Narroways!

A couple of  hours on the reserve today produced some good sightings. Highlights were a couple of Common Lizards, one with a stumpy tail.

Also a Hawthorn Shieldbug, a Green Shieldbug, the hoverfly Eristalis tenax, a Harlequin Ladybird, a Cranefly sp., a Common Darter dragonfly, a Speckled Wood butterfly, a Red-tailed Bumblebee and several Garden Spiders. Also a Metellina sp. spider. It was also nice to see a Twin-spot Centurion soldierfly.

Harlequin

Hawthorn Shieldbug

Twin-spot Centurion

Eristalis tenax

Common Darter

Mouse-eared Hawkweed flowers were still out.

Birds included a fly-over Swallow, a Raven, a couple of calling Chiffchaffs, 2 Jays, a fly-over Jackdaw and a few Great Tits, Robins and Blackbirds.

At Hurlingham Road at least 15 Long-tailed Tits were flying from tree to tree - very impressive numbers - and a Jay was calling. a Ladybird larvae, probably a Harlequin, was on the prowl.

Ladybird larva

Another brick in the wall.....

The wall along the platform at Montpelier Station produced some more good stuff today. Flushed with success at my correct ID of the Strawberry Snail yesterday (it was confirmed by an expert on Facebook) I approached the wall with renewed enthusiasm this morning. There were the usual House Spiders and Missing Sector Orb Web Spiders Zygiella but there was also a large Harvestman Leiobunum rotundum (a new one for me). Another common snail, the White-lipped Snail and some young Garden Snails were also clinging to the wall as was a Harlequin Ladybird pupa. A Gnat and a Crane-fly (both stretching my ID skills beyond their limits) were also on the wall.

Leiobunum rotundum

Garden Snail

Gnat

White-lipped Snail

Crane-fly

Harlequin Ladybird pupa

Chiffchaffs and Sparrowhawks!

There were 2, possibly 3 Chiffchaffs on the patch this morning - 1 heard in Richmond Road then it flew over my head, another or the same in Montpelier Park a minute later, and another at the station. Also in the park were 6 Woodpigeons, a Blackbird and a singing Robin. A Sparrowhawk drifted over too.

At the station there were a couple of Common Wasps on the Ivy plus a Syrphus hoverfly. A 'white' butterfly was patrolling the disused platform - probably a Large White. On the wall was what I'm pretty sure is a Strawberry Snail although it didn't taste much like strawberries haha!

Strawberry Snail

Common Wasp

Birds on the move!

A Chiffchaff was singing at the station this morning - this is the time when these summer visitors are moving south as the autumn advances so it's always nice to have them visit the patch en route. Two Stock Doves flying high to the south-west was also a hint of bird migration.

Back on solid ground, a House Spider and a Zygiella were still on the wall along the platform. I have provisionally identified a slug on the wall as Dusky Slug. I may be wrong but I'm not going to spend any more time this evening trying to ID it - I should get out more.......

House Spider

Zygiella

Possible Dusky Slug

Bugs in the flat!

I was delighted to find another Flea Beetle in the bathroom this morning. This suggests these tiny beetles originate in Montpelier and I can add them to the list of bugs for the patch - I'm satisfied I didn't bring them in from a country walk! Also, this evening there was a White-shouldered House Moth in the kitchen.

White-shouldered House Moth

This morning at the station the Ivy at the far end of the station footbridge was absolutely swarming with Honey Bees! There was also a wasp (probably Common Wasp), a Syrphus hoverfly and an Eristalis hoverfly. Nearby was a Marmalade Hoverfly.

Honey Bee

Marmalade Hoverfly

Wasp

Beetles and Spiders!

I was surprised to see a tiny beetle in the bath this morning and even more surprised when it jumped when I touched it. On closer inspection I could see it had thickened hind femora so I think it is one of the Flea Beetles. Now that's all very exciting but sadly it might not have originated in Monty - I suspect it hitched a lift on my clothing as I had been out all day yesterday on the saltmarshes near Avonmouth!

Flea Beetle

At the station along the wall were several spiders - I can't get an ID on them but I think they might be Zygiella x-notata. I have my own Zygiella of course - in my bathroom window - and she is getting fat on fruit flies that originate in my kitchen waste bin.

Possible Zygiella at the station

My own Zygiella!

Michaelmas Daisies were still in flower at the station.

Michaelmas Daisies

Yesterday at the station there was a Syrphus hoverfly and a Common Carder Bee.

Common Carder Bee

Narroways!

A couple of hours on the reserve this morning produced the expected Raven and Grey Wagtail plus a singing Chiffchaff. Insects included 3 Common Darters, a Weevil sp., a Froghopper sp., a Mirid Grass Bug sp., a 24-Spot Ladybird, 2 Harlequin Ladybirds and an Ichneumon sp. There was a Crab Spider Misumena vatia and a Nursery Web Spider. There were the leaf mines of the moths Mompha raschkiella and Stigmella aurata.

24-Spot Ladybird

Stigmella aurella

Common Darter

Froghopper

Ichneumon

Crab Spider

Mompha raschkiella

Mirid Grass Bug

Montpelier Park and station!

This morning in the children's play area there was a collection of feathers on the grass which looked typical of a Sparrowhawk kill. Nearby a party of Great and Blue Tits were feeding in the trees. Near the Old Vicarage a Nephrotoma sp. Cranefly was hiding and near the station a Green Shieldbug was sitting on a leaf. On the wall along the station platform two Tegenaria sp. House Spiders were eyeing each other up.


Green Shieldbug



House Spiders



Sparrowhawk kill

A Sycamore leaf near the station had some galls on it, probably formed by a mite.

Galls

Crow country!

This morning in the park there was a cacophony of corvids - 3 Magpies, 2 Carrion Crows and 2 Ravens! Must have been a cat around....

More birds!

In Montpelier Park there was a group of feeding Great and Blue Tits along with a couple of Collared Doves, a Blackbird, 5 Woodpigeons and 2 singing Robins.

At the station a Wren was calling and a Jay flew over. There were loads of House Sparrows this morning - at least 40 birds I would guess - very impressive numbers. Several Large White butterflies around.

St Andrews Park!

The planted flowers are still in bloom and there were loads of Honey Bees, a couple of Buff-tailed Bumblebees, a Small White butterfly and a Syrphus hoverfly with apparently hairy eyes which makes it Syrphus torvus. Near the pond there were two spiders of note - a Wolf Spider and a Metellina species.

Syrphus sp. (probably S. torvus)

Metellina sp.

Small White

Wolf Spider

Some interesting flowers at the top of Richmond Road - a patch of what looks like Common Field Speedwell, lots of Autumn Hawkbit and some Knotgrass.

Autumn Hawkbit

Knotgrass



Speedwell

A Coal Tit was calling at the top of Cromwell Road.