Hoverflies

Several hoverflies in the garden today availing of the now abundant nectar sources, including Rhingia Campestris.  Hoverflies are important pollinators and predators of aphids.

Rhingia Campestris

Rhingia Campestris

Overdue butterflies

The butterflies are late this year, just like everything else in the garden.  In previous years, orange-tips, small whites and green-veined whites have all been seen by now, but this year there have been none.  The first butterflies to appear were two small tortoiseshells on 14 April, and there were five more enjoying some rare warmth on the 20th.  Back on the 14th there were few flowers open in the garden and thus few nectar sources, however by the 20th there was plenty of aubrieta on display in the walls which was to the liking of the small tortoishells as the photo shows.

Small tortoiseshell nectaring on aubrieta

Moths at last

The incessant cold weather and strong easterly winds that have been ever present for most of the last couple of months have meant no mothing in the garden.  The trap did go out on a couple of occasions on mild January nights but produced nothing.
Last night was the first evening with mild temperatures and little wind for several weeks where I had time to put the trap out, and at last a few moths were caught. Not a great total, but any signs of spring are welcome this particular year.

1 Hebrew character,
1 Common Quaker,
1 Clouded Drab,
2 Oak Beauty's (one of which is pictured below)

Oak Beauty

Oak Beauty

Frog chorus

I counted over 40 frogs in the pond today and about 20 lots of spawn.  About three or four weeks later than usual but better late than never.  The sound of the frogs croaking (singing?) was an absolute delight when I went out into the garden at lunch time - one of the benefits of working from home today!  I took a few photos, including the one that is now the new blog banner.  Here's another.

Common Frog

Both pictures: D300 & AF-S Nikkor 300mm, @ ISO 200/f4, with tripod 

Very satisfying to think that this little bit of amphibian habitat did not exist 3 years ago.

Late for School

I was late taking Annie to school today because at 8:30 this morning a roe deer walked across the field belonging to the neighbour right up to our garden.  I fired off the photo below from the bedroom window before going into the garden to see if I could get a better picture.  Unfortunately, the deer had gone, frightened by a passing car.  However as I was standing in the garden a snipe flew over my head and landed next to the garden pond but out if sight! This was a new bird for the garden - obviously, but on checking the BTO Atlas website it was also a new bird for the tetrad, which is arguably more important.

On the way back into the house I photographed this suitably Christmassy Robin portrait.  By this stage, Annie was late for school, but what an excuse "My dad was stalking a deer and a snipe in the garden"!

The deer got me thinking about how many mammals I had seen in or from the garden and the total is a respectable 11: Roe deer, fox, stoat, brown rat, house mouse, field vole, common shrew, mole, grey squirrel, rabbit and common pipistrelle bat. Hedgehog is notable by it absence, which is a sign of the times - it's over a year since I last saw a live hedgehog and that's probably the only one in five years (I don't count flat ones).

The garden in June

The pond I dug over the winter is starting to pay off. This month has seen the first damselfly in the garden - a large red damselfly. Common maybe, but still a garden first and very attactive into the bargain.

From Garden Wildlife

Large red damselfly

We also seem to be reaping the benefit of leaving a part of the lawn unmowed, only about 4m square, but it's a real mini-meadow crawling with invertebrates and attracting a very pleasing number of bees into the garden.


White-tailed bumble-bee