Last Night...

Last Night...

I did a whole post on the bloody things last night, so I guess I've got to tell you what moths I caught last night then, don't I.
With temperatures at a very comfortable 9C and with lots of cloud cover, I caught 17 moths of 5 species to the 15w Actinic...

3 Twin-spotted Quaker, 8 Common Quaker, 2 Hebrew Character, 2 March Moth and 2 Tortricodes alternella

The Twin-spotted Quakers were a big surprise because they don't usually emerge until March, and I certainly wasn't expecting three of them. Here are the three Twin-spotted Quakers; note the variation in the number and shape of the 'spots' on each moth...

Possibly my favourite spring moth so far, the very smart looking Hebrew Character...

The Hebrew character on the Hebrew Character...

Eurgh, lots of bugs...

Take a look at the Surrey Moths and Butterflies Blog where you can find plenty more of this kind of stuff.

Mothing Isn't a Hobby Anymore...

Mothing Isn't a Hobby Anymore...

... it's a full blown addiction. I've been putting the moth trap out in the garden on a number of occasions this year, and the scary thing is that I don't think I need to remember to do it; its become lodged in my mind as something that I can do without thinking, along with sleeping and some other things.

If you don't know how a moth trap works, basically the moths are attracted to a light, become confused, and in their confusion fall into a catchment box from which you can then observe the moths, and let them go again.

Most of the time I've put the trap out this year, I've got absolutely loads of nothing. However, on a few occasions, with the right weather, believe it or not, a few hardy moths do actually decide to show themselves. Unlike birding, I take the listing side of mothing quite seriously, and I don't really know why. I guess it could have something to do with the shear range of species waiting to be seen, and the fact that last year I saw more moths in the garden, than I have birds in my life.

Here, have some moths I found in the garden so far this year (14 moths of 7 species to be a bit more precise)...

Early Moth- very originally named...

March Moth- again, very originally named...

Hebrew Character...

Tortricodes alternella...

Common Quaker...

I think you can guess that the trap is out tonight.

Filling the Gaps

Filling the Gaps...

The sunset from Bushy Park on Sunday, just to 'fill in' some gaps on the blog. I was freezing my ass off to get these shots for you, but at least the sun is setting a bit later in the evening, as opposed to 3 in the afternoon on those depressing January days. Snowdrops and crocuses appearing already... Spring is nigh, and couldn't have come any nigher.

Pink-footed Surprise

Pink-footed Surprise

It has almost become a yearly ritual for me to go and see Goosanders at Painshill Park, that use the highly originally named lake; 'The Lake' as their wintering grounds. A year ago on Sunday, I managed 4 males and 1 female at the site, so I decided to take a trip down there on Satuday to see whether they had stuck to the same lake this year.

I wasn't disappointed, and a female G-sander soon showed itself in the exact same spot were I had left the birds last year. She was followed by a very smart looking male, and I enjoyed rubbish, distant views of the birds as they went everywhere we didn't.

Further down the path, I suddenly found myself staring at what looked like a smaller than average Greylag, with a flock of normal sized Greylag Geese. As I got closer, the bird moved into the water, and it became apparent that it was in fact a Pink-footed Goose. This isn't the usual species you'd expect to find in Surrey, but at first it didn't occur to me as anything other than a part of the park's collection, put there to confuse and temporarily excite birdwatchers. Then I realised there had been a relatively well twitched Pink-footed Goose of unknown origin in flooded fields a few miles away back on the 18th January. Many of the top Surrey listers had visited the fields and ticked off the bird, and I was getting anxious. Would I have to complete a dreaded rarity form? How would I describe a Pink-footed Goose? .... Goose like? Pink? With feet? It was all getting too much for me.

I watched the bird for a little while, but it tended to stay out in the middle and far edges of the lake furthest from us, so we moved on with a few images on the memory card to have a proper look at back in the warmth...

Spirits were dampened shortly after a number of gun shots went off an adjacent field, and I noticed a Greylag Goose running, and attempting to get off the ground, without succeeding. It was running quite fast, and had clearly been shot in the wing, stopping it from going airborne. The bird scrambled down a bank, across the river separating the surrounding fields from Painshill, and up the bank into the undergrowth of Painshill Park. The hunter appeared shortly afterwards looking for his 'kill', but after searching for a bit, he couldn't, and was never going to find it, so walked off. We found the bird in an inaccessible area of undergrowth just above the bank, in shock, shivering and clearly in pain, and tried to force it out onto the path and into the lake where it had the better chance of being noticed, to no avail.

