The Moon turns Orange

The Eclipse ~ 21 January 2019

[i] at 03.32 am...

[ii] at 03.52 am... 

[iii] at 04.10 am...

[iv] at 04.38 am...

And then, with perfect timing, the Moon disappeared behind the Clouds!!!!!

But then: on the off-chance, we popped out into the Garden at 05.05 am (it was bloomin' Chilly): the Clouds were gone and the Moon was visible again viz.

Somehow, all a bit of an anti-climax.

And then to Bed…

Some of the Lichens that have set up Home on Trees growing in Lesnes Abbey Park

Just a few of 'em:

Lichens in the Regent's Park (the Park with a Zoo)

Due in Devonshire Place at 13.00 o'clock for a Meeting, we managed twenty minutes or so in the nearby Regent's Park.

All a bit of a Rush but we managed to find a few Lichens viz.

Beside the Thames in the Woolwich area (in the Royal Borough of Greenwich)

We arrived shortly before the first of the Mud on the Thames' Foreshore was uncovered by the Outgoing Tide.

Birds seen on the Foreshore and beside the Thames Path:

Black-Headed Gulls viz.

Black-Tailed Godwits viz.

Blue Tits
Common Gulls viz.

Coots viz.

Cormorants
Egyptian Geese viz.

Gadwalls
a Great Black-Backed Gull
Herring Gulls
Magpies
Mallards
a Moorhen
Mute Swans viz.

Redshanks viz.

a Ring-Necked Parakeet
Teals
and Wood Pigeons viz.

Wild Flowers seen (flowering of sorts) included Borage viz.

Creeping Thistle viz.

Red Dead-Nettle and some sorry-looking Sow-Thistles.

We also saw one of the new Woolwich Free Ferries (the Dame Vera Lynn) on manoeuvres viz.

The new Ferries were initially expected to be operational during December-2018: due to technical difficulties we understand they will not become operational until some time during February-2019, at the earliest.

Also, Bulker, IDC Pearl, moored in the Thames at Thames Refinery Outer viz.

Footnote: a List of Bird' Species seen to date during 2019 in the Grounds of the former Royal Arsenal, on the Thames' Foreshore and beside the Thames Path:

Blackbird
Black-Headed Gull
Black-Tailed Godwit
Blue Tit
Chaffinch
Carrion Crow
Coot
Cormorant
Egyptian Goose
Gadwall
Great Black-Backed Gull
Great Tit
Herring Gull
Lapwing
Lesser Black-Backed Gull
Magpie
Mallard
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Pied Wagtail
Redshank
Ring-Necked Parakeet
Robin
Starling
Teal
Wood Pigeon

Other Species we would hope to see during the course of the year include: Canada Goose, Common Tern, Great-Crested Grebe, House Sparrow, House Martin, Shelduck and Yellow-Legged Gull (habitats are rather limited).

We visit the Limehouse Basin area (East London)

A first visit. We had initially intended to wander round the City of London looking for Lichens &c. However, whilst en-route to Tower Gateway on the Docklands Light Railway, we decided, on a Whim, to disembark at Limehouse and wander round the Limehouse Basin area which falls within Vice County 21, Middlesex.

The area includes the Limehouse Marina: and it is where both the Regent's Canal and the Limehouse Cut empty into the River Thames.

Birds seen included: Black-Headed Gulls, Canada Geese, Common Gulls (a couple on the Thames' Foreshore), Coots, Mallards, Moorhens, a couple of Mute Swans and Tufted Ducks viz.

Wild Flowers seen included:

Annual Meadow Grass
Black Medick
Bladder Campion (growing beside the Regent's Canal) viz.

Cleavers
Common Bramble
Common Chickweed
Common Nettle
Common Vetch
Cow Parsley
Four-Leaved Allseed (growing beside the Limehouse Marina) viz.

Gallant/Shaggy Soldier
Groundsel
Guernsey Fleabane
Hart's-Tongue Fern
Ivy-Leaved Toadflax
Jersey Cudweed viz.

Nipplewort
Pellitory-of-the-Wall
Red Dead-Nettle
Shepherd's-Purse
Sweet Alyssum
Valerian
Water Bent
and Yarrow

Some flowering Mahonia was attracting a few Bees viz.

And lots of Lichens have set up Home there, including:

Beside the Thames in the Woolwich area (in the Royal Borough of Greenwich)

Back to Woolwich (in the Royal Borough of Greenwich) to look for Birds on the Thames' Foreshore and beside the Thames Path.

A few days ago we arrived after the Mud had been covered by the Incoming Tide. Thankfully, we timed this visit, better.

Birds seen on the Foreshore and beside the Thames Path:

a Blackbird
Black-Headed Gulls
Black-Tailed Godwits
Blue Tits
Chaffinches
Carrion Crows
Cormorants
Gadwalls
a Great Black-Backed Gull
a Great Tit
Herring Gulls
Lapwings (really surprised to see these Guys) viz.

Lesser Black-Backed Gulls
Magpies
Moorhens
Pied Wagtails
Redshanks
a Robin
Starlings
Teals
Wood Pigeons

We go looking for Birds (our first Bird' Outing during 2019)

We read that Low Tide in Woolwich (in the Royal Borough of Greenwich) was 10.39 am. Arriving beside the Thames at around that time we found the Tide coming in and no Mud left exposed! But see *** below.

So, we hurried downstream to Erith (part of the so-called, 'Patch'): where much, although not all, of the Mud had also been covered by the Incoming Tide.

Birds seen on the Thames' Foreshore:

Black-Headed Gulls
Black-Tailed Godwits
Common Gulls
a Curlew
Dunlins
Great Black-Backed Gulls
a Grey Heron
Herring Gulls
Lesser Black-Backed Gulls
Mallards
Moorhens
Redshanks
and Teals

Birds seen in the Grounds of the nearby Church of St John the Baptist included Redwings viz.

*** the Tide Timetables use British Summer Time (BST): not Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Something we had vaguely suspected but hadn't checked on.

Lichens that have set up Home on Trees growing in Lesnes Abbey Park

Just a few of 'em viz.

Above: Xanthoria parietina and Xanthoriicola physciae. With (juvenile) Ramalina fastigiata growing among the Xanthoria &c.

Above: Xanthoria parietina, Physcia adscendens and Lecidela elaeochroma. Also: just in the frame (top right), Punnctelia subrudecta and nearby, possible Physcia tenella.

Our first Hoverflies of 2019

The Morning' Sunshine (and Blue Sky) brought at least two Hoverflies out to play on the Allotments: an Episyrphus balteatus and a Meliscaeva auricollis viz.