Birds

27/06/23 In Area 4 Paul Bright Thomas had a small family party of Ring necked Parakeet including 3 juvenilles , fly over, 6 Swift were oer the Balancing pond area. meanwhile 2 Swift were seen over Copsewood in Area 7A by Paul O'Neill along with 4 House Martin .

24/06/23 In Area 7A and seen by Paul O'Neill were 2 House Martin, 2 Swift and a Sparrowhawk.

19/06/23 In Area 6 there were 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull again, on and around the Emmbrook School buildings, seen by Paul O'Neill.

17/06/23 In Area 7A a singing male Whitethroat was heard from the Eastern hedgerow at Ashridge Meadows by Paul O'Neill.

14/06/23 In Area 10 Chiffchaff are still singing their metronomic song.

10/06/23 In Area 7A during the Bug Hunt organised by the Thames Basin Heath Partnership at Ashridge Meadows ,at least 100 people visited and seen were Skylark , Lesser Whitethroat , House Sparrow , Robin , Red Kite , Long tailed Tit , Magpie , Wood Pigeon , Stock Dove , Jackdaw , Wren , Whitethroat , Lapwing , Blue Tit and Song Thrush .

12/06/23 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Herring Gull were seen on the roof of Emmbrook school in Area 6 by Paul O'Neill. Against leaden early evening skies 2 Black headed Gull were easy to pick out circling around Morrisons carpark in Area 5.

05/06/23 A solitary Swift and a Kestrel hovering over the Emm Brook were seen in Area 4 by Paul Bright Thomas.

04/06/23 2 Swift and a Hobby were seen over my Area 4 garden this afternoon.

03/06/23 Seen and heard during the Area 4 & 5 litter pick today were Wren , Robin , Great spotted Woodpecker Long tailed Tit singing Song Thrush , and on the river Mallard . also heard but unable to locate were Great Spotted Woodpecker chicks noisely calling from a hole in a tree.

02/06/23 Sat together in a hole in the same Area 1 tree at Chapel Green as earlier in the year, North East of the cattle pens were 2 Little Owl seen by James Carson.

Insects

28/06/23 The moth trap was out at dusk on 27/06/23 in my Area 4 garden.The trap was emptied this morning and numbers are still on the up with 137 moths of 36 species caught . Highlights were Swallow-tailed Moth Ourapteryx sambucaria , Mother of Pearl Chloroclystis v-ata , The Coronet Craniophora ligustri and V-Pug Chloroclystis v-ata all new for the year. The best of the rest was a Common Footman Eilema lurideola .When at rest the wings are gently curled flat over the body. With 11 new moth's added to the FOTEB Moth list for the year , the total for 2023 is now 151 species.Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

27/06/23 A Large White Pieris brassicae Butterfly was seen flying through my Area 4 garden

25/06/23 Seen By Carol Woodman on Lavender in her Area 7 garden was a Humming-bird hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum not the best photo ,but as their name implies the wings are always a blur. These moths migrate from Southern Europe to the UK every year. At the Old Forest Meadows SANG , Butterflies on the wing included Marbled White Melanargia galathea , Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina and Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas . Dragonflies seen were mostly female Comon Darter Sympetrum striolatum

22/06/23 The moth trap was out at dusk on 21/06/23(the longest day of the year) in my Area 4 garden.The trap was emptied this morning and It was a quieter night with 50 moths of 23 species caught . Highlights were the micro moths Endotricha flammealis , Bird Cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella , and Bramble Shoot Moth Notocelia uddmanniana all new for the year. The best of the rest was a Elephant Hawk Moth Deilephila elpenor . With 5 new moth's added to the FOTEB Moth list for the year , the total for 2023 is now 139 species.Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

19/06/23 The moth trap was out at dusk on 18/06/23 in my Area 4 garden.The trap was emptied this morning and numbers are still on the up 83 moths of 33 species caught . Highlights were The Phoenix Eulithis prunata , Hawthorn Moth Elophila nymphaeata , Leopard Moth Hypercompe scribonia and Small Blood Vein Scopula imitaria all new for the year. The best of the rest was a Common Footman Eilema lurideola .When at rest the wings are gently curled flat over the body. With 11 new moth's added to the FOTEB Moth list for the year , the total for 2023 is now 134 species.Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

16/06/23 The moth trap was out at dusk on 15/06/23 in my Area 4 garden.The trap was emptied this morning and it was my biggest catch of the year so far with 71 moths of 37 species caught . Highlights were Red necked Footman Atolmis rubricollis , Brown China Mark Elophila nymphaeata , Large Fruit -tree Tortrix Archips podana and Blood Vein Idaea rusticata all new for the year. The best of the rest was a Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla .With 12 new moth's added to the FOTEB Moth list for the year , the total for 2023 is now 123 species. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

