An hour in the garden.

Friday 9th June 2023.

Our local House Sparrows enjoying the food we put out for them.

I spent a nice relaxing hour with my wife late yesterday afternoon, just chilling in the back garden while watching the local birdlife going about their business. The weather was warm with a slight breeze blowing through the garden and having put out some old biscuits and also some Panettone that was left over from Christmas, the birds had a nice feast, which attracted a few youngsters too.

Above, a Goldfinch sharing the feeder with a Great Tit. Below, an expectant juvenile Great Tit waiting to be fed by the adult.

As well as the local House Sparrows, Blackbirds, Starlings and even a few Wood Pigeons came down for a feast and nearby, on the sunflower hearts, a pair of Goldfinches came in for a feed on them along with an adult and juvenile Great Tit. Overhead, several Swifts sailed over the rooftops, with a lot of ‘screaming’ going on and the good news is that the nestboxes most definitely have youngsters within them. I hope to grab a few photos when they start poking their heads out of the nest hole.

Above, both a juvenile Starling and a Wood Pigeon enjoying afternoon tea! Below, a Holly Blue on my neighbours tree.

Always keeping an eye on the wildlife, several Holly Blue butterflies were still on the wing as I managed to grab a distant one resting on a large leaf on our neighbour's tree. Butterflies are a little scarce of late and after watching last night's Springwatch, it seems both Butterflies and Moths were very much down in numbers so far this year. While watching the birds, a Mint Moth (Pyrausta aurata) flew up and nearly landed on Becky and then settled on one of my water feeders instead. Another moth, a Small Dusty Wave, was flushed when I watering the back garden, which was a new moth for the year. Both June and July can be a quiet time for Birders and many turn to both Insects and Plants, whereas I shall be going for all of them.

Above, a Mint Moth settled close to where my wife was sitting and below, a juvenile House Sparrow waiting to be fed.

I read that the adult Night Heron was seen going into roost last night at Fishlake Meadows, but in general, a rather quiet day all round in Hampshire.

Hampshire birder, Emma Parkes, kindly allowed me to put some of her superb photos, which were taken at Martin Down. on my blog. From top to bottom: male Yellowhammer, Skylark and a Corn Bunting.

Hawthorn Moth added to year list.

Thursday 8th June 2023.

This micro moth, a Hawthorn Moth, was the only new moth for the year.

Another 4.30am start this morning to check the moth box and I was rewarded with just the one new moth for the year, the micro moth Scythropia crataegella or better known as Hawthorn Moth. Pretty little thing with its white body with two angled brown stripes. My second Diamond-back Moth of the year was also present; another micro moth that is a common immigrant from the Continent. I am led to believe that the wind is to be blowing from the south for the rest of the week and could bring a lot of immigrant moths into the UK. However, it was absolutely ‘Bill-Oddie’ freezing this morning with a swirling wind making the temperature around 8 degrees! It’s June for f*** sake!

Another Blair's Mocha turned up this morning within the box.

Yes, it should be getting a lot warmer later and well into the 20 degree’s centigrade, thankfully. Back to the moths and there was a reasonable haul that was mostly within the moth box with another Blair’s Mocha and Silver Y being probably the best of the other moths. A total of 23 moths of 13 species wasn't too bad, but still relatively low for this time of year. 

My second Diamond-back Moth of the year. Should the winds turn to southerly as expected, I will probably be getting a lot more of these in and around the moth box.

Moths present this morning included the following:

• 1 Large Yellow Underwing
• 1 Common Marbled Carpet
• 1 Silver Y
• 2 White Ermine
• 1 Lime-speck Pug
• 1 Common Pug
• 1 Blair’s Mocha
• 1 Garden Carpet
• 1 Bright-line Brown-eye
• 3 Heart & Dart
• 4 Vine’s Rustic
• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
• 5 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 1 Diamond-back Moth
• 1 Hawthorn Moth (NFY)
• 1 Mompha subbistrigella

There was also another surprise within the moth box when I found my first Summer Chafer beetle of the year on one of the outside egg trays. Tricky little bugger in trying to pick it up for it liked to go upside down with feet splayed, but it eventually made its way to cover within one of my plants.

