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Plants Page 30
Image Taken on 27 Nov 2016
at 14:20 Image of day on 02 Jan 2017
Goldfinches are spending quite a lot of time feeding on Great Willow Herb seeds,
but mostly where they see us coming and flee. Here is a little sequence through
the living room window unintentionally in right to left order
 4+2+1 of 5 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20170102_df1_20161127_1420_014+009+005 goldfinch feeding on great willow herb seeds (selected) 4+2+1 of 5 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 31 Dec 2017
at 10:42 Image of day on 04 Feb 2018
About 2 metres from the living room window there is a low hedge into which we
post cut off teasel stems to attract bird to feast on the seeds where we can get
to see them. Here a Goldfinch spent a few minutes extracting seeds from the now
dry months old seed head.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20180204_df1_20171231_1042_093 goldfinch feeding on teasel seeds 05 of 16 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 31 Dec 2017
at 10:43 Image of day on 04 Feb 2018
Read this left to right - beak in the seed pocket, pluck out the seed, and down
the hatch, all in about a third of a second.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20180204_df1_20171231_1043_142-144 goldfinch feeding on teasel seeds 10-12 of 16 (montage @ 7fps)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Oct 2014
at 12:20 Image of day on 24 Dec 2014
On a clump of Willow trees at the edge of the pond a couple of juvenile
Goldfinches (with gold flash but no red on the head yet) were
picking over the willow tree for insects.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20141224_df2_20141023_1220_134 goldfinch juvenile feeding in willow tree (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 04 Nov 2020
at 12:38 Image of day on 11 Dec 2020
Goldfinches adore Teasel - they pick the seeds out of the spiky head for months.
.jpg)
Ref: 20201211_df3_20201104_1238_042 goldfinch on teasel(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image of day on 13 Dec 2005
This image from February shows what we see now through the
scaffolding at the end of the day when there is no light to
photograph them. We let the Teasels run wild in patches and many
finches spend hour on them picking out the seeds.
.jpg)
Ref: 20051213_d30_04600 goldfinch on teasel 2005feb09_13-04-12(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Nov 2011
at 09:59 Image of day on 05 Jan 2012
Goldfinches seem to be many peoples favourite small birds,
and are certainly high on our list. This bird (and a few of his
friends nearby) wheedle seeds out of teasel heads for many months.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20120105_df1_20111130_0959_087 goldfinch on teasel head (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Nov 2011
at 09:59 Image of day on 05 Jan 2012
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20120105_df1_20111130_0959_115 goldfinch on teasel head (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Feb 2018
at 11:26 Image of day on 28 Mar 2018
Teasel seed head provide seeds right through to Spring. This Goldfinch has just
extracted a seed from the spiky remains on the ground.
.jpg)
Ref: 20180328_d5c_20180223_1126_053 goldfinch with teasel seed in beak(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 29 Mar 2019
at 09:24 Image of day on 27 Apr 2019
2 Goldfinches making the most of the Black-Poplar Catkins.
There were several Goldfinches coming and going in the trees.
.jpg)
Ref: 20190427_df3_20190329_0924_066 2 goldfinches feeding on black poplar catkins(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 02 Oct 2010
at 09:09 Image of day on 26 Nov 2010
A flock of about 100 goldfinches disperses to feed. Here a group of 10 in one
image is better presented as this 7 all stuffing themselves on Silver Birch
catkins. This is a mixture of males, females and juveniles.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20101126_df1_20101002_0909_036 7 of 10 goldfinches feeding on silver birch catkins (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Oct 2014
at 12:19 Image of day on 24 Dec 2014
A family group of Goldfinches was feeding around the back of the
house. The adults were feeding on Teasel heads we poke into the
hedge top for them. Although in shade we can actually get within
a few metres looking through the living-room window and get some
detail. Here is a seed about to go down the hatch.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20141224_df2_20141023_1219_105 goldfinches feeding on teasel heads (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Oct 2014
at 12:21 Image of day on 24 Dec 2014
We have not noticed before that the adults 'garden' the teasel heads
when the long spikes prevent them from reaching the seeds.
They bite as far down the spike as they can reach, then grip the top
to bend it out of the way, and then push it down.
Not so 'bird brained' then!
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20141224_df2_20141023_1221_178 goldfinches feeding on teasel heads - breaking & bending long spikes (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 26 Feb 2022
at 09:21 Image of day on 30 Mar 2022
6 Goldfinches sparsely spread among the Pussy-willows.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20220330_df3_20220226_0921_168 6 goldfinches in budding willow tree top (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image of day on 12 Jun 2005
All you hay fever sufferers - the cloud drifting to the left is
wind blown pollen.
 2005jun07_17-50-12(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20050612_p20_1020124 grass flower with pollen drifting in wind (cropped) 2005jun07_17-50-12(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Sep 2007
at 17:51 Image of day on 20 Oct 2007
Spiders have pulled this stem of grass into an almost
abstract art form.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20071020_p34_20070915_1751_397 grass seedhead pulled into spiral by spider silk (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Jul 2018
at 08:34 Image of day on 05 Sep 2018
Lifting the Corrugated iron sheet exposed the Grass Snake near the centre, and
another at one end (no photo). Note how the tail loops around and then follows
the body backwards.
 warming under corrugated iron (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20180905_df3_20180714_0834_041 grass snake (smaller of 2) warming under corrugated iron (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 05 Jun 2021
at 12:57 Image of day on 08 Jul 2021
We haven't sighted a grass snake for 4 years (28 Jun 2018) under a corrugated
iron sheet we still look under most days. So catching a sight of this Grass
Snake sunbathing in the middle of the main pond, coiled over a tuft of
desiccated Iris fronds from last year, was a surprise. We couldn't see it very
well for the glare of the plants around it. and took several pics at various
angles through intervening fresh growth. Eventually it slithered off we know not
where - Grass Snakes are completely happy in water. In this pic you can see the
3 parts of the snake, bottom towards the tail, top toward the head, and just
above middle the snake's head itself facing to the right.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210708_df3_20210605_1257_135 grass snake basking on partly hidden mound of desiccated iris leaves (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Jun 2018
at 15:28 Image of day on 08 Aug 2018
At last - a pic of the whole Grass Snake coiled up to warm itself
under the corrugated iron sheet.
.jpg)
Ref: 20180808_df3_20180623_1528_033 grass snake coiled under corrugated iron(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 05 Jul 2021
at 09:48 Image of day on 10 Aug 2021
Checking under the corrugated iron sheet we discover the Grass Snake
coiled about as neatly can be. Here is a moment while his forked tongue is visible.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210810_df3_20210705_0948_004 grass snake coiled under corrugated iron escapes down hole 01 of 22 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
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