Bluebells, and more, at Cranford Park

Despite the chill, the overcast clouds and the occasional light shower, I spent a couple of hours at Cranford Park this morning. I could have stayed home in the warm but I was sort of inspired to go because of a friends visit during the week.

 My learned fellow bird-watching friend is a certain Ms Corinna Smart, ex Mayor of Hounslow.

 On the occasions that I do bump into her, I still drop a curtsey.

Corinna was at Cranford Park on Thursday, the best day weather-wise of the whole week. Amongst her many bird sightings she also had Willow Warblers, Redstarts and a Woodcock. I go to Cranford Park every week and have never spotted a Woodcock. Corinna visits a handful of times a year and spots one !!! In fact I have NEVER seen an elusive Woodcock in my life ! This sort of stuck in my throat a bit, but at the end of the day its great to know Cranford Park attracts some rather stunning birds (and I don't mean myself or Corinna !)

 

The regular pair of Robins at the wood circle shared my breakfast of an oat and fruit cookie....

 

 

The Magpie nest I found last week is still going strong. It is in a tree right next to an old spindly tree which is a very popular perch for many of the woodland birds. One of the Magpies was guarding the perch against any other birds who tried to land on it....

 

Next Saturday the 23rd April is the annual Bluebell Walk and it will be the last one led by Alison Shipley as she is leaving after nine years of being the London Borough of Hillingdon's Countryside and Conservation Officer. Alison, I wish you all the best for the future and I hope you stay in touch.

 

By the wood circle there was a small trampled patch of Bluebells and I decided to take the opportunity of the broken flower heads to really compare closely the differences between our native Bluebells, and the non-native Spanish Bluebells....

 

On the left is our native Bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, and on the right is the Spanish Bluebell, Hyacinthoides hispanica.......

 

 

The Spanish Bluebell is a thug. It has a thick upright stem, quite wide strappy leaves, conical bell-shaped flowers with open tips and blue pollen..... 

 

 

 

Our more delicate native Bluebell has a stem that distinctively droops, thinner pale green strappy leaves, a sweet perfume, narrow bell-shaped flowers with rolled back tips and a creamy white pollen.....

 

 

 

Luckily today I only found a few patches of the Spanish Bluebell. Left to its own devices this non-native thug will cross-breed with the native ones.

Although it's not illegal to pick native Bluebells, it is an offence to dig up the tubers. And there isn't much point in picking the flowers as they don't last long in a vase.

Anyway they look much prettier on the woodland floor where they belong.

 

I was checking out a new Jackdaw's nest when a Chiffchaff appeared next to me, and for a brief few minutes it got quite close.....

 

 

and I managed to add a new photo to my 'Birds Bums' album......

 

The heavy rain during the night meant it was very muddy in some parts of the park. This in turn meant there were lots of tracks to see. The Muntjacs here (and I still think there are 2-3 of them) had left tracks all through the woods.....

 

 

The chilly weather meant I saw no butterflies at all, and the only critter on the nettle patches I could find was this teeny weeny Ladybird. It was about a third smaller than the Seven-spots that I saw last weekend. It's a Fourteen-spot. You can get ones like this, which are called 'Black on yellow' or you can get the opposite, 'Yellow on black'......

 

I have many favourite birds at Cranford Park, and one of them is the very under-rated Stock Dove. They are very skittish though and trying to get a photo of one is often challenging, but this one below popped out of the hollow behind it and settled before realising I was standing there pointing a camera at it....

 

This is the second hollow where I've had a Stock Dove suddenly appear. Both hollows will be checked carefully from now on.

 

The huge nest that I am pretty sure is a Buzzards, was very quiet this morning. The only sighting of a Buzzard I had was one soaring the thermals in the distance. They are known to construct two or three nests in the immediate area and eventually choose which one to nest in depending on how much disturbance is nearby. Buzzards start laying their eggs mid April, so it might be that the female is tucked down on the nest, or it might be that they've decided to abandon it. Only time will tell as I'll obviously keep checking on it from a discreet distance.

 

Other birds seen today but not photographed included several Goldcrests, Long-tailed Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Blackbirds, Jackdaws, Carrion Crows, Jays, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Green Woodpeckers, Wood Pigeons, feral Pigeons and two fly over Cormorants.

 

And of course the Parakeets....

 

Which brings me to this....

 

During the week I got told off by my Mum. I might be an adult home owner, with a full time job, full time hobby and a proud 'cat' mother to two little furry darlings....but I'm still not too old to be told off by my Mum.

Apparently my use of the term 'Marmite' Parakeets (which I use all the time in my blogs) should be changed to their correct name of Ring-necked Parakeets so that I don't confuse any 'new' readers to my blog.

I call them 'Marmite' because you either love them or you hate them !

Mum, I hope you approve (insert smiley face emoticon). Luv ya xx

 

And lastly.............no I didn't see a Woodcock today !