Wentworth Estate 30th Sept

Highlights ;
09.15 - 11.00 / Misty, Sunny Spells, Light S
Great Crested Grebe 22, Grey Heron 7, Green Woodpecker 1, Pied Wagtail 25, Grey Wagtail 2, Swallow 21 S, Chiffchaff 1 singing, Willow Tit 1

It`s been a few months since my last visit to this area, surprisingly nothing has changed regards the amount of bird species present. One would expect more from an area this size but that`s down to the disturbance from regular game shoots. Ah well, i`ll have to wait & see what the winter months produce, probably not a lot knowing my luck.

" Spot " the ( subtle ) Difference

With so many ( well, 17 ) Red Admirals being present in the same area of the Wombwell garden yesterday, i thought i`d give them close scrutiny and check for any variations or aberrations. Low & behold, i actually found one, but it was only subtly different from the other 16.
The 1st pic shows a typically marked example, whereas the 2nd one shows what probably is the commonest variation, where the butterfly has an extra white spot, this being in the orange/red band on the forewing ;





Variations/aberrations in butterflies are a lot more common than what people think, so it`s always worth checking individuals from a particular species. You may just be surprised how different they can be.

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Mystery Pic

Just a bit of fun, but can anyone identify the the pic below. This time, i promise i won`t reveal the answer as soon as someone gets it right. I was a bit premature last time and i had a few people contact me saying they did`nt get a chance. So i`ll let it run till Sunday. Remember it`s only for fun ;

Garden Wildlife 29th Sept

Highlights ;
06.40 - 08.30 / Clear, Light S/SW
Grey Heron 1 E, Canada Goose circa 40 W, Mallard 5 N, Meadow Pipit 33 S, Song Thrush 1 NE, Goldfinch 70+ S/SW

12.00 - 19.00 / Overcast, Rain turning Showery, Light S/SW
Sparrowhawk 1 landed with prey at top of garden, House Martin 1 S
Red Admiral 3


Looking E at 18.40 ( dark, damp & downright miserable )

Wombwell Garden 29th Sept

Highlights ;
09.30 - 11.15 / Sunny, Light S/SW
Nuthatch 1+ calling
Migrant Hawker 1
Comma 2, Red Admiral - an excellent count of 17 ( eclipsing yesterdays total by 6 ), Speckled Wood 2

Comma


Red Admiral


Speckled wood


+ i thought i`d photograph this Cardoon ( a smaller version of Globe Artichoke )







Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Garden Wildlife 28th Sept

Highlights ;
06.40 - 08.30 / Patchy Cloud, Light SW
Yellow Wagtail - a flock of 11 flew low S at 07.20, Goldfinch 30+ S

12.00 - 19.20 / Patchy Cloud, Sunny Spells, Light SW
Green Sandpiper 2 flew SW ( calling ) at 18.00 ( Garden Bird Year List 61 & Local Area Bird Year List 108 )
Common Darter 1
Red Admiral 3

Wombwell Garden 28th Sept

Highlights ;
09.30 - 10.30 / Patchy Cloud, Sunny Spells, Light SW
Sparrowhawk 1, Grey Partridge 1 ( my first sighting of this species at this site ), Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Red Admiral 11 ( a new site record ), Speckled Wood 1

Garden Wildlife 27th Sept

Looking E at 06.45

Highlights ;
06.40 - 08.30 / High Cloud, Light S
Not a lot, apart from a Grey Heron E, there was a small but steady movement of Meadow Pipits, Pied Wagtails & Goldfinch`s.