The moth box can attract a variety of other invertebrates that included this Summer Chafer beetle.

I am pleased to say that at least three of the House Sparrows nestlings fledged and were being fed by the parents in the back of my garden yesterday, as my wife and I watched them being fed by the parents, while they flapped their wings and showing off their yellow gapes around their bills. Cute. However, danger did lurk, as something flew into the big tree by my garden and flushed a lot of the birds out. I thought it was going to be a Sparrowhawk, but what eventually flew out was a Jay! After watching a Jay decimate several nests on Springwatch over the past week, I am not surprised that it was on a mission to look for eggs and young of birds; though I am getting a bit fed up with the ‘wet blankets’ out there who say it is too graphic to show on Springwatch. Nature is nature, whether with ‘rose-tinted glasses’ or not.

Above, a Hairy Dragonfly and below, a female Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly. Photos by Jim Walker who photographed these at Titchfield Haven recently.

I get to identify some moths and insects from fellow ‘Lazee’s’ and friends now and then and last night, fellow ‘Lazee’, Andy Dickety sent me a photo of a Silver-ground Carpet that he found at Bransbury Common, Winchester. Keep the photos coming in guys. Fishlake Meadows, over in Romsey, scored last night with an adult Night Heron being seen in the early evening and then right up to dusk. There was also a White Stork sailing over, 2 Hobbies and up to 3 Great White Egrets reported there yesterday.    

A 'lifer' moth and a Small Elephant!

Tuesday 6th June 2023.

My first ever Portland Ribbon Wave by my moth box this morning. Not only a Red Date Book species but also a rare immigrant moth from the Continent.

I put the moth box on overnight and I was rewarded not with quantity, but quality (which is rare in my garden!!). My first ever Portland Ribbon Wave moth was found just below the moth box of which I quickly potted to eventually take some better photos of this rare moth. Also, within the moth box, towards the bottom of the box to be exact, sat a beautiful Small Elephant Hawk-moth, my first here for many a year. I do get the much larger Elephant Hawk-moths most years, but the Small variety I could probably count on one hand that has been in my garden.

Above and below, the Small Elephant Hawk-moth with a White Ermine moth.

Along with these two superb moths, there were two micro moths that were new for the year; an Apple Leaf Miner and an Epinotia bilunana moth. In total, there were at least 17 moths of 13 species this morning.

I had two new micro moth species for the year this morning that included an Apple Leaf Miner (above) and Epinotia bilunana (below).

Moths present this morning included the following:

• 3 Willow Beauty
• 1 Green Pug
• 1 Portland Ribbon Wave (LIFER)
• 1 Common Marbled Carpet
• 2 Bright-line Brown-eye
• 1 Vine’s Rustic
• 1 Heart & Dart
• 1 Small Elephant Hawk-moth (NFY)
• 1 White Ermine
• 1 Epinotia bilunana (NFY)
• 1 Apple Leaf Miner (NFY)
• 2 Mompha subbistrigella
• 1 Light Brown Apple Moth

Overhead, at least 6 Swifts were hawking low over the rooftops and when I left to do my first shift, one flew into the nestbox opposite my house. I am hoping to get a few photos soon of these entering their respective boxes to feed their young. The weather looks good for the rest of the week although there is supposed to be thunderstorms coming in towards Friday and the winds to change to southerly and warming the UK considerably. We shall see. 

I placed the Small Elephant Hawk-moth on my hand and as it whirred its wings for about 2 minutes or so, it eventually took off like a rocket and as Bob Mortimer would say 'and awayyyyy'!

The Cemy becomes a Meadow!

Monday 5th June 2023.

I have never in all the years I have been coming here seen the grass so high and the amount of wild flowers here was incredible. It reminded me of one of the unspoilt meadows that could only benefit the wildlife here. 

