Thursday November 17

Although I have not really seen a lot around the garden and its immediate environs since my last posting, I find I do have things to talk about.

Firstly, for the first time since the 2012/2013 winter, it is shaping up to be a Waxwing winter. This extremely attractive migrant from the taiga zone of northern Scandinavia and Russia is an irruptive migrant. This basically means that most years there are hardly any in the UK, but in some winters they turn up in their thousands.

For a suburban patch like this one, Waxwings have the added attraction that they actually seek out ornamental trees in towns, so for example, while I saw them around Winyates East (one even in our apple tree) in both of the last two influxes, I have never seen one at my other patch, the more rural Morton Bagot (although someone did see a flock of 15 there in January 2011).

Anyway, we planted an ornamental rowan in our front garden with Waxwings in mind shortly after we moved in. This winter it looks particularly splendid.

Waxwing bait?

Sadly there was a flaw in our thinking.

The berries on the tree evidently become ripe enough to eat by around the end of November, and each year we are treated to the sight of Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, and the occasional Redwing stripping the lot by mid December. The problem is that Waxwings basically eat their way across the country after they first arrive at the end of October, so right now there are hoards in Scotland, stacks in north-east England, a few in the east Midlands, and today one in north Warwickshire. None at all in Worcestershire yet.

So the chances are that by the time Waxwings set foot in the county, our berries will be gone.

But fingers crossed eh.

Changing the subject, I feel I need an incentive to wander around the neighbouring streets, binoculars and camera in hand, no doubt alarming the residents. What I need is a list, oh yes. So I have entered East Redditch into Patchwork Challenge 2017. I find I can just about get Arrow Valley Lake and Ipsley Alders Nature Reserve into the three square kilometres you are allowed.

Changing the subject again. I actually saw a moth the other week, November 10. Admittedly it was just a house moth, or to be more precise a White-shouldered House Moth. The books say they are very common and live on detritus. I obviously need to do a bit more vacuuming.

White-shouldered House Moth - Endrosis sarcitrella

Good one for the moth list.

Now there's an idea.

Thursday November 3

I'm feeling very guilty today.

Partly this is in a "bless me father I have sinned, it is almost a month since my last posting" kind of way. But also because of the havoc I have wreaked upon one of the most wildlife friendly parts of our garden. More of that later.

So now come the excuses. I have not bothered to blog recently because I haven't really had anything to say. A holiday, work, shopping, birding at Morton Bagot, and most of all apathy have resulted in me scarcely bothering to look out of the window lately.

This morning was really rather pleasant in a crisp, cold autumnal sort of way and I resolved to grab my camera and go to post a letter and then head for the local shop. Cutting edge stuff. In the past this sort of morning has at least produced big flocks of Woodpigeons heading over. This morning there were two rather small flocks of them, but it'll do.

Pathetically small flock of Woodpigeons

Slightly less pathetic, still Woodpigeons

Now for the more serious confession. About eight years ago we planted a tiny lavender plant in our back garden. It was very happy there, and it grew. And grew. And GREW. This year it stood about six feet tall, and and spread outwards to make the patio in front of the kitchen window unnegotiable without a machete.

For the last few years I had been told it needed hacking back, and even that it had got to go. But here's the thing, the local bees love it. Butterflies like it. Hoverflies like it. Moths like it. And to be frank I like it, but I also like seeing the garden, and the bloody plant is in the way.

So this morning I did the deed. The lavender is now a sad little stump. As I was chopping away I disturbed a little plume-moth of uncertain species which I swear looked at me accusingly before fluttering off to the underside of our garden table. Homeless.

I promised that moth that we will plant something just as good, but much smaller, in the spring.

Before that, more pruning is expected of me.

Saturday October 1

With nothing to report this week, the rain today left me doubting that any post would be produced.

However, whilst answering the door to a neighbour I heard a Grey Wagtail call. Quite nice. 

Then the rain stopped and I wandered into the kitchen and for the first time in ages discovered that the garden actually contained some birds.

Up to six House Sparrows, a couple of Great Tits, two Dunnocks, and a Woodpigeon were at least considering using our feeder.

Next, a Goldcrest appeared before disappearing into the apple tree, followed by a Chiffchaff, which also nipped away within seconds. Blue Tits, a Blackbird, and a Robin followed by a few Long-tailed Tits and a couple of Coal Tits.

