Partial Eclipse of the Sun.

 Clear skies this morning meant the partial eclipse of the sun, which started just before 10 am. was clearly visible. This is a projected image using an antique theodolite and was taken at maximum coverage by the moon.

The Sun, Partial Eclipse.. Photo. John Elliott.

 

 It is extremely dangerous to look at the sun directly, especially through binoculars or a telescope. The projection method using a telescope as above is probably the safest, otherwise use a special filter for direct viewing. The Solar Viewer available from the British Astronomical Association, (www.britastro.org) is excellent.

There is a total eclipse of the moon on September 7th 2025, starting at 19.23 BST which should be easily seen if the weather is good.

 

Violets.

 As far as I know the small patch of Sweet Violet, (Viola adorata) on the path behind the Manor House is the only one in the village. Said to be common at the edges of woodsand on hedgebanks, especially on chalky soils, it spreads by rooting runners, though it isn't doing much here. Is the abundant nettle cover too much for it? The book also says it is scented, but I can't smell anything.

 

Sweet Violets. Photo. John Elliott

 

The Sweet Violet doesn't seem to have a Dorset name, but its close relative the Dog Violet does- Snake Violet.

My Cuckoo.

Here is the latest BTO bulletin on the tracked cuckoos, including mine Cuach Torc.

 Dear John,

The last few months has been, as expected, a very quiet time on the Cuckoo front as the birds we were tracking were settled in their wintering areas. Now things are changing and as we begin to see and hear the first signs of spring here in the UK, the first of our tagged Cuckoos has just completed the first leg of his journey north. Of the 14 tagged birds that successfully departed the UK and Ireland in 2024, all except Nick 2 and Severn made it beyond the Sahara. Worcestershire Cuckoo Severn perished in Kosovo after being forced to abort his crossing of the Mediterranean. Nick 2 went further, managing to reach southern Mauritania before we lost him in the desert in late summer. It looks likely that we also lost Cuckoos Cuthbert, Henry and George 2 before they reached their wintering areas. We last heard from Cuthbert and George 2 in late 2024 when they were in Camerooon and from Henry when he was in Central African Republic. We therefore have no evidence to suggest that they successfully made it to the traditional wintering areas of UK Cuckoos in the Congo Basin or Angola. Of the remaining 9 birds, we have received updates from five over the last 30 days. The biggest mover has been Suffolk Cuckoo Wilfrid. Having spent the last few months deep in the forests of north-west Angola (furthest south of all our tagged Cuckoos), largely in radio silence, we feared the worst for him. But, over the past week he has made a massive leap, covering multiple African countries, passing through Gabon and western Cameroon before arriving in Nigeria a few days ago. From here, he has continued his journey, sweeping past a further four countries until arriving at his current location in south-eastern Guinea. He has already covered approximately 3,700 km (2,300 miles) since leaving his wintering quarters in Angola. None of the other four active Cuckoos - Cleeve, Hafren, Joe or Sayaan have made their first move north yet although Sayaan has been roaming quite widely around in the Congo rainforest, looking rather fidgety. Joe and Sayaan are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo whilst Cleeve and Hafren are in neighbouring Republic of Congo. We would expect to see them moving north and west any day now. Although we haven't received any data from the three Irish Cuckoos Cuach Torc, Cuach Cores, or KP for over a month, this doesn't necessarily signal the end for them. When the birds are in dense rainforest, the batteries in their tags can run flat due to the lack of sunlight on the solar panels which charge them. So, when they exit the rainforest and they encounter regular strong sunlight again, it is sometimes possible for the tags to power up again. The last signal we received from KP was in October, from Cuach Cores in November and from Cuach Torc in December however, so this is becoming an increasingly unlikely possibility now unfortunately.   I hope you've enjoyed this update. As the Cuckoos progress north we'll update you regularly with their movements. Don't forget that you can check the last known locations of our tagged Cuckoos on our Cuckoo tracking map. With thanks for your support and very best wishes, Ieuan          Dr Ieuan Evans Director of Engagement

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More rookery.

