bogbumper

Winter sun for Ladybirds

2012-01-16T17:32:00.000Z

I can see you, hiding on the south-facing side of the fenceposts...

Bright and beautiful

2012-01-15T17:24:00.000Z

I've been ringing in my garden again.

I caught my first Goldfinch, a young male

Red which extends behind the eye shows it's a boy

And with a narrow, worn tail like that, he has to be one of last year's young (see how much more quickly the white bits wear)

I think we've met somewhere before...

It was the fourth time I'd caught this female Great Spotted Woodpecker (can't tell how old she is though). I've ringed four woodpeckers in the garden but this is the only one I've re-caught.

As a repeat offender (or maybe frequent flyer) I think she needs a name... Since my neighbour Laura put the ring on, and Laura's from Finland, I've decided on Käpytikka, the Finnish name for Dendrocopos major. See you again soon!

At the bottom of the garden...

2012-01-02T17:35:00.000Z

Hurray! I've finally got my first set of rings. My joy was tempered slightly by the cost, but poverty is all part of being a ringer. So I've wasted no time in trying to catch birds...

These ones are in my new garden. I have mostly been catching Blue and Great Tits, but there have been a few other bits and pieces, too.

Birds about to be extracted from the net

Treecreeper (check out the talons). They always look grumpy

Long-tailed Tit

I caught three Great Spotted Woodpeckers in one afternoon. Damage to my eardrums and hands was not inconsiderable, but I've recovered. Ear defenders would be handy, though.

Great Spotted Woodpecker (female)

Great Spotted Woodpecker (male)

Blue Tit with wonky bill, but it was in good shape so still feeding OK

While at my parents' over Christmas, I couldn't resist trying to catch some of their garden birds. It was mostly a fruitless exercise (someone down the road is clearly sucking in birds from miles around) but I caught a few (no, really, a few. Three Dunnocks and a Robin. Woodpigeon, Collared Dove and Goldfinch all wriggled out before I could extract them!).

The first bird to get one of my rings - a Dunnock. Dull brown eye says it's a young bird

Another Dunnock - bright reddish-brown eye says it's an older bird

My first rings

iPhonescoping: the return?

2011-12-30T17:52:00.000Z

Mallard digiscoped through Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece, Apple iPhone 4S and bodged-together adaptor

The shortest day

2011-12-21T19:23:00.000Z

Like last year, I spent 21 December on the farm trying to catch some birds. 21 December 2010 was cold and snowy, we caught lots of birds and had a big jar of Quality Street to devour. Sadly 2011 was not quite as successful.

But we caught a few birds around the farm orchard.

male House Sparrow

female House Sparrow

'Fascinating' fact: Both adult and juvenile House Sparrows do a complete moult after the breeding season (though obviously not all at once - that would be silly). So once that's complete you can't tell how old they are. But you can tell whether they're male or female.

Coal Tit (sex unknown)

Coal Tit was a good catch for the farm, with only a couple ever caught there before.

'Fascinating' fact: You can tell how old Coal Tits are at this time of year (though I forgot to photograph the relevant bit). Young birds don't moult all of their greater coverts, so if you look carefully you can see difference in colour between the old ones and the new ones.

photos taken with Apple iPhone 4S

Red and white and frosty

2011-12-17T12:30:00.000Z

photos taken with Apple iPhone 4S

BOOM!

2011-12-12T17:40:00.003Z

Waiting for high tide and birds at Beaumaris

I've been for a wet and cold weekend in Wales (who'd have thought that Wales would be wet and cold in December?). But there was a good reason: to see cannon netting for the first time. After much briefing, we arrived at Beaumaris on Anglesey before dawn and set up the net. Then we waited in freezing cold temperatures for a few hours until high tide had pushed the roosting waders into position.

One of the 90 'retrap' Dunlin

One large explosion later, we had a net full of c330 unringed Dunlin, c90 ringed ones, and six unringed Turnstones. I'm glad I couldn't see me 'sprinting' the 150m (while wearing chest waders) between our waiting position and the net on the beach (sorry for anyone who saw).

Inside the hide at Bangor

On Sunday we tried again at Bangor harbour (having failed on Saturday). It was horribly rainy and we then had to wait for the tide again. I was pretty lucky to wait inside the [leaky, hessian] hide instead of outside.

It would have the ideal place to have seen the red button being pressed... but unfortunately, the birds didn't get into the right position for us and once more, we didn't get to fire the net.

Pretty exciting stuff. And we had a great pizza (with free pint) at Gallt y Glyn on Saturday night. Thanks to the SCAN crew for showing me the ropes!

photos taken with iPhone 4S

Small and sharp

2011-11-20T19:16:00.000Z

I spent all day ringing at Castor Hanglands near Peterborough. We caught some nice birds - Marsh Tit, Treecreeper, a lot of retrap Long-tailed Tits (some a couple of years old), and this Sparrowhawk.

Before ringing a Sparrowhawk, you need to know for sure whether it's male or female. Males are much smaller and take a smaller ring than females. So you measure the wing and its leg...

This is a male. Mind those talons!

The feet are ready to grab you at all times...

The pointy end! Don't worry about the hooked beak, worry about these

Happy ringer (see how small the bird is)

The fog never really lifted all day...

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D

Captured!

2011-11-19T13:26:00.000Z

I had my first attempt at ringing in my new garden today. It started well, with three birds in the net within 15 minutes, but that was the lot and I caught nothing else before finally giving up around lunchtime.

Great Tit: quizzical

Coal Tit: innocent

Blue Tit: "Grrrrr"

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

The leaves of Beeston

2011-11-13T12:12:00.000Z

and, er, a flag

photos taken with iPhone and Hipstamatic app

Leaves at The Lodge

2011-11-09T12:26:00.000Z

photos taken with iPhone and Hipstamatic app

Birds I haven't ringed lately

2011-10-28T12:42:00.000+01:00

Whoa! Firecrest!

Firecrest (left) and Goldcrest (right). They're actually the same size

Whoa! A massive bird of prey!

Er, no, not really. Just a little male Sparrowhawk hatched this year

Sadly, I didn't get to ring either the Firecrest or the Sparrowhawk, though I have done both before so it was only fair that someone else had a turn (grits teeth).

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Last few of the year?

2011-10-21T12:53:00.000+01:00

photos taken with iPhone and Hipstamatic app

Autumn leaves

2011-10-19T20:01:00.001+01:00

Autumn leaves, a photo by Katie Fuller on Flickr.

