Friday 1 April 2016

First quarter Moth report

Early and immaculate Angle shades taken 30.iii.16 in Suffyldes Wood
Have run the garden trap almost every night this year and had more success than over the last 2 years, with, in total, 276 moths taken in the parish, made up of 20 macros and 7 micros, so all in all, most pleasing.
January
A warm start to the year meant the first moth was taken on the 3rd, with a haul of 26 winter moths coming to headtorch or found roosting on tree trunks at 3 venues in one night. It wasn't until the 23rd that the first garden moths were taken, Early moth and pale brindled beauty with Acleris ferrugana and Acleris sparsana following on at the garden Skinner the following 2 nights.
The month ended on a real high, with 41 moths of 14 species taken at both Millennium Wood and garden trap. 9 dotted border at MW, were a monthly high along with 3 chestnut, 3 Tortricodes alternella and the first Agonopterix heracliana of the year
Acleris ferrugana

Dotted border

satellite
End of month totals: 12 macros and 4 micros.

February:
Quiet start with no moths until 4th and nothing new until the 20th when a clouded drab was taken in the garden. 21st saw the first small quaker but all in all, a quiet month with just 29 moths seen all month and that included 6 common quakers on the 21st.

End of month totals: 14 macros 4 micros
common quaker

small quaker

clouded drab.
March:
March got going straight away with several regulars. On the 4th I had a 15W actinic heath trap delivered and almost every night since have left this in 10 different sites around the parish, with mixed results.
Diurnea fagella was taken on the 5th as was Acleris schalleriana, both in Millennium Wood whilst the first real highlight of the year was a dotted chestnut on the 10th at Pig's Green where the trap was set on a footpath leading into local mixed woodland. This was only my 2nd of this species since 2011.
Dotted chestnut
An Early grey followed the next night at home and Westland Green gave up a twin spotted quaker on the 15th. After a few nights trying at a neglected woodland, Suffyldes Wood, without too much success due to cold night time temperatures, I struck lucky on the 20th with, in total: hebrew character, spring usher, chestnut, March moth, common quaker, 2 small quaker, Agonopterix heracliana, 5 Diurnea fagella and a brindled pug. A site I shall be visiting weekly from now on.
the following night a shoulder stripe was NFY from Millennium Wood, before the overall highlight so far for 2016 was taken in the garden Skinner on the 26th: Povolyna leucapennella, only the 3rd county record.
The records from Suffyldes Wood kept coming, with 2 engrailled and a rather early angle shades coming on the 30th to complete a good final month of the 1st quarter.

End of month totals: 20 macros and 7 micros.
Povolyna leucapennella

Moth Records by site within Little Hadham Parish
Garden: 125W Skinner
Chapel Lane: headtorch and net
All other sites: Heath Actinic 15W

Site
Tetrad
Times trapped
Species count
NFM’s
Average
Sp/visit
Garden
TL42F
91
18
1
0.2
Westland Green
TL42G
3
3
0
1
Chapel Lane
TL42F
1
1
0
1
Millennium Wood
TL42K
9
19
0
2.11
Suffyldes Wood
TL42F
5
14
0
2.8
Valley Fields
TL42G
3
5
0
1.66
Pigs Green
TL42F
1
5
0
5
Brick Kiln Hill
TL42F
2
1
0
0.5
Alder Wood
TL42F
3
7
0
2.33
Ash Valley GC
TL42F
1
2
0
2
Hoecroft Lane
TL42F
3
6
0
2
Little Hadham Place
TL42G
1
2
0
2


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This is me

This is me
At the end of another Norfolk Coastal footpath walk. 47 miles, 3 days 99 species of bird. September 2009

Caley Wood view

Caley Wood view
sunshine through the canopy 29.05.08

A walk along the Warta Valley, Poznan, Poland. Feb 2007

A walk along the Warta Valley, Poznan, Poland. Feb 2007
Best birds on this walk: black and middle spotted woodpecker and short toed treecreeper

About Me

My photo
A primary school teacher for 30 years, I retired from teaching in July 2009 to set up my own science enhancement and communication company. The Primary Works offers science clubs, workshops and staged science shows nationwide. I have always been interested in bird watching since my early years. Apparently my first tick was after inquiring about a chaffinch and then receiving the Observer book of birds. By the age of 9 I had moved on to Tory Peterson's collins guide and was now involved on YOC birding holidays to Northumbria, Essex coast, Slimbridge and Yorkshire. My twitching rule is that I will willingly travel 1km for each gram the bird weighs. However, I have had many rarities just by being in the right place. I have travelled widely throughout Europe and also visited Australia and Sri Lanka. In 2016 I spent time at Portland Bird Obs and two trips to Aviero, Portugal. 2017 found me back in Sri Lanka in Feb/March, then July and back for New Year's Eve celebrations in December. Also returned to The Camargue in May for a 4 day trip. Few plans for 2018, but nothing yet booked apart from a trip to the IOW.

