Sunday 10 January 2021

2020 Highlights

At the end of a year I always try to look back at wildlife highlights and despite the limitations of 2020 there are things to remember.

1. Recording 43 species in 2020 from my suburban garden.

2. Watching a Tree Sparrow eating peanuts in our garden on 24th October.

3. Recording a Fox on the wildlife camera trap in the garden in July.

4. Seeing a Great-crested Grebe fly past our house on 5th April.

5. Recording three new moth species for the garden.

Cold start to 2021

 On 2nd January we had some snow and then in the coming days the overnight lows covered the plants and shrubs with a frost.










2020 Garden Bird Year List Challenge

 I took part in the first Teesmouth Bird Club Garden Bird Year list challenge in 2020. All birds seen and heard whilst in your property i.e garden or house could be recorded. No recording were permissible. 

In Stockton-on-Tees I recorded 43 species which I was very pleased with.

Woodpigeon

Jackdaw

Magpie

Robin

Great Tit

Goldfinch

Coal Tit

Starling

Blue Tit

Chaffinch

Carrion Crow (heard only)

Black-headed Gull (flyover)

Dunnock

Wren

Herring Gull

Feral Pigeon

Blackbird

Mallard (flyover)

Greenfinch

Sparrowhawk

Ring-necked Parakeet (flyover)

Long-tailed Tit

Collared Dove

Chiffchaff (heard only 04/04/2020)

Lesser Black-backed Gull (flyover)

Teal (heard only 04/04/2020)

Coot (heard only 04/04/2020)

Redwing (heard only 04/04/2020)

Great-crested Grebe (flyover 05/04/2020)

Song Thrush (heard only 23/04/2020)

Swift (07/05/2020) (flyover)

Canada Goose (08/05/2020) (flyover)

Great-spotted Woodpecker (24/05/2020)

Grey Heron (25/05/2020) (flyover)

House Martin (15/08/2020) (flyover)

Whimbrel (23/08/2020) (flyover)

Kestrel (31/08/2020) (flyover)

Tawny Owl (heard only 23/09/2020)

Pink-footed Goose (24/09/2020) (flyover c200)

Tree Sparrow (24/10/2020) - first record in garden

Pied Wagtail (01/11/2020) 

Mute Swan (13/12/2020) (flyover 2)

Little Egret



Arum maculatum

 During a September walk in Grizedale Forrest we came across a patch of Cuckoo Pint (Acrum maculatum).






Buddleia Bushes in September

 













Psychiodes filicivora

 On 31st August 2020, I discovered a new moth for the garden whilst gardening.

At least 3 Psychoides filicivora moths where resting on two plants in the garden.




I shall lookout for these in 2021.

Moth Records 7th August 2020

 Following on from last nights great trapping session, the light was back on again. Overnight low temperature was 15.6C.

Marbled Beauty 6

Light Brown Apple Moth 12

Bird Cherry Ermine 1

Willow Beauty 4

Scare Silver Lines 1

Riband Wave (non-banded) 5

Crassa unitella 4

Shuttle-shaped Dart 2

Garden Grass Veneer 6

Blastobasis adustella 1

Honeysuckle Moth 1

Eudonia lacustrata 4

Uncertain agg 2

Large Yellow Underwing 67

Straw Underwing 2

Square-spot Rustic 8

Flame Carpet 1

Orange Swift 3

Antler Moth 2

White Satin Moth 1

Mother of Pearl 1

Yellowshell 1

Mompha subbistrigella 2

Dark Arches 2

Copper Underwing 1

Cabbage Moth 1

Mouse Moth 1

Rustic agg 1

Diamond-back Moth 2

Apple Leaf Minor 2

Garden Carpet 1

Acrobasis advenella 1

Acrobasis advenella

Crassa unitella

Antler Moth


Moth Records for 6th August 2020

 Overnight trapping on 6th August 2020 resulted in a good number of moth species. Low temperature was 15.3C and the findings are listed below:

Brown House Moth 1

Common Carpet 3

Scare Silver Lines 1

Marbled Beauty 5

Light Brown Apple Moth 17

Codling Moth 1

White Satin Moth 1

Snout 1

Bird-cherry Ermine 1

Diamond-back Moth 1

Rustic agg moth 1

Uncertain agg 1

Blastobasis adustella 1

Large Yellow Underwing 47

Square-spot Rustic 10

Shuttle-shaped Dart 1

Dark Arches 2

Heart & Dart 1

Coe-sis consimilana 1

Svensson’s Copper Underwing 2

Double Square-spot 2

Rosy Minor 1

Orange Swift 1

Lesser Yellow Underwing 1

Riband Wave (banded) 1

Common Wainscot 1

Water Veneer 31

Willow Beauty 2

Old Lady 

Rosy Rustic 1

Blastodacna hellerella 1

Crassa unitella 2

Epinotia nisella 1

Flame Carpet 1

Aspliapteryx tringipennella 1

Plain Pug 2 (this moth is a rarity in VC66 - Durham with only 13 records in 100 years)


Crassa unitella

Old Lady

Blastondacna hellerella

Plain Pug

Scare Silver Lines

White Stain Moth

Rosy Minor




Friday 1 January 2021

 On 2nd August I spent an afternoon in a beautiful meadow in Southside, County Durham surrounded by butterflies, moths and wild flowers.