 The Rooks in the Horse Chestnut outside my bedroom window have now started building their new nests.

New nests for the rooks. Photo John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

 

 

 

Four nests are nearing completion, while one bird just below the two nests on the right hand side has managed to get the first few sticks to stay in place, always a tricky operation. Its partener looks on from a distance. There are three, or perhaps four birds that appear still to be without mates

The Wood Pigeons are spectators only, they do not nest in this tree. They seem to prefer evergreen trees such the Pittosporum close to the Horse Chestnut, or the leylandii behind the house.
 

Rookery.

 The Rooks are returning early every morning from their night roost at Bradford Peveral to the leafless Horse Chestnut outside my bedroom window. Although there were half a dozen of last year's nests at the beginning of the year most of these have now been dimantled, with only half a nest to go. The birds will soon start to break off new sticks to build their new nests, but not from this tree,

    Early Morning Rooks. Photo. John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

 

 

The Same Rooks Photo. John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

A closer view reveals that some of the birds are already paired up, ready to go. The two single birds are sat where there were nests last year. Will they get new mates this year? We will have to wait and see.
 

Poorly Sparrowhawk.

I reported the sickly Sparrowhawk (see bellow) and received a very comprehensive reply:-

 

Garden Wildlife Health Advice

Mon 10 Feb at 11:47

Dear John,

Many thanks for taking the time to report to Garden Wildlife Health via the GBW Health tab, helping us to learn more about the diseases affecting British wildlife. We’re sorry to hear that you have observed this sparrowhawk showing such signs of ill health.

If you are concerned about the welfare of this bird, you could consider calling the RSPCA (0300 1234 999), your local veterinary surgeon or wildlife rehabilitation centre, as they should be able to advise further.

Unfortunately, we can’t speculate on a diagnosis without performing an examination on this sparrowhawk, and there are various infectious or non-infectious conditions that could be involved here. In lieu of a diagnosis on this occasion, and if this is of interest, please see our disease factsheet library on our website, which provides information on some of the common diseases we see in garden wildlife.

  It is important to be aware that there are several possible causes of ill health and death in garden wildlife, such as salmonellosis, which, whilst the risks are low, have the potential to cause ill health in humans and pets, so we always recommend following good hygiene precautions, such as not handling sick and dead wildlife directly and washing your hands thoroughly after handling wildlife/carcasses.

  I hope this information is helpful and please do keep on reporting your observations to us so that we can continue to improve our understanding of the disease conditions affecting British garden wildlife.

  Once again thank you for your support of our project, we greatly appreciate your help. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries.

Kind regards,

 Sarah

  

Sarah Haddow

BSc (Hons), MRes, BVetMed, MRCVS

Wildlife Veterinarian | Research Associate
Institute of Zoology | Zoological Society of London

Garden Wildlife Health Tel: +44- 20-7449-6685

Follow us on twitter @wildlife_health and @ZSLScience

www.gardenwildlifehealth.org

Sparrowhawk.

 My usual view of a Sparrowhawk is usually a very short one as it dashes through the gap between my house and next door to try and catch one of the many House Sparrows that come to feed in my wildlife garden. Yesterday was different. 

 

  Female Sparrowhawk. Photo. John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

An unusually marked, somewhat bedraggled, female Sparrowhawk sat on the bird table from early morning until about 2 pm. The scraps and seed remained untouched, as did the other patches of seed in the garden. These usually disappear in ten minutes or so, scoffed by the half dozen Rooks, perhaps four or five Jackdaws, a couple of Collared Doves and Wood Pigeons, plus a lot of House Sparrows, (see below), but not one of these birds appeared, not even the Rooks which are usually very aggressive towards birds of prey. Its fluffy appearance and lack of fear when I went out to photograph it are indications that it wasn't at all well, as is the fact that it took a short break mid morning and flew into the hedge bottom for a while, which is where many birds go to die. It finally disappeared after lunch and at once all my usual feeding birds arrived.