Saturday, April 12, 2025

12/04/2025 A visit from a Sparrowhawk and a Hawfinch.

The maximum temperature in the Charente today is 17⁰C, minimum 11⁰C. 18 - 36 km/h South/West winds.  80% chance of rain.

I have not used my bird blog for some time, and most people follow this one, so here are a few bird photos spotted in the garden over the past month. All were taken through glass from the lounge with my Nikon D3500 - TAMRON Megazoom - 18-400 mm, so not perfect shots.


Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) Épervier d'Europe.
It cleaned up so well after feeding that there were not enough feathers for ID, but looking closely at the photos, there are some brown feathers, I think. If so, this sadly might have been a Hawfinch. I hope I am wrong and it was only a dove.

Note the damaged left wing but there are new feathers growing,









Spotted the following day (3 of them), so if the sparrowhawk had one there are more around than I realised. Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) Grosbec cassenoyaux. 

As above.

Greenfinch (Chloris chloris) Verdier d'Europe.  It had just had a bath, which I missed, but it had a bit of cleaning up to do 😊...

As above...

As above.

Another Hawfinch with what I believe to be a scruffy looking female, maybe she is raising young, I hope so.

Hawfinch and a Greenfinch.






Monday, March 31, 2025

31/03/2025 February photos - I am so far behind!!

 The maximum temperature in the Charente today is 16⁰C, minimum 6⁰C.  A 21km/h North/East wind with gusts up to 40km/h.  

Sorry for the long blog but it is my best chance of catching up!

Arugula (Eruca sativa). Rocket. Roquette

Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) and  the bee is (Andrena thoracic)...

As above.

Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera). Abeille européenne.

Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) Mésange bleue.

As above.

One of our neighbour's lambs.

Another neighbour, who breeds these little ponies that are not much higher than my knee.

Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria) Tircis

Cowslip (Primula veris) Primevère officinale.

Daffodils (Narcissus) Jonquilles.

Dandelion (Taraxacum sect). Dandelion.

Primrose (Primula) Primevère.

Top - Sweet violets (Vola odorata), Daisy (Bellis Perennis) with a Golden Dung Fly (Scathophaga_stercoraria) and Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus acris).
Bottom - Bulbous Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus), Persian Speedwell (Veronica persica). Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum).

A spectacular sunset.

Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) Gros-bec casse-noyaux. Female I think...

As above all taken through the window...

As above...

As above,

Little Owl (Athene noctua) Chevêche d'Athéna. On the neighbours barn...

As above,

Miribelle blossom (Prunus domestica subsp. syriaca).

Japanese Quince (Chaenomeles japonica) Cognassier du Japon.

Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) Gros-bec casse-noyaux, male and  a European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) Chardonneret. Apologies for taking photos on the feeder, but it was my only choice on this particular day.

Hawfinch with a European Greenfinch (Chloris chloris) Verdier.

Bridal Wreath (Spiraea prunifolia). 

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) Romarin.

Cowslip (Primula veris) Primevère officinale.

Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) Gléchome lierre terrestre. I just love this little face!

Top - Lawn daisy (Bellis perennis) Pâquerette, and Japanese quince see above
Bottom - Celandine and Vinca minor - Mirabelle blossom.

Hawfinch male (see above) with a European Greenfinch.

Hawfinch male with the female in hiding.

Our house with the Mirabelle blossom natural frame.

Wall flower.

The flowers of the Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) Laurier.

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly, (NymphalisPetite tortue.

European Paper Wasp (Polistes dominula) Poliste gaulois.

Hoverfly (Eristalis tenax) Cyrphe.

Cherry blossom.

I think this is a very young spiny toad (Bufo spinosus), Crapaud épineux, it was the size of my first thumb joint. It was taken at night, and I almost stood on it on the edge of the verandah.

As above.