The Zambian based Cuckoo did the trip to Mongolia. Amazing journey. It's Congo based cousin did the trip to the UK and is about to return for it's 6th journey. The tag to track the Cuckoo costs £3,500 each and £60 per month to monitor it progress. BTO netted 11 across the UK over the last two months. 3 have left the UK and are in Normandy, west of Paris and in The Netherlands. A large investment to understand an endangered species.
I witnessed an avian battle in my garden yesterday, two parakeets and a crow. The crow killed one parakeet which fell to the ground with a thud, suddenly several other parakeets arrived and delivered recompense to the crow, which in turn fell to the ground injured. Using the cover of the melee, my cat Conran stole away the dead parakeet for his pleasure.
Some impressions of a recent bicycle tour around Rotterdam (Holland): Gouda Turfgracht Gouda center market .... with the Gouda's15th Century Town Hall Delfshaven Sluice to the Schie Delfshaven ... with the famous Pilgrim Fathers Church Maassluis Schiedam Schiedam Schiedam Schiedam famous for its gin obviously has a Gin Museum Schiedam draw bridge Windmills Schiedam .. those of Schiedam are the world's highest In short beautiful typical Dutch countryside .... until I met these invasive exotics ... at the foot of the above windmill (left) in Schiedam
A then ... and now ... .. a second picture taken from the bridge in front of the Pilgrim Father's Church toward the south shows the windmill at the mouth of the Delfshaven harbour, near the junction with the Nieuwe Maas River
Need an ID for these 2. I was looking for a Bee Orchid and found it. The whole plant was the size of my hand.
Thanks Owen. I saw a photo of the underside of the Marbled White on a Pyramidal Orchid on the Butterfly Conservation website. The habitat where I took my photo, I also photographed a Pyramidal Orchid as well.
This Cormorant had just dived into the Thames at Henley for a feast and is drying itself out a top a large tree Range about 250 yards away
Butterflies today. It looked like the Gloucester Cow was stuck in a tree. Browsing on some willow leaves by the River Severn. They are quite partial to the young leaves.
I finally got a shot of a Pied Wagtail this afternoon. The wagtail was picking up crumbs from underneath a table where a man was eating. Easy pickings and it was around lots of people.
Had a ground yellowjacket nest in the backyard. I hit it with some hornet spray last night when they were semi dormant. All that was visible in the grass then was an entrance hole about the size of a penny. Something must have taken advantage of their weakened condition and dug them up and ate them. This is what it looked like this morning. Never seen this happen before. Hole is about 10 inches deep. I suspect a racoon or a skunk.
