| Birds
Click on any picture to see a larger =
image=20
28/05/11 The last 3 or 4 days have =
all been=20
very similar with Red Kite, Buzzard & =
Grey Heron=20
see daily over Area's 4 & 5. The big suprise however =
has been=20
only 1 & 2's of Swifts . This =
years=20
numbers seem to be significantly down. Male Chiffchaff & Blackcaps are still =
singing.=20
Juvenile Mistle Thrush, Blue Tit & =
Great Tit=20
can be seen and a flock of 15 + young Starlings can regularly be observed =
noisly feeding=20
on the area near the play area. A pair of Goldcrests=20
have sucessfuly raised a family in a Leylandi tree in my =
Area 5=20
garden and have been noisly chirping for the last two days .=20
24/05/11 A singing male Whitethroat in Area 5 between Dragonfly =
&=20
Ripple Stream Bridge at 07:45 this morning was the first I have =
seen in=20
this area.=20
21/05/11 The bird breeding season =
is=20
gathering pace with this mornings walk in Area's 4 & 5 =
revealing=20
evidence of great success. Seen feeding young away from the nest =
were=20
Mistle Thrush, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long =
tailed Tit,=20
Starling & Moorhen . Feeding at the nest were Great spotted Woodpecker & Nuthatch. =
Seen with=20
beaks full of grubs (so probably feeding young) were Chiffchaff & House Sparrow . =
Juvenile's of=20
Wood Pigeon, Robin & Rook were =
also seen.=20
A solitary Swallow was feeding low =
near the=20
Wildflower meadow. A total of 32 species were seen.=20
17/05/11 I should have known that =
it was=20
going to be a busy day in Area 5 when woken from my slumber this =
morning=20
at 05:00 by calling Canada Geese =
flying over.=20
A solitary Swift and Great spotted & Green Woodpecker were =
seen=20
along with another 22 species..=20
16/05/11 A good walk to work =
today through=20
Areas 4 & 5 with Red Kite, Bullfinch, =
Blackcap,=20
Bullfinch and Grey Wagtail seen. Highlight was however =
evidence=20
of another breeding success with this mother and 5 young Mallard on the brook just downstream of =
Meadow Rd=20
bridge .=20
13/05/11 At 07:00 a Cuckoo was was heard calling in Area 5 to =
the rear=20
of Morrisons. Male Bullfinch, Blackcap =
&=20
Chiffchaff were also seen.=20
11/05/11 In Area 5 a pair of Bullfinch were seen along with 3 Swifts and a Goldcrest .=20
08/05/11 A female Kestrel was seen flying over Area 4 by =
Paul Bright=20
Thomas.=20
06/05/11 6 Swifts=20
were seen together in Area 5 at lunchtime.=20
05/05/11 2 =
Mute Swans=20
were seen flying low east over Area 4 by Paul Bright =
Thomas at=20
06:30. In my Area 5 garden today both pairs of nesting FONT=20
color=3D#ff0000> Blue Tits & Great Tits were =
frantically=20
feeding young. .
01/05/11 In Area 4 & 5 =
(Riverside Walk=20
) this morning 27 species of birds were seen and heard. =
Highlights were=20
2 returning Swifts who flew over at =
07:45=20
with a single Swallow . Singing =
summer=20
migrants included Chiffchaff & =
Blackcap .=20
The rest were Nuthatch, Blackbird, Song =
Thrush,=20
Mistle Thrush,Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Stock Dove, Goldfinch, =
Greenfinch, Mallard, Blut Tit, Great Tit, Long tailed Tit, House =
Sparrow, Moorhen, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Herring Gull, Black =
headed Gull,=20
Dunnock, Wren & Red Kite |
Insects/ Spiders
Click on any picture to see a larger =
image=20
29/05/11
A good day for Insects along the brook today =
with this=20
Black & red froghopper - Cercopis =
vulnerata=20
. The micro moth Nemphora =
degeerella=20
was also seen. This is just one of several longhorn moths =
found=20
in Britain, so called because of their long antennae. the moth =
is=20
approximately 10mms long whilst the antennae of the males are =
around=20
30mms long. They can sometimes =
be seen in=20
groups, performing what looks like a dance in the sunlight. They =
go up=20
in the air about 60cms, then drop back down to rest.=20
14/05/11 A new moth for the =
FOTEB list was=20
found this morning in Area 5 adjacent to the Acorn Centre. The =
micro=20
moth Crambus lathoniellus is =
one of=20
the earliest Crambids to be seen during the year, with the =
adults flying=20
from May through to August. Like several similar species, the =
moth is to=20
be found in grassy areas, where the larvae feed on various types =
of=20
grass stem. It flies naturally at night, though it is easily =
disturbed=20
in the daytime=20
02/05/11 The moth trap was =
out overnight=20
with little success. Only 11 moths of 3 species were caught. The =
best=20
was this Angle Shades . Also the =
first Hornet Vespa crabro was found in =
the trap.=20
01/05/11 In late summer or =
early autumn=20
many spiders mature mate and produce eggs. The common Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) =
lays from=20
three to eight hundred yellow eggs that she cements together and =
covers=20
in a dense layer of coarse protective yellow silk and detritus. =
When=20
spring comes the following year, bundles of tiny yellow =
spiderlings with=20
a black spot on their rear end can be found. If disturbed, the =
bundle of=20
babies will 'explode', with individual spiderlings dispersing =
away from=20
each other on tiny silken safety lines. Once the danger has =
passed they=20
climb back up the web and form a clump again. Before emerging =
from their=20
egg sac, the spiderlings moulted once. Once emerged, they remain =
together until they have moulted yet again and grown big enough =
to be=20
independent. these were seen in Area 5. |
Other Wildlife
Click on any picture to see a larger =
image=20
Amphibians
Coarse Fish
14/05/11 The small fish by the =
middle bridge=20
to the rear of Morrisons are getting bigger, but I am still not =
able to=20
identify them. If anyone can please let me know.=20
Mammals
13/05/11 A Hedgehog=20
was investigating gardens in Area 5 today=20
Plants/Trees=20
26/05/11
Whilst walking home from work I bumped into Mike =
Saynor=20
and his wife by Kingfisher Bridge who showed me the gall of the =
aphid=20
Pemphigus spyrothecae . This gall =
causes a=20
spiral in the stem of the leaves of the Lombardy=20
Poplar Populus nigra Italica .The Lombardy Poplar =
can grow=20
to 30 m high.=20
12/05/11 All along the Brook =
Cow Parsley Anthriscus sylvestris =
&=20
Red Campion Silene diocia =
can be seen.=20
02/05/11 In the Wildflower =
Meadow in Area=20
5 Cowslips Primula veris can =
now be=20
seen along with Meadow Buttercup =
Ranunculus acris=20
. This photo was sent in by Sue Farrington.=20
01/05/11 In the balancing =
pond near Smiths=20
Walk in Area 4 Yellow Flag Iris Iris =
pseudacorus=20
are just starting to appear. These magnificent plants =
can=20
grow as much as 6 feet tall.=20
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