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What a card!

Barbara Copperthwaite

Jul 10, 2015
3 min

What a card!

A single Parakeet flew above me, calling loudly to its pals, as I looked out across Henbury Pond, trying to spy the Moorhen family. As I waited, a tiny Wren scooted past my feet, flitting from one bit of undergrowth to another. Though I stood patiently, I only saw one Moorhen, though – but hopefully all is well with the other adult and their young chick. In the heat, I moved on; though only a little further, to the long grasses in the small meadow area by the trees. I wish I

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On a wing and a prayer

Barbara Copperthwaite

Jul 4, 2015
3 min

On a wing and a prayer

The Swifts were screaming overhead, giving me their early morning fly by, as I set off on my walk with Scamp. Once at the park, I couldn’t resist stopping for a while by Henbury Pond to watch the damselflies and look out for dragonflies. The pond is looking very pretty right now, as the lily pads have unfurled completely, and the stunning white flowers are in bloom. All around this area are the damselflies. We seem to have more of the brilliant Azure Blue Damselfly this year

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Farewell Poppy

Barbara Copperthwaite

Jun 1, 2015
2 min

Farewell Poppy

There was a wildlife walk around Highbury Park on Saturday, led by Paul Anthony and run by Highbury Park Friends. We got lucky with the Ring-Necked Parakeets. As we walked down the main path from the car park, we heard rather than saw one fly into a Horse Chestnut, and finally spotted an adult hiding in plain sight amongst the bright green foliage. It stayed there for quite sometime, giving a contact call every now and again. On Henbury Pond a Moorhen was finally making use o

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Call of nature!

Barbara Copperthwaite

May 29, 2015
1 min

Call of nature!

Great news about the Ring-necked Parakeets! Last night I received a call from my wildlife buddy Paul Anthony, a local expert. He and I had been talking only the other day about the parakeets, as he had not seen them for several weeks, so I reassured him by telling him of the (admittedly rare lately) sightings I had had. Now he was calling me from Highbury Park to say that he could see two adults and two juveniles which may have fledged fairly recently – the juveniles are more

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Parakeets and pals

Barbara Copperthwaite

May 19, 2015
2 min

Parakeets and pals

The Nuthatch pair I am particularly keeping an eye on are so busy at the moment. They never seem to rest as they flit in and out of their nest with an endless supply of food for their growing brood. Surely it can’t be long before the youngsters fledge and I finally get a look at them. I just managed to capture one of the parents briefly resting to have a look around before it flew away to continue its insect hunt. It seemed a particularly busy day for Blackbirds, too. Whether

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A legendary day

Barbara Copperthwaite

May 18, 2015
2 min

A legendary day

Floating gently through the air in every direction were the seed heads of dandelion clocks. Their fluffy exteriors make perfect parachutes, and in the sunlight they transform a scene into something of wonder – anyone remember the film Legend, which heavily featured dandelion fluff filling the air in many of the idyllic pastoral shots? A Holly Blue flitted by; a delicate, dancing motion to its erratic up and down flight. I have only seen a handful of these butterflies so far.

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Jewels in the woodland crown

Barbara Copperthwaite

Apr 30, 2015
3 min

Jewels in the woodland crown

The distinctive call of the Ring-necked Parakeets is normally to be heard loud and clear at some point during any walk in Highbury Park, but for the last handful of days it has been conspicuous by its absence. I suspect that they are now nesting. I have pictured them breeding, and just a few days ago (see the blog post from April 20, Love Is In The Air) I shared with you a photograph of them displaying courtship feeding, so this seems like a fair conclusion. Courtship feeding

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Hide & Seek

Barbara Copperthwaite

Apr 24, 2015
2 min

Hide & Seek

The elder Ring-Necked Parakeet pair were very vocal this morning doing their circuits over the park in full voice, then settling in tree tops momentarily, their brilliant plumage almost disappearing amongst the bright green fresh leaf growth. Clearly they are not yet nesting, despite mating. They have lived in the park since 2009 and have bred every year, though their young generally seem to be predated. One success story for the pair is the lone female parakeet who has taken

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Love is in the air

Barbara Copperthwaite

Apr 20, 2015
2 min

Love is in the air

A Blackbird gave an alarm call and flitted by in the undergrowth as I walked. Minutes later though, I was being serenaded by that sweet Blackbird song. Because it is so common, people sometimes overlook this bird, but take a minute to really look at it. Those sleek black feathers, that bright, intelligent eye, ringed with orange, and its gloriously orange beak, like a beacon amongst its dark feathers… And then there is its song. So well-known, yet as pure as a mountain stream

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Barbara Copperthwaite

Feb 26, 2015
2 min

Four seasons in five minutes

The weather the last few days has been changeable to say the least! I went out with Scamp in sunshine, which suddenly disappeared as if someone had switched the light off, as it began to rain…then snow…then hail. In two minutes the grass was white over, while Scamp jumped up happily, snapping at the air trying to catch hailstones. She must have thought they were tiny tennis balls. But once the sun came out again, so did nature. The Parakeets were side by side on a branch, a B

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Barbara Copperthwaite

Jan 9, 2015
2 min

Fishing with The King

The Kingfisher has two favourite perches beside Henbury Pond in Highbury Park, and now that I know both I automatically glance at them as I walk by, just in case. Today, luck was with me, because there it was, sitting patiently. I stood watching for an age – I get a little star-struck around Kingfishers, I have to admit. It was long enough for me to decide that I was watching a male, the tell-tale signs being that the underside of his beak was an orangey-red (the females is m

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Barbara Copperthwaite

Jul 8, 2014
1 min

Wild walks

Just a quickie before I head off to Essex for the week! I went on a wildlife walk with local nature expert Paul Anthony around Highbury Park. He stages them regularly through the Friends of Highbury Park (check out their website for more info). It was fascinating. We saw Small and Large Skippers, Small Tortoiseshells, Speckled Woods, Large White, Ringlets, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown... And I learned that there are Elephant Hawk Moths in the park, so that's now the new challenge

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Barbara Copperthwaite

Apr 26, 2014
2 min

Wet and wild!

Well, it may be a damp day that made both Scamp and me hesitate about setting foot outside, but that hasn’t made the birds hide away. Today’s been a fantastic day for bird spotting – and even better, the sun made a brief appearance…! Everywhere I looked I saw signs that spring was well under way now. A wild Parakeet gave a shrieking call overhead, flying across the park to meet its mate with a distinctive flash of vivid green. Highbury park in Birmingham is one of only two si

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