Grey Wagtail

Not a common visitor to the Moat House. It was hopping around in what little water remains in the moat in this very very dry year.

Sparrowhawks

I like sparrowhawks as much as the next man but I resented the presence of a family of sparrowhawks which hung around for a couple of weeks. The main problem was that they were predating moorhens which had just built their numbers up after last winter's 'fox on the ice' incident. All the normal songbirds just made themselves scarce once the fledgling sparrowhawks and their industrious parent set themselves up in the trees around the moat but the moorhens had to stay. The sparrowhawks were also predating other birds but I know they took at least five moorhens. The adult sparrowhawk would return from a hunting trip, prey in its talons and would call out the young who would fly out from the trees. In an aerial ballet the adult would then hover and release the prey for the youngster to catch it in mid air. Pretty impressive stuff except for the thought that the prey might be a moorhen. I probably should have been taking award winning photographs of their activity but instead I just climbed trees and made noise to try and frighten them away. It didn't work but having been away for a few days I finds that peace has broken out and the sparrowhawks seem to have moved on.

Butterflies

Definitely not as numerous as last year but I am encouraged by the recent positive ID of an Essex Skipper. Whereas I saw 16 species in one day at the end of July last year I have probably seen 10 or so species in the few days over the end of July and beginning of August. They include Large White, Common Blue (pictured), Small Copper, Comma, Peacock, Essex Skipper, Brown Argus, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper and Red Admiral.

New Species - Essex Skipper

It is always a red-letter day for me to confirm a new butterfly species. The identification of the Essex Skipper makes it 21 species now for the site and makes up somewhat for the at best average season overall for butterflies this year.

I have suspected we have had the Essex Skipper but until now I have not got the photograph to prove it, showing the underside of the antennae. The Essex Skipper is very similar to the Small Skipper but has black undersides to the tip of the antennae.

QED

Fledgling crow

I took this picture yesterday of what I think must be a fledgling crow. I was attracted first by a noise and saw one of our resident crows seeing a sparrowhawk off the premises. I then noticed this bird which I assume is a fledgling crow although I have never seen a crow with white feathers before. I don't know whether this is just white that will grow out with time or a colour abnormality.

New Species - Sloe Shield Bug

I have seen Shield Bugs before but I don't think I have seen this particular one. It took me a while to identify because it is not the adult but is a nymph and looks significantly different to the adult. I found it resting on the field shelter I was painting and I had to move it as it showed no signs of going under its own steam.

Update on ducklings and moorhen chicks

The three main sets of ducklings that are on the moat this year exhibit quite different parenting styles. The first brood to be born - a set of twelve were given lots of freedom from the off and they spread themselves around the moat foraging far from their mother at an early age. The second brood of ten born a week or so later have been very much under close control. They can be seen swimming in formation behind their mum and keeping close to her at most times. The picture above is of this brood resting on the exposed mud at the side of the moat (it has been very dry this year so far). A third brood of four ducklings is under an even closer regime. They are younger it is true but they are to be found sleeping under the outstretched wings of the mother rather than in a pile beside her. She also takes issue with the older ducklings who might stray too close to her four.

Meanwhile the moorhen chicks are doing OK. There seem to be around five or so spread around the moat. They need a good survival rate this summer to build up the numbers as a good group of moorhens provides entertainment all year round.

And now moorhen chicks

The first moorhen chicks for this year have been born. There are three in the brood and one was right in the centre of the moat - a bit reckless if you ask me. The other two were keeping well hidden in the reeds. Unlike ducklings who immediately start swimmming strongly and feeding, moorhen chicks seem much more helpless in their first few days and are fed by the parents.

Bunch of ducklings

I always enjoy seeing a brood of ducklings in a pile on the lawn - here's a picture from yesterday.

More ducklings

Hatched today I think. There's ten of these which added to the previous brood of twelve makes a running total of 22. The record was I think 52 in 2007 but that would take some beating. In any case twenty odd ducklings is about the most the moat can sustain at any one time. These ten are keeping close to mum whilst the original twelve are whizzing about the moat feeding.