16.00 - 19.20 / Overcast, Blustery S
Kestrel 1 over

Another exciting day, NOT!!:)

Wombwell Garden 27th Sept

With both my daughters taken to school, i made my way to the Wombwell garden, all the time thinking of what wonders were waiting for me in my moth trap. Would there be a Vestal or even better, one of the impressive migrant Hawk-moths that have reached the country in good numbers. The correct answer was no!!, but there were 2 year ticks*. Full catch ;
Light Brown Apple Moth 1, Garden Rose Tortrix 1, Acleris laterana 1, Common Marbled Carpet 1, Spruce Carpet 2, Red-green Carpet 2, Light Emerald 1, Large Yellow Underwing 1, Lunar Underwing 2, Beaded Chestnut* 1, Autumnal Rustic 1, Angle Shades 1, Black Rustic 11, Blair`s Shoulder-knot 4, Yellow-line Quaker* 2, Silver Y 1


Acleris laterana


Lunar Underwing


Beaded Chestnut*


Yellow-line Quaker*

Moth Year List 242

Other stuff recorded while i was there ;
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Migrant Hawker 1, Common Darter 2
Comma 1, Red Admiral 9, Painted Lady 1, Speckled Wood 1
and this Fungi sp ;



Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Garden Wildlife 26th Sept

I thought Monday was bad, but yesterday ( Tuesday ) was even worse. Highlights ;
06.40 - 08.30 / Bright, Light W
Swallow 3 N

15.20 - 19.20 / Sunny, Light W
Comma 1, Red Admiral 2

I told you :)

More flutters

More of the Red Admirals and the Painted Lady from the Wombwell garden yesterday morning ;











Can`t wait to go and see what moths my MV trap as attracted overnight, but i`ll have to, children to get ready & take to school first.

PS - Blogger`s playing silly buggers again, lost count how many times i`ve tried publishing this particular post.

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Two Gardens 26th Sept

Highlights ;
WOMBWELL : 09.30 - 11.15 / Sunny, Light W
Jay 2
Large White 1, Comma 3, Red Admiral 8, Painted Lady 1, Speckled Wood 2 ;

Comma


Red Admiral




Painted Lady


Speckled Wood


Hummingbird Hawk-moth 1, Red-green Carpet 1, Blair`s Shoulder-knot 1, Black Rustic 1.
Running my Mercury Vapour light trap here tonight, so i`m hoping for some decent moths tomorrow morning.

NETHER HAUGH : 12.30 - 14.30 / Sunny, Light W
Common Buzzard 1, Lesser Black-backed Gull 11 S, Swallow 5 NW & 1 S, Skylark 3 W, Tree Sparrow 4+
Comma 1, Red Admiral 4, Speckled Wood 2

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Garden Wildlife 25th Sept

Highlights ;
06.40 - 08.30 / Cloudy, Light S/SW
Swallow 2 S, Meadow Pipit 10 S

15.30 - 19.00 / Cloudy, Light S/SW
Meadow Pipit 10 S
Pipistrelle 1
Red Admiral 5

Moths : 19.30 ( 17 deg C ) - 06.40 ( 13 deg C ) / Cloudy becoming clear, Light S/SW
Light Brown Apple Moth 4, Garden Rose Tortrix 1, Large Yellow Underwing 2, Black Rustic 3, Pale Mottled Willow 1

All in all a very poor day & night, i think the moth trap can go away now till at least March next year.

Two Gardens 25th Sept

Highlights ;
WOMBWELL : 09.30 - 11.30 / Cloudy, Bright Spells, Light S/SW
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Grey Wagtail 2 E
Comma 1, Red Admiral 2


Comma

Quite a few moths around the security lights here, but nothing new : Red-green Carpet 3, Common Wainscot 1, Pink-barred Sallow 1, Blair`s Shoulder-knot 1, Rosy Rustic 1, Silver Y 1.

NETHER HAUGH : 12.30 - 14.30 / Cloudy, Light S/SW
Swallow 4 S, Willow Tit 1, Tree Sparrow 6
Comma 1, Red Admiral 4, Speckled Wood 2
Garden Rose Tortrix 1, Yellow-tail 1 larva ( below ) ;





Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Garden Wildlife 24th Sept

Highlights ;
06.40 - 10.00 / Mist, Light S/SE
House Martin 1 S, Pied Wagtail 6 over, Goldfinch at least 90 birds over in various flock sizes.
Red Admiral 1