The dying bird, hiding in the undergrowth. What is the point in shooting this for fun?

 

I understand that shooting is a well practised upper class past time, and this man could obviously not shoot the bird in the Park. When done responsibly, hunting can also sometimes benefit bird populations. However, with the recent scrutiny of the subject on BirdForum, it really does bring into question the morals of this 'sport'. I'm sure that, in the same way that there are abusers in the twitching business, it is only a minority few giving the majority of hunters a bad name- not that I agree with what they are doing in the first place. Sadly, we couldn't save this little guy from its fate.

Back at home, and after a bit of research, and contacting one of the Surrey county recorders, it turned out that I had relocated the Pink-footed Goose last seen in the area a few weeks back. The problem is that the origin of unusual or scarce wildfowl is often debatable, with so many birds kept in collections around the country. The jury is still out on the Pink-footed Goose, let's just hope its not shot. It would have made a great 26th addition to my year list, but I'm not doing one, so it won't. So there.

4 Moths, I Mean Months Later

4 Moths, I Mean Months Later...

Whilst most of the population of British birders are currently trying to grab views of a Lesser Black-backed Gull Slaty-backed Gull at a dump in Rainham, I've been quietly adding to my ever growing T.V. year list, which coincidently encourages me to lounge about on the sofa and watch T.V. After skipping through some bird documentary or something the other day, my year list is already way over 100, and all of those species seen without actually moving.
Of course, I'm joking. I'm not quite sad enough yet to make a T.V. year list... but I'm contemplating it, with my real year list not yet past 20... and that's including a trip to Suffolk just gone! I am hoping to have a slight bit more success with my moth year list this year, and after a few unsuccessful trapping sessions in the garden, I decided to take the trap up to the relative's, in Suffolk, this weekend to see if I could start off my year list.

They have an unclaimed area of woodland at the back of their house which was very moth productive back in the summer, so thats where I set the trap up. Apart from a howling wind, it was relatively idealic conditions, although it could have been a tad bit warmer- but I'm not complaining.

It was dark, very dark, and I can't say I was enjoying going out into the woods at 1 o'clock in the morning, but sure enough, by the end of the night, I had finally had my first successful trapping session in 4 whole, agonising, cry-myself-to-sleep-at-night months. Final count, 4 moths of 3 species: 1 Spring Usher, 1 Mottled Umber, 2 Winter Moth.

Spring Usher...

Mottled Umber...

Winter Moth...

These are all males, the females are wingless, and look more like spiders than moths.

They may be some of the most boring moths you're likely to see, but I hope this post has somehow cheered you up on what is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year... who comes up with this kind of rubbish anyway? God, it makes me so depressed.

Hello 2011

Hello 2011

First off, I'd like to wish everyone a happy new year, and I hope that, for those of you who can remember what you did on New Year's Eve, you had some good celebrations.

As I write this, my 2011 year list currently stands at 9, with the addition a few minutes ago of Redwing flying over. I don't know if I can be bothered to do a year list again this year (make the year list 10, Sparrowhawk over the garden), what with the failure of last year's list only coming to 140, and AS Levels coming up. Of course, I'll still birdwatch, but just not list.

The scale of how rubbish I was at year listing in 2010 really becomes apparent when you look at the birds I missed... Gannet, Shag, Puffin as well as all Divers and any kind of Petrel or Shearwater. No Little Stint or Ruff, and I didn't even bother to go for a Common Sandpiper (the name of this wader gives you an idea as to its status). I only just managed to get Common Tern onto my list, nothing more. One species of Owl, a Little Owl, as well as one species of Lark, a Skylark.

Despite generally failing miserably with the year list, I did manage some avian goodness. My first ever Nightjar and Dartford Warbler came on a beautiful evening out in a quiet woodland opening on the 8th July in Suffolk, and my first Redstart came on 1st September on Old Winchester Hill. I also managed my first Lapland Bunting, Red necked Grebe and Waxwing, as well as finding my own singing Firecrests out in bluebell woods in the South Downs.

