The Wood-Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus

Last Wednesday afternoon at 5.30pm, I saw the most amazing thing. Two little Wood mice were chasing each other up and down the 6 . 25 meter length of my bedroom balcony. 

There are two large windows, so I had a very good view of both mice, which in itself was amusing to watch, but the one that was being chased suddenly leapt in the air and did a huge summer-salt, then continued running. It was so endearing and funny, that I couldn't stop laughing. They were playing catch me if you can, having fun, and so was I.:=)

I thought it was only in animated films like Disney, that mice did this, but the artists had done their research. Has anyone else seen this behaviour? Sadly I can't show you a clip of what I saw, but have a few photos of a Wood mouse in one of the wooden boxes that I use  as bird feeders. I was so entertained that I didn't even think to get my camera, and they ran so fast that if I had taken any photos, they probably would have been blurry. The next photo is out of focus, but it gives you an idea as to it's size.

The wood mouse has a sandy-brown coat, has large ears and eyes, and the under parts are white. It has large hind legs that help it leap about,  and they are very good climbers, and run extremely fast. Oh yes, they run like the wind.

Their alternative name is Long-tailed field mouse, due to it's long tail that is approximately the same size as the total length of it's head and body. They inhabit forests, cultivated fields, and grasslands, although they are primarily woodland creatures.

They live in burrows, and build nests of grass and other green plant matter. They eat nuts, seeds, insects and green plants in mixed deciduous woodland in winter, bud 's in Spring, caterpillars, worms, and centipedes in early summer, and blackberries and fungi in autumn.

They are clean creatures, and spend a lot of time grooming, and male and female will often groom each other. They wipe their face and ears with their fore feet, and pass their tales through their mouth. They are nocturnal creatures , so it's surprising that they ventured out during daylight. They are native to Europe, and North Western Africa.

The Male and Female Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs

The Male and female Chaffinch are regular visitors to my garden. This pretty sparrow sized finch is perhaps one of the most common garden birds I see.  All mages were taken at different times on, and from my bedroom balcony. The next one is of a young female .

                

                                Photos of the Female Chaffinch were taken in deep shade

                Female seems to like my wall nut cake, and probably taking some for her chicks.

                                                        Male  in same tree as young bird

So sorry I haven't done any visiting lately. ...same old problem. I will do my best to visit as many of  you as possible tomorrow, when I have rested, and can sit once more at the computer.

A Robin Erithacus rubecula

A few Photos of a Robin today, perched on a rose wood branch, which by now must be a familiar sight, and will feature prominently on my blog because it's where all the birds perch, on my bedroom balcony. It's the only photo I have taken this week, as I haven't been outdoors, so it's all I can share.

A Red Sqirrel on my Balcony

We have lived in our home for 55 yrs, but during all that time, I never saw a squirrel on my bedroom balcony, until one morning last week. In winter we are often shrouded in a thick  morning mist, but I go to fill my little bird box feeders no matter what kind of  wet weather we are having, I do this before even having my own breakfast, because I like to look outside the windows in our heavy wrought iron doors, and watch the birds come and go, as I'm having my breakfast in bed, a habit of many years. After breakfast, I hide behind the wooden shutters, and try to take photos of the birds, but that morning I took photos of the squirrel. I let it eat, and refilled the boxes for the birds once it had left.

                  The squirrel arrived here, on the corner of my balcony.

 
                  

                He stayed motionless for a while, weighing up his next move,            

  This is where I think he saw me, but he wasn't afraid, and carried on undeterred.

          He spotted the feeder here, and  climbed up without any difficulty.

                               He looks cute with his white underside showing.

    This is what he was looking for, but I don't mind, because he must have been hungry, and it's been raining none stop for days. The squirrel has not returned yet, but I expect he will!

                     Here are two captures of a Great Tit, taken on the same morning.

It is the bird I see most often in the garden.There are dozens of them in the thick foliage of the Conifer trees.

Common Red Soldier Beetle and Other Small Insects

I discovered these small conjoined insects in the Pyracantha hedge, and they stayed conjoined for well over an hour. They were no bigger than 1 cm in size.They are not the most handsome of insects, it's true, but the interesting thing about them are what seem to be ear-like projections. 

They seem to have wings, but don't look like any  insect I have ever seen, They were in a difficult position to get my camera near, or perhaps photos of a different angle for better identification purposes.

I have tried to identify them in many of my insect books, on Google, and Wikipedia without success. If anyone knows their identity, I would be grateful for your input. The closest I have come to their ID is the "Brown Cicada" but I'm not sure. 

         Another tiny insect, found in the hedge, was this rather pretty blue insect, less than 1 cm in size.    

                             It could be a female Green Leaf-hopper, but it was more blue than green.                                                   If it is a leaf-hopper, they are considered to be a pest.

                                        It was the lovely bluish colour that drew my attention to it.

                It  was definitely aware of my presence. and here it appears to be looking right at me.

        This is the field behind the hedge, it's on our land, and it's the only field we leave to grow wild.                    It's here where I found all the little insects, both in the hedge, and in the field.           

   

Way out in the middle of the field, I noticed this flower, with a dark patch, but it was only when editing that I saw what was hiding there, and that the dark patch was the spiders home. How ingenious!! It was so well disguised! The crab spider does not spin a web, but waits for it's prey on flowers, and other  vegetation.

                                    There were many different kinds of grasshopper,

This was a tiny speck of white, and at first glance, it appeared to be something a bird had left behind. I have no idea what it is, and it isn't in focus, but I'll keep trying to ID it,...any ideas anyone!!

                                            An interesting little spider with very long hairy legs.

                                                                    No ID here either.

The moment I saw this tiny insect, I knew I was looking at my first sighting of a Plume Moth, from seeing much better images than this one, on other nature blogs. Scientific name is Pterophoridae. The moth is harmless. It feeds on nectar/pollen of various herbaceous plants. The caterpillars feed on bindweed.

                                            A  Crab Spider  with what appears to be a Flesh Fly.

Last week I didn't blog at all, due to severe back pain, it is too painful for me to sit at the computer. This post has been ready to post for some time, so all I have to do is post it, but I can not do any visiting.

The Great Tit. Parus Major

    Instead of insects I am sharing a pretty Great Tit for a change. It looks quite chubby.