Ten Thousand Birds ornithology since Darwin by Tim Burkhead, Jo Wimpenny, Bob Montgomerie Book review

 Ten Thousand Birds Ornithology since Darwin 

By Tim Birkhead, Jo Wimpenny, Bob Montgomerie

Those of you that know me, know Im passionate about wildlife particularly birds. Ive been a keen ornithologist since my childhood and collected many books over the years.

Most ornithology books tend to be ID books which we all need, but after many years of avian research I do love my bird books with a bit more scientific detail and information.
So when Princeton press offered me their latest ornithology book I jumped at the chance.

Blurb

Ten Thousand Birds provides a thoroughly engaging and authoritative history of modern ornithology, tracing how the study of birds has been shaped by a succession of visionary and often-controversial personalities, and by the unique social and scientific contexts in which these extraordinary individuals worked. This beautifully illustrated book opens in the middle of the nineteenth century when ornithology was a museum-based discipline focused almost exclusively on the anatomy, taxonomy, and classification of dead birds. It describes how in the early 1900s pioneering individuals such as Erwin Stresemann, Ernst Mayr, and Julian Huxley recognized the importance of studying live birds in the field, and how this shift thrust ornithology into the mainstream of the biological sciences. The book tells the stories of eccentrics like Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen, a pathological liar who stole specimens from museums and quite likely murdered his wife, and describes the breathtaking insights and discoveries of ambitious and influential figures such as David Lack, Niko Tinbergen, Robert MacArthur, and others who through their studies of birds transformed entire fields of biology.Ten Thousand Birds brings this history vividly to life through the work and achievements of those who advanced the field. Drawing on a wealth of archival material and in-depth interviews, this fascinating book reveals how research on birds has contributed more to our understanding of animal biology than the study of just about any other group of organisms.

Opinion

I had seen the details of this book on the website but I have to say I took a deep breath when I opened up the parcel containing this stunning book. Its weighty heavy and amazing quality before you even turn the front cover.

I don’t normally review “quality of books”, but I really have to with this one, its just beautiful.

You have a large 10.5 x 8.5 inch heavy weight book, 1.75 inches thick containing 568 pages, 94 colour images and 60 half tones.

It has a gorgeous outer book dust cover thicker paper than you normally get, if you remove the paper dust cover you will find underneath a beautifully bound old fashioned cover. Those of you like me who still love our paperback books will adore this book.

I also have to mention the gold embossing, you have to admit this is gorgeous you really are holding a quality book in your hand. This is a book you will proudly display on your bookshelf and library for years to come or keep on the coffee table.

So back to the book itself; what actually is the book about if its not an ID book I hear you ask….well its a comprehensive extremely well researched history of ornithology and the key ornithologists that have made a difference to scientific research and biological science since Darwin.

There are approximately 10,000 species of birds on our planet and they have contributed more to the study of  zoology than almost any other group of animals.

Konishi et al 1989

The study of birds goes back to ancient Greece in the mid 1600s and it has been estimated that there has been no fewer than 380,000 ornithological publications since Darwin published The origin of species in 1859.

In the last few years ornithologists and their research have been increasing rapidly; with the onset of technology making Ornithology more scientific. The authors actually mention over 700 ornithologists and their individual involvements.

These 3 experienced authors have made this book a definitive leader in the science and research of modern ornithology all in one book; including fascinating information about the main pioneers involved in the historical ground breaking discoveries that changed whole fields of biology and its these that form the basis of this amazing book.

We are spoilt with beautifully illustrated chapter images.

I love the way the book just falls open with its own paper weight.

 Beautifully illustrated diagrams and timelines easily explain the scientists findings.

This image depicts just one of the many ground breaking tests that really add to this brilliant book. This image shows a captive woodpecker finch using a tool to get its food from containers. These experiments were conducted by Bob Bowman in 1965.

I absolutely love this book as Im fascinated about the advancement we have made and are making in avian biology and behavior. I have always watched and read almost anything I can find on birds over the years and I simply couldn’t put this book down as its such an original idea for a book.

