Nature Notes: the 2022 edition

[ErrolTheDragon]

Happy New Year to all nature lovers!
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Please join us to add your observations throughout the year. Urban or rural, there's always something going on throughout the year, even if it's a bit quiet right now.

No kingfisher this morning, but a Little Egret in the same spot instead! They're becoming increasingly common down here in the SW, cattle egret too. So graceful.
It's also great because it's on a rather smelly little beach feeder stream, but there must be fish in it.
Also spotted a male stonechat, such handsome little birds.

I love little egrets. There’s a lot of them around where I live, as well as the occasional great white egret. They always make me stop and watch. So elegant!

I went to the beach for some birdwatching today, but it was so windy that most of the birds had taken shelter elsewhere. It was a little disappointing, but then when I walked home along the river I came within a few metres of a dipper. I’m pretty sure it knew I was there, but just wasn’t that bothered by me.

That was until a group of “serious” birdwatchers showed up. You know the type, dressed head to toe in camouflage, ultra expensive binoculars etc. One of them shouted “dipper”...which of course startled the little bird, which promptly flew off. Honestly what is the point of all that gear if you can’t apply common sense when approaching a wild bird 🤦🏻‍♀️

Anyway in the few minutes alone time I had with said dipper before the birdwatching pros showed up, it got so close that I could see it’s eyelids (through my binoculars). I never noticed before that they are white and feathered 😯

Oh dear, shouldn't laugh! glad you got your few moments of quiet contemplation!

The daffodils in our garden (the miniature kind) are all coming up and showing buds. I swear they are growing a 1/2 inch a day.

I can see what I call catkins on the deciduous trees around our apartment. Meaning pollen is next. Achoo!

I just heard the first what I call "Spring song" from a black-capped chickadee. They go Deee de de. Instead of de de de. A sure sign of spring.

I’ve just finished reading a book on bird intelligence @LoveFall. According to that, chickadee song is one of the most complex types of bird communication. Even though the song may sound simple to us, they are apparently conveying a huge amount of information by how often and how fast they say dee-dee-dee and how long the pauses between the “dees” are 🤔

I saw some wood celandines on my walk today and two mistle thrushes. If I remember correctly, mistle thrushes are very territorial, so may that means they’ve paired up already?

Also, the first catkins are definitely out here. Spring is on its way…

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/sounds

The bird is this clip is making the spring call. It says the males start in January, which is what I heard yesterday. But is is very chilly and frosty here today.

For the trivia lovers. Did you know hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards?

I'm meant to be doing the Big Garden Bird Watch but the wind is howling ( East Coast Fife ) and there's no birds brave enough 🙁

Todays Nature Notebook

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/darker-days-are-lit-up-by-lyrical-avian-love-songs-ctn92s7c3?shareToken=34d57db5ce5fa8ffc87e6ac30781845a

I’m having a similar problem here on the west coast of Wales @Thirstquenching. I had some brave finches on my feeders this morning and 50+ jackdaws taking shelter in my oak tree, but many of my regulars just haven’t shown up. I’m thinking of trying again tomorrow.

It's windy here in the NW too. A couple of woodpigeons appeared on the lawn while we were making our morning brews, later than usual today. I usually put some sunflower seed on the open tray on the bird feeder at this point, but the bucket in the utility room was empty. When I went down again for a refill, the tray was occupying by the squirrel, who evidently also expects its breakfast from me - anthropomorphising, I thought it looked a bit grumpy about the late service.

The forecast where I am is not quite as windy tomorrow, but then up again on Monday

The wind is dying down and the garden is full of the usual visitors

Still windy here - just back from our walk when it started raining.
We just did the walk to the next village, but were rewarded by our first celandines, white deadnettle, dandelions (I'll swear more on the return than on the way out), and in the churchyard crocuses and a clump of daffodils. The latter are the same ones that were similarly much earlier than any others around here, sheltered and by a sunny south facing wall.

I went out for a walk in a sheltered woodland location, where I saw the first snowdrops of the season. Also saw goldcrests, nuthatches, and a great spotted woodpecker, which are a rare treat around where I live.

I've heard some woodpeckers this month but not spotted any yet.

@Crazzzycat

Thank you for the lovely photo! Did my heart good.

Signs of spring in East Anglia too.

I've been seeing catkins since November
But more in the last couple of weeks!

I think this takes the cake for me. Sitting here with dog on my lap trying to find something to watch on Netflix. Next thing you know, something is flying around the living room. Cue me letting a good scream go.

This is an 8th floor apartment. Dog is starting to freak out, as am I. We have screens on all our window.

It is a bat, which completely panics me with thoughts of rabies etc. Dog is barking and growling, DH keeps saying it is a bird, I am shrieking it is a bat. DH is using my warm throw to try and catch it, which he thinks he has done on the floor under a table.

I am trying to be brave but my heart is absolutely pounding. Standing behind DH and trying to keep vicious maltipoo (ha ha) back, the bat suddenly escapes across the carpet and flies out the balcony door, which I promptly closed tight. It was a bat, absolutely, and quite a big one.

OMG that woke me up. Poor dog is still on high alert letting out little woofs and growls.

How and why the poor creature got in we do not know. I do not want a repeat! Outside fine, in my apartment no.

I am now quite sure it was a Big Brown Bat. It was about the size of a Barn Swallow.

www.exploringnature.org/db/view/Big-Brown-bat

I've been seeing a few butterflies lately which seems unsually early. We are in a period of quite heavy frosts at the moment.

'Big brown bat' - I do like obvious names like that though obviously the 'big' is relative to other microbats! (I do like fanciful or odd names too)
Poor dog - he could perhaps hear the bat's echolocation calls as well as seeing it which would doubtless have wound him up.

We had a pipistrelle clinging to our wall near the back door last year, we used the front door until it had flown!

No bats or butterflies here yet, I've seen a couple of ladybirds.

My first encounter with a bat was when I was about five. I was putting on my wellies outside of the house, when a bat landed on one of my boots. I had no idea what it was and couldn’t get it to move. I was completely petrified…so I totally get how freaky it much be to have one of those flying around your apartment LoveFall 😬

The first thing I saw in the garden this morning was a pair of bullfinches, which I took to be a sign that I should do an RSPB birdwatch recount. I saw twice the variety of birds I saw yesterday. The star of the show, apart from the bullfinches, were two squabbling mistle thrushes.

What a lovely thread!

First snowdrops of the year seen today and I saw some bubbles in our pond so possibly the return of the frogs, normally it's around mid Feb