Day 7 – 30 Days Wild

For a couple of weeks, since the bottom part of the flowerbed was dug over, I have observed House Sparrows having sand / dust baths & I thought to myself, I must get footage of this!

My attempts failed, at first, because they either didn’t turn up or I had just missed them, or it was raining 😅

However, today I thought I would give it another go and within about 5 minutes into recording they showed up & I got footage! 👇🏻

I plan on getting closer & better footage very soon!

Thanks for visiting ☺️

Day 6 – 30 Days Wild

Today’s Random Act of Wildness is inspired by BBC Springwatch, they have been doing a Mindfulness Moment on the show.

So I decided when I was out on my walk around Bourlay Wood, I would get some footage, to make into my own short mindfulness video (See below).

Thanks for visiting! 🙂

Day 5 – 30 Days Wild

After a lovely walk around my local wood & a wee heritage site, I got back to find a beautiful Butterfly basking in the sun, in the garden, & I managed get some lovely footage of it! 😊

Gotta love Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies 🦋 💚

Thanks for visiting! 🌸

Day 4 – 30 Days Wild

On Monday, whilst walking passed some Foxgloves with my Mom up the Waseley Hills Country Park, I remembered that we had some seeds at the back of one of the kitchen cupboards 😉

Digitalis purpurea – Waseley Hills Country Park
Today that’s exactly what I did! 💮

Thanks for visiting 🙂

Day 3 – 30 Days Wild

Today I awoke to the sound of rain, so of course there was only one thing for me to do…

I also got an ID for the Spider from yesterday 👇🏻

It is an Araniella sp. Also known as a Cucumber Spider 🥒 (Thank you Emma Woolley)

From Googling, I suspect it’s an Araniella opisthographa 🕷️ But you can only determine that by having it under a microscope (cheers Rory Dimond & Luke Anderson) 🙂

Thanks for visiting 😊

Day 2 – 30 Days Wild

Whilst hanging out the washing today, I spotted a Spider that I don’t think I have seen before. It was green with orange legs & black stripes.

You can’t really make out the green body, but hoping somebody can still ID it for me?

Also, in the early evening, I decided to do a drawing, my best mate suggested this particular species 💚

Thanks for visiting! 🙂

Day 1 – 30 Days Wild

It’s that time of year again! To do something nature related & connect with the natural world every day in June, a “Random Act of Wildness” – as suggested by The Wildlife Trusts.

This morning I got up at 4pm to listen to the Dawn Chorus 💚 🐦 🎶 (Then went back to sleep 😆).

Yesterday I saw a lovely species of Moth in the Garden, for the first time, so I have included a video of that video too! 😀 🦋

In the early evening I went for a lovely walk with my Mom, around the Waseley Hills Country Park 🏞️ ❤️

You can make out the Malvern Hills AONB in the distance 😍

Thanks for visiting! ☺️

Day 22 – 30 Days Wild

“Snap a picture of something blue”

#30DaysWild
#30DaysWild

A nice easy one today 🙂  I spent most of my day with my friend Laura at her Pet Store.  I’ve mentioned the shops’ unkempt Wildlife Garden in a previous Blog post, it’s where I took todays’ “something blue”.

The modest Forget-me-not.
The modest Forget-me-not.

I’ve heard Forget-me-nots being described as “a British staple” – they do seem quintessentially British 😉

The CavyNoodle Wildlife Garden.
The Sweet Peas are doing well in the CavyNoodle Wildlife Garden.

Thanks 🙂

Video

Day 21 – 30 Days Wild

New Green Space

wpid-img_20150621_174434.jpg Longbridge, in South Birmingham – the birth place and former home of Rover – has a new High Street and Green Space!  It’s on the site of where the said factory used to be.  The River Rea that runs through the area has had a habitat and Green Space created around it, and it’s pretty much established and looking lush now! 😀

Today I explored it after purchasing Father’s Day gifts (with my trusty mobile to hand for snaps and clips).

wpid-image-21-06-15-04-35-3.jpeg
The car park of the newly located Bournville College, with Green Space along side it, some of the old Rover site on the other side.

People and nature co-existing beautifully.
People and nature co-existing beautifully.

I saw a Grey Wagtail (which have some yellow feathers) down there to left of where the lad on the bike was.  The video below isn’t great but you can hear it calling 😛

The middle of the new Green Space, looking towards the chap on the bike.
The middle of the new Green Space, looking towards the chap on the bike.  This is the bridge you see in the distance.

Where this newly created habitat ends.
Where this newly created habitat ends.

I was really pleased that this new place is now a good feeding area for House Martins, there were quite a few wizzing and swooping around 🙂

Thanks for visiting 😀

Day 20 – 30 Days Wild

Reading About Birds

#30DaysWIld
#30DaysWIld
Today I was sorting out the blog for yesterdays Random Act of Wildness – “Admire the setting Sun”, it was raining and I had work later.  I wasn’t really left with many options, due to the constraints (time and weather).  So, I chose to read a non-fiction book on the bus to work (wildlife related of course).

Refreshing my knowledge and filling in any gaps.
Refreshing my knowledge and filling in any gaps.
The bird on the front of the book is an American Goldfinch, it’s just a funky Siskin to us Brits 😛  I really like the first two paragraphs in the introduction for Section One of the book, so I’ve quoted them below:

Birds are not only one of the most successful groups in the animal kingdom but they hold a special position in our awareness of the natural world.  They are often the most obvious living creatures in a landscape (their apparent confidence borne of an ability to fly to safety) and their bright colours and melodic songs have long been admired by man.  Yet it is only recently that we have begun to fully appreciate just how intricate their lives are.
The 8000 or so species of birds have evolved over millions of years and have adapted to many different modes of life.  If one was to take a single feature which places the birds apart from all other animals it would be the development of feathers.  These complex and delicate structures not only make flight possible but also serve many other functions, notably providing insulation from cold or wet and furnishing attractive or eye-catching plumages for use in courtship and territorial rituals.

Such great facts! ❤  What a top way to introduce readers to a book all about birds.

I have to stop myself from quoting more paragraphs, so I’ll just quote one more.  From the top of page 8:

Birds have lived on earth for far longer than man or any of the mammals.  When giant dinosaurs roamed the world, there were already many kinds of birds inhabiting the forests, and wetlands and the marine environment.  They included some types which we would recognise today, such as grebes, herons and waterfowl.  In fact, it seems that birds are probably descended from small dinosaurs called coelurosaurs which ran standing up on their hind legs and balancing with their tails, much as birds do today.  Compsognathus is a typical coelurosaur.

This book was published in 1989 by The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited.  It has 3 sections in all; Biology of Birds, Bird Habitats of the World and Bird Families of the World – covering all aspects.  It has a mixture of stills and illustrations, I think it’s a brilliant book.

Thanks for reading 🙂