Rowan's Adventures with Nature: 2014

Tuesday 18 November 2014

The big surprise

This week we put a mini bird table out in our garden hoping to see some wildlife.

We put some seeds on it to attract some birds.

First a magpie came to our table and ate some seeds.

Some time later a fat pigeon came along and booted the magpie out of the way.

They began to stare at each other.

Along came a dancing crow.

Then the magpie came back.

Late afternoon a beautiful jay came.

Then we got a surprise! My first fox came into my garden.

The next day we got a collared dove with a feral pigeon.

Finally a cheeky squirrel came! You can see him running along on the left-hand side of the photo.

Monday 4 August 2014

Things around my garden

Here are the beautiful butterfies that were in my garden last weekend (26th-27th July).

Peacock Butterfly

Peacock Butterfly (underwing)

When the Peacock's wings at folded up, they look like wood. This is probably camouflage to help it hide from birds.

Small Tortoiseshell

Green-veined White

There were also two different types of bee in the garden.

White-tailed Bumblebee

Honey Bee

Tuesday 29 July 2014

Me and Luke went to Denso-Marston Nature Reserve with Airedale Otters (Daddy's nature group), on Sunday 13th July. The weather was very sunny - we had to wear our sun hats!

Firstly, we looked at the moths that the warden had caught the night before.

Large Yellow Underwing moth

Buff Arches moth

We watched this Grey Squirrel as it watched us! The squirrel was clinging on to a branch with its hands, feet and tail.

The lovely Grey Squirrel

As we were walking we saw a Banded Snail.

Banded Snail

We walked for a few more minutes into the woods and found some large wooden boards on the ground. The boards were placed there so that Wood Mice would build their nest under them and we could lift up the boards to see them. We lifted up the first board and saw some Wood Mice and a cosy nest.

Wood Mouse

Wood Mouse nest

We continued through the woods and found more boards. Underneath the final board was a Common Frog and a Smooth Newt.

Common Frog

Smooth Newt

Finally, we went over the woodedn bridge to the pond. We got nets and trays from the storeroom and started pond-dipping. We found Smooth Newts, Greater and Lesser Water-boatmen, Hog Louse, Blood Worm, Flatworm, Water Mite, Pond Skater, Phantom Midge, Freshwater Mussel and Shrimp, Ram's-horn Snail, and a Whirligig Beetle.

At the end, we all we given minibeast posters.

Wednesday 16 July 2014

Rodley Nature Reserve

Me, my brother Luke and my Daddy went to Rodley Nature Reserve on Sunday 29th June 2014. The weather was cloudy but warm. Along the willow path we found a Large Skipper. A Large Skipper is a type of butterfly, which looks a bit like a moth. It has orange and yellow wings that look like fire.

Large Skipper

Also along the Willow Path we saw a spider with its nest made of leaves woven together with spider silk.

Spider

Spider's nest

We saw four Common Tern chicks: two on one raft and two on another. The chicks were fluffy and grey and had pink bills with black tips. The adults were keeping guard and bringing them food. Adult Common Terns are mostly white with black caps, and have red bills with black tips and pink feet.

Common Terns

We couldn't see the Great Crested Grebe nest that was there the week before. We did spot a Kestrel in a Sycamore tree. The leaves of the Sycamore tree are star shaped, and the seeds are like helicopters.

Kestrel

We went into the wild flower meadow for a picnic. The sun came out and we found a Ringlet butterfly. The Ringlet is brown with small white rings on its wings.

Picnic

Thursday 26 June 2014

The Great Tit Nest box

This year we put up a nest box, with a camera in it, in our back garden.

In April we saw a Great Tit go into the nest box. The Great Tit started to build a nest. But on 11th April a Buff-tailed Bumblebee got into the nest box. The Great Tit and the Bumblebee had a row! The Great Tit won and continued making a nest.