Birds

28/04/19 I arrived at Area 10, this morning at 07:30 to see a Kittiwake circling Black Swan Lake before flying off high E, over the Emm Brook. A first for the FOTEB list.

27/04/19 I joined 7 other intrepid souls on the FOLL Dawn Chorus Walk at 05:15 around Dinton Pastures, despite Storm Hannah being in full swing. A Grey Heron was sitting in the Emm Brook by the bridge into Lavells Lake from the car park field. A male Cuckoo was calling at the back of Bittern Hide scrape and an Oystercatcher flew over the Emm onto the old Golf Course calling. Blackcap ,Chiffchaff and Garden Warbler were heard singing at numerous locations.

26/04/19 A lunchtime was spent at Old Forest Road Meadows in Area 8 . The usual Warblers were singing and a Kestrel was seen hovering and feeding over the fields.

25/04/19 A Whitethroat showed well in the middle copse in the car park field In Area 10 for John McGovan.

24/04/19 A Willow Warbler and a Garden Warbler were both seen just past the Green bridge in Area 10 by Bob Bennett. Also in Area 10 a Common Sandpiper was seen at the sailing club beach by Fraser Cottington.

21/04/19 In Area 10 a Whitethroat was heard calling beyond the Lavells Lake scrape in the riverside bushes and a Common Tern flew over heading south. Both seen by Fraser Cottington. In Area 8 a Kestrel was seen over Old Forest Road Meadows by Paul O'Neill.

17/04/19 In the Area 10 car park field, this afternoon a Green Woodpecker was frantically feeding in the grass.

16/04/19 A lovelorn Great Tit has been singing in my Area 5 garden from early dawn every morning, hopefully his love will be requited. In Area 10 a Cuckoo was calling from the tall Poplars. Seen and photographed by Fraser Cottington.

14/04/19 Paul O'Neill had a good afternoon at Old Forest Road Meadows in Area 8 an adult Buzzard was see flying overhead and a Kingfisher was seen perched above a small pond attempting to eat a Smooth Newt. Another, or the same, was seen along the Emm Brook approx 250m away.Also seen were 6 Chiffchaff , 5 singing and 1 calling, 5 Blackcap , 4 male and 2 female and a pair of Blue Tit were seen mating and mutual feeding before entering a nest box alongside the Emm Brook .

13/04/19 Paul Bright Thomas had 3 singing summer migrants in Area 4, near Kingfisher Bridge. These were Willow Warbler , Blackcap and Chiffchaff , meanwhile Paul O'Neill saw a singing Garden Warbler in Area 8 (Old Forest Road).

12/04/19 Near the Green Bridge in Area 10, where the Emm Brook joins the Loddon a Willow Warbler was singing in the trees seen by John McGowan.

10/04/19 I quickly popped into Old Forest Road Meadows (Area 8) tonight on my way home and was rewarded with superb views of a Kestrel balancing on a branch of a Hawthorn bush. The supporting cast was a singing Chiffchaff and a calling Green Woodpecker .

08/04/19 On my walk home from work this afternoon through Area 5, 2 male Blackcap were heard singing from seperate locations near Ripplestream Bridge.

07/04/19 On the raised central area on the old Golf Course in Area 10, 22 Fieldfare and a Mistle Thrush were both feeding seen by Brian Bennett.

05/04/19 In Area 10 a Ring necked Parakeet was flying over the car park field calling , in Area 8 at Old Forest Road Meadows a Green Woodpecker was heard ,giving its distinctive call.

04/04/19 In my Area 5 garden underneath the bird feeders were the remains of an egg shell. Egg shells are removed from the nest by parents. They tend to drop them well away from their nests so they don't attract predators. On the Dinton Pastures Activity Centre sailing jetty in Area 10 a singing male Grey Wagtail was seen , meanwhile 6 Swallow and 10 Sand Martin were also seen feeding low over the water by Brian Bennett.

01/04/19 In Area 10 by Dinton Pastures Activity Centre heard at lunchtime were singing male Chiffchaff and the beautiful song of the male Blackcap .

Insects

27/04/19 Whilst watching television a White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella appeared on the wall.

26/04/19 Lunchtime at Old Forest Road Meadows and Small White Pieris rapae and Peacock Aglais io Butterflies were on the wing.

