Wednesday 31st October 2007

Sunny, Clouding over, Blustery W/SW
Did a full circuit of Cortonwood this morning, and managed both a lifer & a patch tick. Not a welcome one though, as it was the the dreaded Harlequin Ladybird. This species originates from Asia and was first found in Britain as recent as 2004. The reason it is not a welcome visitor, is, although it feeds on Aphids like any other Ladybird, it also feeds on the eggs/larvae of both butterflies & moths. As well as this, it will also feed on our native Ladybirds.
Anyway, i potted it up and took it home to photograph, and i then passed the death sentence on it. No, i did`nt kill it ( directly ), i fed it to the spider that lives on our kitchen window ;





Not much else about at Cortonwood, with the only notables being : 3 Pochard, 5 Goosander & 4 Meadow Pipits.


Black-headed Gull

+

Stigmella tityrella ( micro moth ), larval mine on Beech

Back at home, the only notable sighting was of 7 Golden Plover over, heading W.

Just this minute found out that the Dropkick Murphys will be playing live at the Leadmill ( Sheffield ) on 5th Feb next year. Will i be going ?, you bet your life i will.

Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday 30th October 2007

Sunny, becoming Cloudy, Light W/NW
What a waste of a day. Jakki had to go into work, so i was left minding the kids. Could`nt even take them for a walk with me, as my youngest is made up with a cold.
Anyway, the main observations made between fetching & carrying, were ;
Sparrowhawk ( 3 sightings ), Kestrel 1 & Common Gull 3 ( 1 S & 2 W ).

Needless to say, no pics. Kids don`t you just love em!!!!!!

Monday 29th October 2007

Sunny, Light > Breezy W
Todays highlights ;
WOMBWELL GARDEN : Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Jay 4, Grey Wagtail 1, Skylark 3 S, Speckled Wood 1 ;



CORTONWOOD : Fieldfare c50, Skylark 3 S, Pochard 3 female, Meadow Pipit 2, Willow Tit 1.
MY GARDEN : Cormorant 1 S, Meadow Pipit 1 S, Common Gull 2 SE, Lesser Black-backed Gull 9 S, Fieldfare 14 S, Sparrowhawk 2 over ;


Starling

Copyright Dean Stables

Saturday 27th October 2007

Old Moor - from Wath Ings hide

Went down to Old Moor this morning, where the first couple of hours could`nt produce anything better than a single Water Rail. That was enough for me, but then i bumped into Dave Waddington & John Law. Dave said that a Firecrest was heard calling yesterday evening along Crab Apple Way ( the bird has been present for the last week ), so i tagged along, and sure enough the bird was soon picked up as it flitted through an area of Gorse & Buckthorn behind the Wath Ings hide. This little gem of a bird showed well for about 5 mins before it worked its way along the hedgerow and finally lost to sight.
At this point, John asked if i wanted to go and see Crown Vetch nearby at Edderthorpe. Me being me, i said yes, anything new is well worth a look wether it be animal or vegetable.


Crown Vetch - another plant tick

The clocks go back by 1 hour tonight. As a result, you/we are supposed to get an extra hour in bed. What a load of crap!!!, don`t know about anybody else, but i`m ruled by my body clock, which means i`ll probably be awake & out of bed for 4am instead of the usual 5`ish. Now, according to my simple calculations, that means i`ll be getting an hour less and not an extra one. Did`nt take a lot of working out, did it.

Copyright Dean Stables

The Undertones - Irelands Finest @ Holmfirth

Just 2 words " F***ING BRILLIANT ;





















You can`t get this close to the manufactured boy/girlband crap that`s being produced today.

No miming, no choreographed dance moves, no bullshit, just 100% good old honest entertainment.
I`ll say it again " F***ING BRILLIANT :)

Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 25th October 2007

Overcast, Light E/NE
Not a great deal from Cortonwood this morning. The Pochards have increased to 4 birds and the best of the other sightings were : 2 Yellowhammer & 3 Lesser Redpoll.


Black-headed Gull

A single Coal Tit on the feeders was the only thing of note from my garden.

Starting to get fed up with this dull weather now, which is set to last well into next week. :(

Wednesday 24th October 2007

Patchy Frost, Cloudy, Light E
Went to the Wombwell garden this morning, not a lot doing there, with the highlights being : Green Woodpecker 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Jay 2, Pheasant 1 male & several Redwings over.