Grey heron

Grey heron
Over the allotment 28.09.08

Southern Hawker

Southern Hawker
Ridge footpath 27.08.08

Juvenile green woodpecker (17.08.08)

Juvenile green woodpecker (17.08.08)
Note the stripes, denoting a bird fledged this year.

common blue

common blue
Ash Valley G.C. 15.08.08

Indian balsam (impatiens glandulifera)

Indian balsam (impatiens glandulifera)
River Ash

azure damselfly

azure damselfly
River Ash 28.07.08

marbled white

marbled white
Discovered at Westland Green 22.07.08

ruddy darter

ruddy darter
Bush Wood 21.07.08

honeysuckle 19.07.08

honeysuckle 19.07.08
growing in hedgerow in Chapel Lane

cinnabar moth caterpillar

cinnabar moth caterpillar
Photographed on ragwort 19.07.08

Bittersweet

Bittersweet
Study of petals 11.06.08

male yellowhammer

male yellowhammer
08.06.08

common blue butterfly

common blue butterfly
06.06.08

River Ash

River Ash
looking south from the bridge at Hadham Ford

Common poppy (papaver rhoeas)

Common poppy (papaver rhoeas)
in rape field 29.05.08

Caley Wood sunshine

Caley Wood sunshine
29.05.08

Millenium Wood fox

Millenium Wood fox
24.05.08

common comfrey (symphytum officinale)

common comfrey (symphytum officinale)
06.05.08 banks of the River Ash

Garlic Mustard or Jack by the Hedge,(Alliara petiolata)

Garlic Mustard or Jack by the Hedge,(Alliara petiolata)
flowers, leaves and fruit edible . Good in salad and pesto

April showers

April showers
Double rainbow 30.04.08

Caley Wood bluebells

Caley Wood bluebells
22.04.08

Yellow Archangel

Yellow Archangel
Chapel Lane (20.04.08)

sunlight 16.04.08

sunlight 16.04.08
looking south west from Bush Wood

snowy buds

snowy buds
06.04.08 in Bush Wood

Looking north west

Looking north west
05.04.08 evening shower approaching

Back Garden

Back Garden
Easter Sunday (23.03.08)

Brick Kiln Hill

Brick Kiln Hill
Looking east (23.03.08)

No play today

No play today
The 2nd hole at Ash Valley golf course

Teasel head

Teasel head
Bush Wood (21.03.08)

Reflections

Reflections
daffodils at Bush Wood pond (21.03.08)

Swollen River Ash

Swollen River Ash
The river at the bottom of Winding Hill 16.03.08

Daybreak over the chapel

Daybreak over the chapel
Thursday 13th March

Wild daffodils (narcissus pseudonarcissus)

Wild daffodils (narcissus pseudonarcissus)
growing in Bush Wood

January snowdrops

January snowdrops
Banks of River Ash, north of Much Hadham

Good Moon

Good Moon
From garden 24.01.08

Village Green

Village Green
Looking east towards Acremore Street

Looking south before Hadham Ford

Looking south before Hadham Ford
rare January blue sky

Useful sites

The following are some useful websites that may interest readers of this blog.
Firstly, Bishop's Stortford Natural History Society http://bsnhs.webplus.net/

Fellow birder, Gary Whelan's blog. Gives reports from our trips out together plus reports from his trips abroad. http://hairybirders.blogspot.co.uk
http://www.hertsbirdclub.org.uk/ The official herts bird club website. Frequently updated, listing bird sightings around the county. Offers links to many other websites. Both of these sites also offer links to yahoo discussion groups.
http://www.birdforum.net/ An international site. You can enter as a guest but become a member( free) to post comments, bird sightings and just about anything to do with wild birds. Good news updates, classified section for binoculars, cameras etc.
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com/ A new site set up where you can contact people worldwide who will help you find good birds in their country. UK section being set up presently.
http://www.britainsbirder.co.uk/
Fellow birders blog. Strtford resident, Graeme Smith regulary birds the area south of Stortford as well as around Spellbrook and the River Stort from Spellbrook to Twyford Locks. Some superb bird photography: Graeme uses a digital camera attached to his powerful telescope to get detailled images of the birds he sees. Well worth a browse.
Two local sites that may be of interest can be found at
http://www.thehadhams.com/ www.thepelhams.net/content/section/12/139/

South Easterly walk

South Easterly walk
black, normal, red extended walk

South Westerly route.

South Westerly route.
Black usual, red extended

North Easterly walk

North Easterly walk
black short, walk. Red, extended

North West Patch

North West Patch
black route regular. Red route the extended wander