Thursday 31 October 2019

It continues to be exceptionally mild for the time of year and there's very little happening in the garden.

This leucistic chaffinch has been visiting regularly but is extremely timid - so I had to take this photo through a closed window.

Partially leucistic chaffinch, Christophstal October 2019

Partially leucistic chaffinch, Christophstal October 2019

Sunday 27 October 2019
Apricot Jelly fungus, Christophstal October 2019

Apricot Jelly fungus, Christophstal October 2019

Crested tit, Christophstal October 2019

Crested tit, Christophstal October 2019

Crested tit, Christophstal October 2019

Crested tit, Christophstal October 2019

Crested tit, Christophstal October 2019

Crested tit, Christophstal October 2019

Crested tit, Christophstal October 2019

Crested tit, Christophstal October 2019

Crested tit, Christophstal October 2019

Crested tit, Christophstal October 2019

Jackdaws, Christophstal October 2019

Jackdaws, Christophstal October 2019

The weather forecast says that it is going to get cold tomorrow, although today it was 17oC on the patio.

We went for a run first thing this morning and I saw a large patch of apricot jelly fungus.

I didn't spend much time watching the birds today but I spotted a goldcrest near the patio. By the time I'd got my camera, he was gone but instead I got these photos of our first crested tit of the autumn.

Later on, we saw a large flock of around 30 jackdaws circling to get altitude and then heading off to the south-west.

Saturday 26 October 2019

It was another nice autumn day and we used the time to tidy up the garden ready for the winter.

There was an Emmelina monodactyla plume moth on the north wall of the house. This stacked photo was taken at around 11:00 in the morning, but you can still see the dew on his wings and head.

<em>Emmelina monodactyla</em>, Christophstal October 2019

Emmelina monodactyla, Christophstal October 2019

Sunday 20 October 2019
Leopard slug in biobin, Christophstal October 2019

Leopard slug in biobin, Christophstal October 2019

It isn't often that there's nothing going on it the garden worth noting, but this weekend there really was nothing.

Yesterday, it rained torrentially all day. As we walked up to town, we noticed that there were hardly any slugs and snails and when we thought about the whole of 2019, we've hardly seen any. Not sure if last year's hot, dry summer has had a long term effect.

Anyway, one slug we are seeing is this one seen here in our bio bin alongside some eggs she has laid. I say 'she', but she identifies as non-binary. We've taken her out of the bin three times now and put her into the surrounding vegetation. Each time, she's been back in the bin within a day. We've decided to let her stay in there, but we'll move her out on bin emptying day. It's tempting to try moving her further away from the bin to see how far she can find her way back. Is that cruel? Seems like fascinating science to me.

After I wrote all the above, I remembered that we saw this year's first brambling yesterday. That's two weeks later than the earliest we've seen.

Tuesday 15 October 2019

Some weeks ago I was convinced I'd seen a garden dormouse sitting on our peanut feeder - but it was getting dark and I wasn't sure. Today, Christine spotted him and I managed to get a couple of photos. These are again taken through a window and it was getting really dark - hence the grainy quality.

Garden dormouse, Christophstal October 2019

Garden dormouse, Christophstal October 2019

Garden dormouse, Christophstal October 2019

Garden dormouse, Christophstal October 2019

Monday 14 October 2019
Middle spotted woodpecker, Christophstal October 2019

Middle spotted woodpecker, Christophstal October 2019

We haven't seen a middle spotted woodpecker from some time now, but we had one in the garden today. This photo is taken through a window so isn't perfect.

Sunday 13 October 2019

It was a beautiful, sunny and warm autumnal day and it was well into the 20's by the afternoon.

A buzzard was sunning himself near the house.

We went up to our fields to re-erect the bird perches knocked down by the cows. There are a lot of mushrooms about. We took the opportunity to get some close-ups of the parasol mushroom I photographed on Friday as it is now fully open.

We think the other photos are of the same species of fungus at different stages of development. I assume we're looking at a bolete judging by the thickness of that stem.

Up on the top field, there was a huge grasshopper-type thing. I need to do some research on what this is. It flew quite well and had large wings.

Once again, the bird cherry was buzzing with chiffchaffs and willow warblers, but today they were joined by a firecrest. He stayed long enough for me to get some decent photos despite the fact that he didn't stay still.

Just as I was about to switch my camera off for the day, two spotted nutcrackers flew past the window and one landed right at the top of the hazel tree.

