Sunset Murmurations, or not

Starlings are not the only birds to exhibit the typical starling behaviour of murmurating. At work, and yesterday in Riverside Park, I've been observing similar behaviour, albeit on a smaller scale, by other songbirds.

I think the birds involved are linnets, and they follow the starling pattern of flying around, looking to settle in a tree to roost, only to change their mind at the last minute and fly off again. The flock a work that has been doing in at work is only about 25-30 strong, but the flock, or "parcel" apparently, of linnet I observed doing it yesterday numbered around 200 birds.

They don't make a very good photographic subject for a mobile phone camera, you'll have to make do with the sunset over the river for that, but they are a charming watch, tweeping away as they circle around in a skittish fashion.

I was a very tired boy yesterday, and didn't really get a lot of practice in, but today I've had about two hours of walking done. Hopefully as the weather and light improves I will be able to get three hour walks in most days.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 13.01.20

"Just" a Small Tortoiseshell

I've been all over the place today - a brief call in at work during my time off, shopping, cricket practice - my god my batting was dreadful tonight - and a trip to the park for a cup of tea.

It was there that I spotted a small tortoiseshell feeding amongst the orange flowers a bunch of children planted a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful fresh specimen, and its settling itself on a bright bloom made for a very vivid photo opportunity.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 15.08.19

Around the Uncut Verge and the Mini Meadows

So, yesterday I played 30 Days Wild and looked around the work campus for bee orchids, and didn't find a thing.

Today was different; I found a single bloom in one of the usual places, and was much pleased to see it; I was beginning to think they weren't going to appear, I'm sure they were earlier last year.

All in all, lots of life around the conservation areas I introduced. Bees are feeding off these long whippy yellow wildflowers in the verge, and lots of bees are feeding off knapweed now in the meadows, as well as the slightly past their best trefoil flowers.

Another first today was a meadow brown butterfly, being very skittish but I just got near enough to get an acceptable  photograph.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 05.06.19

Christmas Eve - And Snowdrops Already

So, I finished all my shopping for the family yesterday, and today was a day to get myself a large, bottle shaped treat.

Afterwards, I went on a bike ride around the lakes to save my plantar-ish heels, and to check a part of the cemetery which is the first place that snowdrops appear every year. And you know what, they were were! We haven't even started 2019 yet and snowdrops were out, in the little corner opposite the Polish war graves. Right where I was expecting them.

Moving round to the lake itself, I caught sight of something else unexpectedly early - a drake goosander, piebald and handsome. We don't normally see these on the Blue Lake until January.

I thought it was strange a drake was alone, but as it happened there were other goosander on other parts of the lake, a couple of them in a furious battle with some black headed gulls that the drake had caught.

Further round, there were a  pair of females, red headed rather than black, sailing past a couple of fishermen telling each other about how rubbish one of their fellow anglers was at using the pole.

A slightly unpleasant moment followed as three well known local rough lads tried to knock me off my bike on the cycle path; 15 year old pretend hard kids who have been doing this for a while while police take no action. Ugh.

Still it hasn't spolied my day nor shall I let it.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 24.12.18

All I have for you is The Sun and Sky

Late on we had more spectacular skies tonight, after a pleasant afternoon where the workplace kestrel flew past my  window on several occasions.

Been a bit ticcy the last couple of days, and I've really hurt my neck and shoulder. No run for me tonight, did an hour on  an exercise bike. Skanky afterwards.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 17.10.18

Phoenix Nights Cricket

Today we were playing cricket away at Walesby, a place I haven't revisited since I was on a cub camp there in 1983...memories of homesickness indeed.

It's a national centre for cub camps. Most kids love it. Aside from the wide games I hated it especially as at age 8 when I joined I was teased like mad for not knowing what a rubber johnny was. I was also in Brown 6, which sounds too much like "Shit 6".

Anyway, I digress.

We arrived at the venue, a sports and social club, to find a country and western singalong concert was taking place for a bunch of older folk wearing stetsons, a sound that accompanied the first half of the match. Posters advertised a Gary Barlow tribute act for the evening. A meat raffle was also in progress. One could imagine a Bernard Manning type comedian coming on.

Not that the game needed anything to make it entertaining. It was manic from the start, with the Walesby batsman coming in, thrashing the ball like mad over the boundary, then getting out. One of  our guy's first over went 4,6,4,6,4, out. And they were all trying to play the same way. They had 70-1 on the board after 8 overs.

But we then started nipping them out a bit more regularly, until we were faced with their two best bats, one the biggest hitter, one the most consistent. I was brought onto bowl to the big bearded big hitter and bowled him after three balls with the first straight one I found. Next over I put the field out and the consistent batsman, now running  out of partners, put one down long off's throat who held onto the ball despite falling down a rabbit hole.

We knocked them over for 130, and two strong opening bats meant that a potentially awkward target on a sporty pitch was achieved in quick time for the loss of only one wicket. Thank god for that as well, because it was bloody hot out there, I had to umpire for a bit and my face felt chargrilled after 15 minutes.

I wanted to get away before the Gary Barlow tribute act as well.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 05.08.18

Time for a Shotgun Marriage

We had no official game today; instead the third teamers and some juniors not yet playing adult cricket on Saturdays took ourselves off to Sir John Starkey's ground at Southwell to play "an exhibition match."

Actually it was an intra club friendly played in a lovely setting, and a chance to enjoy a pressure free game of cricket, although as ever I still got nervous when I bowled and batted.

The two teams, picked by one of our cricketing families, were evenly matched but not even; we should have had the stronger  bowling attack, they the stronger batting.

Batting first, we had an ok start but we never really took real control of the innings. Batting down the order, but not at the usual submarine depths on a Saturday, I had a chance to explore the ground.

Built on the wealth of fruit growing - this is where the Bramley Apple was brought into being  and indeed the first tree still stands in the town - the facility now acts as a wedding venue and fed up with my life I went into the little wedding gazebo and married myself, or something.

Didn't bring our batting any acceleration but I  liked the flowers.

I did get out to bat today, and managed to score 16 not out and see us to 144 for 7 off 32 overs. It seemed like it might be enough at an excellent tea time.

It wasn't. The guy who scored 149 not out smacked my first ball for 4, and his girlfriend decided she was going to be better than him. My line was good, but length was a bit variable and despite getting some bounce, didn't do very well. Neither did the rest of us really, apart from an excellent spell by a ten year old who will be a superb bowler in years to come.

But it a lovely day. Shame my body ached so much at the end of it.

Si

Apparently they Stink

Checking out the lavender today in the workplace garden - the sun wasn't out at the time so the small skippers were absent for a change - I noticed a very well camouflaged little shield bug, possibly some sort of later instar stage, sitting quietly in the blooms.

A friend later told me that these characters are known as stink bugs. "Why?" I asked. "I never knew they had a reputation!"

"Have you ever picked one up then smelled your fingers?" was the reply.

Well I haven't, but a quick google reveals that in the USA they are known as stink bugs rather than shield  bugs, and can be regarded as an agricultural pest.

And this one looked so innocent!

There were some other goodies  out today, and I tried to capture them as well as I could.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 12.07.18