More birds and the freeze

The second round of freezing weather has seen me once again feeding the birds and has brought in again some unusual visitors. In the last couple of days there was a buzzard, a green woodpecker and a songthrush. All these species have been in the garden area before but not recently and not often. These were seen from a sum total of ten minutes observation so it is likely there are other 'unusual' species as well. I shall try and have a longer look tomorrow.

Birds and the Big Freeze

When the weather got really cold a few days ago I started putting out some food and water for the birds. They have been coming in to feed in some numbers and it is interesting to watch the interactions between species which are affected of course by the presence of scarce food. There was a wood pigeon today which was feeding on seed I had put on the low well wall. A moorhen arrived and started feeding and the pigeon stopped eating and seemed to be staring. Two more moorhens arrived and moved nearer the pigeon. At that point it flapped its wings and the moorhens backed down and left. Meanwhile a moorhen was on the grass surrounded by fifteen or so pigeons started taking a liitle run at individual pigeons each of whom backed away. So one pigeon beats three moorhens and one moorhen beats fifteen pigeons. Go figure.
The weather also brought in a sparrowhawk which was the first time I have seen a sparrowhawk perched in the garden and also a partridge which I think was a grey partridge. My id was not certain so I can't count it as a new species. Apart from that it was the usual suspects various tits, blackbirds, dunnocks, chaffinches and robins plus some distant commotion as the resident crows chased off the heron.

2-Spot Ladybird - black form

I see a fair number of 2-spot ladybirds and have done for years. Today however was the first time I have seen the 'black' form. I have no idea how common the black form is overall but based on the last six years it is remarkably uncommon on this site.

It has been a good year for the 2-spot and the 7-spot ladybird this year. It was also OK last year but in 2008 they were less common. The only other species I have seen this year is the 14-spot and the Harlequin. In 2005 I saw the 2,7 and 14-spot and in addition the Orange Ladybird and the Eyed Ladybird. I am not sure whether their apparent absence since 2005 is natural variation in the populations, just chance as regards observation or some kind of effect of the invasive Harlequin Ladybird.

New Species - Grey Shoulder Knot

I found a moth resting on our back door when returning after a night away. I was bit daunted at first as there seemed to be lots of medium sized grey moths but I have finally identified it as a Grey Shoulder Knot (Lithophane ornitopus). Now I have identified a few moths I am encouraged to get a moth trap and really start on the many moths that inhabit the site.

New Species - Lesser Marsh Grasshopper

In August I took some pictures of a couple of grasshoppers. I had seen grasshoppers and crickets before but had struggled to photograph and ID them. I also struggled to identify the first one from my photograph - mainly because it didn't seem to fit with the ones in my insect book. I had another go today and in fact it wasn't in the book at all but seems to be a Lesser Marsh Grasshopper (Chorthippus albomarginatus)with a distinctive white line along its wing. The other grasshopper is a brown form of the same species as opposed to the green form shown above.

Grass snake picture at last

Although I see grass snakes reasonably regularly I have never managed to get a photograph (apart from one effort that was so blurred the snake looked like a twig). I was thinking the other day that I hadn't had a sighting recently but yesterday I had two excellent sightings. The first was in the moat where I normally see them but the second one was half way between the compost heap and the moat. Given that I have put a lot of effort into building a giant compost heap for the snakes to breed and hibernate in, I will take this as evidence that they are aware of it and will be using it shortly. At my approach the snake stopped and that gave me an opportunity to get a picture albeit with an unsuitable lens in gloomy conditions.

Meadow flora

My attempt at recording flower species in the meadow was partially successful. I did record 21 species of flower but I also recognise that there were a number I didn't get round to positively identifying so there is still some scope for increasing this list significantly next year. I also identified three species of grass and this is definitely only a partial record. I find grasses quite challenging to id but I have a new book by Francis Rose that is going to help me expand that list next time round. For the record the 21 species of flower are White Dead Nettle, Garlic Mustard, Meadow Buttercup, Ribwort Plantain, Cow Parsley, Common Sorrel, Stinging Nettle, Scented Mayweed, Broad-leaved Dock, Red Clover, Self Heal, Common Knapweed, Common Mouse-ear, White Clover, Ox-eye Daisy, Yarrow, Common Ragwort, Creeping Thistle, Scentless Mayweed, Bird's Foot Trefoil and Greater Plantain. The three grasses I identified were Cocksfoot, Timothy and Perrenial Rye Grass. The picture is of a patch of Scented Mayweed - one of the commoner flowers in the meadow..