The walk home along the canal from Hemingfield > Brampton was totally uneventful.
Back at home, the only highlight was a Great Spotted Woodpecker that landed briefly, before being chased off by the local Starlings. I`ve had this species over the garden on a couple of occasions, but this bird was the first ever to land.

Roll on Friday. I`m taking Jakki to see the Undertones at Holmfirth. It`s nigh on 27 years since i last saw them in concert. Should be a good one.

Tuesday 23rd October 2007

Misty - Sunny, Light SE
A full circuit of Cortonwood this morning produced my first Goosander of the autumn/winter, with a female/1st winter bird on the lake. The only other highlights were the usual stuff : 3 female Pochard, 1 female Teal, 2 Common Gull ( ad & 1st winter ), several Tree Sparrow, 1 Bullfinch, several Common Dater, 1 Red Admiral & loads of Fly Agaric ;

Red Admiral


Fly Agarics




Back at home, a female Kestrel spent a few moments hovering over the garden, also 1 Coal Tit & an uncountable group of Long-tailed Tits ( still too many leaves on the trees ).

Copyright Dean Stables

Monday 22nd October 2007

Cloudy, Light SE
No such sightings anywhere today. So here`s a couple of pics from the last 24hrs.
The sky, first thing this morning was the best i`ve seen it in a long time. Absolutely stunning colour ;



Robin ( this afternoon )




Yesterday evening, someone up the road was letting off fireworks. I`m not the biggest fan of these, but i took the opportunity to try out the night mode on my camera. Here`s the results ;





Quite pleased with the results, although i had to knock the exposure time down to 1 second.

Copyright Dean Stables

Sunday 21st October 2007

Frosty/Misty - Sunny, Light S
Was at Cortonwood for 07.30 this morning. The best thing about that, was that i beat all the dog walkers. Did`nt get a lot to show for it though, highlights : Pochard 3 females, Cormorant 6 S, Common Gull 1, Kestrel 2, + several small groups of Redwing ;


Cormorants


Common Gull

Like always, the rest of the day was spent dossing at home, where the highlights from the garden were : Fieldfare 5 E, Skylark 1 S, Sparrowhawk 1 W, Grey Heron 1 N. Also, a Common Darter & Hoverfly ;









Copyright Dean Stables

Saturday 20th October 2007

Frosty/Misty, Sunny, Light S
Made it down to Old Moor for first light. A very cold but picturesque morning indeed, with pretty much the same birds present. Highlights : Black-tailed Godwit 4, Dunlin 4, Little Egret 2, Green Sandpiper 1, Water Rail 1 & Pink-footed Goose c200 W. The PFG`S looked and sounded fantastic as they came out of the fog from the east. In my eyes, there`s nothing to beat the sight & sound of proper wild geese ( i`m sure i`ve said that before ) ;



Tree Sparrow


Snipe ( digiscoped )


Kingfisher ( digiscoped )




Pink-footed Geese


Little Egret ( digiscoped )






Back at home, the only highlights from the garden, were : Cormorant 8 W, Redwing 5 W, Grey Wagtail 1 SE & c200 Starling ;


Cormorants

Certaily made up for the lack of pics, yesterday.

Copyright Dean Stables

Friday 19th October 2007

Patchy Frost, Sunny, Light N
Another poor day for sightings. An hour at Cortonwood produced virtually the same highlights as the other day : 1 female Teal, 3 female Pochard, 1 Kingfisher & 3 Cormorant N.
The rest of the day was spent at home, where nothing came to the feeders & not a great deal moving overhead, highlights : Cormorant 1 E, Lapwing 5 NE, Grey Heron 2 SE.
Not only were the number of sightings poor, but i was really struggling to find anything to photograph, until half an hour ago when i got these digiscoped shots of tonights half moon ;





Off to Old Moor tomorrow morning, hope there`s something different to the last 2 Saturdays.

Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 18th October 2007

Sunny, Light NW
Not a lot today. Even the patchy frost did`nt provide any photographic opportunities. Anyway, to the highlights ;
Wombwell Garden : the best on offer from here was a single Red Admiral and this Boletus sp ;



Cortonwood ( western edge ) : 1 Jay was the best of the birds. Also, a couple of Inverts : 1 Migrant Hawker, 3+ Common Darters & singles of both Comma and Speckled Wood ;



Back at home, the only noteworthy sighting from the garden, was of a Red Admiral.
Hope tomorrow`s better for sightings and/or photographic subjects.

Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday 17th October 2007

Sunshine & Patchy Cloud, Light > Breezy NW
Cortonwood was the only place that produced any half decent sightings today. Highlights :
Pochard have increased to 3 birds ( all females ), a female Ruddy Duck was a new arrival & the female Teal is still present.
On the Invert front, a single Migrant Hawker, several Common Darters and singles of both Comma & Speckled Wood.
A decent stand of Fly Agarics, appear to have emerged from nowhere ( must have missed them when i was there the other day ). There must have been about a dozen are so, but not clustered together enough, for a group shot.

Comma








A frost is forecast for tomorrow morning. Hope it`s a decent one, that provides a few photographic opportunities.

Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday 16th October 2007

Patchy Cloud ( light Rain from late afternoon ), Light SW
Sunrise over Cortonwood Retail Park ;



Wombwell Garden ;


Silver Y


Meripilus gigantius


?

Had a walk along the canal from Hemingfield > Brampton. Did`nt expect a lot and that`s exactly what i got : 4 Moorhen, 2 Mute Swan & 39 Mallard ;





My Garden - nothing but Starlings ( c100 ) ;





Copyright Dean Stables

Monday 15th October 2007

Cloudy, Sunny Spells pm, Light SW
Did`nt bother with my garden this morning, went straight to the Wombwell garden instead, where i had 4 species of moth : Epirrita sp 1, Spruce Carpet 1, Red-green Carpet 1 ( first of the year ) & Blair`s Shoulder-knot 3 ;

Red-green Carpet




Then a visit to Cortonwood did`nt produce a lot, with the highlights being : Pochard 1 female, Kestrel 1, Meadow Pipit 4, several Common Darters & a single Red Admiral ;


Carrion Crow


Red Admiral

Back at home for the rest of the day, where the garden highlights were : a single Redwing W & 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull S.

Starlings




House Sparrow


Copyright Dean Stables

Sunday 14th October 2007

Murky, Light W/SW
Spent the first couple of hours at Cortonwood, where the highlights were : Pochard 1 female ( first of the autumn/winter ), Teal 1 female, Yellowhammer 3 NW, Chiffchaff 1 singing, Bullfinch 1 & at least 20 Robins.
Cortonwood`s not the most picturesque place, even less so on a day like today ;





Then a couple of hours back at home, produced the following highlights : Grey Heron 1 N, Song Thrush 1, Skylark 1 S, Duck sp 5 E and best of all, my 2nd garden record of Pheasant, with a cock bird low over the garden at 11.00.
The afternoon was spent at the Wentworth & District Pony Club - Cross Country Open Day. A friend of ours wanted me to take some pics of her grandaughter & pony. I don`t want to be to putting other peoples young children on the web, but i don`t mind showing you Rudi & Merrylegs. A 7 year old girl doing her first cross country, now that takes some bollocks!!


( painted )

Copyright Dean Stables

Saturday 13th October 2007

Murky, Light S/SW
Absolutely nothing from my garden during the first few hours this morning. So a visit to the Old Moor was in order, where there were a few decent birds on offer, but nothing different to previous visits. Highlights : 3 Little Egret, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Water Rail and singles of Ruff & Dunlin. The only photographic opportunities came from around the bird feeder garden ;

Magpie




Brown Rat


Back at home, there was zilch about ( again ), so there was nothing left but to pay a visit to Cortonwood. No sign of the Red-breasted Merganser ( although it was present yesterday evening ), but a couple of decent "patch" birds made the walk worthwhile : Grey Wagtail 1, Teal 1 female, Jay 2, Lesser Redpoll 11 ( my first of the autumn/winter ) and a calling Water Rail at the Post Office Pond.