11.05 - 19.30 / Rain, Brightening up pm, Light S/SE


Cloud break

Sparrowhawk 1 high S, Wader sp 4 small birds flew high N at 18.40, Great Black-backed Gull 4 W, Swallow 24 S, House Martin 5 S, Meadow Pipit 33 S
Common Darter 2
Comma 3, Red Admiral 7


Red Admiral

Brown House-moth* 1 found in bathroom ( Moth Year List 240 ) + Green Carpet - 1 found by the trap, must have missed this one earlier


Green Carpet

Once again i`ll finish off with a Water Lily ;




Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Cortonwood 24th Sept

10.10 - 11.00 / Misty, Light SE
All highlights refer to the lake unless otherwise stated ;
Mute Swan 2, Tufted Duck 20, Ruddy Duck 3, Snipe 2, Kingfisher 1 ( not a site tick, but surprisingly my first at the lake ), Grey Wagtail 1, Chiffchaff 2 birds together by Morrisons, Willow Tit 1 on Trans-Pennine Trail.

Revealed

Finally, the mystery moth from overnight opened its wings ( after a 5 hour wait, i hasten to add ) to reveal itself as a Spruce Carpet ;



This takes my Moth Year List to 239, maybe i might just reach 250 by the year end after all.

Garden Wildlife 23rd Sept

Highlights ;
06.30 - 19.30 / Misty, Sunny pm, Light SE
Cormorant 1 W, Sparrowhawk 1 S, Swallow 25 S, House Martin 43 S including a group of 37, Meadow Pipit - a decent passage of birds South but due to poor visibilty during the morning, the majority were heard & not seen. Mistle Thrush 9 over
Common Darter 1, Southern Hawker 1
Comma 3, Red Admiral 5

Moths: 20.00 ( 18 deg C ) - 06.40 ( 17 deg C ) / Clear, Mist, Light SE
Light Brown Apple Moth 4, Common Marbled Carpet 1, Garden Carpet 1, Willow Beauty 1, Common Wainscot 1, Blair`s Shoulder-knot 2, Pale Mottled Willow 5, Silver Y 2 + a Carpet sp that will not open its wings, will update as soon as it reveals its identity.

Let Down!!

A while ago i was contacted by a couple of officials from my local council about hosting a moth event for tonights NATIONAL MOTH NIGHT. They wanted me to use my 125watt Mercury Vapour trap, but unfortunately it was not working. So i went to the trouble of getting it fixed at a cost of £20 & a 60 mile round trip.
As i did`nt know where the actual trapping site was, i was promised to be picked up by one of them. I sat at home all eager & ready for my lift, time was getting on and no sign of anyone. So i made a call & sent a text to my proposed chauffeur, but to no avail.
You would have thought that they`d have the decency to let me know if the circumstances had changed. So if they think they`re getting anymore wildlife records/sightings from me, they can BOLLOX!!!.

Garden Wildlife 22nd Sept

Highlights ;
06.30 - 08.45 / Cloudy, Showers, Light S
Sparrowhawk 1 NE, Swallow 5 S, House Martin 8 S, Meadow Pipit 31 S, Blackbird - 9 birds feeding on Honeysuckle berries.
Painted Lady 1 at 07.15

10.00 - 19.30 / Cloudy, ( persistant ) Rain from mid-afternoon, Light S
Canada Goose 16 W, Swallow 45 S, House Martin 2 S, Sand Martin 4 S, Meadow Pipit 29 S, Skylark 1 W, Goldfinch - a flock of 16 W
Red Admiral 2

All the above were observed before the rain started at 14.00, with nothing worthwhile recorded thereafter.