Common Darter

There have been some Common Darters flying over the last few days. No pictures yet but I shall try and snap one if we have any more sunny days. It's been a very good year for dragonflies with seven confirmed species. For the record they are Southern Hawker, Emperor Dragonfly, Blue-Tailed Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Broad-Bodied Chaser and Common Darter. If I get time I shall trawl through my photos of Azure Damselflies to see if any are in fact Common Blue Damselflies just to see if I can make it eight species.

Kingfisher sighting

On my return after two weeks on holiday, I took a walk around the place and was amazed to see a kingfisher on site for the first time since February. I saw it come up from the water and settle on an overhanging branch but I was too far away to see if it had caught anything. I suspect it had as it sat on the branch for a minute or so before flying off low above the water.

I was also pleased to see seven moorhens on the lawn in a group. They are in the social phase where they hang out as a group although to be fair some are still young adults rather than fully grown so it might just be a family group. I think we started with two breeding pairs so a minimum of seven with probably a few more around as well is progress.

Shaggy Ink Cap

For once I found a Shaggy Ink Cap in perfect condition for eating. It needs to be eaten while the gills are white and firm. We had it on toast for lunch. The picture shows the ring on the stem that confirms that it is a Shaggy Ink Cap rather than a non-edible Ink Cap although the look is fairly distinctive anyway.

Butterflies - 16 species in one day

I finally got around to examining the photographs that I took on 30 July in detail. In particular I wanted to nail down whther I had seen both Large and Small Whites and make sure that I hadn't missed any species when logging them on the day. I can now confirm that I saw 16 species of butterfly on the meadow in one day - which seems amazing to me. Nothing unusual or rare it is true, but still quite a sight. For the record they were Comma, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Red Admiral, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Ringlet, Small Copper, Large White, Small White, Green-Veined White, Small Skipper and Speckled Wood. The photograph is of the underside of a Holly Blue.

Ladybird update

I saw a 14-spot ladybird today which got brought into the kitchen with some elderberries I had picked. It reminded me that I had seen very few different species of ladybird this year but on the other hand the quantity of 7-spot ladybird has been huge. There were hundreds on the low bush just outside our back door (pictured above). There have also been a reasonable number of 2-spot ladybirds and a few of the damn harlequin ladybirds early on in the season but I am not sure I have seen anything else.

New Species - Large Skipper

I have just been sorting through the butterfly photos I have taken over the last week or so and I realised that a couple of my pictures of skippers were in fact Large Skippers rather than Small Skippers. The chequered pattern visible through the underside of the wing is the giveaway. It's been a very good year for butterflies albeit I have only seen one Red Admiral and no Painted Ladies so far.

New Species - Brown Argus

The meadow is really paying off now. I have a new butterfly species - the Brown Argus. I have been agonising over whether it is a Common Blue female or a Brown Argus and after much checking of google images which were not conclusive I eventually found an excellent leaflet to help make the ID. It is by Stephen Cheshire and can be found on www.britishbutterflies.co.uk. The clinching ID was subtle differences on the markings of the undersides of the wings. I had one picture of the undersides and that proved enough. I am also able to ID it as a male brown argus from the guide based on the extent of the orange markings and the length of the abdomen.

At last - a Red Admiral

I have been surprised by the lack of them this year but saw my first one today. In fact it has been a very good butterfly day - more posts to come.

Butterflies in the meadow

The meadow is certainly starting to deliver in terms of butterflies. I recorded twelve species in one sunny day last week. For the record they were Peacock, Tortoiseshell, Small Copper, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Large White, Small White, Ringlet, Gatekeeper, Comma,, Small Skipper and a Common Blue. Still no Red Admirals this year. Pictured is the Common Blue as it my first picture of one this year.

Southern Hawker

For the first time this year I have spotted the Southern Hawker dragonfly and it is certainly the best year yet for dragonflies here on the moat with several new species and all of the old ones that would be expected by now.

Tortoiseshell caterpillars

Following the Peacock butterfly nurseries that I found on a couple of patches of nettles, there are now quite a few Tortoiseshell nurseries on nettles. They seem to have chosen the young nettles that had grown up where I strimmed them rather than the full-height nettles. That's two caterpillars I recognise now.

