Plume de Ville
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From day to day.
February 2009
February 2
Not for long, rain in the morning!
For
magpies
nothing beats a refreshing dip of fresh snow!
This morning I
found them in the process of digging a hole and spreading their
wings in the snow.
4 February
18h
Little activity in recent days, no visits.
5 February
This morning
beautiful sun and warmth (5 °C). Passage of a blue tit but no
visit, a nice
small band of long-tailed tits in the inner garden.
An alder in
the nearby square attracted a small band of goldfinches happy to find
some
seeds, babbling continuously.
Goldfinch.
[Carduelis carduelis Passeriformes
frigillidae]
Chardonneret élégant.
Can
not go wrong with this beautiful red mask.
Its beak is long and pointed.
Black wings with bright yellow feathers and white spots visible at the ends of primary and secondary pinions.
30 janvier 2009
10 February
Cold, rainy weather, storm last night and this morning.
The balcony is deserted by the birds. No tits; neither blue nor great
for over
a week. Just a blue, briefly seen the 5th. Cold, bad weather,
predators?
At the same time last year, visits of the nest box were numerous.
This morning all sparrows
were sheltered from strong winds, in a protected area.
Like every
year, starlings gather in the evening, in very broad flocks in the
neighbourhood.
They are many thousands, to join the dormitories, such as the BNF. They
enjoy a
little break at the top on the cranes (lots in the area).
I'm fine,
right?
The
6th, a moment of blue sky for this robust Passer
domesticus.
13 February
Snow
showers, 2°C.
Reappearance of a blue tit today and in lasts days.
It does not seem to be one of the known regulars. She explored with the
application, trees and plants of the balcony but curiously, it was not
interested in feeding.
Ph. 110209
The camera is now
installed Live Streaming (webcam link). As there is
no activity at this time in the nest box, it is installed for the
moment on a
trial basis and will not be "online" all the time.
The swimming
pool of long-tailed tits.
A small puddle
of water formed along the cement walkway of the Parc de Bercy, this is
the occasion
for a good bath for a band of Long-tailed tits.
A fairly fresh bath, the temperature should not exceed 1° or
2°C.
And
a
community bath!
The little blue head right in the middle? A blue tit which participates to the game of splashing.
There is some congestion, everyone wants a place and the blue tit in
the middle seat does not intend to move.
Each bathes with delight in the tiny puddle of water before the blue tit who does not care all that fuss.
19 February
After
many days of grey,
beautiful sunshine today, but cold, the temperature decreased, 2
°C this
morning.
It grows among the daffodils, clematis and hyacinths
These days,
there is an air of spring with the songs starting again. There are
inging on
the birch.
A Dunnock, (Prunella
modularis)
sings with all
his heart in the garden for two days.
The 17th, a blue tit looked lengthily what happens in the nest box. So
intrigued that I thought she would enter, but no. I hope the lodgings
pleased.
The 16th,
they were 4 blues visiting the balcony. In the garden a band of six
inspected
all trees that begin to bud.
The big tit found again the way to the feeder and passes since several
days.
Magpies
build; one flew with a large branch on the beak to join his companion
in a
large tree in the garden.
Robins begin to inspect their juniper bush where they nest for several
years.
The pair of wood pigeon came back and lay side by side on a ledge,
waiting
lazily and silently.
Yesterday
a
blue seized a peanut after cunning to avoid cumbersome sparrows.
This morning, despite the fine weather, no blue tits. Only a great tit
did a
very short passage this morning.
20 February
Grey again,
but 10 °C. Morning of numerous passages of blue tits.
Spring
outfit
required!
Lac des Minimes 190209
Fluffy
enough for the Goat willows or Pussy
Willow or Great Sallow (Salix caprea -
male here) and
its hazelnut one shelled catkins.
Iridescent green
and fine white collar for mallards competing on shimmering.
Hazelnut russet
for the grebe.
The Great
Crested Grebe (Podiceps
cristatus, grèbe huppé)
is proud of his new ruff of red and black feathers, his wedding dress.
Soon it will raise its offspring... in striped pyjamas.
Min. Juin 08
It
is ready
for nuptial parade. Face to face, chest against chest, each turns his
head to
one side, then the other, raising the neck, raised double crested. They
swim
together, plunge together and sometimes one partner offers a tuft of
seaweed to
the other, first material of the future nest.
Etangs de Hollande 140208
Dark chocolate for the gull.
Black-headed
gulls don their chocolate cap. Here still dotted by a few grains; white
feathers remain still near the beak.
24 February
Grey sky, a
little sunshine this evening. 8 °C
Since February 16 the blue tit used to come in the morning. It is
alone, eats a
few seeds, sings a bit and then leaves. Sometimes it comes back two or
three
times in the morning. But she shows no interest for the nest box.
A
little
stroll at Mr. Robin wood.
Always magnanimous, patient, it graceful allows to be photographed.
It's the
best of models; familiar it can be approached and allows missing the
first
photos! It kindly waits for the settings to be corrected..
He likes to dig in the mud of the small stream where I have already met
it, in search of
small invertebrates. Small stream
that, at this time, is nearly dry and full of small fish that have hard
times
to survive in the last pools. He is faithful to the same places because
the
male guards his territory throughout the year.
Still, a small sign of impatience here: it raises the tail and will
soon fly.
Here in the
coldest days of this winter. Admit that it has the sense of composition
(even
if it failed to remove the little stem).
Ph. 090109 même endroit.
25 February
This
morning the low grey clouds accepted to leave. Sunlight and bird songs
everywhere.
The small blue came to his usual yesterday morning and again early this
morning
at 8 am. It sings perched in the birch. Around 11 am it starts to look
at the
nest box and to approach the entrance. Then, it clings to the entrance,
trying
to see inside. It stays a moment at the entrance.
And surprise, at 11:40 am, after a few "I will, I will not ...", it
passes the head, head and shoulders, three quarters of the body, a
little more,
we see that the tail on the outside. Come on, still a little effort; it
gathers
courage and enters. Admit that it is a bit stressful to enter an
unknown box whose
only exit is the small opening of 26mm.
Its visit
will last about fifteen seconds, and then it will remain a moment at
the door.
This is the time of day when the sun enters directly in the nest box at
this
time of year. Can be clearly seen on the photos (the entry hole is on
the
right). I have noticed that it was at this moment that the visits are
preferred.
Probably because we see the interior is well lit and more reassuring.
In the evening she returned a moment at 17:20
26 February
Greyness is back, 10 °C. Poor light again today.
The little
blue came back to feed and sing this morning.
A small tour at the door of the nest box, it enters just the head.
Visit of a great tit first time since long-time.
27 February
Well,
should I write again that the greyness is still there?
9:45
am passage
of a blue to sing. Just to sing perched on top of the birch, not to
feed.
Then she made a small tour on the balcony, exploring everywhere, going
from the
side of the nest box. Her singing is not the same that I remember from
previous
years of the landowner (territorial song). The little singer sings
quite
gently.
The singer, because I think it is a male, which for the moment is alone
or at
least it comes alone to the balcony. His song finished, it will resume
it in
the garden below.