Two Gardens 21st Sept

Highlights ;
WOMBWELL : 09.30 - 11.00 / Sunny, Blustery S
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Migrant Hawker 1, Common Darter 6+
Large White 1, Small White 1, Comma 2, Peacock 1, Red Admiral 7, Speckled Wood 1 ;


Comma

Blair`s Shoulder-knot* 1, Vapourer 1 male, Silver Y 1 ;


Blair`s Shoulder-knot ( Moth Year List 238 )


Silver Y

The Cyclamen is now in flower ;





NETHER HAUGH : 12.30 - 14.30 / Sunny, Blustery S
Sparrowhawk 1, Lapwing 16 NE, Swallow/House Martin - a mixed flock of circa 40 birds S, Chiffchaff 1, Goldcrest 1
Large White 1, Small White 1, Green-veined White 1, Small Tortoiseshell 1, Comma 1, Red Admiral 2

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Garden Wildlife 21st Sept

Highlights ;
06.30 - 08.30 / Clear, Light S
Swallow 4 W & 28 S, Meadow Pipit 4 SE
Red Admiral 1 at 07.20
Hummingbird Hawk-moth 1 flying round the garden at 06.45

15.30 - 19.30 / Sunny, Blustery S
Swallow 5 S, House Martin 2 E, Meadow Pipit 1 E
Southern Hawker 1, Common Darter 2
Small Tortoiseshell 1, Comma 3, Red Admiral 5

Two Gardens 20th Sept

Highlights ;
WOMBWELL : 09.30 - 11.15 / Cloudy, Sunny Spells, Blustery SW
Sparrowhawk 1, Common Buzzard 1 sat in a tree ( made a change to see one on the deck instead of high overhead ), Nuthatch 1
Red Admiral 1
Red-green Carpet 3, Common Wainscot 1 ;


Red-green Carpet ( the one that did`nt get away )

NETHER HAUGH : 13.00 - 15.00 / Cloudy, Blustery SW
Little Owl 1 calling from adjacent farm, Swallow 6 W
Comma 1, Red Admiral 2, Speckled Wood 1
Vapourer 1 male

Garden Wildlife 20th Sept

Highlights ;
06.30 - 08.30 / Cloudy, Light S/SW
Grey Heron 1 NE, Duck sp 3 high E, Swallow 3 S & 14 W, Goldfinch 10 W & 8 S

15.30 - 19.30 / Sunny, Blustery S
Swallow 1 W, Pied Wagtail 6 S
Comma 2, Red Admiral 4, Speckled Wood 1 ( all feeding on discarded fruit )

After last nights poor results with the moth trap, i`m not bothering tonight.

Garden Wildlife 19th Sept

Highlights ;
06.30 - 08.30 / Clear, Light W/SW
Teal* 18 E at 07.30, Swallow 7 S, House Martin 3 S
( Garden Bird Year List* 60 )

15.30 - 19.30 / Sunny, Light W/SW
Sparrowhawk 1 S, Swallow 1 S
Common Darter 1
Red Admiral 3

Moths : 19.50 ( 15 deg C ) - 06.30 ( 13 deg C ), Clear Light SW
Lunar Underwing 2, Pale Mottled Willow 2. YES!! just 4 moths.

The only pics from this day are of my Water Lily`s, that seem to prefer the new pond to the old one. Can`t remember the last time they flowered in the old pond ;

Wombwell Garden 19th Sept

Highlights ;
09.30 - 11.00 / Sunny, Light W/SW
Little Owl - 1 found dead on main road outside the garden, a bit squashed to warrant a photograph. Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Swallow 1 W
Common Darter 10+, Migrant Hawker 2 ;


Migrant Hawker

Comma 1, Red Admiral 2, Speckled Wood 1
Vapourer Moth 1 male ( below ) ;



Fungi - Ganoderma sp, Fly Agaric 1 ;


Ganoderma sp


Fly Agaric

Also the Cyclamen are about to start flowering ;



Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Garden Wildlife 18th Sept

Highlights ;
06.30 - 09.00 / Patchy Cloud, Bright Spells, Light SW
Swallow 5 W, House Martin 3 W, Meadow Pipit 20 S, Blackbird - at least 8 birds chasing each other around the garden, Goldfinch 5 S

12.00 - 19.40 / Patchy Cloud, Sunny Spells, Light SW
Canada Goose circa 40 E, Common Buzzard* 2 E at 13.55, Swallow 18 S, House Martin 7 S, Mistle Thrush 2 E : ( Garden Bird Year List* 59 )
Comma 2, Red Admiral 3, Speckled Wood 1 ;


Comma

No mothing overnight but i did see my 237th species of the year with Garden Rose Tortrix.

