Birds

30/05/16

In Area 10 this morning a juvenile Great spotted Woodpecker was in a tree near the Green Bridge seen by Richard Marsh. Further signs of successful breeding in Area 5 with a Blue Tit frantically flying backwards and forwards from my feeders to under one of my neighbours roof eaves.

28/05/16

Whilst sitting out enjoying a Barbeque in my Area 5 garden at 20:00 a Ring necked Parakeet flew over calling.

27/05/16

Over my Area 5 house this afternoonwere 10 screaming Swift .

24/05/16

A visit to Heath Lake and Area 1 today,with not a lot happening. Highlights were a Great crested Grebe feeding 4 noisy and very demanding chicks. The only other thing was a Carrion Crow lured in by a man throwing bread for the Mallard .

23/05/16

During my lunch hour spent in Area 1 a male Willow Warbler was singing from the bushes .Also seen were Coal Tits and a Chiffchaff .

21/05/16

Over Area 5 what I assume were a pair of Buzzard were display flying in the sky overhead.

15/05/16

A trip to Area 10 early this morning proved very productive. A Cuckoo was calling from the car park field .An Oystercatcher flew over the Emm calling near the sailing club with a Common Tern .

14/05/16

Over his Area 4 garden today Paul Bright Thomas had 3 House Martin.Also seen as I walked over Kingfisher Bridge was the Kingfisher heading downstream. My first sightings for months.

13/05/16

In Area 5 the recently fledged Starling are learning how my garden feeders work. 2 Swift were also seen early evening.

07/05/16

In Area 5 a Ring necked Parakeet flew over calling . Starling numbers are increasing with noisy recently fledged young calling to their parents for food A Sparrowhawk took advantage of this with an easy breakfast.

06/05/16

In Area 5 garden Swift numbers are on the increase with 3 screaming individuals flying over my house.

05/05/16

In my Area 5 garden this morning an adult Robin was feeding 2 juvenilles. At lunchtime a Sparrowhawk flew over the front lawn as I was getting in my car.

03/05/16

In Area 2 the sun was shining this morning and a Little Owl was sitting in a dead tree adjacent to the path from Luckley Road to Ludgrove School. Numerous Jackdaw and Carrion Crow were feeding in the field. In the area by the flooded field were Egyptian Goose with goslings and a solitary Grey Wagtail .

02/05/16

The Buzzard was again being mobbed by Carrion Crow this afternoon a bit later it was seen engaging in an aerial tussle with a Red Kite .

01/05/16

It was International Dawn Chorus Day. The RSPB walk around Dinton Pastures and the Emm Brook in Area 10 left the main car park at 05:00 to a cacophony of bird song. Early singers included Robin , Blackbird and Song Thrush . Also out in numbers were Chiffchaff and Blackcap .In the bottom lefthand side of the car park field a Lesser Whitethroat was singing in the hedge along with a Whitethroat . In total nearly 50 species of bird were seen. In Area 5 in the afternoon a Swift was flying over Area 5. A flyover Buzzard was being mobbed by Carrion Crow .A Wood Pigeon looks like its looking for a nest site in my Area 5 hedge.

Insects

24/05/16

A lunch hour visit to Area 2 today, wasn’t as good as expected especially with the sun shining. The only Damselfly seen was a male Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens. Butterflies were represented by 2, Speckled Wood Parargre aegeriaand a tatty looking Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus. However of interest, was a Red-and-black Froghopper A truly unmistakable species, and one of our largest homopterans. The nymphs are rarely seen, as they feed on underground roots.

23/05/16

During my lunch hour spent in Area 1 several of the day flying moth Common Heath Ematurga atomaria were on the wing. Later in the day in the Areaa10 car park field the Straw Dot Rivula sericealis moth was seen.

20/05/16

In Area 10 Mayfly Ephemera danica were on the wing. Dancing around the Emm, by the sailing club.