Coal Tit

This was a post-breeding Tit flock, the Chiffchaff and Goldcrest being typical hangers-on. The thing is, you never know what else might come through with them so to me they are compulsive viewing.

Saturday September 24

The lack of recent posts has been a reflection of my recent lack of effort. Despite commenting that I needed to start looking at birds, I have to admit that the birds noticed in the garden and its environs recently have been too unremarkable to be worthy of comment.

Instead, it is a moth which has sparked the blog back into life. If it had been a rare moth this would have been one of the all-time great intros; I was taking a shower when I noticed a small speck on the shower rail. I wondered if it could be a moth, so captured it to investigate further.

It turned out that it was a tiny moth, and also that it was a very common one. With the naked eye it just looked like a tiny black streak, maybe the leg of a small spider. But through the lens of my camera, which was having trouble focussing on it because I could not persuade the moth out of the pot, it revealed itself to have an interesting pattern of spots at its rear end, and to actually be fawn brown with white legs and antennae.

Apple-leaf Miner Lyonetia clerkella

The Apple-leaf Miner is probably the smallest moth I have ever identified. It's presence is not unexpected as we have an enormous apple tree in the garden. In fact I then investigated the leaves and quickly found several leaf mines which were probably made by the caterpillars of this species.

Leaf ones probably created by an Apple-leaf Miner

While I was messing about with the moth a party of six Meadow Pipits flew south calling.

There you are, some birds!

Wednesday September 7

After another few days of warmer than average nights, the bathroom window was thrown open in the hope that we would be inundated by moths.

In the event four moths did find their way in, but there was nothing new (or at least I don't think so).

First up was a Double-striped Pug on Sunday night.

Double-striped Pug

Then last night produced two noctuid in the bathroom, and one in the hall. One was a migrant, but a common one, in the form of a Silver Y.

Silver Y

No problem identifying them. The last two were the tricky dull ones I slightly dread. Eventually I decided they were both Square-spot Rustics. I did think of emailing the recorder again, but I suspect he is getting sick of seeing photos of common moths, so I will stick with my own identifications.

The Square-spot Rustic found in the hall

The Square-spot Rustic found in the bathroom

Its probably time I started looking at birds again.

Friday September 2

After a very quiet week, moth-wise, two turned up in the bathroom last night.

One was another Garden Carpet, but the other was a brown noctuid I was unable to name. However, an email to Michael Southall has produced the answer. It was a Flounced Rustic (great name), and was a moth tick for me and also for our bathroom.

Flounced Rustic

Garden Carpet

It seems that Flounced Rustic is an autumn-flying moth which is quite familiar to the local mothers (pronounced moth-ers).

Sunday August 28

This week initially saw a certain amount of repetition, with moths in the bathroom being Square-spot Rustics, but also a new grass moth for me, called Agriphila geniculea. After discovering the first in the bathroom, there was another on the front door, then another in the bathroom etc etc.

Agriphila geniculea

Square-spot Rustic

However, last night a completely new moth turned up. It was worryingly active in the pot, but I worked out it was a Flame Carpet. The following morning, I took a precautionary photo through the perspex of the pot just in case it made a sharp exit when I removed the lid.

Flame Carpet

Unfortunately the flaming Flame Carpet paused for just a couple of seconds before disappearing around the corner of the house, and I duly missed the shot.

Finally, some bird drama last night as we were about to sit down for an evening meal with my sister and brother-in-law. Lyn noticed a bird fluttering across the garden, and then a cat.  I shot out and shooed off the cat, but it was clear I was too late, as a damaged Woodpigeon scuttled away. By now it was nearly dark so I joined the others for the meal. Within ten minutes the Woodpigeon was fluttering pathetically against the window. I went back out and grabbed it. Its tail was gone, and its left wing was bloodied and damaged. I grabbed it and suck it in a cardboard box to roost it overnight.

This morning it was still alive so I took it to the Hollytrees Animal Rescue Centre. They took it off my hands and promised to attempt to nurse it back to health.

Normally, I must admit, I do not intervene and tend to let nature take its course. But we are very fond of our local Woodpigeons, so we couldn't help ourselves.