Best wildlife moment 2010? Either watching Nightjar in a woodland clearing out on Blaxhall Common, Suffolk on a warm summer evening, or searching for rare butterflies out on one of the most beautiful places in Britain, Old Winchester Hill.

Best Bird 2010? Very little competition for this award as I really didn't see any very special during the year. In terms of rarity, prehaps the the Lapland Bunting at Staines, in October will just about tip it, or the Waxwings at Teddington at the beginning of December. If I include a holiday to Menorca, then many many more birds come in to play; Purple Swamphen, Audouin's Gull, Spanish Sparrow, Eleonora's Falcon, Marsh Sandpiper, Egyptian Vulture (absolutely massive things), Woodchat Shrike and of course, Bee-eater.

Embarrassingly, I'm going to give the prize of best bird to the Lapland Bunting, despite it being quite common in winter. Just about sums up 2010...

Best View 2010? Of course, I would usually say Old Winchester Hill, but there was just something else about staring through the bluebell woods in the Downs at Guildford, back in April.

Best Patch Moments 2010? I'm quite surprised at how much I was dedicated to my patch in 2010, the patch being Bushy and Home Park. It didn't manage 'Mega' quality birds, but it did work some magic in producing Wheatear in Bushy Park in March, and I managed Hobby on a number of occasions over Heron Pond. Home Park had flocks of Wigeon and Gadwall towards the end of December, which was nice.

In terms of butterflies, I managed 26 species in 2010, which was down on the previous years total of 31, and pretty rubbish really. It was a different story with moths though, and taking into consideration I only started trapping from May onwards, and only at weekends, my garden year list of 190 isn't too bad, I guess.

Here are a few moths I've caught in the garden in 2010...

Tree-lichen Beauty...

Scarce Silver-lines...

Black Arches (aka. smiley face moth)...

Elephant Hawk-moth...

Blackneck...

Moth of 2010? This one goes to a boring looking moth I caught in a woodland in Bury St. Edmunds, during a stay at the grandparents house back in early July. Early July is traditionally the time when most moths are on the wing, but I never expected the nationally rare and declining Lunar Yellow Underwing. The moth is declining so fast, that it is now only found in a few woodlands in Suffolk, and a few other locations in the South. Lets hope it hangs on in my grandparents back garden!

It doesn't get much more beautiful than this...

I think I'll get all nostalgic if I write anymore, so I'll leave it here and look to 2011.

New Years Resolution?

1) See a British butterfly I've never seen before.

2) Take it easier on New Years Eve 2011 so that I actually move more than an inch on New Years Day.

3) Be as dedicated to Bushy Park and Home Park as I was in 2010.

... Yeah, I think they're achievable. Well, the second one will take some practise.

Have a great 2011, and lets all make the most of it, cos' there are rumours going around that the worlds going to end in 2012, and who knows the damage this may cause to people's lists.

Y'all Folks Have a Nice Christmas Now

Y'all Folks Have a Nice Christmas Now

Well, it's Christmas Eve, and I've just found a window of opportunity to sneak away from the family to show you a picture of a Robin, a Woodpecker and a Parakeet I took in... yes, you guessed it, Bushy Park; my second home (after my bed, and the sofa... though not necessarily in that order) earlier today- what with it being Christmas Eve, I just managed to resist the urge for a long distance twitch.
There was still quite a large amount of snow in the park, and instead of following the well trodden down paths around the ponds, I decided to go off road into the remote, snowy grassland, following remote, wild deer tracks... Bear Grylls doesn't do shizzle like this!

Wrens were calling in the dead ferns, and a Green Woodpecker was digging around for ants. It was too cold for fieldcraft, so a photo was a no-go, but here's one I made earlier, taken in Richmond Park, in February a few moons ago...

In the woodland gardens, a Ring-necked Parakeet was decorating its hole in the tree ready for the big day, and amongst a foraging tit flock, a Robin was pecking around in the leaf litter.

I guess all thats left to say now is for you to have a very...

Oh, and one last thing. I know how much you have been eagerly awaiting the results to my 'Do You Twitch Rare Birds?' poll that I put up in the right column of the blog. Ok, here goes... the results are in, and it appears that the average birder twitches......... but not often. Ten people voted (cheers) so you can bet on it being an accurate reflection. Just something to ponder on whilst trying to cope with the in-laws over the festive period. Bye now.