Buzzard, Christophstal October 2019

Buzzard, Christophstal October 2019

Parasol mushroom, Christophstal October 2019

Parasol mushroom, Christophstal October 2019

Parasol mushroom, Christophstal October 2019

Parasol mushroom, Christophstal October 2019

Parasol mushroom, Christophstal October 2019

Parasol mushroom, Christophstal October 2019

Bolete?, Christophstal October 2019

Bolete?, Christophstal October 2019

Bolete?, Christophstal October 2019

Bolete?, Christophstal October 2019

Bolete?, Christophstal October 2019

Bolete?, Christophstal October 2019

Unknown grasshopper-type thing, Christophstal October 2019

Unknown grasshopper-type thing, Christophstal October 2019

Firecrest, Christophstal October 2019

Firecrest, Christophstal October 2019

Firecrest, Christophstal October 2019

Firecrest, Christophstal October 2019

Firecrest, Christophstal October 2019

Firecrest, Christophstal October 2019

Firecrest, Christophstal October 2019

Firecrest, Christophstal October 2019

Firecrest, Christophstal October 2019

Firecrest, Christophstal October 2019

Spotted nutcracker, Christophstal October 2019

Spotted nutcracker, Christophstal October 2019

Spotted nutcracker, Christophstal October 2019

Spotted nutcracker, Christophstal October 2019

Spotted nutcracker, Christophstal October 2019

Spotted nutcracker, Christophstal October 2019

Friday 11 October 2019
Parasol mushroom, Christophstal October 2019

Parasol mushroom, Christophstal October 2019

Mistle thrush, Christophstal October 2019

Mistle thrush, Christophstal October 2019

Mistle thrush, Christophstal October 2019

Mistle thrush, Christophstal October 2019

There are suddenly a lot of parasol mushrooms around the house. These are huge! Here's a photo of one taken from our window. This one isn't fully open yet.

There were also a few mistle thrushes hopping about out there too.

Sunday 6 October 2019

It was a really grim day today. It rained heavily all afternoon.

I spent some time watching the birds and it was an unusual day. We had a small flock of 5 song thrushes around all day. We also had a couple of chiffchaffs and a willow warbler - which was a nice opportunity to compare these supposedly confusing species. When seen together it is actually quite easy to tell them apart. I've included a photo of one of the chiffchaffs coughing on something that he's picked off a leaf.

I saw a lot of birds flying over the valley, seemingly migrating, including lots of swallows and house martins. I did suspect that this photo is of a sand martin, but I doubt it.

I've included a photo of a chaffinch which seemed to have a missing foot. And lastly, a wet coal tit and a wet nuthatch.

Coughing chiffchaff, Christophstal October 2019

Coughing chiffchaff, Christophstal October 2019

Chiffchaff, Christophstal October 2019

Chiffchaff, Christophstal October 2019

Willow warbler, Christophstal October 2019

Willow warbler, Christophstal October 2019

Willow warbler, Christophstal October 2019

Willow warbler, Christophstal October 2019

Willow warbler, Christophstal October 2019

Willow warbler, Christophstal October 2019

House martin, Christophstal October 2019

House martin, Christophstal October 2019

Swallow, Christophstal October 2019

Swallow, Christophstal October 2019

Chaffinch with missing foot, Christophstal October 2019

Chaffinch with missing foot, Christophstal October 2019

Wet coal tit, Christophstal October 2019

Wet coal tit, Christophstal October 2019

Wet nuthatch, Christophstal October 2019

Wet nuthatch, Christophstal October 2019

Thursday 3 October 2019
Chiffchaff, Christophstal October 2019

Chiffchaff, Christophstal October 2019

Chiffchaff, Christophstal October 2019

Chiffchaff, Christophstal October 2019

Bank vole, Christophstal October 2019

Bank vole, Christophstal October 2019

Black redstart, Christophstal October 2019

Black redstart, Christophstal October 2019

It was a holiday in Germany today so I had some time to watch the birds. I took a lot of photos but they were mainly of some chiffchaffs that have been pecking around the leaves on the bird cherry for the past week or so. Today there were at least three of them hopping around.

The only other photos worth posting were one of this bold bank vole who was eating scraps from under our bird feeders and one of the many black redstarts who were out and around today.

Tuesday 1 October 2019

I was surprised to see a common redstart today. It's usually about now that they disappear until spring. This is our first October sighting, although to be fair we have seen them on the 30th September before.

Male common redstart, Christophstal October 2019

Male common redstart, Christophstal October 2019