I have to say its NOT just a book its a concise reference for anyone who loves birds; as it takes you through from Darwin to present day. If your a person who loves a more scientific look at birds you will really appreciate this book. If your a teacher or student, amateur and professional ornithologists you will also find something of interest here.

The book follows historical advancements and breakthroughs to debates and mistakes; written in such an entertaining engaging way; it even made me laugh in places. Its an addictive, inspiring read so anyone can enjoy this book you don’t need a degree to understand this; just a passion for birds.

Read from pigeon pingpong to indepth interviews about the people that made a marked difference to the science of ornithology. It was so interesting to know more about that person and how they came to have a passion for birds.

You wont find another book like this and this will be an invaluable record of the history of ornithology for many years to come.

Anyone who loves birds in anyway will really appreciate this stunning reference book, beautifully illustrated and bound with a perfect mix of history, ornithology and science and a fun human aspect to make you smile so you wont be able to put down.

You can buy your copy from Amazon UK

TIP; I must say too if you are planning to buy this book get the hardback not the kindle version if you can, you will NOT get the benefit of the stunning illustrations and photos let alone the amazing quality of the binding and stunning cover.

All my thanks goes to the lovely people of Princeton Press for sending me this amazing book for this review.
All my views and opinions are my own.

Britains day Flying Moths by

Britains Day-Flying Moths

A field guide to the day flying moths of Britain and Ireland

After having the opportunity to review

Britain’s butterflies by David Newland and Robert Still

I knew this Moth version was going to be just as brilliant ID book.

I also have one other book from the Princeton press’s WILDguide series and that’s also brilliant, Britains Dragonflies; both guides offer stunning well detailed and well composed images taken by obviously brilliant photographers.

Britains Dragonflies (review coming soon)

I dont have many moth books so I was really excited to have the opportunity to review this brand new Wild Guide from Princeton Press. Those of you that know me know I have a passion for wildlife and photography; in particular butterflies and moths. I spend many hours taking photos of these amazing insects.

But what I do lack is being able to ID my moths correctly as we have 2,500 species, including 1,600 so-called micro moths in Britain and Ireland alone.

We have more than twice the number of day flying moths than we do butterflies and this books concentrates on those we are likely to see throughout the day.

I have a few butterfly ID books which carry a few species of moths but nothing consise or detailed enough to ID correctly.

Blurb

This concise photographic field guide will help you identify any of the 100 or so day-flying moths found in Britain and Ireland. Combining stunning photographs, authoritative text, and an easy-to-use design, this book makes a perfect traveling companion–one that will increase your enjoyment of these colorful and intriguing creatures. Like butterflies, some moths fly regularly in sunshine, whereas others that usually fly only at night are readily disturbed from their resting places during the day. This guide describes all of these species, with at least one photograph of each in its natural, resting pose. The text includes a brief description of each moth, with details of its life history, where and when to look for it, its status, the food plants of its caterpillars, and its special features. Introductory sections cover many topics, including how to distinguish moths from butterflies; classification; life cycle and behavior; ecological importance; the impact of habitat and climate change; recording and monitoring; and conservation.

• Individual accounts for some 100 species
• Stunning photographs of every moth, as you see them
• Attractive, easy-to-use, and accessible design

Britains Day-flying Moths is one of the best Moth books I have ever read; David Newland, Robert Still and Andy Swash have created another stunning extremely well written and well researched ID book.

The book is divided up into easy to read sections right from the life cycle of a moth, moth biology (which really is a fascinating read). Right through to where to find them and how they are named and what plants to grow in your garden to attract them. Along side this detailed technical information it is accompanied by 320 gorgeous photos to help easily ID your moth.

Just to be clear though in the wording “Day-flying Moths” it is clear some species are definitely day-flying; but many can get disturbed accidentally making it difficult to compile a full list of day- flying moths out of the 2500 species of all moths in Britain and Ireland.

133 species of macro-moths are regarded as dayflyers, but being so very small they are often hard to ID; so only 22 species are included within the book; those which are more likely to be seen.

So within these gorgeous pages you will find 155 species of day flying moths those of which you are more likely to spot on your nature travels.

