Spring is in the air, so we have a new first spring flowers char – Scilla Siberica, or Siberian Squill, or Wood Squill pattern. This beautiful blue flower is native to southwestern Russia, the Caucasus, and Turkey. I think, that this cross-stitched flower will bring spring mood to your house at any time of year, but especially in winter, it will remind you that spring is just around the corner.
We have a new counted cross stitch pattern Tulips with a Butterfly. https://etsy.me/2TJ2mVT
We have a new bird cross-stitch pattern, this time a big one. It’s a Wood Grouse, which is also called Western Capercaillie, or Heather Cock. It is the largest member of the grouse family. Male and female Capercaillie birds can be individually identified easily by their size and colouration. Our pattern presented a male.
At one time it could be found in all the taiga forests of northern and northeastern Eurasia within the cold temperate latitudes and the coniferous forest belt in the mountain ranges of warm temperate Europe. In Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia their populations are large, and it is a common bird to see in forested regions. However, the Scottish population became extinct, but has been reintroduced from the Swedish population; in Germany, it is on the “Red List” as a species threatened by extinction, so it has not been hunted in Scotland or Germany for over 30 years.
Singing during breeding season is probably the most interesting thing about Wood Grouse. It starts according to spring weather progress, between March and April and lasts until May or June. At the very beginning of dawn, the tree courting begins on a thick branch of a lookout tree. The cock postures himself with raised and fanned tail feathers, erect neck, beak pointed skywards, wings held out and drooped and starts his typical aria to impress the females. The typical song in this display is a series of double-clicks like a dropping ping-pong ball, which gradually accelerate into a popping sound like a cork coming of a champagne bottle, which is followed by scraping sounds. Towards the end of the courting season, the hens arrive on the courting grounds, for “play”. The cocks continue courting on the ground: this is the main courting season. (From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_capercaillie).
We have some small birds cross stitch patterns, here I’d like to present you new – House Sparrow and Common Linnet.
House Sparrows live across many different regions of the world. Humans have not domesticated House Sparrows in any way. So, House Sparrows do not make good pets. Humans have attempted to keep them as pets, but they do not thrive in a household setting. Additionally, they are not the most colorful of birds, and their song is not particularly catchy or melodic.
Common Linnets were popular cage birds during the 19th century. Now they can be found in Europe, West Asia, and North-West Africa. Eastern and northern populations of Common Linnets migrate to the south during the autumn. These birds produce melodic, pleasant songs that consist of fast trills and twitters.
The scientific name of common linnet, “Carduelis Cannabina”, refers to the feeding habits of this bird and its affection for hemp (variety of cannabis). The common name “Linnet” refers to a fondness for flaxseed, that is used in the manufacture of linen.
In any case, both birds can be observed in my country, and you can cross-stitch them for yourself or as a gift for a bird lover 🙂 They are beautiful, aren’t they?
