30 Days Wild 2016 – Part 3: Days 11-20

Posted on by

Days 11-20 of 30 Days Wild…

Day 11: It rained so I visited Whelford Pools Nature Reserve to sit in the hides & watch the birds. I saw Great Created Grebe, Common Turn, Mallard, Coot, Cormorant, Black Headed Gulls, Blue Tit and Mute Swan.

Day 12: Day out at Avalon Marshes. At RSPB Ham Wall I saw – Bittern, Mute Swan, Mallard, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck, Coot, Great White Egret, Little Grebe, Hobby, Buzzard, Swift, Marsh Harrier, Pied Wagtail and at RSPB Greylake – Redshank, Marsh Harrier, Mute Swan, Coot and Roe Deer – blog posts: RSPB Ham Wall and RSPB Greylake coming soon.

Day 13: Cleaned the bird feeders 🙂

Day 14: Okay so today wasn’t completely wild but half wild! We found a stray kitten in the garage. After about an hour, I managed to convince him I was friendly and he came over for a cuddle. We asked around locally but no one had lost him. We fed him and gave him a pet carrier with a blanket so he was comfortable in the garage until we could take him to the Blue Cross.

Day 15: Nature breaking through – I like how nature works its way through the obstacles humans put in it way 🙂

Day 16: Wildlife spotting on the way to work – Yellow Hammer, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Buzzard, Rabbit, Red-legged Partridge, Sparrow, Magpie, Starling, Crow, Jackdaw, Blackbird and Pheasant.

Day 17: Logging ladybird sightings

Day 18: Feathers from my recent wanderings – I tend to pick up feathers when I’m out and about especially interesting looking ones. Some of the ones I photographed today were from a Red Kite 🙂

Day 19: Watched Springwatch – catching up on the shows I missed

Day 20: Lovely sunny evening after a very wet morning #summersolstice

30 Days Wild 2016 – Part 2: Days 01-10

Posted on by

So this is what has happened during days 01-10 of 30 Days Wild…

Day 01: I watched Springwatch webcams (I started off slowly due to unforeseen circumstances – a car accident; my poor car was driven into 🙁 )

Day 02: Photographing young starlings in the garden – we have approximately 30 young starlings that turn up for breakfast at 05:30!!! Who needs an alarm clock when you have starlings squabbling 🙂

Day 03: Reading about nature – ‘The Countryside Year’ by Steve Barnett

Day 04: Purchasing self-adhesive bird silhouettes. A goldfinch flew into the window today. Unfortunately it died. I heard a thud and ran outside and it was on the floor panting for breath. I ran back in to shout for a box but when I got back to him/her it was no longer panting. I picked it up hoping it was just unconscious but it’s head flopped – it broke its neck. Such a tiny bird. I sat holding it a while stroking it’s chest hoping to comfort it although it had already gone. I’m hoping bird silhouettes in the window will help deter any more from flying into it.

Day 05: Spreading wildflower seeds – Mum had Forget-me-nots in the garden this year. She was pulling them up over the weekend as they were going to seed. I took some of the seeds and spread them in the roadside verge to add to the wildflowers that are already there.

Day 06: Looking at wildflowers on my walk tonight. I’m still unsure what plant this is – I don’t think it’s Cow parsley as its too big, maybe Hemlock?

Day 07: Looking for a creepy crawly in the garden. After a bit of research I think it’s a grasshopper nymph.

Day 08: Rescued a bug from the floor of a busy hallway.

Day 09: Stood at the local cricket pitch with swallows darting around and a red kite soaring above 🙂

Day 10: Day out at Cotswold Wildlife Park – blog post coming soon

Woodpigeon nest – Spring 2016

Posted on by

Those of you who follow me on Twitter will know about the Woodpigeon’s that set up a nest in our neighbours tree.  I noticed the nest on April 3rd but I had not seen any birds on or around it.

On April 16th a Woodpigeon was sat on the nest.  Obviously I had to try and find the best view, which was from the back bedroom window.  Unfortunately the bottom half of the window is frosted so a ladder was required and a steady hand to hold the camera!  I left the ladder set up so I could pop in every now and then to check up on them…

April 17th – there was movement… a squab (a young unfledged Woodpigeon), which must have been hidden underneath its parent or on the other side of the nest as it wasn’t visible before.  There seemed to be only one.

