THE GREYLAG GOOSE

We are experiencing torrential rain and cold blustery winds. Last night my watering can which had water inside, and a long handled brush and pan, were blown from one side of my balcony to the other, and the branch that held one of my hanging feeders snapped and to my dismay I couldn't find the metal feeder anywhere on my balcony  so eventually when the rainstorm became less intense I went outside and found it on the ground covered in soggy soil. I went to find my trusty grabber and managed to dislodge it from where it had fallen in the middle of a Camellia bush. I was so pleased to find it in tact, as over the years it's the only one that has stood the test of time, except for the base, which a squirrel managed to unscrew from both sides where it was held in place, and ran away with it. I heard a noisy commotion outside my small bedroom window, and could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the squirrel with the base in it's mouth. then it scampered away over the roof. After trying several lids from my jars and tins of face cream, I discovered that the lid of a small Nivea tin fitted perfectly, and my daughter in law Paula who likes fixing things went to my late husband's workshop and found the tools with which to punch four holes around the sides and the wire to hold it in place.

This is the feeder with the original base.

This is my feeder now.

I always bang on the window when I see the squirrels at the feeder

On Tuesdays my daughter Eva comes for lunch, and if the weather is good we go for a drive. It had just stopped raining, so after lunch we set off without any particular destination in mind, but it didn't matter as it's always nice to be with my daughter anywhere. As Eva drove down the road we suddenly saw a fox near the gate of a nearby house, so we stopped and I got out of the car to take photos. It soon became apparent however that it was not a live fox but a taxidermized fox. The lady of the house saw our interest in the fox, and told us it was twenty three years old, and she had put it outside for an airing.

We decided to stay close to home, in case it started raining again, and went to the park in the centre of town where we saw various pigeons.

Eva spotted the sleeping pigeons before I did.

I photographed them individually for a closer look.

This pigeon looked so cosy in the niche it had found.

The park is really small. You can walk through it in any direction in just five minutes. There were three geese by the pond, two Greylag geese and one Domestic goose. I took several photos of the Greylag geese to share, and just three of the white Domestic goose. 

 

The only birds we saw apart from the pigeons were blackbirds, plus sparrows, and finches but the blackbirds I can capture at home, and the sparrows and finches were difficult to capture as they were in the bushes and trees.

The scientific name for the Greylag goose is anser anser

We were standing on the bridge over the pond, looking down at the geese, so to get a better perspective, I decided just to make portraits.

We used to have a couple of Greylag geese on the farm, as guard geese, to sound the alert by it's loud crackling noise if a fox was raiding the hen coop.

With the help of a magnifying glass I could see that the number was 3 4 7.

The Domestic goose, anser anser domestic.

Not a flattering portrait. :=)

Sticking your tongue out is rude, but you are forgiven because of your beautiful eyes.

A  sleeping Greylag goose

One more pigeon capture taken in the park and then we both felt peckish so as our favourite confectioners was closed, we went to another which we had become patrons of and had tea, and the cakes were really delicious. I then purchased some Parma ham and a freshly baked croissant for my dinner. Happy Days!

BALCONY BIRDS MARCH 1st 2023.

These are all birds I saw this week on and from my balcony. It has been  so bitterly cold made worse by the icy cold wind, and we have grey skies in the morning, but the sun does come out in the afternoon, making it look warmer than it actually is. I have taken a turn around the garden however to see how my plants are doing, without seeing one bird, but I did see a few bees, and the occasional white butterfly. Keeping warm, whilst viewing my balcony birds is the better option until the warmer weather arrives. 

The Greenfinch have arrived, and they give me many photo opportunities.

They always look so grumpy, and they chase other Greenfinch away from the sunflower containers. Other species share the food quite socially with the same, or other species of bird, but the unsociable Greenfinch is greedy, and fights often take place between them.

  

I have noticed that the Greenfinch tend to hold their heads slightly backwards when drinking. Is it my impression, or does he have one eye on me!

The Coal-tit

The Coal-tit is the most confiding of the Tit family. When I fill the feeders it will sometimes perch near my shoulder less than a foot away.

The Crested. tit

You will notice that many of my photos were taken in the shade.

The Blue-tit.

The male Blackcap doesn't pause in the tree, nor does he fly over to my balcony. He has discovered a way of reaching the feeder by squeezing through a gap between the wall and the railing in a dark corner of my balcony near the little wooden box which is the only feeder he will eat out of, although there are six containers in all. 

Almost the same pose as above, but taken on a different day, with different light.

That's a very large piece of cake he is taking.

The Robin visits dozens of times a day.

Always the first to arrive, I hear it's song long before I open the shutters, and I am serenaded by the robin in the evening.

My balcony is in deep shade until 1.30, but I start feeding the birds early, so the birds arrive when I have finished, but the Robin sometimes perches nearby. These images are the result of my early morning captures. 

The first flower appeared on my Paraguay Nightshade on my balcony.

Scientific name is Lycianthrs Rantonnetii.

The Blackbird has been visiting lately, but stays in the tree first...

before he flies over to the balcony.

The female Chaffinch is very shy, and only visits occasionally.

The Euration Jay also perches in the same tree before doing it's fly by

I capture quite a few images in this way.

When I went a turn around the garden, I took a few photos of some plants and shrubs. This one is  a Camellia with the single petalled flowers.

It is a huge shrub, planted on a slope of my extended garden.

Cute little Robin.

The Firecrest comes and exits the same way as the Blackcap.

Another Camellia in flower now.

To finish some bright cheery Daffodils 

THE FIRECREST and PLANTS

Time to get back to Earth, and my balcony where I seem to see more birds than anywhere else. This morning I saw the Great Spotted Woodpecker in a nearby tree, and the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker a few days ago, but regretfully when I reached for my camera they both flew away. I do have some success with the little Firecrest as it visits my balcony fairly regularly, but never stays long enough or still enough for me to focus my camera for a good shot, before it also flies away, however today I am sharing a few images, but first some succulent plants.

I was given the large plant as a Jade Plant, but was never sure if it is the correct name, so if anyone knows it's name I would be grateful  if you would let me know, and the one surrounding the Jade Plant, I never knew it's name, although I like the many bright rusty red flowers it produces

I have been reliably informed that it's scientific name is Crassula ovata.

Seen from below

The surrounding succulents

The Firecrest emerging from a planter, perhaps looking for insects.

I got another shot when it flew to the top of an old stalk, but had to move quickly as the Firecrest was extremely active and I also had to lighten the image a little, as it was still a little dark on my balcony.

On another occasion I managed to capture three images.

The Periwinkle is now in flower so I'm sharing it today, even though the photo was taken on a grey day.

When the first flower appeared I took a photo on a sunny day.

Another plant on my balcony

The Blue Daisy   Felicia amelloides

It's got quite leggy, but I'll take some more cuttings and insert round the pot and it will soon fill in. This plant was born of cuttings taken from the mother plant in the garden.

I saved the best until last.