Moorhen chicks

Some new moorhen chicks have hatched. There is usually a second brood which is interesting as the juveniles from the first brood get roped into assisting with the upbringing. The first broods seemed to be about eight chicks from two sets of parents of which maybe four are still there. The second lot is at least four chicks. I was woken up by the heron this morning. I hope he doesn't get at the chicks.

New Species - Small Magpie moth

The meadow is yielding a few moths that I can actually photograph and this is in daylight without the need for moth traps. This is another micro moth apparently although it looks normal size to me.

Small Copper

Another day, another butterfly. This time the small copper which is perhaps the prettiest butterfly on the site. Today I saw the first one seen here this year.

Butterfly update

Another good butterfly day with seven confirmed species and that is not counting the Small Skipper or the Small White that I was not sure about. The only species that I had not already spotted this year was the gatekeeper (pictured).

New Species - Silver Y Moth

I disturbed a moth while walking in the meadow and once it had settled again I took a quick photo. It seems it is a Silver Y moth.

Pheasant chicks

I reported before on the pair of pheasants that seemed to have taken up residence. Yesterday I disturbed two pheasant chicks on the path in the meadow. They took off in opposite directions when they spotted me and though they had only gone a few feet into the long grass I couldn't see them at all - so no photograph yet.

Butterfly update

The last week has been a good one for butterflies. There are heaps of Meadow Browns and Tortoiseshells around and also some Speckled Woods and Large Whites. Today I saw the first Small Skipper of the year (and I didn't see one last year) and also the first Ringlet of the year (pictured). The only thing I would have expected to have seen by now which has not been observed is a Red Admiral.

Moorhen juveniles

There were around eight moorhen chicks around and then they all seemed to disappear and we suspect that was because of the presence of the heron or worst case was the result of the heron eating them. However the heron has been around less in the last few days and some at least of the moorhen chicks seemed to have re-emerged. I think there are four at least and of course they are juveniles now and look quite different to the colouring they have as a small chick. They have raided my gooseberries and raided my strawberries and now those are both netted they are waiting for the plums to ripen so they can steal a few of those as well.

Peacock butterfly nursery

The day after I arranged to get some of the meadow cut - those bits dominated by big stands of nettles, docks or thistles - I found one section of nettles covered in Peacock caterpillars. There are hundreds of them. I shall of course spare this particular patch of nettles.

New Species - Six-spot Burnet

No picture unfortunately - the inconsiderate moth had disappeared in the time it took me to get my camera but it was a Six-spot Burnet. The vivid colours of this dayflying moth are a warning to predators that they are going to get poisoned. The meadow is starting to prove fruitful for new insect species after all.

Ducklings update

It's been a strange season for mallard ducklings. First there have been relatively few born; just two broods, one of nine and one of two ducklings. Secondly there was the way that the nine were taken off the moat directly and led away up the stream by the mother. The nine became four surviving ducklings and they have been seen from time to time on the moat whilst the two ducklings stayed around until they disappeared a few weeks ago. However no ducklings at all had been seen for several weeks until about ten days ago when the four plus mother started coming again and spending hours and days sleeping on the lawn by the moat (see picture). The youngsters are pretty nearly fully grown but still hang around as a family group with the mother watching out for them. The one with the head injury seems to get on perfectly OK so that has presumably healed up just leaving a circular scar. That is the thing with mallards, every brood is different and parenting techniques differ widely.

Meadow flowers

Now that the horses are no longer using the field I have a growing meadow and a chance to spot the flowers that are there. So far I have logged field buttercup, white dead-nettle, garlic mustard, ribwort plantain, cow parsley, common sorrel, stinging nettle, scented mayweed, broad-leaved dock, red clover, self heal, common knapweed, common mouse ear, white clover and yesterday ox-eye daisy (pictured). Nothing unusual but it makes for an attractive meadow scene. I am slightly surprised there are not higher insect densities given the flowers that are now flowering. Maybe they will take a year to build up.

Heron(s) resident?

There has been a heron pretty much living on site for the last few days. I am a bit concerned on what it might eat but as long as it sticks to sticklebacks in the moat then it is not a problem. At least it enabled me to get a picture that is in focus.

