Breeding Bird Survey!

Today I did my BTO Breeding Bird Survey in the Montpelier, St Andrews and St Pauls area. There were no surprises but I was very happy with the numbers of Starlings this morning, and House Sparrows continue to be doing OK on the patch.
Lesser Black-backed Gull 3
Herring Gull 3
Woodpigeon 15
Collared Dove 5
Swift 1
Wren 4
Dunnock 2
Robin 9
Blackbird 11
Blackcap 1
Blue Tit 3
Great Tit 5
Jay 1
Magpie 4
Carrion Crow 7
Starling 10
House Sparrow 20
Goldfinch 4
Feral Pigeon 19

Later, a Common Whitethroat was singing near St Werburghs City Farm.

Sparrows and Snails!

There were loads of House Sparrows in Station Road this morning, several collecting nesting material, others sat on the roofs. I estimate at least 20 birds were there - always good to see so many. Nearby at the station there were 3 or 4 Orange-tip butterflies and a Speckled Wood. A snail on the wall looked like a Strawberry Snail but I had no intention of eating it. A Common Earwig was on a dandelion flower. Nearby at Fairlawn Road there were several Honeybees and another Nomad Bee.

House Sparrow

Strawberry Snail

I had a pathetic night as far as the moth trap was concerned, just two moths - a Pale Mottled Willow and a micro-moth which I tentatively identified as an Ephestia species and which, to my relief, the experts on Facebook confirmed.

Pale Mottled Willow

Ephestia

Of Moths and Magpies

I repeated my customary circuit around Montpelier this morning, starting at Fairlawn Road where there were several Orange-tip butterflies and a single Common Earwig. I wandered down to the Station and saw more Orange-tips and en route there was a Speckled Wood at Station Road. Magpies, House Sparrows and a singing Blackcap were the ornithological highlights at the station.

Magpie

Common Earwig

A nice surprise in the flat this morning was a Least Black Arches moth which is a 'first' for me. It and a Twenty-plume Moth were obviously in the moth trap yesterday but had been hiding!

Least Black Arches

Twenty-plume Moth

Montpelier Park and Station!

I'm not sure if anybody replenishes the bird feeders in the garden behind the disused platform but this morning a female Blackcap was near them. Also a Blackbird, a pair of Blue Tits, singing Wren and the usual House Sparrows.

There was a Great Tit in the park. A Wolf Spider was basking in the warm sunshine - my first of the spring.

Narroways!

A visit to some of the less muddy areas of Narroways Nature Reserve today produced just Robins, Wrens, singing Great Tits and fly-over Ravens. There was a nice group of House Sparrows at Boiling Wells and a Buff-tailed Bumblebee queen in the front garden of the cottage in Ashley Vale allotments.

House Sparrow (female)

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

 In nearby Fairlawn Road there was a Jay, a few Green Shieldbugs and a Peacock butterfly. A single Honey Bee was nectaring on Dandelions.

Green Shieldbug

Honey Bee

Peacock

At the top of St Andrews Road the Alexanders are starting to flower and one of them attracted a Harlequin Ladybird.

Harlequin Ladybird

Montpelier Park and Station!

There was very little to see in the park other than a Jay, a Blue Tit, some Magpies and a Blackbird. Montpelier Station wasn't much better with just a female Blackbird and some House Sparrows of note.

Blackbird

 

House Sparrow

I had a surprise last night - there was a Flea Beetle on my pillow! It was most likely to be a Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle which are still around at this time of year. I think I must have accidentally brought it in from outside!

Montpelier Station!

 It was good to see 10 Ivy Bees on the ivy near the station this morning - my first of the year and proof that they have truly colonised Montpelier! Also lots of Common Wasps, a Hornet Hoverfly, a Syrphus hoverfly, a couple of Myathropa florea hoverflies and 2 Eristalis tenax hoverflies. A Red Admiral was nectaring on the Buddleia at the disused platform. The gang of House Sparrows was very much in evidence!

Red Admiral

Common Wasp



Female House Sparrow

Ivy Bee



Myathropa florea

Syrphus

My moth trap was surprisingly productive last night despite the lateness of the season:
Garden Carpet 1
Large Yellow Underwing 10
Box Moth 3
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 2
Setaceous Hebrew Character 1
Lesser Yellow Underwing 2
Square-spot Rustic 1

Box Moth

Also a couple of Birch Shieldbugs and a Caddis.

Caddisfly

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.

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

Sleepy Fox and Breeding Bird Survey results in full!

A Fox was sat in the grass near the tunnel this morning - looked like a young one (the Fox, not the tunnel) and was completely unfazed by a train passing within a metre of it!

I'm always delighted by the tiny delicate flowers of Cleavers - lots growing above the wall this morning.

