Tag: wildlife

My walk to the beach.

Ducie Beach , Bembridge.

Ducie Beach is less than ten minutes walk from my cottage , It has only been in the last few weeks that I have been able to go there for any length of time due to my knee replacement operation a year ago.

I feel confident now going on my own going up and down steps , over pebbles , and over rocks ( only small rocks )

The start of my walk is down a stony lane which leads to the beach . Walking down the lane to the beach is so relaxing as I have trees , flowers and wildlife to observe….Including at the beginning of the stony lane is this Edward Vll postbox which is still emptied every day.

This post box has been here since 1901 when Edward became King of United Kingdom . Edward was the second son of Queen Victoria .

I am now well on the way to the beach after passing a beautiful line of lavender .

Lavender has so many wonderful medicinal properties and has wonderful aromatic qualities.. .The flower heads can be used in essential oils , scented candles and soaps but is often used for stress relief , helping to reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality.

Lavender oil can also be used to treat skin conditions like eczema and acne..It may also help with headaches ,nervous disorders and exhaustion. It can be used also as a natural insect repellent when placed around the home or in sachets.

I am now nearing the beach where there are about twenty steps down to the beach , by the steps is a lovely bench if I could not make the steps . I can sit here look at the solent and watch the world go by.

It is now the steps which I am just able to the do since my operation and I am at the most wonderful beach which is so beautiful and peaceful , I could be any where in the world .

All photos are taken by me unless otherwise stated.

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Wildlife from my window.

Living by the coast and walking along the beach there is no shortage of wonderful sightings of wildlife , but some of the best is from my window .

The Robin

The Robin known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in the British isles is a small bird which belongs to the flycatcher family .

it is 4-5.5 inches long and the male and female are identical in plumage , with a red breast and a face lined with grey and a whitish belly. They can become very tame and often won’t move if you are close.

Robins lay their eggs between mid April and mid August .They will usually lay five to six eggs a brood and can lay around 20 -25 eggs in a year . Robins’ eggs are white and not glossy with small sandy or red markings which can vary in intensity . The time between mating and laying is very short usually just a few days and they sit on the nest 12 -14 days . The young are freckled brown all over and without the red breast

The Dunnock

The Dunnock is a lovely little bird which usually is not afraid of bigger birds when on my wall ,it will take tiny bit of food that over birds don’t want.

It is a robin sized bird and measures about 5 inches in length .It has a brown back streaked blackish, similar to a house sparrow. It has a drab appearance which may by camouflage to avoid predators. It has a fine pointed bill.

Dunnocks exhibit frequent wing flicking ,especially when engaged in territory rights or mating rights .

Dunnock eggs are a glossy ,bright blue and about 14 – 19mm in size.They are laid in a cup shaped nest made from twigs ,moss and other plant material. The Dunnock lays 4 -5 eggs usually blue but often white . The female incubates the young for about twelve days although both sexes tend the young .

The Blackbird

The Blackbird is a species of thrush . The adult male which is found throughout most of Europe is all black except for a yellow eye ring and bill. and has a rich beautiful song . The adult female and the juvenile have mainly brown plumage .

They breed in woods and gardens , building a cup shaped nest bound together with mud .It eats a range of insects ,earthworms , berries and fruits .

Both sexes are territorial on the breeding grounds , with distinctive threat behaviour .

Blackbird eggs in the British Isles are smooth, glossy , and blue or green – blue with red brown speckles. The nesting season is officially March – July this can change depending on the weather .So you may see blackbird chicks in the nest as late as August .

Magpies

The Magpie comes to my wall a lot chattering away and it is the most beautiful bird . When seen up close the Magpie with its black and white plumage reveals a purplish blue sheen to its wing feathers and a green shine to its tail.

They are usually accused of being scavengers, predators and pest destroyers on breeding birds will gather in flocks. They are often called the bad boy of the bird world as they steal eggs from other birds nests to eat .

Magpie nests are bulky ,dome shaped structures with a side entrance made of twigs and mud and are usually in tall trees ,bushes or hedges. They also often reuse nests built the previous year . The nests they build can measure around 50 x 70 cm. The male transports material to the nest site and the female builds the nest ( She probably wants an on suite and a kitchen diner !)

Their nesting season is April – July but can be from December. They only have one brood a year and lay 5 – 6 eggs which are pale blue or blue green with speckled olive brown markings. The incubation period is 20 days by the female and the babies fledge 24 – 30 days from hatching.

All Photos are taken by me unless otherwise stated.

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Gulls & more Gulls.

Living on small island obviously are the various types of Gulls that are around .

Looking out of my patio doors even though I am ten minutes walk from the beach They are all around , on roof tops , on my lovely wall and on the patio its self if they get the chance .

There are around 50 types of gulls worldwide and 6 types found in the United Kingdom. these are

I see a lot of gulls on the rooftops near me and they tend to often nesting unused chimney pots . They protect their young and are devoted parents and will dive bomb if they think the young are at risk or they feel threatened.

Gulls typically breed once a year with their breeding season usually beginning in April and lasting through till August.They build nests , lay eggs , and raise the young during this time.

Chicks generally begin to fly in July or August and then take four years to reach maturity and breed . Herring gulls tend to nest in colonies and once roof nesting birds get a foothold other gulls nest on other buildings near .If left unchecked a colony can develop.

an older name for gulls is MEWS , this still exists in certain regional English dialects which is connected to German Mowe , Dutch Meeuw and French Mouette .

large birds are long living and often live to to a maximum age of 49 years .

Gulls found in the UK

As mentioned earlier there are six species of gulls found in the UK .

Herring gull. They are loud noisy birds found throughout the year around the coasts and inland around rubbish tips especially in the winter . Adults have light grey backs ,white under parts and black wing tips.

Yellow legged gull . Adults have larger grey backs and wings than herring gulls .Their legs are bright yellow and there is a red ring around their eye.

Lesser black – backed gull This gull has dark grey to black back and wings yellow bill and yellow legs .The UK has 40% of these European gulls.

Great black – backed gull A very large , thick set gull with a powerful beak. It will fight off any other gulls and can be quite aggressive.

Black legged Kittiwake Kittiwakes are medium sized gulls with a small yellow bill and a dark eye .They have a grey back with white underneath .Their legs are short and black .In flight the black wing tips show no white unlike other gulls . After breeding birds move to the artic for the winter.

Little gull This is a small gull. Adults in summer have black heads ,while young birds have a black mark n each wing which forms a W pattern.Little gulls are seen around the coasts from July to April usually in Tayside and Yorkshire , with smaller number further south.

The Law

All gulls are protected in theUK under the wildlife protection act of 1981. This makes it illegal to intentionally harm any gull or an active nest or it’s contents.However , the law says that in certain circumstances control measures may be neccessary.

Guss the Gull

This beautiful gull ( I call Guss ) comes to my wall by my widow most days . He or she stays a while , sometimes tapping on my patio doors . Other birds that come are not threatened by him and he is not bothered by them ..Often other birds gang up on each other but not when Guss is around.

All photos are taken by me on the Isle of Wight .

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