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A berry good day

Barbara Copperthwaite

Sep 7, 2015
2 min

A berry good day

The elderberries hang invitingly from the trees, plump, glossy, and deep reddish purple, and wildlife is unable to resist its lure. While I watch, Blackcaps eat, while Blue Tits take refuge deeper in the bush by Henbury Pond in Highbury Park. Somewhere nearby but in the background, I can her the Parakeets but can’t see them. A Great Tit that had clearly just gone through its moult was sitting on an elder branch, too, preening busily. It looked all puffed up and fluffy, as if

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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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Spit and speckles

Barbara Copperthwaite

Jun 24, 2015
2 min

Spit and speckles

The sun wasn’t out much today, but it was very warm and quite muggy, so the Speckled Woods made the most of their chance to bag a nice piece of territory – which for them is a sunny spot. They actually move their territories with the sun as it goes across the sky, rather than having a set spot. And they fiercely defend them – if you see two Speckled Woods swirling around one another like mini tornadoes they are not courting, they are two males fighting. There don’t seem to be

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A flash of red...

Barbara Copperthwaite

Jun 4, 2015
3 min

A flash of red...

Woo-hoo! Yesterday I saw my first damselfly of the year on Henbury Pond! I’ve been scanning the air over the water, and the surrounding foliage every day for the past month now, eagerly awaiting an appearance by these gorgeous insects. Then, today, I spotted a needle-like glint of red in the sunlight. It was there for a second, then gone, tantillising me. There it was again! This time I managed to follow it as it went down to rest on some leaves floating on the pond’s surface

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The same but different...

Barbara Copperthwaite

May 16, 2015
1 min

The same but different...

Speckled Woods are busy fighting in patches sunshine all over the park. They cling to areas with trees and undergrowth, dancing in little clearings or on the edges of grass The ones you see whirling round and round each other are males, battling it out for territory to increase their chances of getting a female. The male Orange Tips are still busily looking for females too. The other day someone asked me how to tell the difference between a female Orange Tip and the Small Whi

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Fabulous firsts

Barbara Copperthwaite

Apr 18, 2015
2 min

Fabulous firsts

Every day seems to bring something different at the moment; this is such an exciting time of year. Yesterday, I saw my first Speckled Wood butterflies. Two of them whirled around one another at dizzying speed as they flew through the air. What were they doing? Fighting. It will have been two males, one defending his territory against an interloper. At this time of year, when the temperatures can be low, it will be vital to hold onto a sunny spot to warm themselves and, of cou

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