Birds!

A quick look around Montpelier Park revealed just a calling Coal Tit and 4 Collared Doves, while the station produced a fly-over Jay, groups of calling Blue and Great Tits, a calling Robin and Wren and about 15 House Sparrows. There were lots of Large White butterflies and at least 1 Green-veined White.

A Birch Shieldbug was in the kitchen this afternoon.

Birch Shieldbug

Hornet Hoverfly and Red Admiral!

This morning near the station there was a Red Admiral, a Small White and a Hornet Hoverfly on the Buddleia - lovely stuff. A tiny bug was on the wall - I think it's likely to be an Anoscopus species, probably A. albifrons.

Red Admiral

Hornet Hoverfly

Anoscopus

This morning the moth trap produced fewer numbers of species but a new one for me - a Dusky Thorn. Also in the trap were:
Willow Beauty - 2
Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix
Light Brown Apple Moth
Micro-moth Carcina quercana (new to me!)
Large Yellow Underwing
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Square-spot Rustic
Double-striped Pug
Micro-moth Agriphila geniculea
Brimstone

Agriphila geniculea

Brimstone

Carcina quercana

Large Yellow Underwing

Dusky Thorn

Double-striped Pug

Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Square-spot Rustic

Willow Beauty

This morning, at least a couple of Jays were calling from the garden, maybe a family party of them.

Speckled Wood

A Speckled Wood along Station Road today. A single Evening-primrose flower on the tracks at the station - this is a plant that has largely disappeared from Montpelier Station although it grows further up the track at St Werburghs and beyond. Also a small hoverfly which looks like a Melanostoma species but the photo is so blurred I can't ID it....A few Great Tits around the station this morning and a Wren was heard.

Speckled Wood

Probable Melanostoma sp.

Evening-primrose

False Widow!

A False Widow spider was in my bath this morning. Looks likely to be Steatoda grossa judging by its brown rather than black carapace and pale legs.

False Widow spider

Moth Broth

It was a nice warm night last night so I put the moth trap in the window-sill and it produced the following:

Marbled Beauty - 6 or 7

Marbled Green - 1 or 2
Brimstone 1
Garden Carpet 3
Willow Beauty 1
Yellow Shell 1
Copper/Underwing sp. 5
Setaceous Hebrew Character 1
Mother of Pearl 1
Rustic/Uncertain 2
Square-spot Rustic 1
Light Brown Apple Moth 1
Small Dusty Wave 3
Double-striped Pug 1
Large Yellow Underwing 2
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 3
Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata
Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix 1

Also a couple of Birch Shieldbugs and a Green Lacewing agg. in the trap.

Birch Shieldbug

Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix

Copper Underwing sp.

Double-striped Pug

Large Yellow Underwing

Heart and Dart

Green Lacewing

Garden Carpet

Light Brown Apple Moth

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Marbled Beauty

Marbled Green

Small Dusty Wave

Setaceous Hebrew Character

Rustic/Uncertain

Mother of Pearl - it could fly well despite the wing deficit!

Square-spot Rustic

Yellow Shell

St Andrews Park!

The sun came out after a long wait this afternoon and the planted flower meadow was alive with Honey Bees, Red-tailed Bumblebees, Large White butterflies plus a Syritta pipiens hoverfly. A tiny Mirid Bug was also seen but I can't ID it to species.

Red-tailed Bumblebee

Mirid Bug

Syritta pipiens

In the wildlife meadow and pond there were lots of Green Shieldbugs, Common Carder Bees and Garden Spiders plus a Wolf Spider and a micro-moth that is probably Crambus perlela.

Green Shieldbug

Wolf Spider

Garden Spider

Three young Carrion Crows were 'anting' near the pond, anointing their plumage with the insects so that the formic acid could destroy parasites.

The attractive bug Rhopalus subrufus was sitting on a leaf and a Speckled Wood was enjoying the sunshine. A Rose Chafer was bombing around with a low hum.

Speckled Wood

Rhopalus subrufus

Away from the park, several sawflies which I think are Turnip Sawflies were at Fairlawn Road, and along the bridge some Redshank (Persicaria) leaves and a flowering Solanum sp. were notable.

Turnip Sawfly

Persicaria

Solanum

A Holly Blue was in the garden again this afternoon.