Garden Moths 17th Sept

20.00 ( 20 deg C ) - 06.30 (14 deg C ) / Patchy Cloud, Light SW
Looking very much like the beginning of the end of the season for moths in my garden, with a very poor catch overnight ;
Square-spot Rustic 1, Large Yellow Underwing 3, Lunar Underwing 1, Pale Mottled Willow 3, Silver Y ;


Lunar Underwing - a much darker variant than the ones from Friday night.

Garden Wildlife 17th Sept

06.30 - 19.40 / Cloudy Start, Sunny, Clouding over again late afternoon. Light SW.
No pony shows today, my adorable neighbours ( NOT!! ) had gone out for the day and simply i could`nt be arsed to visit my local patch ( not the attitude to take i know ) so i thought i`d give the garden a good grilling : Visible Migration highlights ;
Duck sp - a party of 17 birds high E at 07.15
Sparrowhawk - 4 over
Golden Plover - 8 E at 07.18
Herring Gull - 2 N
Swallow - 93 S
House Martin - 6 S
Meadow Pipit - 69 S
Pied Wagtail - 16 over
Skylark* - 9 w
Goldfinch - 35 over
( Garden Bird Year List* 58 )

Also;
Common Darter 2, Southern Hawker 2
Large White 1, Small White 1, Green-veined White 1, Comma 3, Red Admiral 2 ;


Red Admiral

The moth trap`s been on just over an hour, will post results sometime tomorrow.

Garden Wildlife 16th Sept

Highlights ;
06.30 - 09.45 / Low Cloud, Light NE
Sparrowhawk 1 with prey landed in a neighbouring garden, Swallow 2 S, House Martin 1 S, Goldfinch 10 over

13.20 - 18.15 / Low Cloud, Bright Spells, Light NE
Canada Goose 63 E, Mallard 3 E, Swallow 4 N, House Martin 5 S, Meadow Pipit 1 S, Yellow Wagtail 1 S
Comma 1

Moths : 20.00 ( 19 deg C ) - 06.30 ( 18 deg C ) Low Cloud, Light NE turning to SW
Light Brown Apple Moth 1, Garden Carpet 1, Willow Beauty 1, Large Yellow Underwing 5, Lesser Yellow Underwing 2, Black Rustic 7, Pale Mottled Willow 2

Moth Year List / Ammendment, now 236. Forgot to add White-shouldered House-moth.

Garden Wildlife 15th Sept

Highlights ;
06.15 - 08.30 / Bright, Light N
Nothing at all of interest from this period apart from a single Swallow W

12.00 - 16.00 & 17.15 - 19.50 / Sunny, Light N
Greenshank 1 flew S ( calling ) at 17.50, Swallow 2 E, House Martin 4, Meadow Pipit 1 N, Yellow Wagtail 1 S ( calling ) at 13.55
Southern Hawker 1
Small White 1, Comma 3

Mothing : 20.00 ( 18 deg C ) - 06.30 ( 16 deg C ) / Clear, Light N
Light Brown Apple Moth 1, Blood-vein 1, Garden Carpet 5, Common Marbled Carpet 2, Black Rustic 2, Pale Mottled Willow 2, Rosy Rustic 1, Autumnal Rustic 1, Lunar Underwing* 2


Common Marbled Carpet


Lunar Underwing ( Moth Year List 235 )

Don`t think i`ll make it to 250 by the year end, especially after missing out on quite a few easy species earlier in the year. I`m keeping my fingers crossed though, as there`s quite a few migrant species turning up around the country, unfortunately they all seem to be by-passing my garden.

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Cortonwood 15th Sept

Highlights ;
16.10 - 17.10 / Sunny, Light N
Mute Swan 2, Canada Goose 107, Greylag Goose 1, Tufted Duck 9, Ruddy Duck 5, Grey Wagtail 1 on Knollbeck, Willow Warbler 1 singing by Morrisons car park.
Pretty rubbish really, with no Finches or Buntings about and nothing moving overhead, roll on the winter species.

