Thursday 5th October 2023.
A very grey and dark start to the morning and even by 7am, it was still a bit murky; but at least it was mild and hardly any wind. There were at least 53 moths present this morning of 16 species and by far, Light Brown Apple Moths were the most numerous with at least 25 present. The ‘Migrant’ moths present this morning included 3 Rusty-dot Pearl and a single Rush Veneer, which was the first in my garden this year.
The moths present this morning included the following:
- 5 Feathered Ranunculus
- 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing
- 2 Garden Carpet
- 1 Pale Mottled Willow
- 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
- 1 Lunar Underwing
- 1 Double-striped Pug
- 1 L-album Wainscot
- 1 Pellitory Cosmet
- 25 Light Brown Apple Moth
- 1 Dingy Dowd
- 4 Ruddy Streak
- 3 Box Tree Moth
- 1 Rush Veneer
- 3 Rusty-dot Pearl
- 1 Common Plume
It was fairly quiet on my first shift this morning at Pembroke Road, with just a Chiffchaff seen first flitting about the trees opposite then it flew off southbound towards the seawall area. A large flock of House Sparrows flew over and headed north, but little else was seen this morning here. At least the weather was dry, with a breezy westerly wind.
I managed to grab the dogs and go for another walk around Highland Road Cemetery, but there was little of note to set the heart racing. In fact, the best sighting was of a Painted Lady butterfly (see above) in the south-east corner that sat nicely on the grass. Red Admiral butterflies were literally everywhere again and a probable Speckled Wood butterfly was seen in the northern half of the Cemy, though I only got a fleeting glimpse of it. The Ivy Bushes were simply alive with all the usual Bees and Hoverflies, which were very entertaining. A fellow birder and insect enthusiast had said yesterday that the Hoverflies were diminishing where he lived and so I advised him to check out this Cemetery!
Just 13 species of bird were seen on my walk round the Cemetery, though it was midday and I probably missed any ‘Visible Migration’ going over. Again, all the usual suspects were present, though a lot of species were just heard and not seen. It didn't help what with the two Council Workers cutting the grass with a motorised Lawn-mower and a very noisy strimmer. Field Mushrooms were springing up all over the place now, though they are very delicious to something as many had big chunks taken out of them. Rough Hawkbit plants were everywhere on the grassy areas as well as Smooth Hawksbeard and a few patches still had a few Ox-eye Daisies growing by the graves. I did find some Michaelmas Daisies growing by one grave too. The birds seen on my trip around the Cemetery today included the following:
- Herring Gull
- Wood Pigeon
- Feral Pigeon
- Carrion Crow
- Magpie
- House Sparrow
- Starling
- Blue Tit
- Goldfinch
- Chiffchaff
- Robin
- Goldcrest
- Blackbird
On my second shift this afternoon, a Common Darter dragonfly perched by the pathway where I was working and even managed a quick photo with my mobile phone. Chilling out in the garden over a coffee and having a pair of dogs trying to sit on my lap, a female Sparrowhawk circled overhead and headed off north. The flowering Ivy growing in my garden was similar to the Cemetery nearby; with good numbers of Bees and Hoverflies and also several Red Admiral butterflies attracted to the heavy scented plants. Watching all these lovely insects while enjoying a cup of coffee and my lovely dogs on my lap; what more can a man want?
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