Barn Owl - heard but not seen

A barn owl was around last night but I was already in bed so I didn't manage to see it. Now that I have managed to get a Heron on film I think a Barn Owl is the next target

A pair of herons

Herons have been seenhere regularly but not frequently over the last couple of years. In the last couple of weeks there has been a number of sightings, which concerns me a bit because there are still one or two small moorhen chicks around. However yesterday at around five o'clock I was amazed to see two herons flying past the open back door. My rushed picture (apologies for the quality) was the first time I have managed to get a heron on film as they always fly away when spotted. On returning at 10:30pm we again disturbed two herons who were close to our back door. I am puzzling as to what they were up to.

New Species - Emperor Dragonfly

I didn't have to rely on my dodgy photos of a few days ago as the dragonfly I was hoping to confirm came back and I got a proper picture of it when it settled on a reed. Britain's largest dragonfly is here on the moat. It has been a great month for dragonflies and there are still some days of June left.

New Species - Blue-tailed Damselfly

It's been a good month for the dragonfly order with several new species recorded. This is mostly for damselflies (although I have a new dragonfly as well - I am just trying to confirm it from my dodgy photographs). The latest 'recruit' is the Blue-tailed Damselfly and there have been quite a few around in the last couple of days. They are a very common species so it is not a surprising discovery. There are also a lot of Azure Damselflies around. I also got a glimpse of a Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly yesterday, the first sighting of this year.

New Species - Ghost Moth

I was having a wander through the growing meadow area which is getting tall now the horses have gone when I spotted a moth clinging to a buttercup stem. It turned out to be a female Ghost Moth ( Hepialus humuli) which fortunately was the first entry in my weighty Field Guide on moths. It boasts a long body and an extravagant hairstyle but is apparently technically a micro moth, albeit a very large one.

Ducklings update

I hadn't seen any ducklings on the moat for a couple of weeks until today. I suspect that now that fishing has been stopped on the pond next door it provides an alternative site for them. The family of four ducklings were back today looking almost adult although the mother is still slightly larger than her brood. The duckling pictured has sustained some sort of injury behind its eye although it seemed to be swimming and functioning alright.

New Species - Large Red Damselfly

This was considerably easier to identify (than the Azure Damselfly) given that there are only two red damselflies and one is restricted to heathland in Southern England and Wales. This brings the species of Odonata (Dragonflies) firmly identified to five: Southern Hawker, Common Darter, Broad-bodied Chaser, Azure Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly. I hope I can add a couple of species to that list this summer.

New Species - Azure Damselfly

I saw a blue damselfly a few days ago and assumed it was a Common Blue Damselfly. Today there were a few damselflies about and I managed to get a picture of the blue. It took a long time but eventually I identified it as an Azure Damselfly based on the shape of the black markings on segment 2 and the markings on segment 9. I never thought I would get that deeply into damselfly markings.

Good Year for Yellow Flags

Just about my favourite flower on the site and they seem to be increasing year on year. This clump is one of several and there are scores of flowers on it.

Swarm

I am not sure it counts as wildlife but we had a swarm of honey bees in the garden yesterday. The initial swarm was so dramatic I didn't check my camera settings and the picture is a bit washed out. They then settled on the trunk of the plum tree before being retrieved in expert fashion by my neighbour Frank who keeps bees and where they had come from originally.

New Species - Hornet

The Hornet (Vespa crabro) is Britain's largest wasp and generally more common down south than in the midlands (though climate change may be affecting that). This is the first I have seen here.

Ducklings update

The two ducklings on the moat continue to thrive. I am continually amazed at how different Mallard families are. This one has a drake in close attendance which is unusual and the ducklings are unusally independent. They tend to stick together but can be seen all over the moat with no adult in evidence. When the four of them, adults and ducklings, get together however they hang out on the bank in close order.

This evening we were visited by the original brood of nine (now five) who had been sighted on a nearby pond. They have no drake and the mother keeps them close at all times. They were back in the stream so I am not sure whether they have been on the moat itself but it confirms that the two ducklings are a different brood.