21/04/19 With the continuing blazing sunshine and unseasonable warmth the moth trap was put out overnight in my Area 5 garden. The moth trap/light trap consists of a Robinson trap with a 125W Mercury Vapour bulb that emits light within the UV range. It is a trap which attracts and retains high numbers of moths. Lured in were the following, Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata , 2 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea a Hebrew Charecter Orthosia gothica a Lunar Marbled Brown Drymonia ruficornis and 4 Pug sp to be identified later. All trapped moths are logged and then later released.

19/04/19 Whilst mowing the lawn in my Area 5 garden, a male Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines and a Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus butterfy were seen.

19/04/19 A Good Friday pond dip in Area 5 with the Grandkids revealed the following pond inhabitants. A Beetle probably Hydroporus angustatus , several as yet unidentified Damselfly Nymph and Caddisfly . Also seen were the eggs of a Green Dock Beetle Gastrophysa viridula , not suprisingly on a pondside Dock leaf.

15/04/19 On a patch of Nettles in Area 7 (EmmBrook Walk), sunning itself was a female Tawny Mining Bee Andrena fulva . The Tawny Mining Bee is a common, spring-flying, solitary bee that nests underground, building a little volcano-like mound of soil around the mouth of its burrow.

13/04/19 The moth trap went out in my Area 5 garden. I believed the weather forecast and thought it was going to be above freezing overnight, however temperatures plummeted to -2.3C. The catch was a solitary Hebrew Charecter Orthosia gothica.

11/04/19 A sunny afternoon in the Area 10 Car Park field off Sandford Lane produced the following butterflies, male Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines , a basking Peacock Aglais io and a male Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni .

10/04/19 Another Bee Fly Bombylius major was seen, this time in Area 8 , Old Forest Road Meadows.

01/04/19 With potentially the last sunny day this week, I visited Area 10 by Dinton Pastures Activity Centre at lunchtime. My first male Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines of the year was seen. The males are unmistakeable, bringing the total so far to 7 species for the year. Also seen, enjoying the sun was a Bee Fly Bombylius major, another first for the year. A strange looking insect with its furry body and patterned wings. The long proboscis is used for drinking nectar and the fly is totally harmless.

Plant/Trees

29/04/19 In Area 1 around Gorrick Woods Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta are putting on a fine show in the sunshine. Bluebells transform our woodland in springtime. The carpet of intense blue under the opening tree canopy is one of our greatest woodland spectacles. It's not surprising that bluebell is one of the nation's best-loved wild flowers. An intersting fact is almost half the world's bluebells are found in the UK, they’re relatively rare in the rest of the world.

14/04/19 My first Cuckoo Flower Cardamine pratensis of the year was seen. Cuckoo Flower is also commonly known as 'Lady's-smock', its pale pink flowers bloom from April to June and are thought to coincide with the arrival of the first Cuckoo - a sure sign that spring has arrived at last.

08/04/19 The first 3 Cowslip Primula veris are poking up through the grass in the "Wildflower Meadow" in Area 5. Meanwhile the Wood Anemone Anemone nemorosa are now fully open and putting on a fine display in Area 4.

07/04/19 All along the Emm Brook Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna are just starting to come into flower. The leaves on the Hawthorn appear before the white flowers .Also Common Ash Fraxinus excelsior is also flowering. Common Ash is the last wild tree to come into leaf.

01/04/19 By the bridge over the Emm Brook on Sandford Lane in Area 10 Garlic Mustard Alliaria petiolata are in flower. Garlic Mustard is also known as 'Jack-by-the-hedge'.It is a biennial plant, so takes two years to complete its lifecycle. It grows young leaves in its first season, which it keeps over winter, and then flowers in the spring of its second year. As the name suggests if you rub the leaves they do smell slightly of Garlic.

Other Wildlife

Amphibians and Reptiles

19/04/19 During pond dipping in Area 5 at least 20 Common Frog Rana temporaria tadpoles were seen.

Mammals

27/04/19 Seen at the side of the Emm Brook before running across the land fill site at the back og Lea Farm Lake in Area 10 was a Reeves |Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi deer.

21/04/19 Its not just me that's interested in European Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus my neighbours cat , also seems quite keen.

07/04/19 In the early hours in Area 5 a European Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus was picked up on the trailcam in my garden.

01/04/19 At 20:00 I ventured out to Ripplestream Bridge in Area 5, on a Bat hunt. I was not disappointed as my first Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus was feeding in the treetops and over the river.

Molluscs

Fish

Fungi