Monday Mystery - Guess What

I had a feeling that last week's mystery close up might be too difficult.
In fact it was a close view of the 'home' button on an iPad (middle right hand side of the photo) - on this model it is also where fingerprint recognition is made. A facility which works very well and saves having to type a password every time I want to use it:

   

This week, and maybe for a few weeks I'll go back to making some mosaic mystery pictures.
Here is the first - what sort of creature is this?
Guess What:
 

Please leave any guesses in the comments.
They will be revealed, along with the answer, next Monday.
No prizes but possibly a virtual Midmarsh Gold or Silver Star.

I'm Hungry

While I was in the kitchen I heard such a loud thump as something hit a window in the conservatory. I nipped through and just saw a shape fly up from the ground and disappear in the nearby trees. Then I spied the Sparrowhawk, female by the size and colouring:






I'm not sure whether it was her or what she was after which bounced off the window but after a short while she flew away.

A Great Hour Garden Bird Watching

Friday: When I went to put some bits in the recycle bin I thought I could hear the unmistakable twittering of Long-tailed Tits. Sure enough within a short while there were 8 to 10 of them in next door's Christmas Tree. It started life many years ago as a 2m Christmas Tree which Joan, who lived there then, planted out and it has grown, and grown.



There must have been plenty of food as they stayed, unusually, for about an hour as did a similar number of Blue Tits, mainly juveniles:



What made the hour even better for me was a couple of other birds flitting about the same tree. I am pretty certain one was a Chiffchaff:



If I am correct then it's my first sighting of a Chiffchaff.

It didn't end there.
Among the branches I spotted a Goldcrest rapidly darting about:



Altogether it was a very enjoyable morning's garden bird watching.
One unusual thing. All the time I was watching these visitors I didn't see one of the usual large group of House Sparrows.

Mac app 'Picture Collage Maker 3' was used this time.

Friday at the Flicks - Under Water(drop) Attack

When I had the microscope set up to see what was in a few drops of pond water I was videoing a ciliate (possibly Coleps) when it found a source of food. For an idea of size both are less than one millimetre:



Soundtrack: The Lyrics Clowns from a ProTracker module 1982.

Wednesday was one of those days when all the rain arrives in one short burst.
For a short time the rate of rainfall exceeded 30mm per hour:

 

Have a great weekend observing nature (large or small, wet or dry) around you.

We're Watching You

Walking to the far end of the cricket field we had a look at the sheep grazing on the adjoining paddock. They were all busily eating until we got close then most eyes were on us:











Some nervous ones moved further away and after a minute all were back to the important thing in life - eating.

End of Summer

I always find it a bit crazy that there are two different ways of timing the beginnings and ends of the seasons. Meteorologically speaking Autumn started on the 1st September but astronomically speaking the change varies slightly from year to year as it takes the Earth 365 days 5 hours and 49 minutes to travel round the Sun.  The astronomical change is on 22 / 23 September.

Whichever you choose to follow this three photo stitched panorama was taken  a week or so ago of a Summer blue sky and clouds over a corn field:

Unknown Pond Life

Time to dust off the microscope and see what I can see.
This creature reminds me of a fresh water shrimp but I don't think it is:



So far it doesn't match anything in the references I have.
The nearest I've got - it looks to be an amphipod. It may have been damaged when I sucked up some water from the pond in a small syringe. The large end of the creature should be the head end.