Flowering this week, plus some very tame birds.

Violets beside the Caldon Canal near Greenway Golf Club (I'm not sure which of the several British native violet species they are).

Dog's Mercury alongside the Head of the Trent between Norton Green and Knypersley Reservoir.

Wood Anemone alongside the Caldon Canal feeder between Knypersley Res. and Norton Green.  

And here inside a meander of the Trent.

 Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage in Greenway Bank Country Park, nr. Biddulph.

Marsh Marigold beside the Serpentine lake. Greenway Bank Country Park. 

One of the very confiding birds at Greenway Bank CP. At this site the birds are so accustomed to being fed they perch close to the pathside branches as people pass by in the hope that you have food for them! This photo shows a Great Tit, but earlier on during my walk Coal Tits, Blue Tits and Robins also joined in.

First Hoverfly of the year.

Probably a female Drone Fly Eristalsis tenax, as they hibernate overwinter. Presumably they have mated the previous late summer/autumn, and hence go on to start the next generation. Looks like this one was attracted to feed, along with several Honey Bees Apis mellifera and 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris, on the nectar in winter heathers in this front garden in Church Lane Endon. 

20.03.15

First bees of the year and a new plant.

A buzzing insect passed my ear last week, it sounded like a bee but I don't know for sure. Today I am certain I saw my first bumblebee of the year in Endon. I'm not 100% sure of what speceis it was but while it briefly landed on some Pulminaria it looked like Bombus hypnorum the Tree Bumblebee. Later on, on a walk to Deep Hayes Country park I stopped to watch two honey bee hives to see if the worker bees were going out foraging -  they were. Once in the park I spotted a cluster of plants that I had not noticed before. They turned out to be Giant Butterbur Petasites japinica, a non-native perennial that is used as a vegtetable in Japan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petasites_japonicus. Giant  Butterbur is, not surprisingly related to Butterbur, which is a native species, and which also grows in our area. Below photos of Giant Butterbur are photos and info. on that species from the "Wildflowers in Endon" pages of this blog  Both species are in the daisy (Asteraceae) family. 

Giant Butterbur in Deep Hayes Country Park 17.03.15

Butterbur Petasites hybridus, a  native, perennial species, grows on the disused railway. It forms a large stand on the section between Station Road and the "white bridge" on the Caldon Canal. From here it has spread into a neighbouring field and on to the canal towpath. Perhaps surprisingly it does not grow on the other side (between Station Road and Park Lane) of the level crossing. However this was, until recently, more heavily shaded  by trees and is probably drier than the damp soils of the Stockton Brook side of the level crossing. In spring the Butterbur provides a lovely sight, and is a good early source of nectar for insects.  The photo of Butterbur along the disused railway was taken in April 2011.

Butterbur seed head.

Nine Curlews and two Lapwing.

This afternoon there were at least nine Curlews and two Lapwings in an arable field and pasture that are near Endon Sewage Works. The Curlews were calling and feeding in both fields. Also of note, I saw a Willow Tit in trees alongside the disused railway near Deep Hayes Country Park, and what is now a regular sighting of a Buzzard using fence posts alongside Endon Brook from which to spot prey (presumable small mammals inhabiting the, currently, dormant tall herb vegetation which grows alongside the stream).

Four of the nine plus Curlews in a pasture. 

Site of Curlews and Lapwings seen today.

Grazing animals with waders feeding alongside. 

Frogspawn and Jackdaws nesting

I saw my first frogspawn of this year in a drainage ditch alongside the former railway line alongside Rudyard Lake. This isn't the first frogspawn to be seen in our area this year, and some of the clumps I saw look as if they were two or three days old. This isn't the earliest I have recorded seeing frogspawn in the past ten years, the previous earlier sightings were 13/02/2011 and 16/02/2007, both in my garden pond. 

I also noticed today that Jackdaws have started building a nest in one of their traditional nest sites in Alder House, Endon. These photos (below) are from 07/04/2013 and show a Jackdaw perched on the edge of a chimney pot in which it 's nest was located (in my street) and the source of some of the nest material; fur off a heifer who was living in the field behind my house. 

first moth of the year

This plume moth is the first moth I have seen this year, though if I was a moth expert using a light trap at nights, I'm sure I would have caught one or two species already in 2015. And also, because I'm no expert, I don't know which of the 45 species of plume moths that are found in the British Isles this one is though the overall light brown colour with a darker spot on the wings suggests it may be a Emmelina monodactyla whose larvae feed on bindweed. There is plenty of that plant about in hedgerows of Endon and some growing through the holly tree in my garden which is near the greenhouse in which this moth was found. 

Curlews back to breed?

There was a (probable) male Curlew feeding in a field near Endon Sewage Works this afternoon. It was there for at least an hour. Last year a pair appeared to be nesting in the adjacent field though I never saw any young. Lapwings have also bred in these fields in recent years. lest hope they try again and have some success. However this seems unlikely due to the large number of Corvids, Magpies, Foxes in the area, and that fact that, in recent years, the farmers have increased the intensity of their operations. 

Frogs on the move.

I haven't seen any frogspawn yet, but I think the frogs may be moving to breeding ponds as I saw this Grey Heron from my bedroom window yesterday morning. It was manipulating a frog in its bill before eating it 

This is what I said about common frogs in my garden pond last year. According to some they may be early this year - in some places anyway -see http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/27/frogs-breeding-in-november-due-to-mild-weather