Wordless Wednesday.
flight.
Toad pool.
Today was the best nature spot of the year so far. Nature never fails to surprise me. Even today, new sightings of events or species are thrilling. I have been viewing nature and the environment for a long time. Since drawing my pension, I have more time to conduct my observations.
I have only ever seen single Common Toads in the wild in the past. Today, we took a chance walk around a New Forest pond. It was off the beaten track. We came across a mass of mating toads.
Several 1st :- mating toads, toad spawn, toads in a pond, toads calling, frog mating with a toads
Toad spawn is in long strips rather than clumps as seen with frog spawn.
A Common frog mating with a Toad! Records show this happens but they can not hybridize.
On the downside of this event was seeing probably a hundred toads. The same amount piled up dead. It seems a Heron stabbed and then fished them out, not fully consuming them.
City Views.
12 views of Above Bar Southampton. A stroll around the city this afternoon.
Love pond.
There is a local pond with clumps of frog spawn. When you stay still for a while, you can spot eyes looking at you. Common frogs have found their place in the pond to mate.
Duck Pond.
Muscovy Ducks are found at scattered locations across England. These ducks are usually found close to habitation, they are semi-domesticated or feral. This duck appeared on a pond in the New Forest last week. He is fairly tame, suggesting he is used to people. I suspect he has been dumped at the pond, due to bird flu. There are increased restrictions on fowl ownership in the UK.
The pond also has a good population of another non-native duck – The Mandarins.
European Wigeon.
A good number of Wigeon are on-site at Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve at the moment. They are medium-sized dabbling ducks. In the UK they breed in central and northern Scotland. Many birds over winter here these come from Iceland, Scandinavia, and Russia.
Gray Wagtail.
A flash of yellow in the New Forest draws one’s eye to this Gray Wagtail in the grass.
7am at the sea.
Early start to walk by the sea. Little Egret fishing at low tide.
Bucklers Hard.
Today, a walk along the banks of the Beaulieu River leads to the historic village of Bucklers Hard. It is a village stuck in time. It was a hub of past shipbuilding. More than 50 wooden ships were built for the Royal Navy from New Forest oak. Vessels built included HMS Agamemnon, HMS Euryalus, and HMS Swiftsure; they all fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. When the Napoleonic Wars ended, shipbuilding at Buckler’s Hard declined markedly. This decline was also due to the new iron warships.
Today the Hard is a peaceful haven.
Sea Spray
I spent an hour well-wrapped up from the cold wind and watched the incoming tide. I saw a few Turnstone dodging the spray along with some Sanderlings. You have to wonder how these small birds survive the power of the sea.
Continued Reflections from my World. 