End of the road

This is the last post for my Birmingham Diary. At the beginning of the year, I set myself a challenge - to follow in Edith Holden's footsteps and study the wild creatures and plants that inhabit the places in Birmingham where I worked and stayed.  Edith walked through farmland and villages. 110 years later, I explored the areas around the airport, the NEC, offices and hotels. 

Canada geese gliding past Brindley Place

I found that writing my diary gave me the motivation to get out and explore. Instead of languishing at home in a draw, my camera and drawing materials were with me. 

The bright lights of Brindley Place/

Flowering Plants

To end her diary, Edith listed the flowering plants including trees that she found in the Olton area. She recorded 214 types compared to my rather less diligent 80.  Edith and I both found bluebells, although she called them hyacinths.


Bluebells near the NEC halls.

I found some flowers that were not on Edith's list - for example a friend sent her bee orchids whereas I found some just outside the office.

Bee orchids at Trinity Park.

I found some flowers that were new to me such as the dainty field pansy, the rather insignificant blue fleabane and the downright weird common cudweed.



Field pansy on a pile of rubble next to a Trinity Park car park.

Birds

Edith also listed the birds that she saw -  a total of  76 whereas I found 36.  Edith's list included both Song and Missel Thrushes. I found these too, there were Song Thrushes by the railway line near Birmingham International and, much more surprising, a pair of Missel Thrushes in the little garden tucked away behind Birmingham's new library. Edith's list included House Martins, which 110 years later were busily feeding their young in the nests that they had built under the eves of the Arden Hotel, where I often stayed.

Young House Martins leaving the nest.

My list included many more seabirds than Edith's, presumably attracted by the large Pendigo lake near the NEC. Species that I had not seen before included Common Tern and Reed Bunting.

I was thrilled to see a common tern swooping in front of Resort World.

Insects

Bug hunts were a little tricky because I didn't have my macro lens with me and I was only free to explore before and after work. However I did see a number of different types of bees, hoverflies, dragon and damselflies and butterflies. I even rescued a Yellow-underwing moth from a hotel bar.



Azure Damselfly near Trinity Park pond.

Mammals

The area round the offices, Birmingham International station and NEC was heaving with rabbits. I also saw squirrels and some disturbingly bold rats.  There was a notable absence of foxes.



Rabbits amongst the NEC daffodils.

Looking back, it's difficult to pick out the what I enjoyed most but I think it was using a bat detector to hunt for bats. I detected and watched Common Pipistrelles hunting across the Pendigo Lake.  It was not only finding and watching the bats but the encounter various people including two young men headed towards the nearest bar, who were interested in the detector and told me all their wildlife adventures.



Hunting for bats at sundown.

So that's it folks. I had a great time finding wildlife in unlikely places and will go on exploring my surroundings wherever my work takes me.

Ragged Robin on a Ragged Verge

Edith Holden's diary for early June 1906 described several trips in which she gathered wild flowers. For June the 8th she says:

Cycled through Widney, I gathered Lesser Spearwort in the marsh there, also Ragged Robin.

Her watercolours show a multitude of wildflowers including ox-eye daisies, clover and guilder rose.

Day 1 - Roadside flowers

For the first day of the Wildlife Trusts' #30DaysWild challenge I wanted to see if I could find some of Edith's flowers. So on a rather dull Wednesday morning, before I went into work, I set out to find wild flowers on the verge alongside the road leading from Birmingham International Station to Trinity Park.  Because light levels were low, it was mostly the white flowers that caught my attention.

White deadnettle.

Guelder Rose.

I was intrigued to find that some flowers, such as daisies, were closed up, waiting for the light. Other, less delicate blooms such as the Guelder Rose were already open.

Self-heal.

Ragged Robin

My world and Edith's suddenly and surprisingly connected when I found the delicate, pink Ragged Robin in this ragged roadside verge.

The last of the hawthorn blossom.

Later in the day, when my colleagues and I set off to get lunch at the Airport, we noticed a commotion in one of the confers on the business park. A flurry of black-and-white feathers betrayed the presence of magpies - but what was the bulky looking brown bird that left the tree? I circled round and spotted a Mistle Thrush.

Later in the day I visited the Elmdon Nature Park, where I found the field Golden with Buttercups.

Day 2 - Visit to a pond

For Day 2 of #30DaysWild, I sketched the pond near our office before starting work.

Watercolour sketch of the Trinity Park pond.

While I was there I saw the two pairs of tufted ducks that I saw a fortnight ago.

Azure Damselfly male

At lunchtime I took another look and found:

• the two pairs of Tufted Ducks
• Coots
• three well-grown Mallard ducklings, hiding in the reeds
• and a lot of squeaking from the reedbed, maybe the young Moorhens that I saw a fortnight ago.

Having lingered by the pond, I started to walk round it, briskly, and walked straight into a Damselfly. I saw two males and one female on a sunlit bush. I identified them with the help of the British Damselfly Society Identification page.