Cyn's Nature Notes: September 2010

Wednesday 22 September 2010

Spiders Courting

The other afternoon while glancing out of the back bedroom window, my attention was caught by a short-tailed field vole running back and forth along the top of the bank. Suddenly, I noticed a beautiful spider’s web on a buddleia. It stretched hugely between the branches. I love cobwebs; I find them not only intricate, but also fascinating. Just imagine not only being able to make a web, but also to produce the silk to do so yourself.

As I admired the web, I noticed sitting in the top right-hand corner, its maker. I watched hoping a butterfly would not get trapped, as I would have to go outside to rescue it. All of a sudden, the whole web vibrated as a second spider ran on to it from below; instantly the first spider ran out and down toward the newcomer. She rushed at him until he backed off. To make it easier I shall refer to the first spider as she/her and the second spider as he.

This happened several times and by now I was intrigued. I felt he obviously wanted to make contact, but her movements were aggressive while his were tentative and nervous. I wondered if he was courting her, having read that this act could result in the female devouring the male, I decided to stay watching. After twenty minutes of his slow approaches, followed quickly by his withdrawals, he lost courage altogether and left the scene.

From the kitchen window, I watched dragonflies hawking insects, whirring helicopter-like across the lawn. One particular large brown dragonfly, with wings outstretched and its length from nose to tail, reminded me of a wren, both in size and color.

I have been lucky enough to spot red kites in this area: one above Ware, another over the A10, the fourth one over the M11, and the best of all, the third one, was right over my own garden.

Sunday 12 September 2010

Lapwings, Curlews and Bright Skies

A flock of two dozen or more lapwings are in the field beyond the paddock. Absolutely stunning in flight and so pretty when they landed with their shimmering green feathers and crests. Among the lapwings are several curlews. Interesting to see these two species together and to note how much bigger the curlew is compared to the lapwing.

The sky was amazing tonight. It was one of the brightest skies I have ever seen, and such intriguing colours and patterns made by the clouds. I took photographs.

About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.