Thursday 12th October 2023.
The dogs got a walk around Highland Road Cemetery again this morning after my first shift and though a bit overcast at first, the sun did pop out now and then, but it was still very mild for this time of year. There were only 19 species recorded this morning and to be honest, not the most exciting array of birds to be had, but at least I had a good view of a Goldcrest in a Pine tree near the main entrance and a Jay that flew right in front of me. Up to 6 Blackbirds were seen near the Mausoleum, taking advantage of the bountiful berries present.
Red Admiral butterflies were still very abundant throughout the Cemetery, making the most of the still flowering Ivy Bushes along with all the usual Hoverflies and Bees. It was nice to see a few Marmalade Hoverflies this morning on a Prickly Sow-thistle (see photos). A Migrant Hawker dragonfly was seen hunting near the top of one of the trees, but would not come down any lower. I think the sighting of the trip here actually involved a moth. A small moth was fluttering about close to the Pine in the south-west corner and so I watched it till it settled and then grabbed a few photos of it. I can confirm from my photos that it was a Red-green Carpet, my first of the year.
There was nothing very exciting about the plants present that were in flower including both Smooth and Prickly Sow-thistle. One grave had a spray of Common Field Speedwell and Yarrow was present in all areas of the Cemy.
The weather turned worse in the afternoon with a few light showers and the wind picking up a bit. There is a ‘yellow’ weather warning tonight and tomorrow does not look very enticing either, but cooling down considerably over the weekend.
The birds seen or heard this morning included the following:
- Herring Gull
- Wood Pigeon
- Feral Pigeon
- Collared Dove
- Magpie
- Carrion Crow
- Jay
- Goldfinch
- Greenfinch
- Blue Tit
- Great Tit
- Goldcrest
- Chiffchaff
- Robin
- Wren
- House Sparrow
- Starling
- Meadow Pipit
- Blackbird
In Hampshire today, this morning on the Posbrook Floods, there were 3 Glossy Ibis, 2 Great White Egrets and further north among the livestock, two Cattle Egrets were present. On Farlington Marshes today, two Cattle Egrets and a pair of Dartford Warblers were recorded and a Bittern flew over the Lake late afternoon. A Ring Ouzel was still at Lower Test Marshes and a juvenile bird was seen yesterday here in the Bushes area (see photo below).
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