A short 'Summery' !

 While it has been very much warm enough for me, the North Northumberland coast has not seen the roasting temperatures of the south and inland. On Saturday it did reach 28 degrees in the afternoon but has mainly been in the 21 - 25 degree range. We had a massive thunderstorm on Wednesday night that frightened Peggy half to death so we were up from 3am til 6am comforting her on the settee. The wind has been a touch irritating too, with SW 3 - 5 most of the time, but over all it has just been summery weather.

As I mentioned last time, one star this week was the garden arrival of Wool Carder Bees. These are rare in Northumberland with only a few records around Berwick and the Tyne Valley so these were not on my radar. In fact it was only from photos I took of a 'Leafcutter Bee' that made me cotton on to their presence.

To begin with a single male was photographed on Great Mullein chewing at the furry leaves. His yellow spotting on abdomen and legs was quite obvious in photos, a nice colourful little bee a bit like Hairy Footed Flower Bee.

After a few days I planted two new Stachys byzantina plants ( Lambs Ears, a Wool Carder favourite) . Before I had patted the soil down around them a male Wool Carder had taken them as his territory and was fighting off other bees. Since then both male and female bees have been present, females taking away 'cotton wool buds' of fluff away to nest holes out of the garden somewhere. 

They are a great addition to the garden fauna.

 

Wool Carder Bees in the garden.

 As if that nice surprise wasn't good enough, the warm weather had another stunning gift in store.

On Sunday morning the moth trap was particularly busy with micros, the over night minimum temperature being 17 degrees. I was being as diligent with them as I could not wanting any to escape as there was a good chance of a garden first in these conditions.

As I rolled back the covering towel to extract the last egg tray I was struck by a real shocker! Sat there was a proper Blackpool Illumination of a moth, a Scarlet Tiger! Wow, what a stunner and full Northumberland first too, for both VCs 67 and 68. Looks like the most Northerly UK record too.

When I looked back again, the egg tray was empty. The moth was flying circuits around the trap. Shaking in case it got away, I took the whole trap into the greehouse just in case it did get out where I could at least have another chance, As it happened the potting went well and I could relax.

I had only seen my first last year at Cley, Norfolk. In my post last June, I say, 'only found in the south' never expecting one in the garden a year later.

My friend Ian Fisher was keen to twitch the moth so I kept it until late afternoon then released it after a photo session. Iain Leach commented on Scottish Moths that they had also been recorded in Dumfries and Galloway and Carlisle in recent times, so I wouldnt take bets on us being blase about these in 5 years time. 

Unusual or extreme weather even far away can drop some interesting stuff in to the garden...

Scarlet Tiger

The Garden Serengeti...

 

Early on Saturday, the house was quiet and I was drinking my first coffee of the morning as the sun shone through the living room window. The idyll was soon shattered by an almighty commotion of Jackdaws at the feeders outside our kitchen window.

Suspecting the subject of their attention to be one of the local Sparrowhawks dropping by for breakfast, I went to investigate.

The shocking frieze unfurling on the ground below the feeder pole was totally unexpected. At first it was difficult to make sense of what was on show, but a Jackdaw was fanned out like an open umbrella at the pole base and appeared to be being pulled into a hole by an unseen adversary while it was surrounded by half a dozen very agitated flock members in full mobbing mode.

There is an old buddleia growing here, right up against the wall. Behind the trunk is where, when we get them, rats often appear. Although I’ve not seen a rat for months now, it looked as if one had returned, re-opened its hole and was pulling the distraught bird into it.

Being no fan of rats in my garden, I dashed out to end the violence. Armed with a garden hoe I approached the bird, whose head remained unseen, to look for the predator. A quick jab with the implement, luckily missed both predator and prey, jarring short against the buddleia trunk. Then, below the crow, a ginger and white piece of fur was showing.

Last night we were walking near the coast path and had nice views of a Stoat so, with it being only a couple of hundred metres away, I assumed it would be the same animal. Mustelids are scarce here with only a couple of sightings in any given year so it must have made its way along the field while hunting the local rabbits.

This was clearly going to be something of an epic struggle, so I left them to it and dashed indoors for my camera.

By the time I returned, the grim dance was continuing out in the open near the bird bath, but it was still very difficult to see what was happening. The mammal was holding the bird by the head, above its right eye, while it frantically struggled to free itself by grabbing with its feet.

As they wrestled, snatched views showed not the expected Stoat but a much smaller Weasel on the attack. This was a first for our garden and only maybe the third on the patch in 12 years. They were common when we lived in SE Northumberland on brownfield sites but up here the field sports fraternity seems to be doing its best to make all small predators extinct by placing a kill trap at the bottom of every blue pheasant feeder bin, and there are a lot of those.  

Photographs were hastily taken of the scene through the porch window, but after only a minute or two, the Jackdaw managed to fly off around the gable corner out of view. At this point I assumed the Weasel would be running around the drive wondering where its substantial meal had got to but there was no trace of it either, just an empty patch of grass.

What has happened? On checking the shots I had taken on the back of the camera, the answer was almost unbelievable.

In only one shot the Weasel’s face can be seen in a grimace, while the Jackdaw’s feet are clutching its head. One toe of the Jack’s left foot appears to be in the corner of the Weasel’s jaws while the next shot in the sequence shows the Weasel at full 6 inch standing height reaching up with legs and paws outstretched and finally a 1000^th of a second later, its gone, with only a curled back in the top of the frame showing of it. The predator had locked its grip on to the birds foot and had been carried away into the air as it escaped!

The right toe of the birds left foot is in the Weasel's gape.

The Weasel is not letting go of its prize.

Just up along the top edge of this shot you can see the curled back of the Weasel off on its maiden flight.

I checked around the garden but there was no trace of them anywhere. The whole thing was so reminiscent of that famous photograph of a couple of years ago when a Weasel was riding on the back of a Green Woodpecker as it flew off.

It makes you wonder how often this happens and what danger the Weasel is in by tackling prey several times larger than itself?

The whole drama was over so quickly I returned to my coffee and it was still hot enough to drink. What a start to the day…

 

 

Week 5.

This is getting to be as long as the kids summer holidays. Providing we are all keeping safe I am getting quite used to it too. The thing about COVID is that we don't really know if we are safe because it has an incubation period of two weeks, so God only knows what is in store for us in May.

The weather has been kind since March when all we seemed to get was rain and storms, now we have wall to wall sunshine. Living on the East coast means it is still quite cool in the breeze from the sea, but in sheltered spots its very nice.

I am really enjoying this garden watching. Usually when work beckons we never know what has gone on or over our small territory and even working from home often means we are stuck indoors for long periods but, for me, it means I am in the field at 4pm instead of 6.30pm and sprinkle in some lunch and tea breaks the area is nicely covered.

In the sunny weather the invertebrates have taken centre stage lately though there have been some good patch birds since my last outing on here.

New to the list include -

14th April - Peregrine 1 fine adult soaring over the field behind us flushing everything .
16th - Raven 1 low over the garden N, heading back to its nest site.
17th - Short eared Owl 1, a true quality patch bird here and only my 4th in 11 yrs. I was watching the back when everything lifted. I scanned and couldnt see anything then quite high up I put the glasses on a flapping circling bird that turned out to be the Owl. It continued to climb higher, almost into clouds before I lost it to the West. A bird obviously on return migration and a very acceptable addition here.
17th - Sand Martin 1, inevitable at some stage.
19th - Merlin 1 female. On Sunday a friend has two Avocets flying North over Boulmer. That means they were heading my way! I was out in the garden in no time but they must have hugged the shore and remained out of sight. As I viewed from my 'seawatching' spot, pandemonium broke out in the wood and I scanned up to see a close Merlin dash along the wood edge and out of sight. A patch year tick too.
19th - Mute Swan 1. The 'whoosh, whoosh' of wings attracted me to the distant swan as it flew low over the woods .
20th -  Whimbrel 3 flew N out the back calling as they went.

These take my LockdownGardenList up to 74 species including 6 species of raptor since 20th March.

 Still no Collared Dove or Mistle Thrush.

As for insects, I have been taking a keen interest in all, manner of creepy crawlies with a few new species for me and the garden...

Harpactea hombergi a tiny woodlouse spider look-a-like found in our bath, as you might expect. New to me.

Above -  Male and Female Hairy Footed Flower Bees. Find of the year in the garden surely, well after White tailed Eagle, but these tiny fairies are usually found south of Leeds and there are only a few Northumberland records, so I was over the moon with these.

This tiny bee on a shrub in our garden is Andrena haemorrhoa Orange tailed Mining Bee. New.

Holly Blue made a welcome return one day later than last year. Still rarer than Yellow browed Warbler here...

Vestal Cuckoo Bee Bombus vestalis was a good id lesson that I am pleased to have got right first time, confirmed by Steven Falk of the Bee Field Guide fame.

Red Mason Bee Osmia bicornis on our gable.

Zebra Jumping Spider Salticus scenicus, not new to me, but new here the first in 11 yrs of this common spider.

What diversity we have in the house and garden if only we choose to look...

The Weekend

In the garden again today, but with a biting northerly blowing there were few birds and no butterflies or anything much of note really. The highlight was likely 4 Hares chasing around just over our garden wall this afternoon. More of the same tomorrow I think... Here are some garden shots to keep the blog going...

Four Clouded Drabs from last nights meagre catch showing the range of colours.

Social Isolation.

As many of you who know me are aware, I have been mainly socially isolated for the last 30 years ! Or at least trying to be. Now just this week it has become a national pastime.

Currently, I am lucky not to be exhibiting the symptoms of COVID-19 and I certainly hope it stays that way, but who knows what fate has in store?

From tomorrow I will be working from home. Genuinely. Not just saying I am then going out on a jolly. What this means in real terms is that I will be saving 1.5 hours travelling time and thus more daylight hours will be available to tidy the garden for spring. I don't intend to go anywhere, open, rural or otherwise unless its necessary, ie for shopping.

I had intended to make the most of my self imposed confinement by watching for wildlife in or from my garden. This will involve birding with skywatching offering the best chance of something interesting, moth trapping and seeing what turns up as I prune, thin and weed some areas. By coincidence I see today that Steve Gale and Dylan Wrathall   have had a similar idea excpet they have rounded up a few others to join them and just like the virus, I have sneaked up and invited myself to the party! It has been named by Italian birders - BWKM0 or Birdwatch at zero kilometres.  Anything we can do to take our minds off this awful state of affairs in this country at the minute must be a good thing.

So, watch this space and be dazzled by the delights about to be bestowed!

Some garden spuggies on our feeders...

A common Hebrew Character, the most abundant moth of spring in my garden. A stunner....

Spring.

Recently we have a had a few spring like days with nice sunny weather, though temperatures still seem a bit below average. the moth trap is not doing well, with some blatant misses up to now including the usually common Red Chestnut and Early Grey. I hope they get a move on....

Over the past week a few birds are on the move with groups of Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Pink footed Geese and Whooper Swans all going north over the garden. A party of 10+ Blackbirds towered high to the east at dusk one evening, only to drop back down into cover, as if testing the weather to see if it was good enough to head home to Scandinavia.

The first Chiffchaffs are finally singing in our village now , but only two birds. After this next cool spell numbers should increase.

One morning 4 Buzzards soared together high over the garden, calling steadily until one pair escorted the others off their territory.

Barn Owls have been very much in evidence with almost daily sightings all over the place as have Brown Hares, doing their mad march boxing.

Last Sunday our first Hedgehog of 2018 was out in the garden. Unfortunately it needed assistance from Northumbria Hedgehog Rescue due to 3 large ticks on its head. Other than that, a few days in rehab should see it ok and back into the wild. We asked them to let us know when it is ready and we will collect it to return back home.

A few willows now ready to feed Bumblers and early Butterflies.

Common Quaker

Satellites.

   

Oak Beauty 

This young male Sparrowhawk spent some time below our feeders yesterday in the rain.

Coltsfoot

Common or Field Speedwell?

Toad.

And still they come...

I have been moth trapping on a regular basis here in our garden at Howick now since August 2009, almost 8 years, but unlike birds, the list is showing no signs of drying up.

2017 has so far been quite a good year for new arrivals, and I have long since stopped trying to second guess the next new species to appear.

This year I have gotten 'second wind' with the trap after last years slightly slower pace, and each morning I look forward to getting up half an hour earlier than I need to, taking my coffee, notebook and terrier out onto the seat below the kitchen window and sifting through the black bucket of jewels.

The new faces this year so far are...

16.008 Yponomeuta sedella
16.014 Pseudoswammerdamia combinella
35.141 Teleiodes vulgella
37.044 Coleophora discordella
45.043 Adaina microdactyla                       Hemp Agrimony Plume
49.022 Ptycholoma lecheana
49.087 Acleris literana
49.307 Rhyacionia pinivorana                       Spotted Shoot Moth
70.150 Eupithecia linariata                               Toadflax Pug
70.198 Lobophora halterata                       Seraphim
73.036 Acronicta alni                                       Alder Moth
73.100 Chilodes maritima                               Silky Wainscot
73.272 Papestra biren                                       Glaucous Shears

What a motley collection. Glaucous Shears and Silky Wainscot on the same square metre of ground. One moth of high moorland, the other of flat southern reedbeds. I wonder how they made it here? Regardless, these and the ones to come are the reason why I spend all summer wandering around in a daze, after too many late nights and early mornings. Here's to the next one...

Creatures of the night.

It seems like ages since I've done any proper birding, but I make no apologies. There will be plenty of time for that after mid-August when things start to pick up. Then it'll be all eyes to the weather forecast and keeping fingers crossed. In the mean time, I like to spend mid Summer with the insects, in particular, lepidoptera. 

We have had a pretty poor summer this year so far but this week has seen an increase in temperature and a rise in moth activity to match. Without much time to trap during the week these days, I used two traps in my garden on both Friday and Saturday nights with excellent results. I used my own Robinson trap and a Skinner on loan from Roger Forster for the first time this year. Both burn 125w MV bulbs, so the place was well lit.

On Friday I had 415 moths of 91 species, of which 137 were in the Skinner, and this trap also accounted for 13 species not in the Robinson. Whether they would have found their way in had only the usual trap have been used, remains to be seen. Saturday was the same set up with even better results. This time I had 518 moths of 104 species, my first treble figure count of species this year.

So without further ado, here are a few from this weekend...

Double Lobed

Lime speck Pug

Gold Spangle 

Lempke's Gold Spot

Only my second ever Small Yellow Wave.

Local Conservation...

A day off today has been spent doing something constructive for the garden wildlife, in particular the Tree Sparrows. All of our nest boxes have had a bit of a spring clean ready for this years breeding season. We now have 8 good, viable Tree Sparrow boxes in pretty close proximity to form a colony, with a 9th box sort of on the periphery that I've left un-numbered as it might not be suitable, we'll see. The three hole terrace is counted as one box not three.

When cleaning out, it was pleasing to see that every single box has been occupied previously so lets hope the same happens this year. I'll be keeping a count of the occupied ones as the season starts. Usually we have about 6 pairs that each have 2 or 3 broods so by September the garden is heaving with Tree Sparrows. Its a bit concerning that this winter despite being mild, numbers at the feeders seem lower with only about a dozen birds present? Maybe they're more spread locally?

We also feed seed all year round for our hungry spuggies. I wonder if a House Sparrow will nest this year? We get as meany as Tree Sparows, but rarely have them nesting....

While doing the boxes I found time to plant three willow rods in the little wood, to fill a gap along the edge....

Brief Encounter.

I do like a chance encounter with wildlife. We were looking from our kitchen window this afternoon when this Brown Hare gambolled past. I popped out, camera in hand, but I was too slow, more like a tortoise, and the hare had made a sharp exit.

Half an hour later, there he is again, cantering around, stopping to snack on grass, so I headed him off by peeping over our garden wall. Our meeting lasted all of 2 minutes as he trotted towards me, then carried along on his way.

It may have been brief, but very nice all the same.