Lepidoptera

2011-09-27T21:08:00.000+01:00

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Baby owls!

2011-09-19T21:16:00.000+01:00

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D and 50mm lens

Lady Hawker

2011-09-15T21:13:00.000+01:00

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

I have punted on the Cam

2011-09-11T21:05:00.000+01:00

... not very far, admittedly - I prefer to leave it to those who know what they're doing ;o)

Been busy...

2011-09-09T21:27:00.000+01:00

Wednesday dawn

*Only* one Wryneck this year...

When a man (or woman) is tired of Wrynecks, he is tired of life

Ringing tick - a Greenland Wheatear. Big bugger

Kingfisher...

One of three Water Rails, this one hatched earlier this year

And another the same age

Female Mallard

Wing of male Mallard

And a female Blackcap with funny wings. New feathers growing seemed OK though

Rings around the world

2011-08-02T19:19:00.000+01:00

Well... rings that have travelled from one part of Bedfordshire to another.

Reed Warbler - originally ringed at Willington last summer, caught near Sandy carrying lots of fat

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker, which won't have travelled anywhere

Turtle Dove nest - did contain two chicks, now sadly empty after they got eaten

Pliers

The ringing book. 'DUNNO' is for Dunnock, not... 'dunno...'

Ruler and callipers

Fat reserves for ringers

Speckled

2011-07-17T21:29:00.000+01:00

Juvenile Green Woodpecker ringed today at Beeston

and a juvenile Nightingale at Paxton Pits

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D or Canon Powershot A640

Barn Owls

2011-07-12T20:36:00.000+01:00

I've been out for the day, ringing Barn Owls in Cambridgeshire.

The owls themselves (this is a young owl, almost ready to fly) are beautifully coloured and softer than you could imagine.

But the feet are something else! I'm glad I'm not a vole...

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D

Waresley Wood in summer

2011-07-10T22:38:00.000+01:00

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

A return visit

2011-07-09T22:34:00.000+01:00

I can't get enough of Silver-washed Fritillaries!

Small Skipper

Marbled White

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM, Extender EF 1.4x II photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

A tale of three hawk-moths

2011-07-07T22:21:00.010+01:00

Hummingbird Hawk-moth at The Lodge

Elephant Hawk-moth

and Privet Hawk-moth - the two highlights of my experimental moth trapping in my garden. These two aside, it's not going very well at the moment. Need bigger, brighter bulb...

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D + EF 300mm f/4L IS USM and Canon Powershot A640

The future is orange

2011-07-03T17:59:00.000+01:00

Mmmm... Silver-washed Fritillary

and Large Skipper

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Rings and tings

2011-06-26T17:12:00.000+01:00

Two species newly added to my birds-I've-ringed list: Nightingale and Swift. Special birds.

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640 and iPhone 3GS

Pondlife

2011-06-22T17:03:00.000+01:00

Blue-tailed Damselflies

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Four-spotted Chaser

Emperor egglaying

Waterlily

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

6.47am

2011-06-11T18:10:00.001+01:00

6.47am: juvenile Marsh Tit (you can see the pale 'cutting edge' to the bill)

Dragged myself out of bed to get to Paxton for ringing at 4.50am... It was a lovely morning with a few nice things, including the first Nightingale I've ringed, juvenile Marsh Tit, Treecreeper, Song Thrush, Willow Warbler and Garden Warbler, loads of Robins, a couple of Reed Warblers and a Blackcap control (a bird ringed somewhere else).

I had to go to bed when I got home though.

photo taken with Canon Powershot A640

Curruca and communis

2011-06-04T21:01:00.002+01:00

Lesser Whitethroat

Whitethroat

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Feathery things

2011-05-29T08:45:00.000+01:00

I've been doing a bit of ringing lately...

Female Swallow we caught in a mist-net at Beeston, right next to the bird feeders! Don't think she was after sunflower hearts, somehow...

Juvenile Long-tailed Tit

and juvenile Chaffinch, both from Beeston. You can see the primaries are still growing out of their 'pins' (sheaths)

Adult female Starling, whoosh-netted in a Biggleswade garden

She was growing new tail feathers. For Starlings, it's autumn already

Cetti's Warbler at Paxton Pits - the first-ever to be trapped and ringed there

A male Nightingale originally caught at Paxton a couple of years ago

Damsels

2011-05-27T18:45:00.001+01:00

Azure Damselflies

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Large Red Damselfly

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Swallow over the lettuce field

2011-05-13T20:25:00.000+01:00

photo taken with iPhone and Hipstamatic app

Insects are out and about!

2011-05-11T13:27:00.000+01:00

Small Copper

Brown Argus

Common Blue

Orange-tip

Green-veined White

Four-spotted Chaser

Azure Damselfly

Large Red Damselfly

not sure about this one...

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Look me in the eye

2011-05-07T13:28:00.004+01:00

As Imperfect and Tense said, the last thing many a juicy worm sees.

Went ringing this morning. Only caught four birds (enough to go round the three ringers, with one spare), but even a humble Blackbird's pretty good really, isn't it...?

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

If you go down to the woods today

2011-04-19T21:29:00.000+01:00

photo taken with iPhone & Hipstamatic app

A spring morning

2011-04-17T15:54:00.000+01:00

Sun, river and cattle

2011-04-16T19:56:00.001+01:00

Daisy, daisy

2011-04-12T19:23:00.002+01:00

photo taken with Canon Powershot A640

Where've you been?

2011-04-09T23:01:00.002+01:00

This Blackcap already had a ring put on by somebody, somewhere else. But where and when?

photo taken with Canon Powershot A640

Budding, blossoming, bloomin' hot

2011-04-08T23:01:00.000+01:00

Buds, budding

Dunnock collecting food for its brood

Blossom, blossoming

The Chaffinch that got away

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Summer's here

2011-04-07T20:26:00.000+01:00

photo taken with iPhone and Hipstamatic app

Hawkeye

2011-03-27T20:37:00.000+01:00

The eyes have it

You've got to keep a firm grip, or the hawk won't hesitate to grip you...

Massive thanks to my trainer, Del, for phoning me when he'd caught this male Sparrowhawk in his garden and then letting me come round to ring it!

You always handle any bird with respect, but when it's got razor-sharp talons ready to grab you, and a bit of an attitude, you're onto another level entirely...

In the final picture you can see the contrast in the secondaries (and alula) between older, brownish, feathers, and newer bluish-grey ones. That shows that this bird hatched the year before last.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D

First of the year

2011-03-22T13:48:00.000Z

photo taken with iPhone and Hipstamatic app

Frolicking frogs

2011-03-20T12:52:00.000Z

Went ringing again this morning. Didn't catch much, but the garden pond was stuffed full of these fantastic frogs. Love 'em!

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

C'mon, spring

2011-03-19T21:51:00.000Z

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Ringing at Beeston

2011-03-13T17:22:00.000Z

We we were on track to get the 2,000th bird ever to be ringed at Beeston today, and so we did. And at least it wasn't a Dunnock or Blue Tit (though they're nice in their own ways, we catch them all the time). It was a handsome male Goldfinch.

Male Goldfinch - the 2,000th bird to be ringed at Beeston

We also caught a handful of Siskins, which we don't normally... The first bird of the day was an adult male which was laden with fat (fuel for migration) and weighed in excess of 16g. The other Siskins we trapped were more around the 13g mark. Quite a big difference for a small bird.

First bird of the morning - an adult male Siskin

Smallest, lightest bird of the day - a male Goldcrest, which tipped the scales at less than 5g!

Male Reed Bunting caught in the garden

Mistletoe - untouched by birds!

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Budding

2011-03-07T19:40:00.002Z

photo taken with iPhone and Hipstamatic app

Spring at The Lodge

2011-02-25T20:45:00.000Z

photos taken with iPhone and Hipstamatic app

Number 1 and Number 60

2011-01-04T21:32:00.000Z

Can you guess my mystery bird?

Oh OK, it wasn't really that difficult...

I don't do a lot of running... but when I saw this big brown thing in the net ahead of me, I ran as fast as I could (luckily it wasn't that far). This Woodcock was the first bird I extracted and ringed this year. What a way to start! If things carry on like this I'll be very happy.

I remembered seeing one ringed before but I didn't think I'd ringed it. Well, actually, the blog says that I did, so I suppose I must have! Either way, it's become number 60 on my list of birds-that-I-have ringed.

This Woodcock was an adult. You look at the tips of the primary coverts (check out Javier Blasco-Zumeta's PDF) - if they're pale, it's an adult; if they're the same chestnut-brown as the other bits of the feather, it hatched in the previous spring. You can't really see them in these photos, but look, here's one I made earlier.

Or, if you prefer, have a look at Peregrine's amazing photos of flying Woodcock. This one's an adult, and this one's a youngster.

photos taken with iPhone

2010 in pictures

2010-12-31T10:25:00.000Z

January: sunset over the Ivel valley

February: Loch Ken

March: Lesser Diving Beetle in the garden pond

April: blackthorn blossom at Castor Hanglands

May: ringing Starling chicks in the nestboxes at Hope Farm

June: Large Skipper at Beeston (taken with my phone!)

July: moth trapping frenzy at just gone 0500 hrs...

August: Painted Lady on buddleia in the garden

September: Southern Hawker over the garden pond

October: sweet chestnut time for a Grey Squirrel at The Lodge

November: newt rescue at The Lodge

December: Woodcock tracks (I think) in snow at... The Lodge

1,000 posts later...

2010-12-26T12:14:00.000Z

Believe it or not, this is the thousandth blog post I've written here. How on earth did that happen?

Maybe 'written' is too strong a word, as recently most posts have consisted of photos accompanied by the barest of captions. Hopefully next year I'll get round to being a good blog writer, with proper writing and everything. But it's still 1,000 posts though, words or no words.

Things have changed a bit. I've moved, and left my garden out in the sticks - and the pond - behind. I'm sad about it but I'm trying to look on the bright side. If it wasn't for me, there would have been no pond there - no breeding Great Crested Newts, no dragonflies or beetles or caddis larvae and all the rest of it. I've done my bit for the Million Ponds Project (well, sort of - it doesn't meet the criteria but the newts and the clear water say it's OK!).

I just hope the next tenants appreciate the pond, so I'm in the process of writing some stuff about it for them to read.

On the other hand, some things don't change. I'm visiting my mum and dad for Christmas and I still enjoy watching the birds in their garden, which I suppose is where my interest in nature started...

This morning I peered out of the window and saw a Goldcrest feeding in a conifer - I'd have been quite excited about that as an eight-year-old. Actually, it's still good. Eight-year-old Katie would have liked the Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer feeding on the snowy lawn, the Goldfinches in the tree and the Pied Wagtail sitting on the trellis, too. But I bet there aren't as many Starlings and House Sparrows now as there were back then.

Here's to the future!

Kes

2010-12-21T19:58:00.000Z

Been outside all day, bird ringing (predictably). Though it's quite cold outside and times are hard for wildlife, we didn't encounter any problems with the birds, except the fact that there were tons and tons of them, and we didn't catch them all! - "only" 102 in total.

The stars of the show included an adult female Kestrel (pictured), about 30 Blackbirds, c20 Yellowhammers (including one from 2004!), a Woodpigeon and a decent assortment of Redwings, Song Thrushes, Bullfinches, Reed Buntings, Dunnocks, Robins - even a few Blue Tits...

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D

The Lodge in The Snow

2010-12-20T20:41:00.000Z

Frosty finch

2010-12-16T20:08:00.000Z

This beautiful male Brambling was the star bird of our monthly ringing session at Beeston.

Frost and snow

2010-12-11T12:27:00.000Z

Think these are Woodcock tracks

Add caption

Icy spiders' webs

An icy, frosty Lodge

Manx Loghtans grazing in the frost

Bitter oranges

the Ivel valley

icy windscreen

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D or Canon Powershot A640

Late autumn at The Lodge

2010-11-24T12:28:00.009Z

Cute newt

2010-11-11T19:53:00.003Z

A Smooth Newt I rescued this morning from hiding underneath a door. Good luck, small amphibian.

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Migrant Hawker (deceased)

2010-11-04T12:47:00.000Z

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

An unusual visitor

2010-10-31T12:34:00.007Z

Don't get many of these in the garden. It appeared for just one morning only and promptly vanished. It makes the one we actually trapped and ringed in 2007 seem even more remarkable - Tree Sparrows are notoriously tricky to catch.

photo taken with Canon Powershot A640 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece

Birds in the net

2010-10-30T22:19:00.015+01:00

Early start - got up at 4.45am. Didn't get home til about 9.30pm. Between these times I was at Castor Hanglands, one of my old stomping grounds near Peterborough.

Lesser Redpoll

11 in the net!

We caught about 120 birds...

Lesser Redpoll
Siskin
Chaffinch
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Coal Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Marsh Tit
Treecreeper
Blackbird
Redwing
Song Thrush
Tree Sparrow
Goldcrest
Sparrowhawk!

Juvenile male Sparrowhawk

For me, this was the highlight: a juvenile male Sparrowhawk. I haven't handled many birds of prey so it was a really good opportunity to deal with a bird that actually could hurt me - if it wanted to, and if I wasn't careful enough.

We got it out of the net without too much trouble, and put it in a cotton bird bag until we were ready to ring it. Then, I had to put my hand into the bag containing the hawk, and get the bird out again without letting it escape.

I could see the sharp talons sticking out through the cotton, so at least I knew where they were...

the eyes have it

Normally you identify the bird, put the ring on, and then do the ageing, sexing and biometrics (weighing, fat and muscle scoring, and measuring wing length).

With Sparrowhawks there's such a size difference between males and females they take different ring sizes (males being smaller). The wing length confirmed it was a male, and the chestnut-brown edges to the back and wing feathers show it hatched earlier this year.

The Sparrowhawk was surprisingly docile while I handled it. It had a look of rage in its eyes, though. When we were finished, it was a pleasure to release it. What a bird...

underwing...

and upperwing

now for something smaller - a female Siskin

and Lottie, who kept us entertained between net rounds with her stick-chasing and chewing

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D

The century

2010-10-21T21:00:00.000+01:00

Well, we've finally done it, after nearly four years.

This morning I went to stand outside - in the frost - to see if I could hear any Lesser Redpolls flying over. It looked to be a good morning for a bit of visible migration.

And lo and behold, after 10 minutes, a couple of redpolls - got to presume they're Lessers - did indeed fly over, calling as they went. And that brought us to Number 100 on our garden bird list.

To tell the truth, it couldn't feel any more underwhelming.

I'm not really sure what number 101 might be. There are some reasonably obvious things that we ought to target next... Turtle Dove, Merlin, Marsh Harrier, Tree Pipit, waders, wildfowl, Mediterranean Gull, perhaps a passage Sedge Warbler (I'll have to grow some Phragmites). But none of them seems particularly likely, especially not for the next few months.

What will spring bring?

Leaves and stuff

2010-10-20T21:40:00.000+01:00

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Toadstools are psychedelic

2010-10-19T21:50:00.000+01:00

...as Wayne Coyne would probably agree.

photos taken with iPhone and Hipstamatic app

Flamborough Head

2010-10-16T21:29:00.040+01:00

I've been on holiday in East Yorkshire for a week. We stayed in glamorous Flamborough, on the sticky-out bit halfway up on the right-hand side.

The birds were alright, though. There were tons of migrants early on - Goldcrests and Redwings were in every bush and every scrap of hedge - but they all cleared off by Wednesday. But not before we'd seen two Pallas's Warblers (Darren found one of them) and a Yellow-browed on Flamborough Head.

However, I won't dwell on our two failed attempts to see the Dusky Warbler at Scarborough, or the way things went really rather quiet after midweek.

There were other compensations, however... watching two Roe Deer jump a barbed wire fence; seeing the last Gannet chick of the year still sitting fluffily on the sheer cliff at Bempton; a skein of Pink-footed Geese arriving from over the sea; a handful of Ring Ouzels (including one picked up dead near the lighthouse); watching a Jack Snipe try to land in a gorse bush, a Redstart and a small flock of Bramblings in the hedge right outside our window.

Migrant Wheatear at North Landing

This first-winter male Redstart appeared in the hedge outside our luxury accommodation. The chalet, I mean

And this was the first Brambling I'd ringed!

Here's one Mark caught earlier... a Lesser Whitethroat, possibly of the central Asian race halimodendri

Here's the lighthouse

And the cobble beach at South Landing

Flowers on a bench at t'North

Thornwick Bay

Dawn

Revisited Forge Valley Woods, where I saw my first-ever Nuthatches 20 years ago!

Somehow, these jokes have raised a lot of money for charity...

Lovely decor in the chalet

You'd think they could at least spell YORKSHIRE correctly

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM or Canon Powershot A640

A sunny autumn day at The Lodge

2010-10-06T21:37:00.000+01:00

Fungi...

Fly Agaric

Common Puffball (edible at this age, I think)

Sweet Chestnuts...

...beloved of Grey Squirrels

Red Admiral

Comma

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Baaaaaaa!

2010-10-04T21:48:00.000+01:00

photo taken with iPhone

Garden life

2010-09-30T21:15:00.000+01:00

Comma

Rhododendron Leafhopper - meet Garden Spider

'orrible looking thing

Slightly more pleasant-looking fly

Owl and a friend

All the squirrels' Christmases have come at once

Honeysuckle bearing fruit, but who's going to eat it?

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Feathered and Frosted

2010-09-23T08:08:00.000+01:00

Feathered Thorn

Frosted Orange

Another low(er) catch, of 45 moths, but 13 species so a bit better than last time.

One was new for the garden list - Feathered Thorn. I didn't actually find it until the evening, when I went out to photograph some moths which had been in the fridge (it was too dark before work). Very kind of it to wait for me.

I will be quite happy if 8% of my catch every night is made up of Frosted Oranges.

Moth list follows...

Setaceous Hebrew Character, 13
Lunar Underwing, 10
Frosted Orange, 4
Large Yellow Underwing, 4
Burnished Brass, 3
Snout, 3
Lesser Yellow Underwing, 2

One each of:

Brimstone Moth
Common Wainscot
Copper Underwing
Feathered Thorn
Mouse Moth
Rosy Rustic

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Mmm... Frosted Orange

2010-09-21T07:47:00.000+01:00

Today's catch was 51 moths - the same as last time - but only eight species this time. I think this is a new low! But there were a couple of new ones - Frosted Orange and Large Wainscot (its caterpillars feed on Common Reed).

Frosted Orange

Large Wainscot

Dawn was misty.

Moth list this way...

Setaceous Hebrew Character, 19
Lunar Underwing, 15
Square-spot Rustic, 6
Snout, 4
Brimstone Moth, 2
Frosted Orange, 2
Large Yellow Underwing

and one

Large Wainscot

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Flight fantastic

2010-09-20T21:05:00.000+01:00

My lawnmowing today was interrupted by the arrival of a male Southern Hawker at the pond. It was quite breezy and he made repeated sorties across the water, trying to keep away a few Common Darters which wanted their place by the pool.

Now I've finally sussed out that autofocus is pretty useless on flying dragons, I had a much higher success rate. Yay!

I like the jaunty angle of the first one, but the slightly more blurred wings of the others.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Biscay to Bilbao

2010-09-19T22:36:00.030+01:00

I'm just back from a trip on the Pride of Bilbao, one of the last few before it's taken out of service on that route.

Whalewatchers in the evening

You can read the Biscay Dolphin Research Programme's official sightings list, but here are a few personal highlights...

Not-too-bad-considering views of Fin, Pilot and Sperm Whales, Bottle-nosed, Common, Striped and Risso's Dolphins, and Harbour Porpoise
Little flock of Grey Phalaropes bobbing on the sea
Storm Petrels across the bows
Sabine's Gulls
Melodious Warbler on the boat for a few hours, before flying off high towards the Channel Islands
Swallows and Sand Martins heading south strongly

I opted to get the train into Bilbao city centre, where we did a circuit of the outside of the Guggenheim - well worth it! Breakfast (tortilla and cafe con leche) nearby was much needed

Giant flowery puppy outside the museum (House Sparrows nest in it)

Mysterious mist and sculpture

Giant spider

Inside the station

Up the Channel on the way back into Portsmouth

There seemed to be a lot of whalewatchers on board. I'm sure we must have looked strange to some onlookers, but I don't really understand the people who got off the boat and headed directly to the nearest bar in Santurtzi for a pint, then headed off to the shop to stock up on tobacco. Oh well. I still think that's weirder than we were.

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Not a lot of moths

2010-09-13T20:17:00.015+01:00

Large Thorn

Orange Sallow

The Snout

... only 51 moths, of 12 species, but three of those were new to the garden, so I suppose that's not too bad. And one of those - Large Thorn - is Nationally Scarce, so I'm quite pleased about that (check the distribution map).

I was kind of hoping to catch a Frosted Orange, like we did at Beeston on Sunday, but I got an Orange Sallow instead. It's pretty, but not quite as nice as the Frosted Orange. Maybe next time.

Setaceous Hebrew Character, 22
Square-spot Rustic, 10
Large Yellow Underwing, 8
Lunar Underwing, 3

One each of:

Brimstone Moth
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Common Wainscot
Large Thorn
Light Emerald
Orange Sallow
The Snout
Vine's Rustic

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

The best birds in the world. Ever.

2010-09-09T22:21:00.002+01:00

I'm back from five nights away on a ringing course. I was a bit worried before I went (it sounded full-on and rather intense) but once I found my feet and got the hang of how the procedures worked, I really enjoyed myself.

When a person is tired of Wrynecks, they are tired of life.

Wryneck!

Wryneck!!

TWO Wrynecks!

Not only are they astonishingly beautiful, they also do crazy things (video not mine, but ours did similar things. The birds aren't hurt; it's a threat display intended to confuse a would-be predator).

We were too busy to take many photos, but here is a small selection...

Male Bearded Tit!

Fabulous juvenile Whinchat

Female Nuthatch

Repeat-offender Tufted Duck - caught in a duck trap that works on the same principle as a lobster pot

Migrant warblers eat loads of berries. This is what ringers fuel up with at the pub...

We also caught Yellow Wagtails, House and Sand Martins, Swallows, Redstarts, Nightingales, Grasshopper, Willow, Sedge, Reed and Garden Warblers, Whitethroats and Lesser Whitethroats, a Mistle Thrush, a few Wrens, a Goldfinch, a mercifully small number of Blue and Great Tits, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a load of other stuff I can't remember...

Oh, and while I was away, garden bird number 99 made it onto the list - Wigeon!

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D

Up early again...

2010-09-09T07:35:00.000+01:00

After waking up at 5.15 every morning since Saturday, I thought it wouldn't hurt to set the moth trap and get up early once more. The weather forecast was dry and cloudy - good for moths. And when I looked out of the window at 6am, there was a Barn Owl sitting on the beanpoles in the garden! So it was worth it.

The moths themselves weren't terribly spectacular this morning, but I suppose 190 moths of 20 species is not too shabby for September.

List follows...

Setaceous Hebrew Character, 82
Square-spot Rustic, 46
Large Yellow Underwing, 21
Brimstone Moth, 10
Vine's Rustic, 7
Common Wainscot, 4
Light Emerald, 3
Straw Dot, 2
Centre-barred Sallow, 2
Lesser Yellow Underwing, 2
Smoky Wainscot, 2

And one each of:

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Dingy Footman
Flame Shoulder
Flounced Rustic
Green Carpet
Mother of Pearl
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Square-spotted Clay
Turnip Moth

Spider's web

2010-09-03T14:11:00.002+01:00

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

The hunter

2010-09-02T19:13:00.000+01:00

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Too cold, too clear...

2010-08-28T11:01:00.000+01:00

Brimstone Moth

Well, last night's moth trapping was unspectacular, with 57 moths caught. Square-spot Rustics, Large Yellow Underwings and Setaceous Hebrew Characters are starting to dominate proceedings.

Though I keep getting a trickle of other odds and sods too, so I shall persevere in the hope of catching something interesting.

Moth list follows...

Setaceous Hebrew Character, 18
Square-spot Rustic, 16
Large Yellow Underwing, 9
Common Rustic/Lesser Common Rustic, 4
Brimstone Moth, 2
Cabbage Moth, 2
Lesser Yellow Underwing, 2

One each of:

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
The Spectacle
Willow Beauty

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

An autumn's day... in August

2010-08-27T19:53:00.001+01:00

Red Admiral

Common Darter

Common Darters mating

Migrant Hawker

Young fox in the garden

What happened to summer?

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Yawn...

2010-08-25T08:54:00.001+01:00

Maiden's Blush

Not the best moth night ever - probably too windy and cold - with a catch of 86 moths of 20 species.

I am still getting worried about Square-spot Rustics (wondering if I am identifying them correctly), as they seem to be so variable. Some are really nicely marked, and others rather dull. They all seem to have gold-coloured eye/kidney markings though. Or I think they do...

Maiden's Blush was a garden tick, and quite nice. She's in the fridge waiting for a photo. Light Emerald was one of the prettier ones.

Moth list, if you want it...

Moth accommodation

Setaceous Hebrew Character, 22
Square-spot Rustic, 21
Common Wainscot, 12
Large Yellow Underwing, 7
Flame Shoulder, 4
Vine's Rustic, 4
Cabbage Moth, 2
Garden Carpet, 2

One each of:

Black Arches
Common Rustic/Lesser Common Rustic
dagger sp.
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Light Emerald
Maiden's Blush
Mother of Pearl
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Straw Underwing
The Spectacle
Turnip Moth
Willow Beauty

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Clopton

2010-08-22T21:33:00.000+01:00

Looking south towards Royston

Almost harvest-time

Brown Argus

Meadow Browns...

Small Heath

Common Blue

Haws

Elderberries

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM, or Canon Powershot A640

Big Bertha

2010-08-21T09:06:00.002+01:00

Red Underwing

This gigantic moth - a Red Underwing - was snoozing on the wall next to the trap when I turned up at just after 5.30 this morning.

Though it was really warm overnight, I didn't catch big numbers - c110 moths of 25 species. But there were some interesting ones nonetheless.

It's been 8 days since I last put the trap out, and it feels like things have changed in that time... There were no Orange Swifts back then, and Setaceous Hebrew Characters seem to be on the rise.

Poplar Hawkmoth

Square-spotted Clay - the second for the garden and quite fresh-looking

Orange Swift

Small Blood-vein - garden tick

Hornet - one of four around the trap

Boring moth list follows...

Setaceous Hebrew Character, 19
Common Wainscot, 16
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 13
Square-spot Rustic, 10
Flame Shoulder, 7
Mother of Pearl, 7
Common Rustic/Lesser Common Rustic, 5
Large Yellow Underwing, 4
Orange Swift, 4
Turnip Moth, 4
Willow Beauty, 3
Square-spotted Clay, 2
Swallow Prominent, 2

one each of:

Blood-vein
Brimstone Moth
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Burnished Brass
Green Carpet
Lime-speck Pug
Poplar Hawkmoth
Red Underwing
Small Blood-vein
Straw Underwing
Tawny Speckled Pug
Uncertain/The Rustic
Vine's Rustic

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

And number 98...

2010-08-19T22:58:00.000+01:00

This takes the biscuit, really. Getting ready to go to work, I was gazing out of the window over the garden and into the field of unharvested oilseed rape behind it.

Goldfinches, Greenfinches and a few Linnets have been nibbling on the pods lately, so when I saw a bird fly over and perch on the top I wasn't surprised.

Still, something made me look at it in the scope, and it was a chat! There was still mist on part of the outside of the window so my view was blurred. It took me a few seconds to be sure it was a Whinchat and not a Stonechat, but it didn't matter, to be honest - either would have been a garden tick (not that it's all about listing...).

What a lovely bird. It even had the decency to fly into the garden and sit on a shrub right outside the window! Sadly I was too slow off the mark to get the camera and scope aligned for a photo.

But I'm still astonished. This garden is ridiculously good, but pond aside, it's not really anything to do with me. Perhaps it lies on some bird-attracting ley lines...

Whinchat!

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece

The dove from above

2010-08-18T18:49:00.016+01:00

Juvenile Turtle Dove

In a few weeks time, I hope this fellow will be heading south through Europe to spend winter in Africa. He's a young Turtle Dove and he was ringed yesterday (by me, as it happens) as part of a project to find out what's going wrong for Turtle Doves - their population dropped by 77% between 1970-2001!

We had a productive morning, catching about 120 birds in total - not all Turtle Doves, unfortunately, but lots of Greenfinches, Blue and Great Tits, a smattering of Whitethroats, Blackbirds, Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers, Goldfinches, House Sparrows and a Wren.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D

Catching Kingfishers

2010-08-15T20:44:00.000+01:00

This month's ringing demo at Beeston turned out to be a corker! We caught nearly 60 birds - about three times as many as we've had in recent months - and two of them were juvenile Kingfishers. Most of the rest were juvenile Great Tits, with a scattering of Whitethroats, Blue Tits, Dunnocks, Greenfinches, Blackbirds, Chaffinches and Robins.

Everyone say: oooooh!

The first of two Kingfishers we caught today

Maybe the back view is even better

'Oh - you mean I can go now?'

'I'm outta here - but I'll crap on your hand first. Byee!'

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D

Gahhhhhhh!

2010-08-12T08:19:00.001+01:00

Hornets have a fearsome reputation, so I was mildly perturbed when I put my hand into the moth trap, got out an egg box (which is what you provide for the moths to hide in), and found this whopper resting on the underside.

Fortunately it was very docile, perhaps being a bit cold, and seemed more interested in the cardboard than the moths - or my hand.

Hornet

It wasn't a bad night, moth-wise, with c110 moths of about 30 species. This Sallow Kitten was one of the prettiest, and I caught Broad-bordered, Lesser Broad-bordered, Least and Lesser Yellow Underwings. No Large though!

Sallow Kitten

The moth list...

Setaceous Hebrew Character, 22
Flame Shoulder, 9
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 9
Mother of Pearl, 9
Straw Underwing, 7
Common Rustic/Lesser Common Rustic, 5
Dark Arches, 5
Cabbage Moth, 4
Common Wainscot, 3
Scalloped Oak, 3
Willow Beauty, 3
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 2
Copper Underwing, 2
Dingy Footman, 2
Least Yellow Underwing, 2
Lesser Swallow Prominent, 2
Red/Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 2
The Magpie, 2

One each of:

Black Arches
Blood-vein
Common Carpet
Dark Umber
Lesser Yellow Underwing
Lime-speck Pug
Pale Prominent
Pebble Prominent
Poplar Hawkmoth
Sallow Kitten
Uncertain/The Rustic
Yellow Shell

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

A moth with a plan

2010-08-11T21:28:00.007+01:00

Square-spotted Clay

Not many moths at all today, but one was pretty good. It goes by the unassuming name of Square-spotted Clay, and it's brown and not at all spectacular. But it's a moth with a plan, its own Biodiversity Action Plan. It eve has its own Butterfly Conservation PDF and there's lots of info about it on ARKive.

I'm quite pleased with that. Thanks to everyone who I annoyed with questions about its identity.

The moth list...

