Pochards in the Small Pool beside Church Manorway, Erith

For reasons unknown, we always hoped to see Tufted Ducks in the Pool: rather than the usual Coots, Little Grebes, Mallards and Moorhens.

Sitting on the bus travelling between Edith and Abbey Wood Station we spotted what we thought to be Tufted Ducks as we passed the Pool: it being visible from the Road. We got off the bus for a look: not Tufted Ducks but Pochards. Five of them: three male and two female:

Additionally a number of Coots, young and old, were present. A couple of Grey Wagtails (our first of the year) with, we assumed, hungry mouths to feed, were whooshing and swooshing, looking for insects. Reed Warblers (again, our first of the year: we glimpsed a couple) were warbling and we heard a single Cetti's Warbler. 

A Sycamore Tree growing on the Erith Southern Marsh

We have never really paid much attention to trees: perhaps it's time we started? We read that Sycamore flowers are good for Bees and we assume other little Critters. So we will keep an eye on this one which should be flowering soon:

Female Ladybirds are bigger than male Ladybirds

We hadn't really given it much, if any, thought, but it would certainly seem to be the case:

And we have recently read that female Nursery Web Spiders are larger than the males. We have seen some super-chunky individuals which we have assumed to be female and some much smaller ones which we have assumed to be male. 

A weight off the mind

We no longer attend the British Lichen Society, Chat & Improvement Meetings; we did so for a couple of years if not more but were never going to become expert. Time had run its course and we had arguably outstayed our welcome, so we have left: and if truth be told, it lifted a weight from our minds. 

And with it being Spring (of sorts) our attention is now turned to Bees, Bee-Flies, Butterflies, Crane Flies, Hoverflies, Ladybirds, Shieldbugs, Wild Flowers &c. &c.

But we will still be looking for Lichens, such as this Flavoparmelia caperata (lots of it present), seen recently on a tree on Bostall Heath (the Royal Borough of Greenwich) viz. green-coloured lobes, some wrinkled, soredia on lobes, the under-lobes black although light coloured at margins with white rhizines which apparently turn black with age:

A couple of Osmia cornuta Bees

Whilst walking Home we spotted a Bee resting on a Grape Hyacinth in a Front Garden (TQ477771): it subsequently turned out there were two of them and that they are Osmia cornuta Bees viz.

Apparently, unusual. The sighting has been submitted to iRecord.

 

The male has white whiskers: clearly visible here.

We also saw one during March-2022: fairly close to where we saw these two.

Wild Flowers seen whilst walking from Home to Bostall Heath

We rather surprised ourselves: whilst walking from Home to Bostall Heath, we spotted thirty-plus Wild Flower &c. species (growing on the Pavements, in Roadside Gutters, in Private Gardens and the Grounds of St Andrew's Church) viz.

Wood Avens
Four-Leaved Allseed
Rue-Leaved Saxifrage

Common Chickweed 

Thale Cress

Common Field-Speedwell

Hairy Bittercress (subsequently seeing Wavy Bittercress on Bostall Heath)

Annual Meadow Grass

Lesser Swinecress

Cleavers

Fairy-Purses (aka Shepherd's-Purse)

Red Dead-Nettle

Jersey Cudweed

Grape Hyacinth

Groundsel

Ivy-Leaved Toadflax viz.

Common Whitlowgrass

Petty Spurge

Sweet Violet

Shining Crane's-Bill

Spotted Medick

Common Mallow

Purple-Leaved Procumbent Yellow-Sorrel 

Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill

Daisy

Dandelion

Ivy-Leaved Speedwell

Sow-Thistle

Mouse-Ear Hawkweed

Purple Loosestrife 

and Annual Mercury 

On the Heath there were lots of Hairy-Footed Flower-Bees, a few Buff-Tailed Bumblebees and a Small White Butterfly.

Our first Hairy-Footed Flower-Bees of the year

A lot later than last year: we submitted a record to iRecord for 17 February 2022.

Today, we saw four Bees (all males) busying themselves on and around the Red Dead-Nettle flowering in the Grounds of St John the Baptist, Erith viz.

The sightings have been submitted to iRecord.

Additionally, we saw our first flowering Early Dog-Violets of the year: also in the Church' Grounds viz.

On the nearby Thames' Foreshore, an English Scurvygrass was attempting to flower but it will surely be a few weeks yet before a white carpet of flowers appears.

The Wild Flower Society', Winter Plant Hunt 2022/23

We ended up with twenty-five species in flower during the months December 2022, January 2023 and February 2023. Truth to tell, we didn't go out to look for anything: if we casually saw something we added it to the list but no more than that. And we will not be submitting any records.

Alexanders

Annual Mercury

Cherry Plum viz.

Common Chickweed viz.

Common Field-Speedwell viz.

Common Fumitory viz.

Common Whitlowgrass viz.

Daisy

Dandelion viz.

Garlic Mustard

Groundsel

Hairy Bittercress

Hazel viz.

Jersey Cudweed

Lesser Celandine

Narrow-Leaved Ragwort

Red Dead-Nettle

Shepherd's Purse

Sow-Thistle

Sweet Violet

White Dead-Nettle

White Ramping-Fumitory viz.

Wild Daffodil

and Winter Heliotrope viz.

Yarrow

Our first Hoverfly of 2023

A super bright Sunny Day. Nice as it is to see the birds, especially the Stonechats, seeing our first Hoverfly of the year (a male Eupeodes sp. visiting Common Field-Speedwell) tells us the first Butterfly might not be too far away:

Seen close to the Thames Path in the vicinity of the Waste Incinerator. 

And it was lovely to see the Common Field-Speedwell flowers glistening in the Sunshine.

More Avocets

En-route to Bluewater (Kent) we stopped off at Greenhithe (Kent) to look for birds on the Thames' Foreshore, Ships &c. 

On the Foreshore we saw.

Avocets (we have seen these on the Thames' Foreshore in the Erith area during our last few visits)

Black-Headed Gulls

Black-Tailed Godwits

a Common Gull

a Herring Gull

a Redshank

Shelducks

and Teals

Also Goldfinches and a Wood Pigeon.

Plus a Pied Wagtail at Bluewater.

Birds seen beside Corinthian Manorway and on the Thames Foreshore

Bird species seen:

Avocet

Black-Headed Gull

Black-Tailed Godwit

Blue Tit

Common Gull (first of the year: a first-winter bird))

Coot

Goldfinch

Lesser Black-Backed Gull

Magpie

Mallard

Pied Wagtail

Redshank

Ring-Necked Parakeet

Robin

Rock Pipit

Shelduck

Song Thrush (first of the year)

and Teal

It was surprisingly warm in the bright sunshine. We didn't stay long but just before leaving, we saw Tanker, Elsa Essberger, heading up the Thames towards Thunderer Jetty, Dagenham.

A first Lichen for 2023

Caloplaca decipiens: growing on the Sea Wall beside the Thames Path, close to Corinthian Manorway, Erith: