An hour in the park this morning produced c20 Redwings, 10 Goldfinches, a Jay, a Coal Tit, Blue Tits, a singing Great Tit, a couple of Collared Doves, some Woodpigeons, several Blackbirds and a Dunnock.
Showing posts with label st andrews park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label st andrews park. Show all posts
Sunday, 31 January 2021
Sunday, 3 January 2021
St Andrews Park!
St Andrews Park was hopelessly crowded so there were very few birds of note today apart from 10 Starlings, 20+ Goldfinches, 2 Jays, a couple of Blackbirds, a fly-over Chaffinch, a singing Dunnock and a few Woodpigeons and Collared Doves. It was good to see the first Snowdrops in flower. I escaped to the more peaceful environs of Montpelier Station where there were good numbers of House Sparrows, a couple of Chaffinches, Blue and Great Tits, several Starlings, a Grey Squirrel and 4 or 5 Collared Doves. A Pied Wagtail was feeding in Station Road.
Monday, 30 November 2020
Starlings and Slime-moulds!
A dismal and rather uninspiring afternoon in St Andrews Park produced 20+ Starlings, 10 Goldfinches, several Magpies and Carrion Crows and the ever-present Herring Gulls overhead.
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| Starlings |
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| Magpie |
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| Goldfinch |
Apart from the paucity of bird life there was a Slime-mould on the dead wood habitat which is my first I've ever seen! Slime-moulds are very strange organisms once thought to belong to the fungi but are closer to amoebas. - more information can be found here.
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| Slime-mould |
Monday, 8 June 2020
St Andrews Park!
Highlights in the park this morning included several Azure Damselflies, a Cinnabar Moth, a couple of Leaf-cutter Bees, a Harlequin Ladybird larva, a 7-Spot Ladybird, masses of Black Bean Aphids, a couple of Ichneumon Wasps and the hoverflies Eristalis pertinax and Helophilus pendulus.
Back in Montpelier, butterflies were represented by a Large Skipper in Fairlawn Road and a Comma on the station.
A single Perforate St John's-wort plant was in flower at the station.
Birds today included a singing Coal Tit at St Andrews Park, a male Blackcap which perched briefly out in the open at the station but was too quick for my camera, a Robin and Collared Dove also at the station and Blue Tits and House Sparrows in the garden.
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| Azure Damselfly |
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| Leafcutter Bee |
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| Harlequin Ladybird Larva |
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| Cinnabar Moth |
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| Black Bean Aphids |
Back in Montpelier, butterflies were represented by a Large Skipper in Fairlawn Road and a Comma on the station.
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| Large Skipper |
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| Comma |
A single Perforate St John's-wort plant was in flower at the station.
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| Perforate St John's-wort |
Birds today included a singing Coal Tit at St Andrews Park, a male Blackcap which perched briefly out in the open at the station but was too quick for my camera, a Robin and Collared Dove also at the station and Blue Tits and House Sparrows in the garden.
Sunday, 24 May 2020
Montpelier and St Andrews Park!
The verge along Fairlawn Road this afternoon produced a Tree Bumblebee, a couple of Harlequin Ladybirds, a Large Red Damselfly and the hoverflies Myathropa florea and Syritta pipiens.
At St Andrews Park meadow area there was a Solitary Wasp apparently in the Pemphredon family, a presumed Nomad Bee and lots of Swollen-thighed Flower Beetles.
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| Myathropa florea |
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| Large Red Damselfly |
At St Andrews Park meadow area there was a Solitary Wasp apparently in the Pemphredon family, a presumed Nomad Bee and lots of Swollen-thighed Flower Beetles.
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| Solitary Wasp |
Saturday, 16 May 2020
St Andrews Park!