The moment you've all been waiting for has arrived - details of yesterday's BTO Breeding Bird Survey round Montpelier, St Andrews and St Pauls:
Lesser Black-backed Gull 8
Herring Gull 2
Woodpigeon 19
Collared Dove 6
Swift 7
Wren 6
Dunnock 1
Robin 4
Blackbird 15
Blackcap 2
Great Tit 1
Magpie 9
Carrion Crow 6
Starling 2
House Sparrow 23
Goldfinch 9
Feral Pigeon 28

Surprising absence of Blue Tits and Jays and only one Great Tit, although of course the survey is only a snapshot of what's about at any given time. House Sparrow numbers seem to be holding up well and as I said yesterday, it's good the Swifts are hanging on.

Breeding Bird Survey!

Bright and early this morning I did the first of my two BBS visits to ST5974 (covering Montpelier, St Andrews and St Pauls). The totals counted were as follows:
Lesser Black-backed Gull 10
Herring Gull 4
Woodpigeon 16
Collared Dove 3
Wren 6
Dunnock 2
Robin 10
Blackbird 4
Blackcap 3
Long-tailed Tit 2
Blue Tit 9
Great Tit 6
Magpie 7
Carrion Crow 13
Starling 2
House Sparrow 16
Goldfinch 8
Feral Pigeon 30

Incredibly low numbers of Blackbird, Dunnock and Magpie but of course you only record what you see or hear during the survey itself so it may not be a true reflection of the situation. Two odd things happened - and no, I wasn't arrested for using binoculars in a built-up area - there was a dead fledgling Jay on the pavement in Chesterfield Road which was rather sad and also there was a swarm of Syrphus hoverflies around a shrub in Ashley Hill. I reckon there were between 15-20 of them!

Later at the station there was a cute little Zebra Spider out hunting on the wall and up to 6 Holly Blue butterflies around Ivy on the disused platform along with several Orange-tips - similar numbers to a couple of days ago. A Brimstone also made an appearance.

Zebra Spider

Coal Tits and Jays!

In Montpelier Park this morning a Coal Tit was singing and was briefly seen flying from one tree to another. There was also a singing Blackcap and a Blackbird was busy feeding.

At the station there was the usual gang of House Sparrows, a Dunnock and no less than 3 Jays flying low overhead, calling.

Hiding House Sparrow

Blackbird nest-building!

This morning at the station a female Blackbird was collecting nesting material and the spring-like conditions also encouraged lots of birdsong from Dunnocks, Great Tits, Goldfinches and Robins. I went back this afternoon and the House Sparrows were active on the disused platform. A few Chaffinches were loitering near the feeders. The Green Shieldbug was still around this morning - it hadn't moved far (but is definitely alive!) A Coal Tit was still singing in the park.

Green Shieldbug

House Sparrows

Montpelier Station!

At the station sand nearby park this morning were a few Long-tailed and Blue Tits, 3 Chaffinches, a Goldfinch, 3 Blackbirds, several Collared Doves and House Sparrows and a singing Robin.

St Andrews Park!

A dull and dismal afternoon but I was amazed at the number of finches in the park - a flock of at least 50 birds, mostly Goldfinches (but many Chaffinches among them) were flying around the tree-tops. Nearby, half a dozen Redwings and a couple of Blackbirds shared a tree while 3 Black-headed Gulls, 5 Herring Gulls and a Pied Wagtail were on the deck. House Sparrows were feeding busily nearby. Grey Squirrels were very actively stowing away their food for the winter.

Pied Wagtail

House Sparrow

Redwing

Black-headed Gull

Chaffinch

Grey Squirrel

Montpelier Station!

Birds are beginning to become more noticeable now that summer is almost over - a party of Great and Blue Tits were calling from the trees at the station and a Coal Tit was singing. The House Sparrows were in good numbers as they fed in the bushes.

An Eristalis pertinax hoverfly was sat on the wall nearby.

….and there was a Light Brown Apple Moth in the flat this morning.

Breeding Bird Survey results!

I finally got round to entering my data for the survey I did on Monday in Montpelier, St Andrews and St Pauls. The results are:
Lesser Black-backed Gull 8
Herring Gull 4
Feral Pigeon 24
Woodpigeon 20
Collared Dove 9
Swift 3
Magpie 5
Carrion Crow 4
Blue Tit 2
Great Tit 1
Long-tailed Tit 1
Blackcap 1
Wren 8
Starling 2
Blackbird 11
Robin 6
Dunnock 4
House Sparrow 21
Goldfinch 2
No real surprises but at least the House Sparrows are holding up well.

I am pleased to announce that the Blue Tits are using my nestbox again this year - a parent bird left the box as arrived home this evening.

At the station this morning there was a Harlequin Ladybird larva and a Small White butterfly.

Harlequin larva

Sparrowhawks and Springtails!

Highlights at the station this morning included a fly-over Sparrowhawk, a female Blackcap, a couple of Blackbirds, lots of House Sparrows, a pair of frisky Robins and a Goldfinch.

Sparrowwhawk

Goldfinch

This afternoon I saw lots of Springtails on the sill outside my window - possibly Entomobrya albocincta.  

Springtail