15/06/23 In Area 10 the Common Blue Damselfly Deilephila elpenor were making the best of the sunshine

14/06/23 The moth trap was out at dusk on 13/06/23 in my Area 4 garden.The trap was emptied this morning and it was another bumper haul with 66 moths of 33 species caught . Highlights were a fresh looking Elephant Hawk Moth Deilephila elpenor , Maidens Blush Cyclophora punctaria , As the name suggests it often has a central reddish blush on the forewings. . Beautiful Hook tip Laspeyria flexula and Least Carpet Idaea rusticata all new for the year. The best of the rest was a Blotched Emerald Comibaena bajularia .With 15 new moth's added to the FOTEB Moth list for the year , the total for 2023 is now 111 species. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

13/06/23 In Area7 the first Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina butterfly of the year was seen.

10/06/23 The moth trap was out at dusk on 09/06/23 in my Area 4 garden.The trap was emptied this morning and held the best total for the year with 68 moths of 33 species caught . Highlights were Scorched Wing Plagodis dolabraria , Figure of Eighty Dysstroma truncata , The white '80' mark on the forewing, from which the moth gets its name, varies in shape and intensity. Tawny-barred Angle Macaria liturata and Common Emerald Hemithea aestivaria all new for the year. The best of the rest was a grass moth Crambus lattoniellus.With 19 new moth's added to the FOTEB Moth list for the year , the total for 2023 is now 96 species. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released. Climbing up my garden shed was my first male Stag Beetle Lucanus cervus of the year

08/06/23 By the Emm Brook to the rear of Tesco Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta and Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus Butterflies were working there way along the hedgerow.

07/06/23 With no end in sight to the recent spell of warm weather the moth trap was out at dusk on 06/06/23 in my Area 4 garden.The trap was emptied this morning and catches are increasing with 20 moths of 15 species caught . Highlights were White Ermine Spilosoma lubricipeda , Common Marbled Carpet Dysstroma truncata , Cypress Carpet Thera cupressata , Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis all new for the year. The best of the rest was a Snout Hypena proboscidalis.With 6 new moth's added to the FOTEB Moth list for the year , the total for 2023 is now 77. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

04/06/23 The moth trap was out at dusk on 03/06/23 in my Area 4 garden.The trap was emptied this morning and once again an average catch with 12 moths of 10 species caught . Highlights were Ash Bud Moth Cyclophora annularia and a Bee Moth Lomaspilis marginata both new for the year. The best of the rest were another White-point Mythimna albipuncta.With 2 new moth's added to the FOTEB Moth list for the year , the total for 2023 is now 71. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released. Visiting my garden in the afternoon was a Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria butterfly.

03/06/23 Seen on the Nettles in Area 5 was what is believed to be the Ichumon wasp Amblyteles armatorius .

01/06/23 The moth trap was out again at dusk on 03/06/23 in my Area 4 garden.The trap was emptied this morning the start of metrological summer and numbers were average with 17 moths of 10 species caught . Highlights were Mocha Cyclophora annularia a first for me, Clouded Border Lomaspilis marginata the micro moth Epinotia bilunana White-point Mythimna albipuncta and 2 Rustic Shoulder- knot Apamea sordens all new for the year. The best of the rest were 3 Silver Y Autographa gamma .With 6 new moth's added to the FOTEB Moth list for the year , the total for 2023 is now 69. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released. Visiting my garden in the afternoon was a Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria butterfly.

Plants/ Trees

03/06/23 It was a wild flower day today , during the litter pick the wild flower areas in Area 4 & 5 were visited . The Area 5 meadow near Ripplestream Bridge was starting to blossom with Poppy Papaver rhoeas , Cornflower Centaurea cyanus ,Ox-eye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare , Foxglove Digitalis purpurea and plenty of Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus acris Star of the show however is Vipers Bugloss Echium vulgare in the wildflowers on the Spine Road central reservation. Down at the pond in Area 5 Ragged Robin Leucanthemum vulgare is in flower.

Fungi Do not eat any fungi that have not been properly identified , some are DEADLY when ingested .

Amphibians and Reptiles

Mammals

19/06/23 >At 23:15 a Red Fox Vulpes vulpes was heard barking outside my my Area 4 house, before running off down the road.

16/06/23 In my Area 4 garden a European hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus was seen at 03:30 whilst inspecting the moth trap. My first for the garden.

Molluscs