Not Quite As Good As Waxwings

Not Quite As Good As Waxwings

After the other day's excitement of a whole post on something slightly interesting, I decided to bring myself back to good old reality with a trip to one of my two only favourite local patches, Home Park (like Bushy Park, but smaller and with some big Hampton Court Palace thing or something at one end).

Home Park has the advantage over Bushy Park of being much less busier, and this is reflected in the birds being slightly more obliging. Being covered in ant hills and short grassland, the park is home to a thriving population of Green Woodpecker, and its hard to walk a few paces without sending one screeching into the air. Here's one chilled...

Rick's Pond usually holds a large number of waterfowl, but with the pond thickly frozen over, there wasn't much. A Mute Swan was preening however (I know, heart racing stuff)...

It was a different story on the drainage pond nearbly, where the water was ice-free and so contained a large concentration of ducks, including a nice flock of Gadwall which, as I walked up to expecting to recieve pleading quacks for bread, flew off to the other side of the pond and never let me get close. Two female Shoveler were also giving me the slip.

Have you ever seen a better photograph of a Shoveler or Gadwall? I think not.

Heres a Mallard for your troubles...

And some more Swans...

Waxwings, Teddington, Ticked

Waxwings, Teddington, Ticked

After dashing out yesterday evening and dipping a flock of 19 Waxwings down the road in Teddington, I was getting desperate to glimpse these exotic gems in Surrey, after also dipping the flock in Epsom a few weeks back.

Now, one dip I can handle, but two dips and its getting personal, so it was another early morning for a bicycle twitch, with Teddington being just a few miles down the road, to hopefully catch up with yesterday's missed birds.

Things weren't looking promising when, no sooner had I got onto the bike, I already had a stitch, and with the temperature reading a figure that wouldn't seem out of place on a weather station out in Antarctica, my usual Sunday morning routine of a sofa, a duvet and Match of the Day seemed extremely tempting. Luckily though, with the help of a life-saving Crunchy bar keeping my chocolate levels stable, I managed to resist the urge, and made it to the hopefully Waxwing infested road by an impressive time of 9am...

A small crowd of Waxwing admirers had gathered along the road; a good sign I thought, and no sooner had I turned the corner, and I already had brilliant views of the birds as the whole flock lifted up into a nearby tree...

What is a Waxwing without a berry bush?

In flight, and especially when silhouetted, the Waxwing looks very like your average Starling, and it can be surprisingly hard to tell the two species apart... these are Waxies...

Finally, I've connected with the Waxwing, and by the looks of things it might not be my last this year, with quite a few birds making their way down south in this irruption of a year for the species.

Oh, and yes, the photos you see have been taken by me, and yes they really are that stunning. I was thinking of entering them into a few competitions, but I think I'll let someone else get first 1st place for once.

Cold Weather Movement

Cold Weather Movement

It was an early morning internet search to find college closed due to 'adverse weather conditions' yesterday. There is nothing I hate more than an early morning, and you'd have thought that with most of my life spent waking up early for school, that I'd have got used to it, but I haven't. So it's really is amazing how those three words- 'college will be closed'- can transform my morning mood from :( to : D

It took an unprecedented amount of self determination and dedication to stop myself from falling back into bed, but I managed to dragged myself out into the garden for some early morning snowtography with the birds, before the texts started to come in luring me to the local patch, to indulge in a different kind of hobby from birding.

Even watching the garden birds from my camouflage cape (latest fashion) for an hour, it was amazing to see a small scale cold weather movement take place right in front of my eyes. As you can probably guess, a cold weather movement is when species move from one place to another due to extreme weather. In my case its probably just from the local woods. Chaffinches are rarities here that usually only appear as singles every winter, but this morning there were 6 feeding. After the return of a female Blackcap the other day, the male has now joined her, and 7 Redwings dropped in to the garden to feed, as well as an additional 4 Blue tits to the normal pair that are around, and a relatively secretive Song Thrush.

Despite all the action, most of the birds were a slight bit camera shy. Luckily, the Blue tits were out in style, and were doing what Blue tits do best; being curious!

This years Christmas card? I think so... you can buy one off me for £50 a print... I need all the money I can get with these new University fee rises...

They were fiddling around in every nook and cranny they could find....

Everybody say ahhh...