Birdz

Birds are becoming a bit more conspicuous now after the mid-summer lull. Still a couple of Swifts seen distantly from the station - I'm wondering if many have already left as there seem fewer around now. Nine Starlings also seen on a St Andrews Road TV aerial and a feeding party of Blue Tits at the station along with the usual bunch of House Sparrows. Nearby a Wren was singing.

Magic micro

A new micro-moth for the patch - a little thing called Endotricha flammealis. It was sat on the bedroom wall last night. Quite common in urban Bristol apparently.

Endotricha flammealis

Bee Bonanza

A garden full of Lavender in Grenville Road was absolutely buzzing with bumblebees this morning - I estimate about a hundred of them. They were almost all Buff-tailed Bumblebees with a few Common Carder Bees and Tree Bumblebees. Truly spectacular.

 

Bee paradise

Large White butterflies seem to be everywhere - there were up to 15 on the station and a couple more at Fairlawn Road this morning. Also at the station there was at least 1 Cinnabar Moth larva, a Large Red-tailed Bumblebee and a Green Shieldbug. At Fairlawn Road I saw a small Sawfly which is probably impossible to identify. There was a Small White and up to 3 Peacock butterflies, the latter on Buddleia. At the wooded end of the road was a Syrphus hoverfly and a Marmalade hoverfly plus a Garden Spider.

Peacock

Small White

Sawfly

Some interesting plants in the grounds of the old Fairfield School included what I take to be Scentless (rather than Scented) Mayweed. Another Cinnabar Moth caterpillar was on some Ragwort at this location.

Scentless Mayweed

Cinnabar Moth caterpillar

Amazing that in the recent hot and dry weather conditions the Rusty-backed Ferns along St Andrews Road were shrivelled and looked completely dead, whereas now, after rain, they are growing luxuriantly.

Rusty-back Fern

There was a moth in the flat last night but so worn I'm never going to be able to ID it.

St Pauls Park

Birds of note in the park this morning included 2 Pied Wagtails, a couple of Greenfinches, 3 Blackbirds, 2 Blue Tits, a Dunnock, a Robin, a Woodpigeon and some high-flying gulls.

Pied Wagtail

Insects included a Honey Bee, a Buff-tailed Bumblebee or two and a Marmalade Hoverfly. 

Marmalade Hoverfly

Honey Bee

Common Rustic

A Common Rustic in the flat this evening. Not seen one for about 3 years.

Common Rustic

UPDATE: this might be one of three species - Common Rustic has now been 'split' apparently.

Bath-time creepy crawlies

This morning I was running the bath and from out of my flannel dropped a small Centipede and a Woodlouse. They had obviously been searching for some damp conditions in the dry weather conditions of late. It's an incredible journey to make as the bathroom is right at the top of the house!

St Andrews Park butterflies

A nice selection of butterflies around the meadow and pond areas this afternoon: 1 Ringlet, 1 Speckled Wood, 1 Comma, 2 or 3 Large Whites and a Holly Blue, the latter getting moisture from the pond.

Speckled Wood

Holly Blue

Other insects included half a dozen Azure Damselflies, the nest of Tree Bumblebees and a Large Red-tailed Bumblebee. A Coal Tit was calling nearby.



  

Scalloped Oak

A new moth for my flat in the shape of a Scalloped Oak which was sat on the kitchen wall this morning. Not particularly rare but it's always nice to see something different.

Scalloped Oak

Fairlawn Road produced a Peregrine which did a leisurely circuit calling all the time - presumably one of the city centre birds on an awayday. Also a few Large White butterflies around and some webs on the vegetation which I assume to be the creation of Nursery Web Spiders. In the Fairfield Road abandoned garden was a small bee that may be Coelioxys species because of its tapering tail. Also a Large Red-tailed Bumblebee and a Sphaerophoria hoverfly.