There were some great invertebrates in the meadow area this morning - a Large Red Damselfly, a Picture-winged Fly which I think is something called Trypeta zoe (I think I will just call it Zoe, sounds perfect), a Merodon equestris (bee-mimic hoverfly), another hoverfly Melanostoma, a Running Crab-spider and a Soldier Fly I can't identify as I couldn't get a good enough photo.
Back in Fairlawn Road, Montpelier there was another Merodon equestris, a very attractive Xanthrogramma pedissequum agg. hoverfly, a pair of mating 14-spot Ladybirds and an Ichneumon wasp. Tiny little Cocksfoot Moths and several Oedemera beetles were on the dandelions. A Chiffchaff was singing nearby.
Back in Fairlawn Road, Montpelier there was another Merodon equestris, a very attractive Xanthrogramma pedissequum agg. hoverfly, a pair of mating 14-spot Ladybirds and an Ichneumon wasp. Tiny little Cocksfoot Moths and several Oedemera beetles were on the dandelions. A Chiffchaff was singing nearby.
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| Merodon equestris and friend |
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| 14-spot Ladybirds doing what comes naturally |
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| Xanthogramma pedissequum |
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| Cocksfoot Moth |
Monday, 4 May 2020
St Andrews Park!
The meadow area of the park has become impressively biodiverse since it was planted about 6 or 7 years ago. Today there was a Speckled Wood butterfly, an Ichneumon Wasp, a Scarlet Tiger moth caterpillar, a probable Phyllobius weevil, several probable Raspberry Beetles or close relative, a few Anthomyia flies, a Speckled Bush-cricket nymph plus Buff-tailed Bumblebees and Common Carder Bees. Hoverflies were well represented with a Marmalade Fly, a Platycheirus, a Melanostoma, an Eupeodes, Melanogaster (my first for the patch if I remember rightly) and a Syritta pipiens. It was lovely to see the first Yellow Rattle flowers of the year.
In the bath this morning I was greeted by a small Centipede which an expert on Facebook thinks is a possible Lithobius melanopa.
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| Scarlet Tiger larva |
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| Anthomyia |
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| Marmalade Hoverfly |
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| Ichneumon |
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| Melanogaster |
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| Raspberry Beetle |
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| Yellow Rattle |
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| Speckled Wood |
In the bath this morning I was greeted by a small Centipede which an expert on Facebook thinks is a possible Lithobius melanopa.
Saturday, 25 April 2020
St Andrews Park!
A pleasant hour in the park this morning produced Large Red Damselfly, the hoverflies Eupeodes corollae and Myathropa florea, a Nomad bee and a Yellow Dung Fly. A Jay gave a brief appearance.
Fairlawn Road produced a Xysticus cristata Crab Spider and an Anthomyia fly. A wall along Richmond Road had some Maidenhair Spleenwort growing on it.
I found another new moth in the flat this morning which must have been hiding yesterday - a Currant Pug!
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| Jay |
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| Yellow Dung Fly |
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| Eupeodes corollae |
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| Myathropa florea |
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| Nomad Bee |
Fairlawn Road produced a Xysticus cristata Crab Spider and an Anthomyia fly. A wall along Richmond Road had some Maidenhair Spleenwort growing on it.
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| Maidenhair Spleenwort |
I found another new moth in the flat this morning which must have been hiding yesterday - a Currant Pug!
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| Currant Pug |
Tuesday, 21 April 2020
St Andrews Park!
A very enjoyable half an hour in the meadow this morning paid dividends with lots of great insects on show. These included a Red Mason Bee, a Hairy-footed Flower-bee, a Large Red Damselfly, a Nomada bee, Large White, Orange-tip and Speckled Wood butterflies, and the hoverflies Syrphus, Epistrophe eligans and Melanostoma. A pair of Coal Tits were feeding in the pine tree overhead.
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| Orange-tip |
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| Large Red Damselfly |
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| Syrphus |
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| Epistrophe eligans |
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| Hairy-footed Flower-bee |
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| Red Mason Bee |
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| Large White |
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| Speckled Wood |
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