April 19th – Adult bird has started to leave the squab on its own.  Definitely only one in the nest.

April 20th – A cat climbed most of the tree trying to get to the nest at about 06:00, luckily I heard it and scared the cat off!  A parent stayed with the squab all day.

April 23rd – A parent was on and off of the nest all day.  The squab was stretching its wings and preening.

April 24th – A parent was on and off of the nest all day.

April 25th – A parent was on and off of the nest all day.  The squab was stretching its wings and preening.

April 26th – The squab was sat on a branch preening and moving around.  Fledged by 12:00.

I have seen him/her in the garden since fledging, eating with the other Woodpigeon so is doing well.

The parents are now back on the nest incubating again 🙂

30 Days Wild 2016 – Part 1

Posted on by

The Wildlife Trusts 30 Days Wild PackSo June is nearly upon us and that means it’s The Wildlife Trusts ’30 Days Wild’.  As last year, I will be taking part in this year’s event.  A lot of amazing people blog every day about their Wild experiences, I’m going to Tweet (I know I won’t have enough time every day to blog so will do a full post at the end of the month).

If you would like to know more about The Wildlife’s Trust and ’30 Days Wild’ check out their website, each County has their own dedicated page.  The 30 Days Wild app has also just launched.  It features over 100 ‘Random Acts of Wildness’ as inspiration of how to connect to nature this June.

I’m looking forward to following along on Twitter (#30DaysWild) to see what everyone does.  If you would like to follow my wild adventures you can find me at @_HannahBaker 🙂

Bluebells 2016

Posted on by

Bluebells at Badbury Clump, Oxfordshire

This year I was determined to get out and see Bluebells. I always manage to miss them but this time, I finally got it right! I headed to Badbury Hill in Oxfordshire (locally known as Badbury Clump) owned by the National Trust.

I first went at the end of April. I was a little too early as they were only just starting to flower so not the carpet of blooms that I was hoping for – at least I hadn’t missed them!

Last week I headed to the site again to witness the floor covered in flowers.  I timed it just right as it did look as though some of the flowers were just starting to go over.

There were plenty of people out enjoying the sunshine, though unfortunately some were walking through trampling and picking the flowers.  I know not everyone likes flowers or sees their importance but do they really have to damage them?!

I’m also not sure why some dog walkers insist on leaving bags of poo lying around when there are bins provided!  If they can put it in a bag, surely carrying it to the bin should not be a problem?!

Dog poo left at Badbury Clump, Oxfordshire

Dog poo left at Badbury Clump, Oxfordshire

 

 

 

 

 

The car parking at Badbury Hill is free, but it does get very busy.  If you’re lucky, there might also be an ice cream van in the car park 😉

Longleat Safari Park – April 2016

Posted on by

Every April, I head out to Longleat Safari Park with my friend and her family for their little boy’s birthday. This year he was 7 and he was still as excited to see the animals as he was the first time we went!  He has always liked animals from when he was very young and he always leaves the park with a new cuddly toy of his favourite animals of the day – this year it was the red panda and cheetah.

We were so lucky with the weather – the week before Storm Katie had gone through and it looked as though the weekend we were due to meet would be wet too, but thankfully it turned for the better and we had a glorious Spring day.

I know a lot of people don’t like zoos / safari parks because animals are caged etc. – in some situations I agree but in others I don’t.  They are a great way for children and also adults to see and more importantly, learn about the animals on our planet and hopefully lead them to want to help and support our wild animals.

Lower Moor Farm – March 2016

Posted on by

There were definite signs of spring at Lower Moor Farm last Friday.  Grey Herons and Carrion Crows nest building along with Common Frogs mating and my first butterfly sightings of the year.

We arrived on site at about 10am, it was still very quiet, there only being two cars in the Car Park. I thought it was going to be really busy so it was a nice surprise.

My first spot of the day was a Grey Heron who was collecting nesting material on the far bank of Cottage Lake.  According to the log book in the hide he had been doing this for at least 40mins.  It was nice to just sit and watch his process, on occasion he seemed a bit ambitious with the size of twig he was trying and failing to pick up.