Magpie mobbing

I was watching a fledgling songthrush (pictured) when it suddenly ran into the long grass for cover and I could hear blackbird alarm calls. The cause was a magpie in the vicinity. I walked over to where the magpie was, to find it being mobbed by the thrush parent plus two blackbirds in a concerted attack. It was just about standing its ground but my appearance tipped the balance and it went away to find easier prey. I was just intrigued to see a joint attack by two different, albeit closely related, species

Ducklings!

We arrived home after a weekend away to find the first ducklings of the season - twelve ducklings that look a couple of days old rather than newly hatched. There is a drake on duty but also a drake that the female is not happy to have around and there have been some mallard fisticuffs as she and the preferred drake chase him away. The ducklings are at the flycatching phase and that is one of my favourite sights as they paddle like mad and stretch their necks trying to gobble up small flies flying just above the water.

Newts

I have only once seen a newt in the moat before yesterday when I came across two together swimming around a floating reed. I have been surprised that I haven't seen them more often. I think they were common newts but I can't be certain as the size and other features were not easy to see whilst they were under water.

Bee Identification

Not at all easy I find but I had a go today when I found separately two dead bees in the garden. I am pretty sure one is a social bumblebee and one a cuckoo bumblebee but I don't feel confident I have nailed down the species in either case. I think the social bumblebee (on the left above) is either Bombus pratorum or Bombus terrestris. The cuckoo bumblebee (so named because they steal the nests and worker bees of social bumblebees)looks like it is either Bombus bohemicus or Bombus vestalis. Thanks to Mike Edwards and Martin Jenner who wrote the Field Guide to Bumblebees used to try and ID these bees

Ducklings expected

There is plenty of mallard activity including at least two pairs around the moat. The social life of mallards is complex so I am not always up to speed with the situation and sometimes the ducklings arrival is unexpected. Today two males were sleeping on the lawn. I am not sure whether they are two expectant fathers killing time whilst their mates are on the nest or just two stray males hanging out. In any case I am hopeful of some ducklings , if not this month then early in May.

Sticklebacks

I saw some sticklebacks in the moat yesterday. Hopefully the kingfisher will also spot them and go back to the daily visits that are so good to watch. My last sighting of a kingfisher was last September so we are overdue a visit.

Spring is here (part 2)

I saw the first Brimstone butterfly of the season yesterday - another sign for me that spring has arrived. The Brimstone is the only butterfly of the twenty species that I have recorded on the site that I have never managed to photograph. They are strong flyers and always seem to be passing through rather than fluttering around.

Spring is here

The frogs are spawning and making their usual noise about it. I suspect the mallards eat the frogspawn - there were certainly a pair of mallards close to the spawnfest anyway.

Garden Birdwatch 2011

I was away during the RSPB birdwatch so I did mine a few days late, just so I had a comparison year-on-year. It was a surprising set of birds missing the almost everpresent moorhens that we see all the time and also missing a number of common and regular birds such as sparrows, chaffinches and blue tits. However I did see most of these later in the day so I think it was just a matter of the specific timing. The last three years have seen increasing numbers of species each year - from 11 to 14 to 16 species last year. This time there were 10 species and that included mallards who have been on the moat in numbers recently - six were seen on the birdwatch.

New Species - Common Snipe

It's always good to record a new bird species on site although it's much better if I actually spot the bird. This report comes from a reliable source however. During the cold snap when almost every bit of water locally was frozen, a couple of snipe were seen in the stream. Next time I hope I get the nod as well so I can take a photograph.

Water Birds update

The big freeze has naturally affected the various water-based birds we see in different ways. Now that it is over (for the moment at least) we have mallards back on the moat. They usually appear in late January or early February once again so they are maybe a week or so early. They are in the partnering up phase and the mixture of five drakes and four ducks was bound to lead to some competition. Two drakes were arguing over a female and had a fight using their beaks seeming to try and grab hold of each others beak. It lasted about ten seconds and then a winner was declared who went to swim next to the watching duck.
Not so good for the moorhens. A fox used the ice on the moat covering the snow on top of the ice with tracks. We had seven moorhens - there seem to be only one or two now. All that careful breeding last year has been undone it seems. Hopefully some more will come in from neighbouring ponds to give us two or three breeding pairs in due course.
No sign if the kingfisher for a few months and no sign of the heron for a few weeks. I hope the kingfisher comes back in the spring. If he does I will definitely get a better photograph this time.