The moth species are divided up into eight sections within the book, one for each of the broad groups of day flying moths;

1. Foresters and Burnets,
2. Clearwings,
3. Eggars, Emporors, Kentish glory and Hooktips,
4. Geometrids,
5. Hawk Moths,
6. Tussocks, Footmen, Tigers and Ermines,
7. Noctuids,
8. Micro-moths.

  At the beginning of each of these is a fascinating section about these species. here is a peek at the Hawk Moth section; showing the beautiful detailed images. Hey Im not giving it all away you really need to see for yourself..

The ID section is along the same lines as the other Princeton WILDguides if your familiar with those; in that they are easy to read but still offer detailed info.

One page is devoted to each species and is extremely comprehensive showing a large high quality photograph and;

• Adult ID and special markings of both male and female.
• Where found,
• When flying,
• Forewing length,
• Laval food plant,
• Similar species,
• Behavior where relevant,
• Breeding habitat,

A clever touch is a vertical line in the top lefthand side corner for every species mentioned; showing you a visible example on how long its forewing actually is.

The large, clear maps give you an instant display on where that moth can be seen in the country.

The photos within the book are high quality and stunning from many photographers, you get to see a detailed large main image of the moth resting and in some cases more showing you different colourations that species may have.

There are easy to read charts simplifying food and laval plants of every species mentioned.

 Another chart shown here is so easy to read and sums up briefly the many species mentioned;

• their latin name,
• preferred habitat,
• flight season,
• main laval foodplant and
• conservation status.

I found these charts easy to read and understand, without having to wade through the book to find each species. But the option is there if you want to know more about your moth is to go to its own detailed species page.

Conservation

As with all WILDguides there is a section on conservation and legislation as many of these moths are sadly a subject of conservation concerns and lists those that are rare. It then goes into detail about biodiversity action plans and legislation set out to protect these gorgeous insects. Plus details on the Butterfly and moth conservation society and how to record and monitor your moths with useful websites and further reading if you wish to get more active with your hobby.

Opinion

This has to be THE BEST book on moths in the market at this time. Its detailed comprehensive with stunning images, well composed pages and chapters. Its easy to read for those starting within the hobby or those more advanced that want as much information as possible on moths and different species.

I found the information fascinating and interesting but it doesn’t drown you in scientific talk and is easy to read with charts that enable you to lookup details of your moth quickly when you want to; down to full page detailed descriptions when you want more.

This helpful WILDguide will take you through ID-ing your moth to where to find it and what it feeds on, right down to what plants to put in your garden to help with conservation; it has something for everyone at every level of interest.

  Blood vein

I have used this book every week since it arrived and its helped me ID many of my own photographs that have sat on my hard drive for a few years; finally they have a name. In particular this beautiful Blood Vein I took a few years ago; that I hadnt been able to ID until now.

This gorgeous book will make a brilliant gift for any wildlife photographer, insect and wildlife lover, they will appreciate the work that has gone into the making of this comprehensive, stunning book. It has excellent quality glossy pages and I loved that it arrived with a heavy duty plastic sleeve perfect for out and about.

All you could want in one beautifully photographed affordable field guide.

About the Author

David Newland is the author of “Discover Butterflies in Britain” and the coauthor of “Britain’s Butterflies”. Robert Still, the cofounder of WILD”Guides”, has designed more than thirty of its titles, and is the coauthor of “Britain’s Butterflies” and “Britain’s Sea Mammals”. Andy Swash, the managing director of WILD”Guides”, is the coauthor of “Britain’s Butterflies” and “Britain’s Dragonflies” (all WILD”Guides”). 

 

Publisher Princeton press (22 September 2013)

ASIN B00EB7I6JK

224 pages,

322 colour photos,

Buy your copy from Amazon UK

£10.99

Help save the butterflies, moths and the environment!

Buying this book supports The Butterfly Conservation

All my thanks goes to Princeton press for sending me this gorgeous book for this review. All my opinions and views are my own.

XxX

Review coming soon

The Crossley ID Guide

 from Princeton Press

 Please see my full photo review below on David Newlands other stunning book on butterflies.

 Britain’s butterflies by David Newland and Robert Still

 Plus book reviews coming soon from my own Natural History library.

 Britains Dragonflies 

Plus many more I already own coming soon.