Peregrine

Sphaerophoria hoverfly

Coelioxys bee

Large Red-tailed Bumblebee

At the top of St Andrews Road a Common Wasp (my first of the year) was trying to carry off the remains of a dead beetle.

Common Wasp

Elder Pearl

There was an Elder Pearl moth Phlyctaenia coronata in the flat this morning. Quite a common moth around here with so many Elder trees around - flight period is June and July.

Elder Pearl

Cinnabar Paradiso

Great to see good numbers of Cinnabar Moth larvae on several ragwort plants at the station this morning - it's been some years since I've seen such a profusion. Also at the station there was a Ringlet and a Large White and distant views of about 10 Swifts plus a calling Greenfinch. A Jay seen from the train at Narroways.

Cinnabar Moth larvae

Four Swifts were screaming around the rooftops in Richmond Road again - I think they must have bred this year.

Bats

A wander round St Andrews Park with my bat detector revealed at least 8 Pipistrelle species. At times there were 3 or 4 flying at once. Concentrations seemed to be in the central area where the cafe is and also between the toilets and the bowling green.

St Andrews Park

The nest of Tree Bumblebees seems to be as busy as ever, while in the meadow area there was a Ringlet butterfly, a Leaf-cutter Bee and a Chloromyia formosa Soldier Fly. There were tons of Azure Damselflies at the pond, while near the bowling green there was a Comma butterfly. Coal Tit singing and a Wren seen in flight near the meadow.

Female Azure damselfly

Buddha flies

A nice variety of butterflies on the patch this morning, starting with a Speckled Wood and a Small Tortoisehell along the railway path while along Fairlawn Road there was a Large White and 4 Ringlets. In the small pocket of overgrown garden in Fairfield Road there were 2 or 3 Small Skippers. The station could only produce a few Large Whites.

Ringlet

Small Skipper

Other stuff included Syrphus and Xanthogramma hoverflies along Fairlawn Road and a Leaf-cutter Bee at Fairfield Road.

Xanthogramma hoverfly

Leaf-cutter Bee

 Plants included several flowering Moth Mullein along the rainbow bridge - a Monty speciality - and the first Large-flowered Evening-primrose in flower at the station.

Moth Mullein

Birds included a Jay and a singing Coal Tit at Fairlawn Road and a singing Chaffinch at the station.

Moffs

I set my moth trap up in the windowsill this evening and had the following: 2 Heart and Dart, 6 Scarlet Tiger, 2 Peppered Moth, 2 Rush Veneer, 1 Common Emerald, 1 Small Magpie, 1 Flame and 2 Riband Wave. Also in the trap were a couple of Harlequin Ladybirds, a Ground Beetle and a Hawthorn Shieldbug.

Scarlet Tiger

Peppered Moth

Common Emerald

Riband Wave

Hawthorn Shieldbug

Small Magpie

A Coal Tit was singing in Montpelier Park this morning, some Greenfinches flying around Richmond Road and at the station there was a Ringlet and a Red Admiral.

Narroways

This morning: 15 Marbled Whites, 20 Meadow Browns and 10 Ringlets, numbers split equally between Church Field and cutting. A Narrow-bordered 5 Spot Burnet Moth on cutting (see pic) and a Speckled Wood stony path. 1 Burnet Companion (cutting), a Small Tortoiseshell between stoney path and Ashley Hill. 2 Chiffchaffs (Lynmouth Rd and Stony Path, a Blackcap singing (Lynmouth Rd). 10 Honey Bees, a couple of Buff-tailed Bumblebees and a Tree Bumblebee along Ashley Hill end of stony path. The Common Restharrow is looking good on the cutting.

Narrow-bordered 5-spot Burnet Moth

 

At Fairlawn Road there were 2 Ringlets, a Burnet Moth, a Comma, a Helophilus pendulus hoverfly plus about 15 Honey Bees.  

Comma

 An Xanthogramma hoverfly was in the front garden this morning.