Leckford Garden Birds

Great Spotted Woodpecker drums at the bottom of the garden but this is the female (which also drum sometimes). The male Kestrel often uses this perch and drops onto prey in the garden. Other good birds include Blackcap, Nuthatch and a fly over Red Kite (not so common in Hampshire as Northants).

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopus major


Kestrel Falco tinnunculus



Robin Erithacus rubecula


Digiscoped with Canon A640 and Leica APO77 x20

Twin-spotted Quaker

Twin-spotted Quaker makes a return to the garden after a two year absence.

Twin-spotted Quaker Orthosia munda


March Moth Alsophila aescularia


Last two nights:
Common Quaker, 4, 2
Hebrew Character, 1, 2
Clouded Drab, 2, 2
Small Quaker, 3, 0
March Moth, 2, 2
Twin-spotted Quaker, 0, 1

North Norfolk

What can you see in North Norfolk without going to Titchwell. Well plenty of Barn Owls for a start. We saw at least 4 out hunting at all times of the day in the Burnham Norton/Overy area. Little Egrets were also scattered all over the place and could be found in any old ditch or stream. Other bits and pieces included Red-throated Diver past Salthouse and a few other birds pictured below.

Barn Owl Tyto alba




Little Egret Egretta garzetta


Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta


Dark-bellied Brent Geese Branta bernicla bernicla


Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor, Roydon Common



All digiscoped with Canon A640 and Leica APO77 x20

Eye of Toad

Common Toad Bufo bufo


Canon Powershot A640

Lead-coloured Drab

Just one moth in the trap this morning, despite the very mild conditions overnight. It is the rather scarce Lead-coloured Drab, which is not annual in the garden. This is a very dark specimen but shows the rounded wing shape and feathered antennae characteristic of the species.

Lead-coloured Drab Orthosia populeti

Canon Powershot A640

Little Egret, Ferry Meadows

Roosting on the island on Overton Lake near the Cormorant colony.

Little Egret Egretta garzetta

Digiscoped with Canon A640 and Leica APO77 x20

Signs of Spring

Loads of signs of spring around today including a corking Comma and an Ichneumon stramentarius, neither of which would co-operate with the camera.

This Wood Ant nest was huge last year; the rebuilding work starts here.

Red Wood Ants Formica rufa





Honey Bee on Crocus


Crocus


Hawthorn Bud


Primrose


Nuthatch

Dawn on the Washes

I love cold mornings on the Nene Washes. It was beautiful this morning and there were plenty of birds, although only half the central drove was accessible due to flooding.

Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus



Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa icelandica


Bewick's Swans Cygnus columbianus


Digiscoped with Canon A640 and Leica APO77 x20

Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

Mothing continues during this mild spell. This is a regular, if a little scarce, annual over-winterer.

Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

First trappings

Only the second Satellite for the garden and the first multiple catch of Pale Brindled Beauties (which appears to be having a good year everywhere).

The Satellite Eupsilia transversa


Pale Brindled Beauty Phigalia pilosaria



Dotted Border Agriopis marginaria


Canon Powershot A640

Snow birds

With a lot going on so far this year I have hardly found time for wildlife. A terrible state of affairs, but the heavy snow provided some opportunities in the garden today. Blackbirds found the apples thrown out for them very quickly and it wasn't long before a bold Fieldfare joined them. His visits were far too brief for any photos but here are some others.

Song Thrush Turdus philomelos


Blackbird Turdus merula


Starling Sternus vulgaris

Mediterranean Flour Moth

This has been confirmed as a first for Hunts. It was in the kitchen this morning and presumably emerged from some imported produce.

Two significant moths in as many days and it's only early January!

Mediterranean Flour Moth Ephestia kuehniella

Mottled Umber

The first moth of the year and it's a lifer! It was attracted to our kitchen window last night and is a male as the females are wingless. A great start to the mothing year. Let's hope it's a sign of a good year ahead.

Mottled Umber Erannis defoliaria, male

Canon A640

Nordic Jackdaw

I know this is a terrible shot but this bird has been around for some time and has totally evaded photos until now. You can at least see the pale silvery collar and the contrast between the black crown and grey face and nape. There are other subtle differences between this bird and our regular spermologus birds. I hope to get better shots but visits to the garden are brief and I only catch it every other week or so.

Nordic Jackdaw Corvus monedula monedula

Canon Powershot A640

Pink-footed Goose

Often written off as escapes the odd different goose occasionally joins the feral flock at Orton Brick Pit. No way of knowing for sure where this one has come from but there are no records from summer.

This adult has a very dark back and it could easily be called as a Bean Goose on poor views.

Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus



Digiscoped with Canon Powershot A640 and Leica APO77 x20

Slavonian Grebe

Only had to wait five days to add another species to my area year list. I can't remember the last time I checked Bradley Fen so it was a stroke of luck to turn this up in my lunch break today. This used to be my WeBS count years ago when it was known as Drysides Pit and I found a Slavonian Grebe here once before on 18th Oct 1998. Crikey, that's ten years ago!

There were also a couple of Chiffchaffs and a couple of Goldcrests about.

Could this even be one of the birds we saw in Finland back in June?!

Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus

Digiscoped with Canon Powershot A640 and Leica APO77 x32

Scaup, Holme Fen

Been checking the meres here at Holme Fen NNR for the past few weeks as the wildfowl numbers build up. Rewarded today with a first-winter Scaup on Jackson's Mere; not an easy species to catch up with - only one or two a year get seen in the area. This takes my 2008 area year list to 188.

Scaup Aythya marila


Digiscoped with Canon Powershot A640 and Leica APO77 x32

A couple from Cornwall

The Bluethroat was a Cornish tick for me and approached ridiculously closely. The 4x zoom on the A640 was all that was needed. The Kestrel was digiscoped.

Bluethroat Luscinia svecica


Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

Little Stints, Maxey GP

Very similar to last year when two juveniles arrived here on the 5th of October.

Little Stints Calidris minuta, juveniles

Digiscoped with Canon Powershot A640 and Leica APO77 x32

Some kind of joke?

This sign was next to a practically impenetrable footpath through a hedge near King's Cliffe.