Slightly Foxed

I did my Breeding Bird Survey in the Montpelier/St Andrews/St Pauls areas this morning and the highlight was not a bird at all but 2 Foxes on St Barnabas playing field! They had been mobbed by Magpies and trotted to the opposite side of the field, where one remained sitting for several minutes waiting for the Magpies to calm down. I don't take my camera on surveys so wasn't able to snap it. The full results of the survey are as follows: Lesser Black-backed Gull 4, Herring Gull 3, Woodpigeon 10, Collared Dove 4, Wren 5, Dunnock 1, Robin 8, Blackbird 7, Mistle Thrush 1, Blackcap 2, Long-tailed Tit 3, Blue Tit 6, Great Tit 1, Magpie 16, Carrion Crow 11, Starling 7, House Sparrow 15, Chaffinch 3, Greenfinch 2, Goldfinch 11, Feral Pigeon 5.

Non-survey highlights included singing Chiffchaffs at Fairlawn Road and Station Road - these are presumably holding territory as it is now a little late for migration I would have thought. A family of about 8 Long-tailed Tits were feeding among the trees at Fairlawn Road and a couple of Swifts were soaring overhead. Goldfinches were seen at Station Road and the station itself and a Coal Tit was singing at the latter location.

Juvenile Long-tailed Tit

Goldfinch

On the invertebrate front, the Fairlawn Road verge produced a Green Shieldbug, a Honey Bee, a Marmalade Hoverfly and a Speckled Wood butterfly. A Large White butterfly was nectaring on Red Valerian in Fairfield Road and a Light Brown Apple Moth was basking in the sun at the station.

Large White

Light Brown Apple Moth

Lots of Wood Avens on show at the moment and Broad-leaved Willowherb was in flower along Station Road.

Broad-leaved Willowherb