I'm having to put titles on blog posts now. I think it's silly having titles for entries in what is really a diary, but Blogger, ever messing around, has now made posts unfindable without titles.
I went to the Rose Garden to photograph the Long-Tailed Tits bringing spider webs and moss to their nest ...
... and then saw something I've never seen before. A squirrel climbed up a camellia bush, leaned down ...
... picked a large flower ...
... and ate it. Camellia belongs to the same family as the tea plant. Perhaps it has reviving qualities.
People put out apples to feed the Rose-Ringed Parakeets -- I wish they wouldn't encourage these pests but they're unstoppable. The apples often get stolen by other creatures, here a group of Starlings, two Carrion Crows, and a squirrel that stole it again from the second crow.
The beautiful sheen on Starlings' feathers ...
... requires frequent bathing.
The wood chips newly laid under the oak tree at the leaf yard, which can be seen in the video above, have become a comfortable sitting area for Feral Pigeons.
Both the Coal Tits were in a yew tree in the Flower Walk. The female will come to your hand. The male won't, but he is remarkably good at catching pine nuts thrown in the air.
This is the male Blackbird of the pair that nest every year in the Dell.
You're probably getting bored by videos of Redwings, but they are beautiful birds and more have now arrived on the Parade Ground to find worms -- and in this case a slug.
A Grey Heron arrived with a twig for the pair's nest.
The chick poked its head above the edge of the nest 20 seconds into this video.
The teenage Great Crested Grebe at the island is beginning to grow the ginger feathers of its ruff.
A Tufted drake dived at Peter Pan.
Female Tufted Ducks can't compare with the bold colours of their mates, but they do look fine in the sunlight.
A stupid dog owner let his ill-trained pet chase a flock of Greylag Geese. He looked thuggish, so I didn't have a confrontation with him. No one enjoys being punched in the face.
It's the same here. People just keep shut when someone else is breaking the law for fear of getting punched or worse. Sad to see the same thing is happening all over.
ReplyDeleteSquirrels eat all manners of things, it seems, most of which ought not to agree with their constitution.
Will Blogger's 'brilliant' ideas ever cease, I wonder.
Grey Squirrels' ability to eat almost anything is a large part of their success. The Red Squirrels they have driven out were much more picky. (The other reason is that Greys carry squirrel pox without dying from it, but it kills Reds).
DeleteBlogger has been shutting technical doors on me for several years now. It would be better to use WordPress, but changing over would be an enormous hassle.
There was a Grey Squirrel I used to watch eating rose blooms. Jim.
DeleteI think people sometimes put rose petals in desserts, so squirrels shouldn't have a problem with them.
Deletei have seen squirrels eating only the flowers from crocuses which amazed me first time. this was in the grassy banks between various trees on the walk between the bridge and italian garden. Mark W2.
DeleteIt seems that spring crocuses of the genus Crocus are not poisonous, or at worst mildly likely to be disagreed with but squirrels' digestion is tough. Autumn crocuses, genus Colchicum, are highly toxic and I have read that they were used by Victorian poisoners who appreciated the way that the onset of symptoms was slow, so that they could get well away, and that the poison was then metabolised so that it left no trace in the deceased victim.
DeleteShame you have to now have a tabloid headline!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the squirrel is satisfying its sweet teeth here. Interesting shots.
Make the most of the Redwing-they'll be off before too long.
I must chew a camellia petal to see if it tastes sweet. The squirrel seemed to be eating the whole flower, not just the nectar-filled centre.
ReplyDeleteThe number of Redwings is increasing. Maybe they are massing for departure. I haven't seen a Fieldfare at all, and there seems to be only one Mistle Thrush on the Parade Ground.