Moths!

I put up the moth trap last night and was delighted to find some moths this morning (I never raise my hopes too much). Some of them were new species for my flat:
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Brindled Beauty
Hebrew Character
Knot Grass
Brimstone
Muslin Moth
Common Quaker
Brindled Pug
Double-striped Pug
Light Brown Apple Moth

There was also a 10-spot Ladybird and a Green Lacewing!

Brindled Beauty

Brimstone

Brindled Pug

Double-striped Pug

Hebrew Character

Knot Grass

Light Brown Apple Moth

Muslin Moth

10-spot Ladybird

Common Quaker

Shuttle-shaped Dart

Breeding Bird Survey!

Bright and early this morning I did the first of my two BBS visits to ST5974 (covering Montpelier, St Andrews and St Pauls). The totals counted were as follows:
Lesser Black-backed Gull 10
Herring Gull 4
Woodpigeon 16
Collared Dove 3
Wren 6
Dunnock 2
Robin 10
Blackbird 4
Blackcap 3
Long-tailed Tit 2
Blue Tit 9
Great Tit 6
Magpie 7
Carrion Crow 13
Starling 2
House Sparrow 16
Goldfinch 8
Feral Pigeon 30

Incredibly low numbers of Blackbird, Dunnock and Magpie but of course you only record what you see or hear during the survey itself so it may not be a true reflection of the situation. Two odd things happened - and no, I wasn't arrested for using binoculars in a built-up area - there was a dead fledgling Jay on the pavement in Chesterfield Road which was rather sad and also there was a swarm of Syrphus hoverflies around a shrub in Ashley Hill. I reckon there were between 15-20 of them!

Later at the station there was a cute little Zebra Spider out hunting on the wall and up to 6 Holly Blue butterflies around Ivy on the disused platform along with several Orange-tips - similar numbers to a couple of days ago. A Brimstone also made an appearance.

Zebra Spider

Orange-tip and Holly Blue!

Two spring butterflies at the station this afternoon - at least 3 Orange-tips patrolling the disused platform and my first Holly Blue of the year near the Cromwell Road end of the footbridge. Needless to say they never settles for a photograph unfortunately!

Swallows and Brimstones!

There was a real taste of spring at the station this morning - a fly-over Swallow was nice to see in such an urban location. It was flying north, no doubt to its more rural nesting site! A male Blackcap was really showing well again and singing its heart out along with 2 Wrens. A Starling looked a bit lonely at the top of a tree and a Collared Dove regarded me with interest. On the disused platform across the track a Brimstone butterfly was basking - sadly the resulting photo was a bit naff due to its distance from me - that's my story anyway.

Collared Dove

Starling

Male Brimstone

Charlock!

As it was a bit quiet on the bird front this morning I had a look at the steep embankment in Montpelier Park to see if there were any interesting plants in flower. There wasn't an awful lot other than Green Alkanet, Cleavers and White Deadnettle but a large relative of the cabbage was just coming into flower - I was sure it was Charlock - very common in Montpelier and I normally see it on the railway embankment near the tunnel. The other names for this plant include Field Mustard and Wild Mustard so it is perfectly edible, young leaves can be eaten in a salad and older leaves cooked like cabbage. An expert on Facebook thinks it might be Black Mustard, though. This is the plant which is grown for the familiar culinary mustard seeds and to be sure about the correct ID I would need to check the seeds in a few weeks time.

Montpelier Park!

I went back to the park this morning hoping to get a photo of the Willow Warblers - there was still at least one singing but it kept out of sight. Entertainment was provided by some Long-tailed Tits, Great and Blue Tits plus a Robin gathering food - a sure sign it has a nest somewhere.

Robin with food

 At the station the Blackcap was still singing, sat on more or less the same branch as a few days ago!

Blackcap

Willow Warblers!

Fantastic to see and hear up to 4 Willow Warblers in Montpelier Park this morning just arrived from Africa. They are the first I've seen anywhere this spring. I was unable to take a photo as they were too quick but if they are still there tomorrow morning I'll have another go. They will not breed anywhere near the park and are just passing through so no guarantees.

At the station Dunnocks and Blackbirds were on patrol and a pair of Magpies were busy building their nest.

Dunnock

Magpie nest

Blackbird

Spider in the bath!

A very small spider was in the bath this morning. I wondered if it might be a Clubonia sp., and this has been confirmed on Facebook as almost certainly C. comta. The eyes have a 'smiley face' pattern which is apparently typical of this family and this species!

Clubonia comta

Montpelier Station!

There was a flurry of activity at the station this morning - a very showy Blackcap was singing from a low branch on the disused platform and didn't budge even when the train from Temple Meads went past! It would be a genuine spring migrant from the Med I think rather than an overwintering bird ready to fly north to Germany to breed. The pair of Jays seem now to be a fixture - they were flying around and calling so a nest can't be far away. A couple of Long-tailed Tits were feeding in the branches. There was a supporting cast of Blackbirds and a singing Dunnock. A pair of Ravens (possibly the St Werburghs birds on an awayday?) were sat on the TV mast. 

Blackcap

Jay

Long-tailed Tit

Raven

Earlier, a Carrion Crow carrying a stick in its bill to build its nest flew over Richmond Road towards the direction of the park.