Though the weather was a tad warm this afternoon, I nonetheless took a stroll around my local patch, Highland Road Cemetery and I was taken aback when I noticed that the Council has not cut the grass for a number of weeks by the look of it. In fact, I have never seen grass this high within this Cemetery and better still, there were wild flowers everywhere, including a few new for the year as well. So, I took my time as I walked round slowly the Cemetery, taking in the many colourful plants and also keeping an eye on both the birds and insects.

Above, a male Blackbird was in full song high up in one of the Lime Trees. Below, Mallow is now out in bloom with a few areas holding this plant within the Cemy.

Above, Scarlet Pimpernel is now in bloom also and below, the Cemy looks like one of those old country Cemeteries. Personally, I think it looks great. 

Firstly the birds where I notched up 14 species of birds during my walk round. Though nothing out of the ordinary, it really felt like Summer here with Blackbirds singing, chattering fledgelings of Blue Tits high up in the trees and parties of Swifts scything across the blue sky. Birds seen in the Cemetery included the following:

•  Herring Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Carrion Crow
• Magpie
• House Sparrow
• Dunnock
• Robin
• Blue Tit
• Wood Pigeon
• Collared Dove
• Feral Pigeon
• Goldfinch
• Wren
• Swift

However, it was the plants that really stood out and probably the most notable were the swathes of Ox-eye Daisies that lit up the place. Vast clumps of them were dotted throughout the Cemetery and joined by Field Poppies, very tall Smooth Sow-thistle and the colourful Birds-foot Trefoil. Other abundant plants included Common Cat's-ear, Field Speedwell, Daisy, Bulbous Buttercup and Scarlet Pimpernel (the latter being my first sighting of this plant this year). I even found a clump of Green Alkanet growing close to the Mausoleum, which was a surprise.

Above, the photo really does not do these Ox-eye Daisies justice for they were shimmering in the bright sunshine all over the Cemetery. Below, Herb Bennett growing by the wall at the southern end of the Cemetery. My first sighting of this plant this year.

Above, this Carrion Crow was holding territory on top of this ornamental Pine. Below, standing out like a sore thumb, this Blackthorn Bush was completely in flower. Good news for the insects, I believe.

Surprisingly, insects were a little hard to come by though there were plenty of Marmalade Hoverflies on the wing where there were sunny glades around the trees. A Lasioglossum species was found feeding on a Cats-ear plant and was most likely the species Common Furrow-bee, of which I saw quite a few of these. There was also a Bumble Bee species that I though looked interesting that was enjoying nectaring on the Dog Rose bushes and Bramble flowers that was identified as Bombus vestalis, Southern Cuckoo Bumble-bee, which I think is a ‘lifer’ for me. The only butterflies seen were a few Holly Blue’s still lingering around.

Above, this male House Sparrow was 'chirruping' on a rooftop at the south end of the Cemetery. Below, Field Poppies grew abundantly.

Above, a probable Common Furrow-bee on a Cats-ear plant. Below, a male Southern Cuckoo Flower Bee was one of several around this Bramble within the Cemy.

Again, I have to reiterate how tall the grass and flowers have taken over the Cemetery and now looks quite overgrown, but so attractive. The grass species, which were easily over 3ft tall, included Wall Barley, Yorkshire Fog, Cultivated Oat and Upright Brome. True, we have not had any rain now for at least a couple of weeks and had wall to wall sunshine instead. Rain is forecast for a while towards the end of the week, which will save me watering the garden again! Back in my garden, I saw my first House Sparrow fledgling being fed by its father on my patio late this afternoon. Superb. 

Above, the Hoverfly, Syritta pipiens, enjoying the Cats-ear plants. Below, an adult Blue Tit searching for food for its hungry young that was high up in one of the trees.

Above, Birds-foot Trefoil now growing along the footpaths and below, my first Nipplewort plant seen this year.