has turned warmer. Last time I looked a week or so ago I couldn't see any of my miniature narcissus now they are all in flower.



The corkscrew hazel produced its catkins long before the cold weather but they remained tightly closed. Now within a few days they have elongated and opened up to show all the yellow pollen and the tiny red flowers are open and ready to be fertilised.



At last there was some frog spawn in the garden pond. This year it looks as though most of it is viable. Last year it was all white and not one tadpole appeared. I have moved some to the safety of my 'nursery' pond where there are no fish to give any tadpoles a safe start in life.



Last week when I was experimenting with the new lens I forgot to post this photo of a House Sparrow.



Some mornings there can be up to a dozen corvids massing on the law. The Rooks seem to favour the fat balls which they attack so vigorously that it rains pieces on the birds below, much to their delight at not having to work so hard to find food.



There is a much more varied dawn chorus now. Yesterday I was able to stand and listen to a Dunnock singing not ten feed away.

Great Tits Investigate the Blue Tit Nestbox

It took me by surprise when I checked through the video captures this morning. Having a good look at the Blue Tit nestbox was a pair of Great Tits. Fortunately for the Blue Tits the hole is probably too small for the new visitors.

No sound on this video clip.


A short while later the Blue Tit was back to continue the Spring clean started a couple of days ago.

Common Frogs in the Garden Pond

After the disappearance of the two frogs I saw during the icy weather I had begun to think I would not see any more in the pond this Spring. It was quite a surprise yesterday when I spotted a common frog.

Soaking up the Sun


Croaking


In reflective mood


After watching for a while I noticed there was another frog. Occasionally the first would make its way across to the other but it was not interested  and moved rapidly away. It was only after wandering round the pond trying to get out of the wind to take some video that I noticed a pair coupled together in a corner.


Who loves you, baby?


No sign of spawn when I checked at tea time but I am hopeful there may be some in the next couple of days.

A short while ago Shirl (Shirl's Gardenwatch) was wondering what difference a 400mm zoom would make over the 200mm. The picture below shows photos taken from the same place with the lens set at 200mm and then 400mm.


If nothing else it means being able to have larger crops of more distant objects of interest.

Friday at the Flicks (Spring Clean, Bowing, Doves, Henry Returns?)

Many thanks again to all those who sent their birthday wishes. As well as enjoying my self bought present it was great to see some frenzied Spring cleaning going on in the Blue Tit box yesterday.   (Soundtrack - Delibes, Pizzicati from Sylvia found on Wikimedia Commons)




 Is Mr. Wood Pigeon bowing to try to please his lady love or is he just mooning at the camera? Either way she seems totally unimpressed.



 Here is the video clip I took earlier in the week when there was a group of five Stock Doves busy picking up the seeds scattered by the Starlings.



Finally another great birthday present - the re-appearance after his Winter hibernation of what appears to be Henry the Hedgehog.   (Soundtrack - Midnight Waltz found on Wikimedia Commons)



That is not a firefly getting in on the act but a spider which will insist on building its web in front of the camera lens.

100 yesterday. No not me, though I sometimes feel like it. I noticed today that my country flag counter had clocked up the 100th different country flag.

Doesn't the time fly by?

Well here I am today, another step nearer the three score and ten years. As I get older the years seem to get shorter. For a while I have been looking in to getting a longer focus lens and two days ago I finally made my mind up to get the Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 IS USM as a birthday present to myself. I ordered it from a camera shop in Cardiff and was pleased when it arrived less than 24hrs later. That gave me a chance to have a play with it yesterday afternoon.

Before the new lens arrived I spotted this Wood Pigeon collecting nesting material.
Clockwise from top left -
Breaking off a twig
Flying off with it.
Resting on the telegraph pole.
Taking the twig into the Leylandii.



The following were taken with the new lens, usually at 400mm and still needing to be cropped:
Lighting conditions were very variable with one minute sunlight and the next grey cloud. As this lens is a little slower than the 70-200mm I had to increase the ISO to keep the speed up in the dull conditions.All were hand held.

Male Greenfinch singing in the tree top.


Male Chaffinch


Wood Pigeon on the roof.


Collared Dove having a doze.


Wren skulking in the shadows.


It is going to take some time  getting used to the extra weight of the 100-400mm lens. I think I will have to start indulging in some wrist strengthening exercises.

A Different Pair of Prospective Settlers?

Yesterday morning there was a pair of Blue Tits giving the outside of the nestbox the once over. Neither of these birds went inside so I am thinking it may be a different pair. No sound with this video clip.



This is a still taken from the video showing both birds investigating the box.

A Different Rainbow and an Orchid

As we returning from our early morning perambulation I spotted a rainbow. Well, part of what we normally think of as a rainbow as it was only showing on the edge of a cloud. Surprisingly, to me anyway, the Sun wasn't far away from the rainbow, a little lower in the sky and about 20 to 30 degrees to the left. At first the rainbow  appeared to be straight, which was what had caught my attention.



As the Sun continued to rise and the cloud moved the rainbow followed the outline of the cloud.



Also to be seen were the trails left behind by all the early morning flights from the various airports in the midlands.



Searching through some sites this may well have been what is know as a fiery rainbow which is seen when the sun's rays pass through ice crystals in high cloud.

This is one of the orchids I treated myself to last Sunday. I have always wanted a Cattleya but in the past they have been so very expensive. Also they tend to be more tender that the varieties I usually go for but this time I couldn't resist the temptation of those beautiful three inch flowers.



I will just have to take care to find it a suitable place next winter.