The Wildlife Trusts - Lower Moor Farm - Grey Heron gathering nesting material

The Wildlife Trusts - Lower Moor Farm - Reed Bunting (Female)My lesson learnt for the day is ‘Remember to take the bird book even if you think you won’t need it!’…  to the left of the hide there is a feeder that had been topped up that morning.  I was fairly sure what I was watching was a Reed Bunting but I doubted myself as I had never actually seen one before.  Seeing I had no phone signal I had no way of double checking either.

After lunch we moved round to the other hide looking over Swallow Pool which looks upon the other side of the tree the Grey Heron had been flying to that morning.  There turned out to be two Grey Heron nests in the tree quite close together.  Some people came into the hide saying they had seen three Roe Deer, not long after one appeared further down the lake and proceeded to take a swim across.

I look forward to visiting Lower Moor Farm again soon, I hear they have Otters but they haven’t been seen for a while…

My full list of sightings for the day:
Butterflies: Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell
Birds: Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coot, Cormorant, Dunnock, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Long-tailed Tit, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Red-crested Pochard, Reed Bunting, Robin, Wren
Amphibians: Common Frog
Mammals: Roe Deer

Millets Farm Falconry Centre 2016

Posted on by

Last Friday I took the day off work with a couple of colleagues and went to Millets Farm Falconry Centre.  I had happened to see it included in a Twitter post for places to visit in my area and thought it would be a nice day out that would suit everybody that was going.

I woke to heavy fog outside and wondered if it was set to improve, after a check with the online weather information I was happy to see it was set to lift mid-morning.  After I had picked everyone up we headed on the half an hour journey to the Centre.

Thankfully the weather decided to play nice and the fog lifted an hour before the first flying display at 12pm.  As the Centre is situated next to a restaurant it was a good time for lunch before the next display at 2pm.

Millets Farm Falconry Centre - Striated Cara CaraThe first bird to fly was ‘Boo’ a Striated Cara Cara who came with a warning from the Falconer Luke… please insure all bags are done up securely as he will raid them for food! and sure enough he came over to see if he could get in my bag, sorry Boo no food from me.

They flew a variety of birds; two seemed very interested in the local mouse population deciding to do a little of their own hunting though both were unsuccessful with their catches that escaped their talons.

We also had a visit from some of the local Red Kite population with three of them riding the thermals at one point.

When taking photographs at Falconry Centres I always try and take photos that make the birds look as though they are in their natural environment.  Part of the attraction is to get up close and learn about birds I have little knowledge of.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2016

Posted on by

January 30th was again time for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch so I settled in the kitchen with my camera and notebook to mark down what I saw.  I have included the figures here against last years as a comparison.  This time, as last year, I saw 11 species of bird though not exactly the same as 2015.

2016 2015
Coal Tit 2 1
Blue Tit 2 3
Great tit 1
Long-tailed Tit 1
Blackbird 4 2
Woodpigeon 2
Goldfinch 9 2
Blackcap 1
Greenfinch 1
Robin 2 2
Collard Dove 3 1
Starling 1 1
House Sparrow 1
Dunnock 1
Pied Wagtail 1

I have, since completing the count, seen a Long-tailed tit and a Dunnock in the garden. I have not seen the Pied Wagtail for some time now.

Below are a few record shots of the birds that took part in the count…

RSPB Arne – August 2015

Posted on by

As bad as it may sound, I had not heard of RSPB Arne. I have been to Dorset more times than I can remember and never knew it was even there! So at the beginning of August I took a day off from work and headed down to the Dorset Coast.

RSPB Arne is situated 4 miles East of Wareham, overlooking Poole Harbour.

We started the day by taking the walk out to the hides on Coombe Heath.  There is wonderful heathland to walk across with a variety of butterflies and birds to see, along with the ant hills! I happened to have my parents with me on this visit and I have discovered they don’t mix well with hides! If there is nothing to see straight away, they want to move on! However, they did manage to settle for a while at a screen not far from the hide.  With us being the only people there, they were happier being able to talk at a normal level, with me explaining what we were looking at.

After lunch we headed along the other trails towards Shipstal beach.  The trail is quite undulating but a very pleasant walk looking out over the harbour.  On our route back, we were entertained by a number of dragonflies and lucky enough to spot a Sika Deer amongst the trees.

I am planning to visit the site next year along with a trip to Brownsea Island to see the red squirrels.