Garden Birdwatch - Week Starting 30/6/2013

Jackdaw 6
Woodpigeon 1
Starling 6
Feral Pigeon 5
Goldfinch 6
House Sparrow 9
Dunnock 2
Blackbird 1
Blue Tit 1
Coal Tit 1
Greenfinch 1
Collared Dove 2
Magpie 2
Herring Gull 2

There were young House Sparrows and Jackdaw visiting the garden with parents this week.

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

Butterflies: Large White 1 (5/7/2013)
Mammals: Hedgehog and Wood Mouse

Garden Birdwatch - Week Starting 24/6/2013

Jackdaw 3
Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 6
Blackbird 2
Blue Tit 2
Great Tit 1
Starling 8
Feral Pigeon 3
Woodpigeon 2
Coal Tit 2
Dunnock 2

The Coal Tit was feeding a fledgling in the garden this week.

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

Amphibians: Common Frog
Mammals: Hedgehog

Garden Camera Trap

I have recently purchased a Wildlife Camera to watched the Hedgehog and other garden visitors in the area under the bird feeders. I have had great success not only with our resident Hedgehog, but also other birds in the early hours of the morning.

Hedgehog

Blackbird

Magpie

Garden Moth Update 6/7/2013

Second trapping session with the 60W Actinic Light on Saturday evening was again very successful. It was a pleasant evening and so I sat out watching the moths coming to investigate the light. Frustratingly I watched a Hawkmoth do a circuit of the garden and not go into the trap. Despite keeping fingers crossed it was not there in the morning, so it was the one that got away!

Here is a summary of the catch. Minimum overnight temperature was 13.8°C.

1428 Bee Moth 2
2293 Marbled Beauty 9
2136 Gothic 1
1653 Buff Arches 3
2061 Buff Ermine 3
1961 Light Emerald 1
1728 Garden Carpet 3
2107 Large Yellow Underwing 2
998 Light Brown Apple Moth 3
1378 Anaia Coronata 2
1076 Celypha Lacunana 2
2337 Marbled Minor 2
1376 Small Magpie 1
1764 Common Marbled Carpet 2
1937 Willow Beauty 4
1713 Riband Wave (non banded) 2
1713 Riband Wave (banded) 1
1931 Peppered Moth (light) 1
1931 Peppered Moth (f. insularia) 1
2089 Heart & Dart 3
1727 Silver-ground Carpet 3
2128 Double-square spot 1
2381 Uncertain 1
2199 Common Wainscot 1
2154 Cabbage Moth 2
2326 Clouded-bordered Brindle 1
2098 Flame 2
2145 Nutmeg 1
2087 Turnip Moth 1
2334 Rustic Shoulder-knot 1
1827 Freyer's Pug 1
1707 Small Dusty Wave 1
1860 Green Pug 2
1852 Brindled Pug 2
418 Apple Fruit Moth 1
1343 Eudonia Delunella 1
1197 Eucosma Campoliliana 1 (lifer - new for me & garden)
905 Blastodacna Hellerella 1 (lifer - new for me & garden)
970 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix 1

Common Marbled Carpet

Blastodacna Hellerella

Marbled Beauty

Green Pug

Eucosma Campoliliana

Garden Moth Update 5/7/2013

Friday night was Garden Moth Scheme and for a pleasant change it was warm with a minimum of 13.9°C.

Here is a summary of the catch.

1428 Bee Moth 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing 2
998 Light Brown Apple Moth 6
2102 Flame Shoulder 1
2155 Dot Moth 2
2337x Marbled Minor agg 7
1860 Green Pug 5
1776 Green Carpet 2
2293 Marbled Beauty 5
1937 Willow Beauty 6
2489 Fan-foot 4
1764 Common Marbled Carpet 2
1906 Brimstone Moth 1
1728 Garden Carpet 1
1653 Buff Arches 2
1713 Riband Wave (non-banded) 1
1727 Silver-ground Carpet 3
2305 Small Angle Shades 1
1961 Light Emerald 1
2061 Buff Ermine 3
2098 Flame 1
647 Brown House Moth 1
2128 Double-Square Spot 1
1338 Dipleurina lacustrata 2
2136 Gothic 1
2443 Plain Golden Y 1 (lifer - new moth for me and the garden)
1834 Common Pug 4
1076 Celypha Lacunana 2
970 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix 1
1819 Mottled Pug 1
1378 Anaia Coronata 2
1726 Large Twin-spot Carpet 1 (lifer - new moth for me and the garden)

Silver-ground Carpet

Light Brown Apple Moth

Plain Golden Y

Fan-foot

Anaia Coronata

Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix

Large Twin-spot Carpet

Garden Moth Update 29/6/2013

This report marks the beginning of a new garden moth journey with my Skinner Trap. A new Actinic light system with two 30W fluorescent tubes was given as a birthday present and on Saturday night they were switched on the first time. Having been used to lighting up the neighbourhood with a 125W Mercury Vapour light, the cool fluorescent light made me wonder whether the moths would be attracted to it. As it happens I needn't have worried, as 10.30pm came around there was a hive of activity from at least 20 Light Brown Apple Moths. Brimstone moths flew effortlessly around the garden in the warm calm evening and a Silver-ground Carpet fluttered across the grass.

The next morning I carefully approached the trap, to find several moths a sleep on the tops of the egg boxes. On the wall just above the trap was a Peppered Moth of intermediate phrase and a few centimetres higher was a moth I didn't recognise.  After looking through the identification guides, I realised that the moth was a Miller and a first for me and the garden.

Peppered Moth

Miller

The minimum overnight temperature was 12.2°C, here is a summary of catch.

989 Timothy Tortrix 1 (new for garden)
998 Light Brown Apple Moth 20
1076 Celypha lacunana 2
1334 Scoparia ambigualis 1 (new for garden)
1713 Riband Wave (non-banded form) 1
1727 Silver-ground Carpet 1
1728 Garden Carpet 1
1764 Common Marbled Carpet 1
1819 Mottled Pug 1
1827 Freyer's Pug 1
1834 Common Pug 1
1837 Grey Pug 1
1852 Brindled Pug 3
1860 Green Pug 1
1906 Brimstone Moth 3
1931 Peppered Moth (light form) 1
1931 Peppered Moth (melanic form) 1
1937 Willow Beauty 3
1955 Common White Wave 1
1958 Clouded Silver 1
2061 Buff Ermine 4
2087 Turnip Moth 1
2089 Heart and Dart 5
2098 Flame 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing 1
2155 Dot Moth 1
2280 Miller 1
2322 Light Arches 1
2326 Clouded-bordered Brindle 1
2450 Spectacle 1

Garden Moth Update 28/6/13

GMS Night - minimum temperature 10.7°C
Skinner Trap 125W Mercury Vapour Light

998 - Light Brown Apple Moth - 1
1906 - Brimstone Moth - 2
2089 - Heart & Dart - 3
2107 - Large Yellow Underwing - 1
2337x - Marbled Minor agg 1
1887 - Clouded Border - 1
1727 - Silver-ground Carpet - 2
1852 - Brindled Pug - 1
1851 - Golden-rod Pug - 1
1834 - Common Pug - 1

Clouded Border

Silver-ground Carpet