All posts by Ian Alexander

I have been in love with nature as long as I can remember. Nature photography, birdwatching, lichens, fossils, orchids, mountains, insects, everything else. Conservation, gardening at home, community gardening. I've loved it all.
Natural History

Flying Ant Feast!

Winged Reproductive Ants emerging on back doorstep …

Every year, the ants that nest underneath our back doorstep form a swarm of winged reproductives that fly off on a day in July.

We were surprised to find at least 10 House Sparrows perched all around the garden, and flying up catching ants. They were joined by a male Blackbird and a Robin. The Robin, the only insect specialist among them, had its beak full of insects. The nearest Sparrow in this photo is just below the doorstep where the ants are emerging: it was just a few feet from the camera.

Three House Sparrows catching ants by the doorstep

We’ve never seen so many House Sparrows in our street. There is just one house nearby where they nest, and there are usually just two or three birds there. Maybe they had a large successful brood this spring. Whatever the case, they found the ants emerging very quickly; they whole flight took only a couple of hours, though we’d noticed increased (wingless) ant activity over the past few days.

Natural History

Thursley Common after Lockdown

Four-Spotted Chaser, resting on Heather
Southern Marsh-Orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa
Picture-Winged Fly on sandy path
Large Red Damselfly on one of the splendid boardwalks
Main lake in Thursley’s acid bog
Bogbean flowers emerging from the main lake
Pines and Heather – simple but special, compete with a Cuckoo singing, a Stonechat, and a Dartford Warbler

Natural History

A Nature Fable, or Animal Farm, Coronavirus, and Dominic Cummings

Once upon a time, the pigs took over the farm. “All animals are equal“, they said. Then a mystery virus came over the land. “Lock down!” shouted the pigs. “All animals must stay in their barns, sties, sheds, and chicken-coops.” BozJoz and DomCum ostentatiously stayed in the farmhouse, eating bacon butties and baking bread on the nice warm Aga stove, while the other animals shivered in their barns and lodgings. Then DomCum felt like going for a nice walk. He felt a bit sick and feverish but never mind, the rules were just for the other animals. Weasel spotted him and told everybody else. “Oi, that’s not fair!” they mooed, grunted, brayed, clucked, and quacked. “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”, said a source close to DomCum.

Natural History

First Blackcap!

First sight of a Blackcap this spring, right out in the open, and singing beautifully! The male songster has the smart black cap; the female, a warm brown cap of the same shape.

A pair of Brimstone butterflies basked and showed off their marvellous dancing flight — jinking like a rugby footballer to keep safe from predators — in the warm sunshine on the entrance ramp meadow.

One or two Bee-flies hovered in their distinctive way (cheating by resting their front legs on a flower). They’re parasites of bumblebees, but so fascinating and beautiful that their lifestyle is quite forgiven.

A Brimstone momentarily resting on some early Forget-me-nots

Natural History

Last Tango in Chiswick (well, last volunteering before Corona-virus)

Last Box of Stobs for path edges

Corona-virus is reaching every part of all our lives. Last week I made my final box of stobs like overgrown willow-pencils, along with a fine pile of woodchips, before Gunnersbury Triangle volunteering was shut down. It was a happy workday with relaxed chat about everything from knitting to frogspawn.

Today I went for a solitary walk around, keeping a good 2 metres from passers-by.

A Chiffchaff sweetly sang its simple song (its name, many times over), hopping about the still mainly-bare Willows and Birches, and feeding on the newly-leafed bushes of rose and hawthorn. Early spring is the best time to glimpse our warblers, which are small, slim, greeny-brown and very difficult to spot when all the trees are in full leaf. This one gave me a front seat in the stalls, singing in full view.

A brilliant yellow Brimstone butterfly, my first of the year, fluttered about the brambles, reflecting the warm spring sunshine, its wings slightly pointed in the middle (in the manner of Elf-ears, if you take my meaning).

A gloriously orange Comma butterfly, also the first for this year, shot past me and then landed near my feet to take the sun, its markings wonderfully fresh.

On the way home, my Dentist phoned to cancel the last remaining appointment in my diary. Let’s hope people will respect the rules so we can all continue to go out quietly and at least enjoy Nature.