A small bird with mostly grey plumage apart from a bright yellow rear end. It's facing right, has a long dark tail, and is perched on a thin twig over dark muddy ground. It was actually preening, but essentially all its feathers are sticking up.
For today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme of #ruffledfeathers let me introduce you to this Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea). 😃
#birds #ECK #UKWildlife #LyeValley
A large colourful bird is facing to the right. Its body and wings are speckled in colours ranging from pale grey to a light golden yellow to a rich warm brown. The head is an iridescent green, and it has a white "collar" round its neck It also has a rounded flap of bright red skin surrounding the eye. It has a very long grey tail, most of which disappears off the left of the photo. It's standing on medium length grass, and there is a clump of Pendulous Sedge in the background.
For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #speckled I have this rather flamboyant male Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus). It had clearly escaped being shot "for sport", and was rather incongruously wandering round one of Oxford's urban green spaces.
#birds #ECK #UKWildlife #lucky #LyeValley 📷
A large duck standing on one leg facing left but head and beak angled slightly towards the camera. Its broad beak is yellow, and it has an iridescent green head and upper neck, a chocolate brown lower neck and chest. Its wings are a mixture of greys and browns with a wide blue flash. The body is a very pale grey, and its one visible leg is orange. The tail is green, and has a couple of small feather that curl up and round. The background is mostly green grass, with a few dead stalks mixed in.
Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #tricolour, birds with three colours or more and an alt of #YearRound birds. I rarely photograph Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) — familiarity breeds contempt maybe — but here's one from Oxford's #LyeValley fen that fits both themes.
#birds #ECK #UKWildlife
A medium sized bird with light grey head, back and tail has a lemony yellow and white chest and tummy. It's facing to the right of the photo, standing in shallow water with its left leg raised. It's almost perfect reflection is below it.
For @robcrank68.bsky.social's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #Reflections, here's a Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) looking for insects.
#birds #UKWildlife #photography #EastCoastKin #LyeValley #Oxford @friendlyevalley.bsky.social
A medium sized bird facing the camera but with its head down is standing on a large old log. Its head and back appear black, though there's a white stripe on the wing and a blue patch at the base of its back. It's tail feathers are slightly spread out and appear as iridescent greens, purples and blues.
Magpie (Pica pica) displaying its fantastically colourful tail feathers for Rob's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #TailsUp. And to think many people think of Magpies as just being black and white!
#birds #UKWildlife #EastCoastKin #LyeValley #WildlifePhotography
A small rounded brown bird with a short erect tail is standing on the cut end of an old log facing left. It's highlighted against a freshly sawn log showing light wood still covered in bark.
For @alan678.bsky.social's #BirdOfTheDay theme today I have a Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) on an old log pile in low #WinterLight in Oxford's #LyeValley. Such restless birds!
#birds #UKWildlife #WildlifePhotography #EastCoastKin
Just to the right of centre a large bird with a mix of dark and light brown feathers has its back to the camera. It's perched on a horizontal branch with lots of thin twigs growing up. It's looking over its shoulder and its left eye and short curved beak are visible.
For @robcrank68.bsky.social's #BirdOfTheDay theme #MoodyFaces, here's a rather twiggy Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) from Oxford's #LyeValley.
#birds #UKWildlife #NaturePhotography #EastCoastKin @friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Lye Valley boardwalk
Lye Valley boardwalk
Lye Valley boardwalk
Lye Valley boardwalk
Boxing Day morning walk in the Lye Valley #LyeValley #Oxford
Trees in a nature reserve
Trees in a nature reserve
Trees in a nature reserve
Trees in a nature reserve
Through the Lye Valley, before the showers kicked in… #LyeValley #oxford
Oxford Brookes Uni students had a great time recently in #LyeValley #fen learning various coring techniques, studying peat & tufa sediments. They learnt what hard work it was! but some very interesting layers discovered, now for some lab study...
@friendlyevalley.bsky.social @palaeolou.bsky.social
We welcomed again entomologist Steve Gregory to #LyeValley #fen to complete his grant-funded invertebrate survey. A bit cool for flying insects but Steve did find spiders & snails & actually found a Glow-worm larva feeding on a dead snail! @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @colsocbi.bsky.social
Look at how important warm sunny logs are to wildlife at this time of year in #LyeValley. A basking Common Darter and a very young Viviparous Lizard just absorbing as much warmth as possible. @friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Accidentally scythed off in #LyeValley #fen, this small delicate inkcap toadstool made my day with its fragile beauty. Maybe a small Hare's foot inkcap, Coprinopsis lagopus?
