Montpelier Station!

At last the birds are becoming more conspicuous as autumn approaches - a party of Great and Blue Tits were feeding in the trees and shrubs along the disused platform, a Robin was singing his autumn song and the House Sparrows were chirping away. A Fox, looking frail and moth-eaten, emerged from the vegetation and limped down the railway track towards the tunnel.

Nearby, there were a couple of juvenile Woodpigeons feeding in the park and a swarm of Horse-chestnut Leaf-mining Moths around the chestnut tree. A Harlequin Ladybird was also in the park.

Moths, bugs, spiders and beetles!

This morning in my moth trap I had some new species which is always good plus some old friends I haven't seen for a couple of years.
Shuttle-shaped Dart 1
Large Yellow Underwing c20
Copper Underwing sp. c10
Dun Bar 1
Orange Swift 1 (new!)
Old Lady 1
Setaceous Hebrew Character 1
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 1
Rustic (?) very faded
Mint Moth 1
Flounced Rustic 1 (new!)
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 1
Mompha langiella (new!)
Light Brown Apple Moth

Dun Bar

Flounced Rustic

Mompha langiella

Old Lady

Orange Swift

Big surprise was a Sexton Beetle - my first for the patch. They feed and breed in corpses and can apparently smell rotting flesh from 2 miles away!

There were about 50 Birch Shieldbugs, one of which I accidentally stepped on in bare feet and it bit me really hard - quite painful! Also 50 Harlequin Ladybird and a Common Froghopper in the trap.

Last night there was a cute spider in the kitchen - Pseudeuophrys lanigera - one of the jumping spiders.

Montpelier Park!

It was extremely quiet in the park this morning apart from a calling Wren and a couple of Woodpigeons. A Marmalade Hoverfly was basking on a leaf an a Harlequin Ladybird was exploring a railing.

Nearby, there were 2 Painted Ladies on the Buddleia at the station and there was a calling Great Tit.

Painted Lady!

A few good things were nectaring on the Buddleia bushes on the disused platform at the station this morning - a Painted Lady, a Red Admiral, a couple of Buff-tailed Bumblebees and a Volucella pellucens hoverfly. On the wall near the footbridge was a basking Eristalis tenax hoverfly.

Painted Lady

Volucella pellucens

Red Admiral

Eristalis tenax

Buff-tailed Bumblebees

Montpelier Station!

This afternoon I had a look around the station and saw the Fox near the tunnel dozing in the sunshine. Nearby lots of 'white' butterflies which seemed to be Small Whites and Large Whites. A party of House Sparrows were feeding in the lineside scrub. The Buddleia near the footbridge played host to several Buff-tailed Bumblebees and the large hoverfly Volucella pellucens.

Fox

A damp Buff-tailed Bumblebee

House Sparrow

Small White

Large White

Volucella pellucens

A pretty slug and amorous Woodpigeons!

There was a rather attractive Leopard Slug on the recycling box this morning and in the garden a pair of Woodpigeons were displaying.

Stag Night!

Last night I put the moth trap up and I was delighted to find a Lesser Stag Beetle in it - I've never seen a live one before so very exciting! Moths caught included:

Silver Y
Common Rustic agg.
Knot Grass
Large Yellow Underwing
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Gold Triangle 
Celypha striana
Mint Moth
Diamondback Moth
Flame
Dark Arches
Shuttle-heaped Dart
Heart and Dart
Ruby Tiger

Ruby Tiger

Silver Y

Several Birch Shieldbugs and Harlequin Ladybirds were also in the trap.

Birch Shieldbug