Teal ( female )


Black-headed Gull ( Morrisons car park )

And finally, in response to a comment from Joanna about what do Pale Tussock caterpillars turn into, well from late April > early June they look like this ;



Copyright Dean Stables

Friday 12th October 2007

Sunny, Light W
The only notable sighting from my garden during the morning was of a Pipistrelle flying around at 06.00.
Not a lot from the Wombwell garden either, with just 2 Speckled Wood & this Pale Tussock caterpillar ;





Did`nt get a chance to visit Cortonwood today, due to having a few jobs to do at home. Highlights from the garden this afternoon : Cormorant 2 ( 1 thermalling & 1 W ), Sparrowhawk 2 over, Redwing 7 W, Skylark 5 W + a flock of 21 Goldfinch blogging about. Also a single Migrant Hawker.


Winter Jasmine - flowering a bit early this year

Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 11th October 2007

Sunny ( patchy cloud pm ), Light W

A very colourful sky this morning, only wish i could say the same about the bird sightings, with the best from my garden being a single Fieldfare over, heading W.





A visit to the Wombwell garden produced a couple of moth species, with ;

*Epirrita sp


Feathered Thorn




Epirrita species - particularly November Moth, Pale November Moth & Autumnal Moth, are very difficult to identify on external features. A check of their wedding tackle is the only sure fire way to be certain. Not something i`ve experience in.

The Red-breasted Merganser was still present at Cortonwood and just like the previous 2 days, DISTANT ;



Back at home, nothing of note apart from a couple of pics ;

Starling






Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday 10th October 2007

Cloudy ( Sunny afternoon ), Light Variable
The fem/1st winter Red-breasted Merganser was still present at Cortonwood. I managed to get a distant digiscoped record shot of the bird, but it`s not the best, due to poor light ;



Did`nt bother with a full count of other species present, but the other highlights were : female Teal, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail & a singing Chiffchaff.
Back at home, the only notables from the garden were : 2 Sparrowhawk over & at least 4 Long-tailed Tit feeding along the back edge.

Tuesday 9th October 2007

Cloud/Rain clearing to dry & bright, Light > Blustery W
Paid a very brief visit to Cortonwood Lake this morning, where i had another patch tick. This time it was a very smart female/1st winter Red-breasted Merganser. To the unexperienced these are very similar to f/1st w Goosanders, but R-BM`s are a slightly smaller/slimmer looking bird, with a thinner & a slightly more upturned bill. Also the demarcation between the brown head and greyer neck is not as clean on R-BM`s.
3 new patch ticks in just over a week, now that is the reward of patch watching. Wonder what the next one will be ( a Smew, would be very nice, later in the year ).

Back at home, virtually nothing of interest from the garden, but i did get a couple of pics of everyday birds ;


Rook


Collared Dove

Copyright Dean Stables

Monday 8th October 2007

Early morning rain, Overcast, Light SE
Not a lot today folks. The most notable sightings were all from my garden this afternoon : Jay 1 SE, Golden Plover 18 S, Cormorant 1 E & a flock of 24 Goldfinch blogging about, but would`nt settle due to some twat letting off fireworks.





Heavy rain forecast for most of tomorrow, so it looks like another day watching from the garden.

Copyright Dean Stables

Sunday 7th October 2007

Sunny, Clouding over, Light Variable
Decided to do a circuit of Cortonwood first thing this morning. Only too pleased i did, cos i was rewarded with a patch tick, in the shape of a male STONECHAT. It showed reasonably well but it was always moving away from me.
Other highlights from here, were : Cormorant 1 W, Mute Swan 6 to start with, but the adults drove the remaining 4 young off. Tufted Duck 17, Moorhen 13, Coot 19, Pheasant 5, Reed Bunting 2, Grey Wagtail 2, Grey Heron 1, Siskin 1 S, Swallow 2 S, Bullfinch 2, Willow Tit 1, Blackbird 30+ ;



Mallards




Grey Heron


The rest of the day was spent at home, where the best sighting was of a male Grey Wagtail feeding along the edge of my garden pond. Other highlights : Coal Tit 1, Skylark 2 S, Siskin 4 S, Lapwing 9 SW, Jay 1 W, Sparrowhawk 1. Also, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Red Admiral & the plume moth Emmelina monodactyla ;


E. monodactyla


Greenbottle

And last by no means least. If any of you out there have a few minutes to spare, then check out Cindy`s blog bugsafari. A diary of the creepy-crawlies seen around Cindy`s home-state of California. Fantastic stuff, a female that`s into bugs, my kinda gal :)

Copyright Dean Stables

Saturday 6th October 2007

Cloudy, Light SE
The most notable sighting from my garden this morning was of at least 14 Blackbirds leaving the roost along the back hedge.
Then a couple of hours down at the Old Moor produced pretty much the same as last week : Curlew Sandpiper 2, Dunlin 2, Golden Plover c1000, Black-tailed Godwit 3, Little Egret 2.