End of Summer blues or Autumnal fun?

Did he make you smile…maybe just a little bit…how can you resist this face…or is that just me 😉

We can feel a chill to the air now, most places are suffering from rain and even snow in some parts of Scotland. So its no wonder were missing the gorgeous Summer months we enjoyed only up to a month ago,

Im sorry I have been quiet Ive had a few health problems. I suffer with ME and CFS and its knocked me completely off my feet; but Im gradually starting to feel a bit more human again so hope to catchup with everyone again soon.

Im really missing my insects already, I spent 3 solid months photographing butterflies, darters dragonflies, bees and moths and Im having severe withdrawal symptoms.

I literally took 100s of butterfly and darter images and Im excited to start sorting through and see what I have managed to capture for this year. This gorgeous Brimstone is one of my favorites of the year and I hope to have a few more.

So Im hoping to bring a bit of Summer back to you all as well as show you there is still alot of beauty in our grey Autumnal weather…no…really there is…honest.

With nature there is beauty everywhere, we have alot of fungi around at the moment; more than Ive seen in a few years, but I think they are the only ones enjoying this sudden dark, dull wet weather.

Im also really excited as Im getting a new toy in the next week; my other half surprised me with a Canon 7D for my birthday next week; something I have wanted since it came out. I apologise to the postman now as I will be lying in wait on Monday when its due. I feel like a big kid again, well it is my second childhood 😉

I cant wait to get my hands on it and see what it can do. Let me know if you are a 7D user; do you love yours. Im looking forward to the 8fps and the extra pixels.

So its good to be back again and Im looking forward to bringing you a reminder of Summer along with the beauty of Autumn.

See you all soon.

XxX

Squirrel Acrobatics!

Rumbled!!!

Yes you are rumbled caught in the act little fella!

We all know how flexible squirrels are when they want something and they can be really amazing to watch with their incredible acrobatics.

I know alot of you are not keen on our grey friends as they steal the bird food and destroy the feeders. After having many feeders vandalised I decided to pay out on quite an expensive feeder, not your £1.99 jobby but nearly £30…squirrel proof it said, no squirrel will get into this, its just for the smaller birds….yeah right!

But obviously no one had told this fella.

His absolutely intent on getting these peanuts out, to the point his actually undone the wire from around the base. We’ve had to weave the wire back around to make sure it was safe for them as he’d opened the wire up to allow the peanuts to fall on the ground leaving sharp wires poking out. Clever devil…but he is a gorgeous little devil, how can anyone resist those big brown eyes.

I loved how he tried from every angle till he managed to undo the wiring from the base.

 

My little furry friend is also quite happy in my little birdhouse feeder for the smaller birds too.

I know your thinking I’m mad and they are grey pests, but they are all trying to survive and there’s room for everyone. Plus I get to capture some cute squirrel shots at the same time. I cant resist these adorable creatures.

These images were taken on my little Panasonic Lumix, this little camera amazes me every time.

If you’ve any ideas to keep both squirrel and wild birds happy, Id love to hear them. I will be investing in some squirrel proof feeders with the cages round. It will be interesting to see what he can do with those 😉

So from now on I just have to try and be one step ahead of him so all the birds get their fair share…the challenge is on!

Crocodile on the beach………!

So its bank holiday weekend I hope you guys are doing something relaxing but fun over the weekend?

We only live minutes from the beach and we decided ti nip down before the rush over the weekend with pup today and of all things to find…..a…crocodile! Im not a one for art except photographic art, but I was really pleased to see that kids instead of creating sandcastles have built a wonderful real size crocodile.

Im so pleased that there are still kids out there that have put their creative talents into building this wonderful guy.

I wish Id thought of that…gets notebook out….!

So what do you think of him, its a nice change from sand castles?

Have a great weekend everyone.

XxX

Chrysalis of the Small Tortoishell Butterfly

Im bubbling over with excitement as I have just discovered a chrysalis attached to our garden wall, of all the places to pick. We have acres of grassland plants, nettles, thistles and trees and it picks the side of the cottage we walk past everyday.

