Bird, wildlife and flower log, 8-14 July 2013

I was really pleased with this photo I took last weekend of the damselfly.  Luckily it stopped long enough for me to take a few photos, and this one in focus!

This weekend there has also been around a black and white damselfly which I think is a female common blue.  I took a few photos but none turned out as well as the one below.  And then as the light was fading yesterday evening I saw an emerald damselfly as well.

Large red damselfly © 2013 Natasha Forder

Some of the flowers are going over and the lupins are now all gone.  The campanula in the shade is still flowering as this starts later than that situated in the sun.  As the flowers fade there have been less bees in the garden.  The back lawn is being left longer at the moment because it is full of clover which the bees that have been around like.  I need to increase the number of summer flowering plants.  As this time of year the garden doesn't have so many.

I've seen the young great spotted woodpecker a few times this week and I've certainly heard them!  The woodpeckers have been very noisy over the weekend, but I can't see what is upsetting them.  They currently like to sit in the acer tree towards the back of the garden.  Like many of the other birds the adults feed the young the fat block we put out.  These hardly get touched in the winter in comparison but just now are very, very popular.

The goldfinches have been in this week, munching on the niger seeds.  Then something broke the feeder!  And I can't imagine it was a goldfinch.  I guess I am thinking squirrel, but to be fair they don't usually go anywhere near that one.  So maybe a jay tried to jump on or something...

Unfortunately yesterday a female chaffinch flew into the patio doors and didn't make it.  I didn't think there was too much hope as it didn't make any attempt to get up.  In the past when they've hit they have got up onto their feet even if they then don't move.  When it happens we always stay around to keep away any would be predators.  It was very sad.  I really hope it didn't have any little ones still needing to be fed.

On Saturday Steve and I went to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Willis Museum in Basingstoke.  Like last year, well worth the visit and free entry too.  Very inspirational.  Something to work towards with my garden wildlife photos!

Birds	Wildlife and Insects	Flowers
Blackbird – male, female, juvenile	Grey squirrels, lots of!	Lupin
Great spotted woodpecker - male, female, juvenile	Snail	African daisy
Chaffinch - male, female	Slug	Geranium
Greenfinch - male, female, juvenile	Pond skater	Campanula
Blue tit - adult, juvenile	Hoverfly	Pontentilla
Great tit - adult, juvenile	Bees - various	Creeping buttercup
Dunnock - adult	Buff-tailed bumblebee	Daisy
Robin - adult, juvenile	Backswimmer	Rose
Jay - adult	Small white butterfly	Water lily
Magpie - adult	Large white butterfly	Clover
Crow - adult	Large red damselfly	Senecio
Collared dove - adult	Common blue damselfly - female	Mystical Black St. Johns Wort
Woodpigeon - adult, juvenile	Emerald damselfly - female	Honeysuckle
Nuthatch - adult	Unidentified moth	Lavender
Goldfinch		Spirea
Thrush		Rose Campion
		Lily
		Foxglove
		Oxalis