Wigeon






Back at home for the rest of the day, where the bird highlights were : Coal Tit 1, with several Long-tailed Tits, Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 S, House Sparrow 7, Jay 1 E, Sparrowhawk 2, Woodpigeon c300 SW, Starling c100.

Copyright Dean Stables

Friday 5th October 2007

Sunny, Light S
My Garden : 3 Blackbird high W, c300 Woodpigeon NE, 1 Grey Heron blogging around the neighbouring gardens.

Wombwell Garden ;

Light Emerald




Blue Tit


Robin


The Light Emerald is quite an interesting record, as up here in the north they are usually single-brooded, appearing from June > August. So, what is a fresh individual doing around in October. Another indication of climate change ?

My Garden ( again ) : 10+ Long-tailed Tit, 2 Sparrowhawk, Grey Wagtail 1 E, Kestrel 1 E, 5+ House Sparrow & 8 Meadow Pipit S. Also, 2 Common Darter, 1 Migrant Hawker.

Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 4th October 2007

Sunny, Light>Blustery W/NW
Not a lot from my garden this morning. Apart from the usual Canada`s & Greylags, the highlights were : Redwing 5 S & 4 E, Grey Wagtail 1 E.

Wombwell Garden ;


Barred Sallow


Small White


Episyrphus balteatus

Then i got a bit arty ;







I was going to do a full circuit of Cortonwood, but my belly was calling for food, so i ended up just skirting the western edge, where the most notable sightings were : 2 Jay, several Common Darters & Migrant Hawkers, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 3 Comma, 1 Red Admiral & 2 Speckled Wood.


Comma

Back at home the only notable sightings were : 3 Redwing E & 3 Common Darter ;



Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday 3rd October 2007

Cloudy, Light S
Could`nt believe it. Perfect conditions ( cloudy, calm & mild ) overnight for mothing, but i did`nt manage a single one in my garden.
Jakki was`nt working this morning, so i was up at the Wombwell garden for first light, where the highlights were : Green Woodpecker 1, Jay 2, Skylark 4 NE + a couple of mothy things ;

Blair`s Shoulder-knot




Pink-barred Sallow


White/Buff Ermine larva


Then nothing at all back at my garden, apart from this Beetle sp ;



Apparently, the sun`s going to put in an appearance tomorrow ( first time this week ). See if this prompts something to show.

Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday 2nd October 2007

Cloudy, Light E/SE
Things did`nt start off well, with just 2 moths in the trap this morning ;


Garden Rose Tortrix


Square-spot Rustic

Then it slightly improved, when 2 Pink-footed Geese flew over, heading W with a small group of Canada`s at 07.05. The only other notables from the garden, first thing were : a Redwing calling overhead & a Grey Wagtail E.
Then a visit to Cortonwood Lake produced a fine juvenile Dunlin that was feeding along the shoreline ( a very welcome & unexpected patch tick ). Other highlights from here, were : 400+ Canada Geese ( unfortunately without any Pinkies in tow ), a female Teal, 10 Tufted Duck, 5 Mute Swan ( 1 ad & 4 juv. Surprisingly the other adult & 3 juv were missing ), 1 Kingfisher, 1 Green Woodpecker, 3 Skylark, 1 Grey Wagtail, several Tree Sparrow, 2 Willow Tit & 5 Song Thrush feeding together ( good candidates for being migrant birds ) ;


Canada`s


Coot " walk like an egyptian "

Back at home, where there was a bit of movement : Skylark 4 S, 5 W & 2 N, Siskin 9 W, Swallow 6 S, Cormorant 1 E, Goldfinch c50 blogging about, Sparrowhawk 1 & Black-headed Gull 84 NE in 2 flocks.

Mothing again overnight. Fingers crossed for something decent.

Copyright Dean Stables