Wombwell Garden 15th Sept

Highlights ;
09.30 - 11.30 / Sunny, Light N
Canada Goose circa 80 E, Nuthatch 1
Large White 1, Green-veined White 1, Comma 2, Red Admiral 1 ;


Large White


Red Admiral

Moths ( security lights ) : Riband Wave 1, Angle Shades 1, Barred Sallow* 1


Barred Sallow ( Moth Year List 234 )

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Garden Wildlife 14th Sept

Highlights ;
06.00 - 12.00 / Overcast, Light - Mod Rain, Light W
Wader sp 1 unidentified bird flew high E at 11.30, Swallow 3 S, House Martin 24, Goldfinch 20 over including a flock of 14

14.00 - 20.00 / Overcast, Heavy Thundery Showers, Light Variable Wind
Canada Goose 22 E, Sparrowhawk 1 SE, Herring Gull 2 SW, Swallow 2 S
Small White 1
Pipistrelle 1

Mothing : 20.20 ( 15 deg C ) - 06.15 ( 12 deg C ) / Clear, Light SE
Light Brown Apple Moth 1, Blood-vein 1, Willow Beauty 2, Dusky Thorn 1, Pale Mottled Willow 2, Burnished Brass* 1 ( Moth Year List 233 ) ;


Burnished Brass

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Wombwell Garden 13th Sept

Highlights ;
09.30 - 11.00 / Cloudy, Sunny Spells, Light S
Swallow 9 S, Woodpigeon 1 in the greenhouse ( successfully released ) ;



Comma 1, Red Admiral 1, Speckled Wood 1 ;


Comma

Moths - Gold Triangle 1, Red-green Carpet* 1, Square-spot Rustic 1, Rosy Rustic 1.
The Red-green Carpet escaped being potted up for photographic purposes, but there will be others :)
Moth Year List 232

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Garden Wildlife 13th Sept

Highlights ;
06.00 - 08.30 / Clear, Light S
Grey Heron 1 E, Common Sandpiper 1 calling overhead heading S, Swallow 25 S, House Martin 5
Pipistrelle 1

14.00 - 20.00 / Cloudy, Sunny Spells, Light SW
Swallow 18 S, House Martin 2
Pipistrelle 1

I knew that Frog tadpoles started off life as being vegetarian and then as they grow they turn to something more substantial to feed on, like these that i saw tucking into a Slug that had obviously found its way into my pond. Not a very good pic, but it shows exactly what i mean ;

Garden Wildlife 12th Sept

Highlights ;
06.15 - 09.00 / Patchy Cloud, Sunny, Light S
Greylag Goose 3 W, House Martin 5

16.00 - 20.05 / Sunny, Light SW
House Martin 4
Comma 1

Moths : 20.10 ( 20 deg C ) - 06.20 ( 18 deg C ) / Clear, Light SW
Light Brown Apple Moth 4, Blood-vein 1, Garden Carpet 3, Willow Beauty 1, Setaceous Hebrew Character 1, Square-spot Rustic 1, Large Yellow Underwing 7, Lesser Yellow Underwing 1, Black Rustic* 3, Pale Mottled Willow 1


Black Rustic ( Moth Year List 231 )

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Two Gardens 12th Sept

Highlights ;
WOMBWELL : 09.30 - 11.00 / Patchy Mist, Sunny Spells, Light SW
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Jay 2
Comma 1 ;



Moths - Common Marbled Carpet 1, Square-spot Rustic 1, Silver Y 2, Vapourer 1+ male

+ another unidentified Fungi sp


The sighting of the day was of at least 4 Rhododendren Leafhopper, these are apparently an introduced species from America. Despite being alien, you can`t take away their beauty ;



NETHER HAUGH : 13.00 - 15.30 / Sunny, Light S
Common Buzzard 1 heard calling but not seen, Swallow 20+, House Martin 2
Comma 1, Red Admiral 1, Speckled Wood 3
The sighting of the day from this garden was my first ever Hornet, could`nt believe the actual size of this monster, about 6x bigger than the average wasp ;



Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Garden Wildlife 11th Sept

Highlights ;
06.15 - 08.00 / Sunny, Light S/SE
Lesser Black-backed Gull 7 S, Robin 3 singing at first light

15.00 - 20.00 / Hazy Sunshine, Light S/SE
Swallow 31 S, House martin 14 around at 16.00 had dwindled to just 4 birds by 17.30

What i thought was perfect conditions ( calm, light S & a temp of 22 deg C ) for mothing soon became non-perfect. 5 minutes after switching the trap on, the heavens opened and then one hell of a lightning storm rolled in, so that put the kibosh on that :)

Two Gardens 11th Sept

Highlights ;
WOMBWELL : 09.30 - 11.00 / Sunny, Light S
Canada Goose 40 E, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Swallow 1 E, Nuthatch 1
Migrant Hawker 3, Common Darter - several
Small White 1, Red Admiral 1, Speckled Wood 3
Moths ;
Acleris laterana* 1, Garden Carpet 1, Canary-shouldered Thorn 1, Common Wainscot 1, Vapourer 1 male, Snout 1 ( *Moth Year List 231 )


Acleris laterana

Nothing different on the Fungi front apart from this Slime-mould, Fuligo septica ;



NETHER HAUGH : 12.00 - 14.30 / Sunny, Light S
Sparrowhawk 1, Swallow 8, Long-tailed Tit 5, Tree Sparrow 2, Bullfinch 1
Comma 2

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Garden Wildlife 10th Sept

Highlights ;
16.00 - 20.00 / Sunny, Light S
Swift - 1 at 18.45 ( did`nt expect another ), House Martin 7
Southern Hawker 1
Speckled Wood 1

Moths - 20.10 ( 19 deg C ) - 06.15 ( 12 deg C ), Clear, Light S
Light Brown Apple Moth 4, Garden Carpet 1, Willow Beauty 1, Square-spot Rustic 1, LArge Yellow Underwing 5, Lesser Yellow Underwing 1, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 1, Short-cloaked Moth 1, Svenssons Copper Underwing 1.

Garden Wildlife 9th Sept

Highlights ;
06.45 - 18.00 / Misty start, Sunny, Light SE
Sparrowhawk 1, Swallow 63 S, House Martin 3, Meadow Pipit* 1 S, Mistle Thrush 3 W ( *Garden Bird Year List 57 )
Southern Hawker 1
Comma 2, Red Admiral 1, Speckled Wood 1

Comma




Bit late updating, due to having a rare night out last night, and just got back from yet another horse/pony qualifying show today, where my eldest Storm jumped 4 clear rounds but missed out on the reaching the championship final by the clock, but she did qualify for both Ridden Pony and Tack & Turnout. Rudi, my youngest, also qualified for the Tack & Turnout final.

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Garden Wildlife 8th Sept

Highlights ;
06.30 - 09.00 / Clear - Sunny, Light E
House Martin 2

An extremely cold start to the day with the temperature at just 7 deg C at first light.

12.35 - 22.20 / Sunny, Light E
Sparrowhawk 1 S, Swift* 3 S at 18.00, Swallow 7 S, House Martin 13 around prior to dusk
Common Darter 1, Southern Hawker 1
Comma 2

* the Swifts were my latest i`ve ever seen anywhere & not just for the garden. Be very lucky if i see any more this year.

Wombwell Garden 8th Sept

Highlights ;
09.30 - 11.30 / Sunny, Light E
The best of the birds from this garden were - Sparrowhawk 1, Meadow Pipit 2 S, Nuthatch 1.
Again, insects were well represented, with the following recorded ;
Common Darter - several, Migrant Hawker 3
Large White 2, Green-veined White 1, Comma 2, Painted Lady 1, Speckled Wood 1
Hummingbird Hawk-moth 1 ( one day i will get a pic of this species ), Angle Shades 1, Silver Y 2 ;


Angle Shades

+ a couple more mushroom species. Despite having 3 comprehensive field guides on this subject, i still find it difficult to identify many of them ;