STOP PRESS - just seen them feeding on the moat

Moorhen chicks at last

Yesterday we saw the first moorhen chicks of the season. They were difficult to count but there appeared to be more than three. This morning I thought I saw six sitting on a floating reed but I can definitely confirm five when I saw them later swimming together with an adult. I think there are eight in total but I am unsure whether that is one brood or two. All will be revealed in the next few days I'm sure. Given that they have been diminishing in number and we normally see the chicks earlier than this it is great to see the chicks at last.

Goldcrest update

A month ago I posted that a Goldcrest had been seen on site as it was a new species for me here. Yesterday I managed to see the tiny bird myself close up and get a photograph of sorts. It was in our Norway Spruce tree and from its behaviour it looks as if it may have a nest in the tree.

Close encounter with a Sparrowhawk

A sparrowhawk flew within a couple of feet of me before veering off into the trees which caused much alarm from the songbirds. It seemed to be on a preysnatching course and I can only assume it knows about a nest behind the shed I was standing next to. I can't see one but I am not sure why else it was swooping down and why it didn't apparently take any notice of me until it was so close.

Blue Tit nesting

For the past few years there have been blue tits nesting just above the front door behind a tiny hole in the stone. I spotted that they were back a few days ago and managed to get a picture yesterday. Both parents were busy flitting to and from the nest yesterday so I presume they are feeding some chicks.

Ducklings update

There are two ducklings currently being reared on the moat. I believe they are not the remnants of the nine ducklings who were born on the moat who moved off up the stream as these have been seen elsewhere in the village. Why there are only two in the brood I am not sure. The mother is attentive but unusually she also has a stay-at-home drake who is often seen with them. All four were resting on the bank this afternoon although my picture does not include the drake. He was disturbed by my photography and moved off

More Butterflies

A second wave of Orange Tips have been flying over the last couple of days. It has certainly been a good year for them so far. There have also been a few Speckled Woods.

New species - Mint moth

I am teetering on engaging with the moth species that are around but haven't yet done so. However one was resting on my side door today so I took a picture and set about searching for it in my 'Field Guide to Moths'. I was puzzling as to why it wasn't in the book until I read the forward where it said that it did not cover micro moths. I hadn't even realised there were such things but this moth was certainly small and a bit of internet research using the excellent ukmoths.org.uk provided the answer. The moth is Pyrausta aurata and is known as the Mint moth as that is one of the larval foods.

New species - Mistle Thrush

This is one of those species that I was expecting I might see at some point and today at last one has appeared. I spotted it because of an altercation it was having with a magpie who was presumably after its eggs or chicks. The altercation continued during the day with the thrush gamely chasing the magpie away on several ocassions.

Duckling drama

There was a duck with just two ducklings on the moat today. I was wondering whether this is the remains of the nine ducklings that were born a few days ago and taken away up the stream by the mother. Certainly the ducklings seem fairly disobedient paying the ducks commands little mind. I am always amazed at how different broods are and mothers are in the mallard world. Anyway I was watching them when dramatically a heron appeared and started circling and I wondered whether it was after the ducklings. Before I had time to get too concerned one of the resident crows attacked the heron and chased it away. The crow almost made contact a couple of times and the slow pace of the heron's wingbeats made the scene exciting as the crow accelerated towards it at high speed. Those crows fear nothing and will chase buzzards and whole gangs of rooks or jackdaws without a second thought.

Dryad's Saddle back, bigger and better

A beech stump I used as a seat had been occupied by a Dryad's Saddle for around three years but it seems to have gone as the fruiting body has not come back this year. However I found a large example with various fruiting bodies with the whole thing around two feet across on a tree stump by the moat so I guess that might be offspring......

Engaging with snails

I was shifting a wood pile and I came across three snails which I assumed were two different species. However a bit of investigation reveals that they all three are the same species and that this snail is highly variable in colouration and markings. Cepaea nemoralis is one of our commonest snails and all of the pictures above are of them. Only another 89 UK species to go.....

First ducklings of 2010

Nine ducklings hatched today. The mother led them from the moat and into the stream. The only reason I can think of is that there are four drakes that are hanging around and she may fear that they could harm the brood. I left her alone after taking the photo so I am not sure whether they will be coming back or not.

Early Season Butterflies

The two sunny periods over the last couple of weeks have brought out the early butterflies (Brimstone, Orange Tip, Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Comma). This weekend I saw my first blue - a Holly Blue (shown above). Their food plants are the Holly and the Ivy and we have lots of both so I am surprised I don't see more of this species.