Setaceous Hebrew Character, 5
Straw Underwing, 4
Flame Shoulder, 2

One each of

Black Arches
Common Wainscot
Dark/Red-barred Twin-spot Carpet
Dingy Footman
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Lesser Swallow Prominent
Purple Bar
Riband Wave
Scalloped Oak
Silver Y
Square-spotted Clay
The Dun-bar

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Trapping and ringing

2010-08-08T19:26:00.001+01:00

Today we combined bird ringing with moth trapping. The moths went first, with the trap left on overnight. I got up early and blocked up their escape routes, then went back to bed. Next, Del and Jacqui came round and we put up a couple of nets to catch some birds.

Conditions were really a bit too breezy to be much good, but we caught

Great Tit, 14 - all juveniles
Blue Tit, 4
Greenfinch, 4 (3 juvs, 1 adult male)
Dunnock, 3

and three Swallow nestlings

Baby Swallow

Inbetween net rounds we went through the moth catch (it didn't take long - only c60 moths of 25 species).

The Olive - first for the garden

Yellow Shell

Flame Shoulder

Bordered Pug - another first for the garden

Not much of a moth list today.

Mother of Pearl, 13
Common Rustic/Lesser Common Rustic, 7
Setaceous Hebrew Character, 6
Willow Beauty, 5
Cloaked Minor, 4
Dark Arches, 3
Flame Shoulder, 3
Dusky Sallow, 2
Lime-speck Pug, 2
Straw Underwing, 2

and

Bordered Pug
Cabbage Moth
Common Wainscot
Dingy Footman
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Oak Hook-tip
Pale Prominent
Purple Bar
Rosy Rustic
Silver Y
Small Magpie Moth
The Drinker
The Olive
The Spectacle
Yellow Shell

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Down by the pond

2010-08-07T17:22:00.001+01:00

Common Darter

Emerald Damselfly

Pyrausta moth

It's been a good day for wildlife in and around the garden today. Darren found loads of Common Blues just next door. I saw a Spotted Flycatcher sitting on our washing line post, right outside the kitchen window (I was in the bathroom at the time). Darren saw a female Southern Hawker cruising around the pond (which I missed). I saw a Brown Argus perching on a waterlily bloom (what a photo that could have been!) but by the time I'd fetched the camera, it had gone.

An Emerald damselfly has been around the pond - is it the same one from a couple of weeks ago? I hadn't seen it again until today, but I'm sure I miss most of the pond action while I'm at work.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Rhapsody in Blue

2010-08-07T16:21:00.002+01:00

Common Blue (and hoverfly friend)

I've got the Common Blues

Brown Argus

and another sneaky Brown Argus (I think)

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

A Magpie in the trap

2010-08-04T07:42:00.001+01:00

The Magpie - the moth, that is...

After carefully consulting the weather forecast, I decided that it would probably be a reasonable night to put the moth trap out. A few light showers were predicted.

Of course, it rained more than they said it would, but despite that, there were at least 100 moths of 35+ species in the trap this morning (and a few UFOs too).

But can't say I'll be that keen to put the trap out on a damp night again.

Moth list follows...

Common Rustic/Lesser Common Rustic, 11
Flame Shoulder, 8
Mother of Pearl, 8
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 7
Straw Underwing, 5
The Dun-bar, 5
Cloaked Minor, 4
Willow Beauty, 4
Black Arches, 3
Common Footman, 3
Dingy Footman, 3
Lesser Swallow Prominent, 3
Scalloped Oak, 3
Uncertain/The Rustic, 3
Common Wainscot, 2
Dark Arches, 2
Dusky Sallow, 2
Riband Wave, 2
Setaceous Hebrew Character, 2

And one each of:

Beautiful Hook-tip
Bright-line Brown-eye
Brown-line Bright-eye
July Highflyer
Lime Speck Pug
Pebble Prominent
Red/Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet
Rosy Rustic
Ruby Tiger
Scarce Footman
Silver Y
Small Waved Umber
Smoky Wainscot
The Drinker
The Magpie
Yellow-tail

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

And now for something colourful

2010-08-03T19:42:00.001+01:00

Small Copper

Gerbera

More moths and a mystery solved

2010-08-01T19:18:00.001+01:00

Canary-shouldered Thorn

Scorched Carpet - sounds like a nasty domestic accident involving an iron and beige shagpile. But actually a moth.

The Lychnis

Buff Ermine

Today I had expert help with the moths! It was quite funny to see Mark paying close attention to all the micro (really small) moths that I normally discard. We had 34 species of macro (bigger) moths but the total catch (excluding micros) was well down, to about 60 or so. Scorched Carpet and Canary-shouldered Thorn were new to the list, though.

And about the mystery that was solved... On Wednesday morning I heard a strange whistling call. I couldn't place it at all - it really bugged me and distracted me from the moths, so I kind of ignored it.

But today the mystery whistler was identified (provisionally) - as a Northern Bobwhite quail! It was tracked down to a roadside tree not far from the garden. But since this is an escaped bird, it won't be going on the garden list.

Northern Bobwhite

Full moth list for those who want it...

Water Veneer, 190
Uncertain/The Rustic, 8
Common Rustic, 7
Cloaked Minor, 6
Riband Wave, 4
Dingy Footman, 3
Black Arches, 2
Dark Arches, 2
Dusky Sallow, 2
Flame Shoulder, 2
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 2
Mother of Pearl, 2
Scalloped Oak, 2
Scarce Footman, 2
Silver Y, 2
Straw Underwing, 2
Willow Beauty, 2
Yellow-tail, 2

And one each of:

Buff Ermine
Canary-shouldered Thorn
Clay
Clouded Border
Common Footman
Coxcomb Prominent
Large Yellow Underwing
Lesser Swallow Prominent
Lesser Yellow Underwing
Nut-tree Tussock
Poplar Hawkmoth
Red/Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet
Ruby Tiger
Scorched Carpet
Swallow Prominent
The Dun-bar
The Lychnis

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

And here's number 97!

2010-07-31T22:29:00.000+01:00

Surprise, surprise, I've put the moth trap out again tonight. I rigged it all up and went indoors to check the circuit-breaker and switch it all on. Then I went back outdoors to check that it was actually on and the light wasn't illuminating our neighbours' house.

When I stepped outside, I heard a faint, very distant call: a Quail! I really didn't expect that. We only had a garden tick last week (also in conjunction with moth trapping activity). Will there be another very soon? That would bring us tantalisingly close to the ton.