I have been trying to find some Chrysalis’s this year so I could capture a complete photo diary for you; but Im not sure how long this has been there. I feel its only been a few days as we would have noticed it. I have been looking for for weeks now for a Chrysalis to follow while I’ve been photographing the butterflies everyday, so Im super excited to finally find one.

As far as my NEW British Butterfly ID book (see my full review) can show me; it looks like a Small Tortoiseshell chrysalis. The large Tortoiseshell has a lighter smoother outer shell.

From dull brown dead leaf look to stunning oranges and yellows. I was so pleased with this image as he was really obliging letting me take a photo of him for my review, with the book right next to it.  But its a complete coincidence that I only just posted my review of this book today and actually needed to ID the chrysalis today lol.

Im really looking forward to this little guy emerging and hoping to capture a photographic diary of the complete metamorphosis.

This gorgeous Crysalis is so well camouflaged for woodland environment, how could you not think this is a curled dead leaf.

This is only hanging from one small bead of silk, so I will be keeping a close eye to check it doesn’t get blown off as it doesn’t have the protection of any surrounding plants or hedges.

The detailing and colouration is really gorgeous, it looks like some sort of alien Dragon hanging upsidown on the wall; its a stunning chrysalis.

If you look closely you can see the colouration starting to appear within the chrysalis itself.

Ive been watching butterflies all my life and I’ve never got bored of this miracle of nature. Ive found a few Chrysalis ‘s but this will be the first time I have the opportunity to document it from my own garden. Fingers crossed and hopefully it will make it out into a stunning Small Tortie.

Coming soon on Natural Ramblings Dragonflies and horseflies and my first Butterflies inflight images, I’m so excited.

Thanks for popping by

XxX

Britains Butterflies by David Newland and Robert Still – Book Review

Britains Butterflies

A field guide to the Butterflies of Britain and Ireland

By David Newland and Robert Still with David Tomlinson and Andy Swash

Those that know me know I have a passion for wildlife and especially the bug kind, with a love of Butterflies, Bees and Dragonflies. I have been taking butterfly photos for many years and its almost an addiction for me to capture as many photos as possible and this year has been the best yet with literally hundreds of butterflies visiting my garden, its been really special. But of course I have really needed a good ID guide to make sure I ID my butterflies correctly.

I was lucky enough to receive the second edition of Britains Butterflies one of the Wild Guides series for this review; from the lovely people of  Princeton University press

I have collected a few ID books over the years and I have been using these to ID all my photography. I also have several butterfly ID books but nothing compares to Britain’s Butterflies which is a completely revised second edition covering the ID of all 59 species that currently breed, 4 former breeders, 9 rare immigrants and 1 species of unknown status.

 Britains Dragonflies (review coming soon)

I have one other book from the Wild guide series and that’s also brilliant, both guides offer stunning well detailed and well composed images taken by obviously brilliant photographers.

Front and back

British Butterflies has to be one of the BEST Butterfly ID books I have seen. This gorgeous book takes you through Butterfly biology and life-cycle with easy to read and understand diagrams and photos. Explanations of hibernation, migration, plus a thorough introduction to finding British butterfly habitats showing named areas in Britain to travel to see certain species. A real plus for me who enjoys nothing but looking and photographing these beautiful insects.

I have to stress this isn’t just an ID book its a fascinating insight to the complete life of a butterfly, showing how each species can be quite different in so many ways to the next, this really is a fascinating read for those of us who love these stunning insects.

 This book is so beautifully put together and you can clearly see the work and effort involved, the Author David Newland has spent since 2003 trying to photograph every species of butterfly in Britain and he has achieved this and more; including some unusual aberrations and rare species to form the most informative and user friendly field guide Ive seen yet.

The ID section on each species of British butterfly is extremely comprehensive showing

• Adult ID and special markings a detailed explanation of both male and female forms,
• Behaviour – where relevant,
• Breeding habitat – Summary of habitat preferences,
• Population and Conservation – where to find that species and/or if they need conservation,
• Egg, caterpillar and chrysalis – Brief description and measurements of each stage.

This is on the left side of the page, the opposite page has stunning images to show you male and female forms plus different colourations, wings open and closed. So many books don’t show you both, most butterflies look completely different depending on wings open or closed. The book clearly shows the differences. Its just beautiful to flick through for those that just want to ID your butterfly as well as those like me who want to know all about that species.

I couldnt resist adding my own image of this Small Tortoiseshell on my Budlea over the accompanying page of the book. It was a real chance shot.

Not photoshopped, that would have been easier 😉

Something that has been missing from most of my butterfly books is caterpillar ID’s so when I found there were not just the caterpillars, but the eggs…and….the Chrysalis’s too this made my day.

 Detailed Chrysalis pages.

There is also another section just on which food plants both butterfly and caterpillar enjoy so you can not only go out and try and find them; but grow the plants in your garden to attract them for next year.

 I couldn’t resist trying to get the butterfly near the page, this little guy was quite obliging.

Opinion

There are so many butterfly books on the market but this has to be THE best book on British butterflies you can get in my opinion. You not only get to ID your butterfly with excellent clear images, but you get to learn about it with easy to understand well composed pages and chapters. There are some computer generated images to show the species in a better background but even these have been seamlessly done. From beginner to advanced if you love butterflies what are you waiting for, you need this book and Im sure anyone will really appreciate and enjoy the amount of information on each species.

I have used or looked at this book everyday since receiving this it; I love it as I really appreciate the work that goes into capturing these little guys on camera being a wildlife photographer myself, they are generally quite camera shy.

There are 558 stunning colour photos within this comprehensive guide but for me it was not only the gorgeous images of the butterflies but the detailed info on the eggs, caterpillars and chrysalis’s that makes this guide stand way above the rest.

This gorgeous guide will be a perfect gift for the budding wildlife photographer or butterfly lover because of the depth of information. With extra information on where to go to watch or photograph certain species throughout the UK this book is light enough to take anywhere. It has excellent quality glossy pages and I was really surprised to find it has a heavy duty plastic sleeve; perfect for being out and about. Wow what a fantastic book, this is what I’ve been after for years!!!

All you could want in one beautifully photographed affordable guide book.

About the Author

David Newland has been a butterfly enthusiast since boyhood. He is the author of WILD Guides “Discover Butterflies” in Britain. Robert Still is WILD Guides publishing director. A qualified ecologist, he spends his time designing books and leaflets to publicize the natural world. When time allows, he travels the world in search of butterflies, cetaceans, and birds.

Published 2010

ISBN 9781903657300

224 pages,

558 colour photos,

 Get your own copy of Britains Butterflies

By David Newland and Robert Still

Amazon

£12.21

Help save the butterflies, moths and the environment!

Buying this book supports The Butterfly Conservation

All my thanks goes to Princeton press for sending me this gorgeous book for this review.

All my opinions and views are my own.

XxX

 Natural History Book Reviews coming soon

Another from the same Authors

Published September 2013

 Britains day Flying Authors

Plus book reviews from my own library.

 Britains Dragonflies 

Swallow Dance

I bet you thought I was going to talk Butterflies, so Im I thought Id give you all a break…just for a little bit.

Every year we have the pleasure of watching the Swallows prepare for their long migration on our electric lines running right through our garden. But three weeks ago for the first time they arrived earlier spoiling us by bringing 2 families of chicks and feeding them on the wire and in the air.  We counted over 14 fledglings and it was an absolute pleasure to watch these being fed for about 8 days.

The parents were working their socks off feeding such a mountain of feathered fluffballs. It was clearly two families with 4 adults swooping in and out regularly most the day. Its incredible to watch such small birds work so hard, these little chicks kept all 4 parents on the go for hours on end.

But it felt quite an honour to be part of watching these beautiful chicks grow, feed and get stronger and better fliers. The noise above us was wonderful as the chicks started to get quite noisy. After several days though we did start to witness the parents knocking some chicks completely off the wires…poor things 😉 but we know it was to teach them to feed in the air despite how harsh it looks.

After about 6 days most chicks were feeding in the air and quite proficient fliers and within 10 days they were all gone again. Im hoping they come back to prepare for their migration in a few months time.

It was a really special to be a part of their lives just for that short space of time and cant wait for next year.

Coming soon on Natural Ramblings Butterflies inflight, darters, moths and horseflies.

My Mothberry?

I haven’t had a great year for strawberries this year, to be honest I hadnt tended to them as well as I did last year, so its probably my fault we havent had ANY yet…..!!!

I went over to check them this afternoon to find a large moth sucking happily away on the biggest strawberry I have…it was fine yesterday and I was planning to whip it off as a secret nibble, so that justice to me….lol 😉

But I couldnt help but grab a few shots with my little Panasonic Lumix TZ30. My Canon gear was all packed in bag and I didnt know how long he would stay for. But I neednt have worried as this little guy was absolutely oblivious to me shuffling next to it trying to get the the best position.

It was tough to get any shots as it was right in amongst the leaves and I couldnt get any piks of what he looked like on top….or…er…behind him…as…his hanging underneath; so Ive no idea what species he is. I will get back to you on his ID tomorrow.

I feel he maybe one of the Thorn family, a common rustic or an old lady, but Id gladly accpet some ID ideas if anyone knows what he is?

I am always amazed by this little camera on macro mode, the detail is gorgeous.

I love his beautiful orange antennae you can see on the left in this image.

You could actually see his body gently swinging as he was sucking away at the juice, in a way quite comical to watch, I could have been one of the Wrens who are nesting right above him or one of 2 sets of Blue tit parents collecting food continually through the day.

But oh..no…he had to have his strawberry juice….sheeesh…great last meal though…what a way to go!!

I tried this shot without flash and its come out more natural, but has less detail, see what you prefer, I thought Id add it to show you.

I had to laugh as I went back tonight after dark to see if he was still there and gently lifted the lweaves to see, only to jump as 2 black legs waved at me. A harvest spider was sitting directly ontop and I just hadnt seen it…jeeze what is it with strawberries today!

So Im guessing Im not going to get this strawberry this year!! But how could I begrudge such a tasty looking morsel to my beloved wildlife.

I will get back to you on the ID when I can, but if any of you know what he is by his underneath colouration or that gorgeous bright orange antennae, please let me know.

Coming soon on Natural Ramblings NEW Natural History Book reviews

Thanks for coming by

XxX

Handsome Stranger – White Pheasant

Handsome Boy!

I had to share with you one of the most handsome strangers Ive ever had in our garden.

Weve had the pleasure of pheasants in our garden for over 2 years now and Ive got to know them all individually each with their own little behavior traits.

So you can see my surprise and pleasure when we found this handsome fella wandering round the garden. He strutted with such confidence when he had arrived with the new “turkey boys” ; the scruffy new jeuveniles we get every year, not in full plumage, no tails and a little bit cocky but then running off at the slightest movement, squawking for their friends.

I absolutely love having the turkey boys every year they are so comical and adorable at the same time. With them this year came this handsome devil, quite a rare white male pheasant, but his not albino as he has some black flecks across his chest and his eyes are brown not red. I say rare but last year we did have a pair of white pheasants in the garden but only ever saw them for 1 day; so Im over the moon to see this little guy appear.

He stayed behind after his young turkeyboy friends had scarpered when they saw me, he watched our usual flock carefully at the sidelines near the hedge…incase he needed a quick getaway lol! After only a few minutes he showed absolutely no fear and mirrored my regular birds happily feeding at my feet.

Although he was slightly nervous and showed respect to my regular male by keeping his distance at the beginning.

As he got closer he tried to feed right next to him and got pecked as a warning to put him in his place, but then was allowed to eat nearby after about 20 minutes with no attack.

What was lovely to watch was this little guy shadowed our male; maybe like a father figure as he kept watching him closely, learning and almost mimiking his behavior, down to the way he walked, he stretched every time our male did, he followed him for nearly 2 hours around the garden, intermingling with the girls. The females however just blanked him, they didnt attack nor were they interested.

For me I was just blown away to have him so close and I will be doing a full post on him soon as it was a really special moment to share with these guys both emotionally and photographically.

Sadly after 3 hours he realised his own flock had left without him and became quite distressed calling for them; luckily several came to our gate where…. they called him and he was able to rejoin them.

A wonderful ending to the day and I hope to see again in the future.

Coming soon

More on this handsome white beauty.