Grey Phalarope at Hartlepool Headland

Today, I went to Hartlepool Headland following reports of a Grey Phalarope and a Little Auk near the Harbour. There was no sign of the Little Auk, but the Grey Phalarope was closeby the Pilot Pier.

Sleddale - Sunday 2nd November 2014

Despite, the calender saying that today is November 2nd the day was mild between 12C to 15C. For a few hours this afternoon I went to Sleddale to look for Rough-legged Buzzards. The North York Moors look stunning and beautiful in the perfect light. After waiting a few minutes, a bird could be seen on the horizon and I waited until I could see the characteristics identification features of a Rough legged Buzzard before I claimed another bird year tick.

Before the sunset, up to 3 Rough legged Buzzards were seen.

The photos below are from the usual viewpoint.

St Mary's Lighthouse, Whitley Bay

On Saturday 1st November 2014, I went for a walk around St. Mary's Island near Whitley Bay. After parking the car and walking towards the wetlands area the sky was filled with calls of Golden Plover slowly coasting into land in the nearby fields.

I was looking for migrants and in particular a Yellow browed Warbler after one was spotted the previous day by a fellow birder. Scanning the trees, I found Goldfinch, Wren, Blue Tit, Robin and Blackbird, but there was no sign of the warbler.

After taking some photos and looking at the birds on the shoreline, I returned to the trees for another search. After hearing a number of high-pitched calls I headed down a path towards a cluster of empty bird tables. Waiting and scanning, paid dividends when out of the corner of my eye a small warbler was working along the hedge beside me. For a moment it stopped and rested on a branch, allowing me to have a good look at a Yellow browed Warbler.

Along the shoreline, there were a good numbers of Turnstone, Dunlin, Redshank, Sanderling, Purple Sandpiper and Ringed Plover.

In the wetland, Mute Swan, Moorhen, Teal, Mallard and Gadwall were all feeding.

Garden Birdwatch - Week starting 19th & 26th October 2014

Dunnock 2
House Sparrow 8
Feral Pigeon 4
Goldfinch 7
Blue Tit 3
Coal Tit 2
Great Tit 1
Blackbird 2
Starling 3
Jackdaw 3
Robin 1
Chaffinch 1
Greenfinch 2
Collared Dove 1
Woodpigeon 1
Wren 1

Food: Sunflower Hearts, Seed, Fat Balls and Peanuts
Water


Week starting 26th October 2014

Jackdaw 4
House Sparrow 8
Dunnock 2
Goldfinch 10
Greenfinch 2
Chaffinch 1
Blackbird 2
Coal Tit 2
Blue Tit 4
Great Tit 2
Starling 4
Feral Pigeon 6
Robin 1
Collared Dove 2
Woodpigeon 2
Wren 1
Magpie 1
Carrion Crow 2

Food: Sunflower Hearts, Seed, Fat Balls and Peanuts
Water

Garden Birdwatch - Weeks starting 5th & 12th October 2014

Feral Pigeon 2
House Sparrow 6
Goldfinch 7
Blue Tit 2
Coal Tit 1
Great Tit 2
Blackbird 2
Starling 18
Jackdaw 1
Robin 1
Dunnock 2
Chaffinch 1
Magpie 1
Collared Dove 1

Food: Sunflower Hearts, Seed, Fat Balls and Peanuts
Water

Insects: Common Carder Bumblebee


Week starting 12th October 2014

Dunnock 2
House Sparrow 10
Feral Pigeon 4
Goldfinch 5
Blue Tit 2
Coal Tit 2
Great Tit 1
Blackbird 2
Starling 4
Jackdaw 3
Robin 1
Greenfinch 1
Collared Dove 3
Woodpigeon 1
Wren 1

Food: Sunflower Hearts, Seed, Fat Balls and Peanuts
Water

Garden Moth Update - Friday 3rd October 2014

998 Light Brown Apple Moth 4
1764 Common Marbled Carpet 2
2240 Blair's Shoulder-knot 1
2267 Beaded Chestnut

Blair's Shoulder-knot

Beaded Chestnut

Garden Birdwatch - Week starting 28th September 2014

Feral Pigeon 3
House Sparrow 6
Goldfinch 5
Greenfinch 1
Blue Tit 2
Coal Tit 1
Great Tit 2
Blackbird 4
Starling 8
Jackdaw 3
Robin 1
Dunnock 3
Magpie 1
Collared Dove 1

Food; Sunflower Hearts, Seed, Peanuts and Fat Balls
Water

Amphibians: Common Frog

Butterflies
28/9/2014 - 1 Small Tortoiseshell & 1 Small White
29/9/2014 - 2 Small Tortoiseshell & 1 Red Admiral
2/10/2014 - 1 Red Admiral, 2 Small White & 1 Small Tortoiseshell
3/10/2014 - 1 Small Tortoiseshell

Sleepy 7-spotted Ladybird

Common Carder Bee workers

Small Tortoiseshell - 28th September 2014

Garden Moth Update - Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th September 2014

I put my moth trap out again last night, hoping for some autumnal moths.

Light Brown Apple Moth 2
Acleris Laterana 1
Common Marbled Carpet 1
Garden Carpet 1


Whilst in the garden today, I counted 5 Emmelina Monodactyla rested on different plants.

Firethorn Leaf Miner Evidence

Whilst gardening yesterday I found evidence of leaf mining on our Pyracantha.

I also found a cluster of brown eggs, not sure what or who laid these.

Garden Birdwatch - Week Starting 21st September 2014

Feral Pigeon 4
Goldfinch 7
House Sparrow 11
Blue Tit 2
Great Tit 1
Coal Tit 2
Blackbird 1
Starling 12
Woodpigeon 1
Jackdaw 1
Robin 1
Dunnock 2
Chaffinch 2
Collared Dove 2

Food: Sunflower Hearts, Seed, Peanuts and Fat Balls.
Water

Amphibians: Common Frog (3) & Tadpoles
Mammals: Hedgehog

Butterflies:
23/9/14 - 2 Small Tortoiseshell
24/9/14 - 1 Red Admiral
25/9/14 - 1 Peacock
26/9/14 - 1 Red Admiral, 1 Speckled Wood & 1 Small White

Garden Moth Update - Friday 26th September 2014

Minimum Overnight Temperature was 7.1°C.

Light Brown Apple 3
Emmelina Monodactyla 1
Snout 1 (see photographs below)

Garden Moth Update - Saturday 20th September 2014

Cooler night. Minimum overnight temperature was 8.4°C.

998 Light Brown Apple Moth 1
1728 Garden Carpet 2
1937 Willow Beauty 2

Garden Moth Update - Friday 19th September 2014

Overnight minimum temperature was 14.1C

998 Light Brown Apple Moth 3
1038 Acleris Laterana 1
1524 Emmelina Monodactyla 1
1728 Garden Carpet 1
1764 Common Marbled Carpet 5
1937 Willow Beauty 2
2231a Northern Deep-brown Dart 1 (new species for garden)
2266 Brown-spot Pinion 1 (new species for garden)
2298 Svensson's Copper Underwing 1

Northern Deep-brown Dart

Brown-spot Pinion

Acleris Laterana

Garden Birdwatch - Week Starting 14th September 2014

Robin 1
Dunnock 2
Jackdaw 2
Feral Pigeon 4
Goldfinch 12
House Sparrow 5
Blackbird 1
Blue Tit 4
Coal Tit 2
Great Tit 1
Starling 2
Woodpigeon 1
Collared Dove 1

Food: Sunflower Hearts, Peanuts, Seed and Fat Balls.
Water

Mammals: Hedgehog
Butterflies: 2 Small White (17/9/14)

Other Insects; Common Carder Bee

Garden Moth Update - Saturday 13th September 2014

I put my moth trap out for a second night over the weekend.

Light Brown Apple Moth 3
Willow Beauty 1
Large Yellow Underwing 2
Pale Mottled Willow 2
Strawberry Tortrix 1
Setaceous Hebrew Character 1
Celypha Lacunana 1
Flame Carpet 1 (new species for the garden)
Red Green Carpet 1

Setaceous Hebrew Character

Willow Beauty

Celypha Lacunana 

Flame Carpet

Red Green Carpet 

Pale Mottled Willow

An Afternoon at Hartlepool Marina

A Saturday afternoon walk alongside the quayside at Hartlepool Marina. Not many birds around, but several Jellyfish in the water and plenty of visitors enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

Garden Moth Update - Friday 12th September 2014

Minimum Overnight Temperature 10.2°C

Light Brown Apple Moth 2

Svensson's Copper Underwing 1

Garden Carpet 3

Sqaure-spot Rustic 1

Common Marbled Carpet 1

Willow Beauty 1

Double-striped Pug 1

Pale Mottled Willow 1 

Garden Birdwatch - Week Starting 7th September 2014

Blue Tit 4
Coal Tit 2
Great Tit 2
Robin 1
House Sparrow 8
Blackbird 1
Goldfinch 9
Dunnock 2
Starling 1
Jackdaw 3
Feral Pigeon 5
Collared Dove 1
Greenfinch 2

Food: Sunflower Hearts, Seed, Peanuts and Fat Balls
Water

Mammals: Hedgehog (2)
Amphibians: Common Frog
Other Insects: Common Carder Bee

Butterflies:
7/9/14
Speckled Wood 2
Large White 1
Small White 1
Small Tortoiseshell 1

9/9/14
Peacock 1
Speckled Wood 1

10/9/14
Small Tortoiseshell 1
Red Admiral 1

Night time Visitor

Buff Ermine Caterpillar

A surprise visitor to the moth trap this morning. A Buff Ermine caterpillar.

Garden Birdwatch Update - Week Starting on 31st August 2014

Blue Tit 1
Great Tit 1
Feral Pigeon 4
Robin 1
House Sparrow 4
Goldfinch 4
Coal Tit 1
Greenfinch 1
Magpie 1
Blackbird 1
Starling 4
Dunnock 2
Jackdaw 2
Woodpigeon 1

Food: Sunflower Hearts, Seed, Peanuts and Fat Balls.
Water

Mammals: Hedgehog
Amphibian: Common Frog
Insects: Common Carder Bee

Garden Bird Camera Capture - Goldfinches

Garden Moth Update - Friday 5th September 2014

Overnight minimum temperature was 13.8°C.

998 Light Brown Apple Moth 12
1048 Garden Rose Tortrix 1
1728 Garden Carpet 5
1776 Green Carpet 1
1867 Treble-bar - new species for garden
2107 Large Yellow Underwing 2
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing  5
2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 1
2134 Square-spot Rustic 2
2297 Copper Underwing 1
2298 Svensson's Copper Underwing 2
2299 Mouse Moth 1

Treble-bar

Garden Rose Tortrix 

Garden Bird Camera Capture

Goldfinches visiting for Sunflower Hearts and a Blue Tit collecting black Sunflower Seeds.

A Great Tit visiting for Sunflower Hearts. Each visit only lasts seconds, so three have been put together.

Garden Birdwatch - Week Starting 24th August 2014

Jackdaw 1
Feral Pigeon 5
House Sparrow 12
Goldfinch 8
Dunnock 2
Blue Tit 1
Great Tit 1
Coal Tit 2
Greenfinch 2
Woodpigeon 1
Blackbird 2
Starling 6
Robin 1

Food: Sunflower Hearts, Seed, Peanuts and Fat Balls.
Water

Mammals: Hedgehog
Amphibians: Common Frog
Butterflies: 1 Speckled Wood 24/8/2014

Garden Moth Update on 24th August 2014

Minimum overnight temperature was 6.1°C.

455 Ypsolopha scabrella 1
998 Light brown Apple Moth 3
1713 Riband Wave (non-banded) 1
1728 Garden Carpet 3
2107 Large Yellow Underwing 4
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing 6
2297 Copper Underwing 1 (see photograph below)

Garden Moth Update on 22nd August 2014

Minimum Overnight Temperature was 9.7°C

425x Apple/Orchard Ermine 1
647 Brown House-moth 1
998 Light Brown Apple Moth 3
1728 Garden Carpet 7
1764 Common Marbled Carpet 1
1906 Brimstone Moth 1
1937 Willow Beauty 3
2107 Large Yellow Underwing 12
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing 6
2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 3
2134 Square-spot Rustic 2
2297 Copper Underwing 1 (see photograph below)
2299 Mouse Moth 1
2353 Flounced Rustic 1
2369 Bulrush Wainscot (see photograph below - new species for garden)