Here's a fascinating article about the weird things that Quail do. So it's possible that this bird might only have hatched this year in southern Europe or north Africa, and has headed up here to try its luck already!

Summertime at The Lodge

2010-07-31T18:37:00.002+01:00

Painted Lady

Speckled Bush Cricket

Male Emperor

female Emperor, hovering to find somewhere to lay her eggs

Holly Blue

Gatekeeper

Wasps

Marmalade Hoverfly

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Dawn raid

2010-07-28T20:41:00.000+01:00

Getting up early is getting harder - but at least dawn is getting later... if you get what I mean.

Tis the season of the Black Arches - found five of these handsome moths, all on the outside of the trap

I thought this was going to be a Snout until I realised that it didn't have a snout. Fortunately Jay Clark put me in the picture - it's a Shaded Broad-bar, a moth garden tick

The whole list...

Uncertain/The Rustic, 40
Common/Lesser Common Rustic, 17
minor sp., 14
Silver Y, 12
Common Footman, 10
Dark Arches, 6
Dingy Footman, 6
Mother of Pearl, 6
The Dun-bar, 6
Black Arches, 5
Dusky Sallow, 5
Scalloped Oak, 5
Riband Wave, 4
Ruby Tiger, 4
Straw Underwing, 4
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 3
Lesser Yellow Underwing, 3
Scarce Footman, 3
Smoky Wainscot, 3
Willow Beauty, 3
Dot Moth, 2
Double Square-spot, 2
Flame Shoulder, 2
Small Fan-footed Wave, 2
Small Magpie Moth, 2
The Drinker, 2
The Flame, 2
Yellow-tail, 2

And one each of these:

Bright-line Brown-eye
Brimstone Moth
Brown-line Bright-eye
Chinese Character
Clouded Border
July Highflyer
Least Yellow Underwing
Lesser Swallow Prominent
Lime-speck Pug
Orthopygia glaucinalis
Poplar Hawkmoth
Red/Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet
Shaded Broad-bar
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Small Scallop
Tawny Speckled Pug
The Spectacle

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Uncertainly rustic

2010-07-25T08:27:00.001+01:00

Yellow Shell

After seeing this, I quite fancied a rare hawkmoth for the garden. But I didn't manage to catch any hawks at all, for the first time this year.

Numbers were down on last week's dizzy heights, with 282+ moths of c48 species waiting for me when I got up this morning. The Yellow Shell (above) was one of the prettier ones.

As ever, there were some I couldn't ID, and all help will be received gratefully...

While I was sitting by the trap, I heard high-pitched calls and then watched two Green Sandpipers fly over together. Garden tick!

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Moth list follows.

Uncertain/The Rustic, 60
Common Rustic/Lesser Common Rustic, 31
Dark Arches, 27
Smoky Wainscot, 16
Common Footman, 15
Ruby Tiger, 13
Double Square-spot, 12
Mother of Pearl, 11
Brown-line Bright-eye, 10
minor sp., 10
Dusky Sallow, 7
Dingy Footman, 5
Scarce Footman, 4
Silver Y, 4
Straw Underwing, 4
Willow Beauty, 4
Clay, 3
Flame Shoulder, 3
Riband Wave, 3
The Drinker, 3
The Snout, 3
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 2
Clouded Silver, 2
Common Wainscot, 2
Heart and Dart, 2
Lesser Yellow Underwing, 2
White Satin Moth, 2
Yellow Shell, 2

One each of:

Beautiful Hook-tip
Bright-line Brown-eye
Brimstone Moth
Buff-tip
Clouded Border
Double Lobed
Early Thorn
Large Twin-spot Carpet
Large Yellow Underwing
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Light Arches
Nut-tree Tussock
Oak Hook-tip
Pebble Prominent
Small Fan-footed Wave
Small Magpie Moth
Swallow Prominent
The Dun-bar
The Flame
Yellow-tail

Who are you looking at?

2010-07-24T23:31:00.000+01:00

Common Darter, one of three at the garden pond this afternoon

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Only 414 moths...

2010-07-21T08:11:00.000+01:00

Feeling a bit bleary-eyed. I put the moth trap out again last night. It's usually best not to trap every night, but I thought I'd try it, since Monday night had been so good...

The number of moths was down, as was the number of species, but to be honest 400+ moths is plenty for me. And there were some nice ones.

The first Black Arches of the year

Pale Prominent

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (I think)

Full moth list follows...

Uncertain/The Rustic, 91
Dark Arches, 59
Common Rustic, 33
Double Square-spot, 19
Smoky Wainscot, 19
Common Footman, 17
Mother of Pearl, 11
Ruby Tiger, 10
Silver Y, 10
Yellow-tail, 10
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 9
Large Yellow Underwing, 7
White Satin Moth, 6
Brown-line Bright-eye, 5
Dusky Sallow, 5
Scalloped Oak, 5
Scarce Footman, 5
The Drinker, 5
Clay, 4
Clouded Silver, 4
Common Wainscot, 4
Light Arches, 4
Riband Wave, 4
Bright-line Brown-eye, 3
Brimstone Moth, 3
Buff-tip, 3
Poplar Hawkmoth, 3
Small Magpie Moth, 3
Willow Beauty, 3
Dingy Footman, 2
Lesser Yellow Underwing, 2
Pebble Prominent, 2
Setaceous Hebrew Character, 2
Swallow Prominent, 2
The Dun-bar, 2

One each of:

Black Arches
Blood-vein
Buff Ermine
Burnished Brass
Copper Underwing
Dot Moth
Elephant Hawkmoth
Flame Shoulder
Heart and Dart
July Highflyer
minor sp.
Nut-tree Tussock
Pale Prominent
Peppered Moth
Pine Hawkmoth
Privet Hawkmoth
Small Fan-footed Wave
Straw Underwing
Swallow-tailed Moth
The Flame

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

It's all happening in the garden

2010-07-20T19:17:00.001+01:00

As if this morning's crazy moth trapping wasn't good enough, I found new species for the garden this afternoon, in the form of a female Emerald Damselfly. That was unexpected. She perched on the water mint in the pond and caught tiny insects.

Then, while I was composing my moth trapping blog post, there was a Yellow Wagtail calling from somewhere in the garden (couldn't see where, but we hear them fairly regularly and sometimes see them around the pond).

And then a Whimbrel flew over the garden, calling! Couldn't see that either. Don't even need it for a garden tick, unfortunately...

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM