Well, not so much flaming in the heat sense as flaming June in the cold,
annoying, sense!
This month has been a downer after that warmer week at the end of May, so here
is a catch up.
In late May a Goldfinch built a nest in the apple tree just outside my home
office window. We could watch her weaving the structure together with her
finely pointed bill and rounding the cup with her body pushing downwards. By
27th May she was sitting, so we looked forward to the family developing.
Sadly, that was not to be because after two or three days she just left the
nest never to return. At the same time a poorly looking female Goldfinch was
in the garden on the other side of the house. It may have been her, who can
say.
Goldfinch on the nest. Its a shoddy image as it is taken through an old
cottage window so as not to disturb her.
At the beginning of June, small numbers of Painted Lady arrived
with half a dozen in a morning passing through the garden and with them a couple
of Hummingbird Hawk-moths were seen.
Painted Lady looking a bit dishevelled after its flight from Africa.
Hummer on valerian on our drive.
More unusually, unprecedented in fact, was the arrival of Small Mottled Willow.
Before this year I had only seen 3 in my life, but 22 have graced the trap so
far in last few weeks. Shame there were no Eastern Bordered Straw that deluged
as far north as Tynemouth.
Small Mottled Willow
Insect migration soon dried up as the wind swung back NW with a
colder edge and has been there ever since. Other resident garden and village
wildlife included -
Large Pine Weevil, a lifer for me and randomly was found in our
bathroom. I put it on the valerian before identification so I could
get a photo.
Pammene aurana on verbascum when it should be on Hogweed...
Nemaphora degeerella seems to be having a good season.
We have 5 Mullein caterpillars across three Verbascums in the garden.
This was the biggest of them and its enjoying the plant.
The first of the garden Tree Sparrows are out and about now, with adults
taking nest material into boxes to refurbish for a second brood. We also have
House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail and Blackbirds all with young.
A week back at work after our holiday with a few things of interest at
home.
The Saturday before we came back from Glen Affric I received a Bluesky message
from Mark Eaton to say that there were two Common Cranes in the field behind
our house that would be visible from the kitchen window if we weren't 300
miles away in Scotland! Its always the case isn't it. The field in question
has been recently tilled and seeded and looked great for Dotterel but Crane
wasn't on my radar. Unfortunately a message around 8.30pm said they had flown
off south. It looked like a good garden and patch tick was left wanting.
So, a long drive back on Sunday saw us reversing up the drive at 4pm. Due to
the actual driving my phone had not been looked at all day, so a quick glance
showed a message from our neighbour saying there are Cranes in the field, at
10am! So, a scrabble for the bins and a scan of the field and there they were,
two, huge graceful dinosaurs striding through and over pigeons and rooks
looking right at home.
Get on the lists!
Common Cranes, from our house.
They graced us with their daily presence for the following 6 days, being
joined by a third Crane on the Tuesday morning! Now I have a self found Crane on
the patch list. On one morning I even heard them bugling as I did the moth trap
count!
And then there were three...
The original two were obviously a pair, maybe 2 yr old birds as there was some
grey in the neck and not as much red on the crown. The new bird was a last
years young with a lot of grey in the neck and no red in the crown.
They were last seen on Friday 22nd am, then going over Skateraw at
1.30pm...
Those were clearly the biggest highlights of the week but as the weather got
warmer the Moth Trap was not about to be outdone.
On Thursday 21st I lifted the moth trap out to count it. As I removed the
cone, no pugs or carpets flew to freedom. Very unusual I thought under the
conditions. So after counting a couple of egg trays, I saw, lying in the base
drain, a large Poplar Hawk-moth forewing. At the same time a sliver of
something in an egg tray set the alarm bells ringing. Oh no, birds had been
in, and that sliver, surely not...
I hurriedly did the remaining living moths that all seemed very subdued,and
moved the egg trays. Then my nightmare suspicions came true. In with the other
dismembered lepidoptera in the bottom were the four wings of a Lime
Hawk-moth!
This must seem a bit of an anti climax to the southern contingent reading
this, but that dead moth was only the 2nd for VC68 and the first since 1902!
Its a species that has slowly been making inroads into Northumberland and was
to expected here one day, but after a decade of blank springs this is not the
way to find a first.
So, end knocked in, that night, two traps were deployed in desperation.
Sometimes the luck of the moth Gods shines down on us. A last check before bed
around 11.30pm and there in the front garden Skinner, a lovely living Lime
Hawk-moth. Superb. The second VC68 record in living memory.
Top - A Cullernose sunrise, and a quick Sooty Shearwater sketch.
Over the last week or so as summer begins to ebb away there have been no great wildlife highlights but there has been some variety that's for sure . Please bear with me as this post might drift off a bit...
Last week there was a window of seawatching opportunity as the wind swung into the North briefly.
Manx Shearwaters were a feature with 500+ N on one day but other pickings were slim. 7 Sooty Shearwaters, a few Arctic Skuas a couple of Bonxies were to be expected but a watch on the 17th had a few oddities too with Merlin harassing Kittiwakes a mile offshore, 1 Little Gull and a Greenshank that flew N close in. The following day a juv Marsh Harrier came low overhead as I walked the dog along the coast path first thing.
On 22nd my, so far, last 2 Swifts were with hirundines over our village and the first singing Robin of autumn woke us up in the morning.
Little Stint with Dunlin, centre.
This weekend, visits to Boulmer on Sunday and Monday, early on the former, later on the latter to avoid Bank Holiday visitors was quite nice. A single Little Stint was with 300+ Dunlin in front of the pub while a Peregrine tried its best to thin the flock out a bit.
Dan found a nice juvenile Dotterel in the wintering Golden Plover flock that seems to be hanging on a while. On Sunday we had reasonable views but distant. I went back yesterday evening for a better look when it was closer but still not quite close enough...
Dotterel juv, Longhoughton Steel, Boulmer
Top, Field sketches of the Dotterel distant on seaweed covered rocks, and last night in the sheep field.
While watching the Dotterel on Sunday we had 4 Raven, 1 Wheatear, 1 Roseate Tern, 100+ other Terns ( three species) 6 Wigeon in-off, the first of autumn, 16 Whimbrel, 100+ Curlew, 8 Arctic Skua, 1 Pintail N, 10 Teal N.
Yesterday's early evening visit was quiet though we did have 80+ Manx Shearwaters, 6+ Arctic Skuas, 1 very distant high flying Pom that dropped down on to the sea, but we couldn't nail it.
Boulmer sunrise.
To round off, here are some Invertebrates that have kept me busy mid week -
Palloptera muliebris a Picture winged Fly, scarce up here apparently, maybe be the first record for VC68.
Feathered Gothic
Totally knackered but this Oblique Carpet is new for me. Scarce in Northumberland.
Platyptilia gonodactyla
A Mirid Bug, Stenoderma calcarata
Sitona obsoletus
Phycitodes binaevella
Sallow
Another new moth for me and rare up here is Small Mottled Willow, first for VC68.
Moving into the dark art of Diptera we have Dolichopus griseipennis displaying around our drain.
Barred Chestnut
Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla
Copper Underwing on sugar ropes.
Another Grey Chi
This was a right pain. I thought it was a Gem, but it wouldnt open its wings other than to fly around like a nutter for the first 12 hours. Finally it sat out for this shot then I lost it in the kitchen! It has yet to emerge... oh yes its another first for me Red Twin Spot Carpet.
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