Round up

A while since I posted anything due to very little to report. Several local walks over the last week gave views of bullfinch, blackcap, chiffchaff, coal tit, nuthatch and treecreeper all around the footpath south of Chapel Lane. Very dense vegetation here, with birds feeding on elderberries. Sadly, I only managed a rather poor shot of a dunnock. The male blackcap posed until the camera was ready and then disappeared into hiding. Like wise the splendid male bullfinch.
A common buzzard over the local golf course this morning, along with several more chiffchaffs and a couple of skylarks. The warm temps encouraged a late comma to be on the wing.

juvenile goldfinches

comma

spiders web in iron gate

 

dunnock.

Local wild flowers were still in bloom, with these invasive and foreign imports doing particularly well in the Ash Valley. Indian balsam and russian comfrey. Also, in the garden, this poppy was deciding to open this morning. A view here looking north a few miles south of the village along the gently rolling Ash Valley.

indian balsam

opening poppy

Ash Valley

russian comfrey

A good moon over a few nights last week meant not too many moths, but this has picked up over the previous 2 evenings with a yellow lined quaker, brindled green and beaded chestnut all being new for the year. Annual total still short of 200, rather disappointing. However, still a fair few to take. Regular moths at the moment are large yellow underwing, setaceous hebrew character and lunar underwing. The micro moth, garden rose tortrix is also fairly prevalent at the garden trap.

yellow line quaker

brindled green