#fungifriends @friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Some last #LyeValley flowers & a smart hoverfly that enjoys them: Fleabane, Hoary Ragwort and Marjoram. The batman hoverfly Myathropa florea is a favourite wasp mimic on the wing still, here sunning on our seed collecting bags @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
In #LyeValley scrub work time. Cutting back non-native invasive Russian Vine (mile a minute climber) ramping in from a neighbour first. This generates lots of material made into useful faggots for our Brook bank #restoration, combined with poles cut from hazel nearby @friendlyevalley.bsky.social
#LyeValley is slowly turning brown with all the seed heads from many flowers. Here rather attractive fluffy heads of Hemp Agrimony alongside the boardwalk caught my eye. @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
#Fungi do not usually feature much in #fens because they are too wet. But in #LyeValley, drier short turf areas near seepage zones are sprouting red-orange jewels in the shape of little Blackening Waxcaps, Hygrocybe conica. @friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Not quite 'last chance to see' yet, but #LyeValley has Grass of Parnassus still in flower, but going strongly to seed. Lots of pod collecting, with seed drying to come. All to move seed along to newly cut & raked fen restoration areas next week. @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
In #Lyevalley #fen our insectivorous Butterworts, having feasted on midges & built up food reserves, are getting ready to go to sleep for the winter. Hard green little 'resting buds' like bulbs have formed & will persist under the peat whilst the visible leaves rot away @friendlyevalley.bsky.social
#LyeValley #fen looking very autumnal, with warm brown as well as green tints. Still plenty of flowers though, Hemp Agrimony still going strong & still plenty of tall reed needing scything down despite heavy rain showers! @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
Surprised by a troop of these brownish but flowery-sweet smelling toadstools in #LyeValley #fen . Sweet Poison Pie Hebeloma saccariolens.. mycorrhizal with crack willow roots. The name tells you all you need to know! @friendlyevalley.bsky.social #fungifriends
In #Lyevalley the fen boardwalk is sometimes a good place to spot species. We know this is a Long winged conehead cricket, but what is this black segmented beast, a beetle larva? @coleopsoc.bsky.social @friendlyevalley.bsky.social
We are relieved to see Oxford City Rangers onsite in #LyeValley measuring up our burnt boardwalk section for replacement soon. This burnt section attracted a viviparous lizard to do a bit of basking between rain-showers- perhaps blacker a little bit warmer? @friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Wild Angelica is a wetland plant that is brilliant for flies (and other insects..) late hoverflies love it. Mostly in #LyeValley it comes in white, but occasionally in attractive pinky-maroon versions. @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social @freshwaterhabitats.bsky.social
This is just so the Devil's-bit Scabious time & bumbles are working it flat out in #LyeValley #fen . I'm so pleased that all our seed collection & spreading has given them a mist of blue flowers an abundant nectar & pollen source. Here a buff -tailed intent on work @friendlyevalley.bsky.social
It's flat out seed collecting in #LyeValley #fen. Greater Bird's foot Trefoil & then Marsh Helleborine orchid pods. All seed extracted to be put straight back out in newly scythed restoration areas. Might have to wait 7 yrs for the orchids!
@bsbibotany.bsky.social @freshwaterhabitats.bsky.social
In #LyeValley #fen rare Parsley Water Dropwort Oenanche lachenalii is doing exceptionally well & in cooler mizzly rain I managed a closer look at the wings of a Green Veined white butterfly, never noticed spots before.. @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social @upperthames.bsky.social
Very happy to show yet another group the wonderful #LyeValley spring #fen at it's most beautiful in full flower with our Marsh Helleborines at their best. here are some of Oxford Civic Society amongst the flowers @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @freshwaterhabitats.bsky.social
@bsbibotany.bsky.social
In #LyeValley #fen it's a delight to see the first purple Tufted Vetch flowers, & on a dry bank, a stately Dark Mullein is covered in yellow flowers with fascinating anthers featuring those red-maroon fluffy filaments. @friendlyevalley.bsky.social #wildflowerhour
In #LyeValley #fen after concerted pulling of creeping thistles, we are pleased to welcome our beautiful & nectar-rich Marsh Thistles into flower. Nearby another flower insects will love are those of attractively patterned Hedge Woundwort @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
