First Honeybees and hoverflies of the year at Cranford Park

I was at Cranford Park both Friday and Saturday for a few hours each day. Even though it is still quite cold, I guessed that the forecast sunshine would bring out a few critters, and I was right.

 

The old woodpecker nest hole in Bluebell Dell is still being visited by a pair of  'marmite' Parakeets. The last time I was watching them was 8th February so I was quite surprised to see they were STILL excavating the hole to suit their size. There was several times when all I could see was sawdust being thrown out....

 

 

Along the River Crane there was a Moorhen taking a bath....

 

and at the new wildlife pond the resident Robin was doing the same....

 

In the car park a Dunnock was pottering about. I managed to get a photo of it's back showing that these overlooked little brown birds are actually very pretty with their intricate plumage...

 

In the courtyard a pair of Magpies were surveying the area....

 

and Mrs Kestrel was again hunting in the Headland area....

 

I spent a lot of time in the churchyard both yesterday and today. My first Honeybee of the season was seen there yesterday. Although they don't hibernate, they do become very sluggish during very cold weather and rarely leave the hive. Today they were very busy visiting the snowdrops, crocus and heather. Some were still quite sluggish though and were dropping into the grass after taking pollen. Both the wild hive above the Secret Garden and the one in the Stable Block archway were active yesterday and today, and I saw the Beekeepers car in the compound when I arrived this morning. For the first time this year my macro lens came out to play, and I whiled away a good hour taking photos of these busy little bees....

 

 

I also had my first hoverflies of the season. They were all of the same species, the common Episyrphus balteatus, also known as the Marmalade Fly.....

 

 

A very productive few hours at the park. Spring is definitely around the corner.

 

 

Kestrels and more at Cranford Park

I had a shorter visit to Cranford Park today and the weather was completely different to yesterday. It was very overcast and cloudy but a little milder. It made for challenging photography.

 

By the wood circle there were a pair of Long-tailed Tits investigating the tangle of brambles. I managed to capture one of them.....

 

 

There is a large tree by the stable block, which is covered in ivy. It was there yesterday that I saw Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Redwing and Blackbird. Today the ivy was alive again with many Blackbird, more Redwing and more thrushes, but it was very hard to grab a photo in the dull light....

Redwing silhouette

 I checked the nest hole in Bluebell Dell and found the Ring-necked Parakeets were still there. One of them was still excavating the nest hole and spitting out loads of sawdust....

 

 

Last spring when the Great Spotted Woodpeckers nested there it always amused me that they had chosen such a place. This branch came down in a storm and fell 'head' first becoming wedged between a couple of other branches. The branch is completely dead now.....

 

A few years ago Buzzards nested in the woods for the first time. Last March they used the same nest site again, and today I twice say a Buzzard soaring low over the woods near the tree. It's very hard to watch the nest as the birds are incredibly shy and nervous, and obviously I don't want to disturb them. There are only three 'spots' where you can see the nest, and once the trees green up the nest will become invisible. The nest is below as seen today. It is illegal to disturb any nesting birds, so the location is a closely guarded secret....

 

I haven't seen the resident Kestrels for a while so it was great to see the female. I got some lovely views of her as she scanned the woodland floor, it was just a shame it was so dark today as my photos don't do her justice....

 

 

After seeing her once, I then kept seeing her every where.......

 

So a much shorter visit than yesterday, but one that was just as packed.

 

First outing of the year at Cranford Park

For various reasons today was the first day I was actually out with my camera in nearly two months. Hopefully I'll get out more frequently now.

 

It was bitterly cold but very sunny, so wrapped up in thermals and layers I spent a very pleasant few hours at Cranford CP. There were quite a few thrush species around including the two below, Song Thrush and Redwing....

 

 

I also saw five Mistle Thrush but couldn't get any photos of them.

 

The Blue Tit below looked glorious in the light and was all fluffed up against the cold....

 

Along the River Crane there were three pairs of Mallards. The drakes have been wooing their females for the last couple of months. Next month the females will have nests and will be incubating eggs. The pair below also looked exquisite in the good light. My photo also shows just how the River Crane got last month. That muddy grey foliage was all under water.

 

I was quite surprised to see a Chaffinch feeding on the ground with some Great Tits. They are very common birds but I rarely see them at Cranford Park...

 

 

Both species of woodpeckers were very vocal today, but not obliging enough to get photos. I saw three Great Spotted Woodpeckers, all of them calling, but this was the only photo I could get.....

 

I also saw and heard five Green Woodpeckers, but didn't get any photos at all.

 

Last spring I watched a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers feeding chicks at a nest hole in Bluebell Dell. The same nest hole has now been taken over by a pair of Ring Necked Parakeets......

 

One kept going in and throwing out a far bit of sawdust, which means they are excavating the old nest site to make it a bit larger for their young. There is a lot of debate about Parakeets and their impact on our woodpeckers. Studies are still being carried out. I'm not worried about this pair though as Great Spotted Woodpecker never use the same nest hole the following year. However they will the year after (eg I would expect them to nest there again in spring 2019).

 

When the wildlife pond was rebuilt late last summer, some seeds and bulbs were sown in the old stone trough outside the Information Centre. Even though we've had snow and frost, the seedlings have survived.....

 

In the church yard there were several welcoming early spring flowers including this primrose....

 

 

And in Cranford Woods there are lots of new bluebell shoots......

 

At the back of the stable block just before the underpass, there is an old ornamental acer tree. I don't know what species it is, but it's the first tree in the park to gain autumnal colour and the first tree to have buds in the spring...

 

As to be expected there were several Grey Squirrels around.....

 

The hazelnuts below are certainly the work of the squirrel. Only they can split the nut in half. Mice nibble a hole in one side....

 

Also at the back of the stable block were a trail of Muntjac tracks which I followed all the way to the river bank.....

Muntjac 'slots' with 50p piece for size comparison

Lastly some photos of the beautiful snowdrops that come out every year in the church yard.....