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.
On 2nd January we had some snow and then in the coming days the overnight lows covered the plants and shrubs with a frost.
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
During a September walk in Grizedale Forrest we came across a patch of Cuckoo Pint (Acrum maculatum).
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.
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
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)