17/05/16

A lunch hour visit to Area 10 today, proved very fruitful. Around the corner of the car park field by the bridge and the area around the bridge by the sailing club were 5 different species of Damselfly.. Seen were , male and female Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens, Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans, Common Blue Damselfly Enallagama cyathigerum,Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma najas and a Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhasoma nymphula.Several nymphs of the Dark Bush Cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera were sitting on Nettles and Cuckoo Spit Philaenus spumarius was on the stems of Common Sorrel .Many people are familiar with the frothy mass, commonly known as "cuckoo spit", which is seen on plants in spring and early summer. The froth is created to help protect the developing nymphs of froghoppers. The nymphs drink more plant sap than they need for growth and health. The undigested excess is then blown out of the back end, producing the froth. The froth hides them from predators and keeps them moist.

15/05/16

In an early morning stroll around Area 10 this morning, I visited the Nettle patch near the bridge over the Emm into Lavells Lake. Seen were the Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroia serraticornis and the Scorpion Fly Pyrochroia serraticornis also seen was a 10 spot Ladybird Adalia decempunctata. Meanwhile in Area 5 the day flying moth Pyrausta purpuralis was in my garden feeding on the Wallflowers.

14/05/16

Sitting at my garden table today and a Rosemary Beetle Chrysotina americana walked across my paper .These attractive leaf beetles are an invasive species from Europe that first appeared in the UK in 1994.Since their introduction, they've been spreading steadily throughout the southern counties of England.The adult beetles are around 1cm long with metallic green and purple stripes down their wing cases.

08/05/16

The first Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta of the year was seen in my Area 5 garden this morning.

07/05/16

In Area 5 the hoverfly Helophilus pendulus aws on the Marsh Marigold.

05/05/16

In a wander around Area 8 (Old Forest Road) after work were 2 more new butterflies for the year Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria and Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus. This brings the species seen list to 7.

04/05/16

In Area 10 in the afternoon sun resting on the fence by the bridge over the Emm was the first Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula of the year.This distinctive red and black damselfly is often the first to be seen in spring Butterflies on the wing included Large White Pieris brassicae , Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines , Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni and the first Comma Polygonia c-album of the year.

02/05/16

In Area 5 this afternoon several 7-spot ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata were seen on the riverside vegetation

01/05/16

Not a lot of new Butterflies seen in Area 5 recently . Todays were a male Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines a Peacock Aglais io and Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae butterfly was out and about.

Other Wildlife

Mammals

24/05/16

In a slightly surreal moment this morning a Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus ran up the road in front of my Area 5 house at 05:40.

16/05/16

Walking back fom the FOTEB AGM at 21:30 with the Bat Detector a solitary Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus was heard by Dragonfly Bridge.

13/05/16

A walk around Area 5 with the grand kids at dusk with the Bat Detector only produced one brief appearance by a Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus over Ripplestream Bridge. No suprise really as a warm day quickly turned into a chilly night

07/05/16

In Area 4 there is a Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis who definetly seems to have some Meerkat genes.

04/05/16

At 22:30 on my way home a Fox Vulpes vulpes was seen crossing the Emm Brook in Area4 over Meadow Road bridge. Earlier in the day on the landfill in Area 10 this magnificent male Roe Deer Capreolus capreoluswas feeding on the vegetation.

Fungi

Molluscs

Fish/ Crustacean

Plant/Trees

21/05/16

In the seeded area of the Area 5 pond, Ragged Robin Lychnis flos-cuculi is starting to appear.

14/05/16

In Area 5, in the pond, the first Yellow Iris Iris pseudacorus is starting to open.

10/05/16

With the recent weather combination of rain and sun numerous plants are starting to appear all along the Emm Brook, particularly Crosswort Cruciata laevipes and Comfrey Symphytum officinale The small, pale yellow flowers of Crosswort appear up the length of the stem along with the distinctive whorls of four leaves that give this plant its name. Common Comfrey is a hairy plant of damp ground and is often found beside rivers and ditches. It displays clusters of bell-shaped pinky-purple or sometimes white flowers from May to July and often grows in clumps. It has become an important plant for organic gardeners as its roots reach deep into the soil making it rich in minerals and its leaves can be used for slug control, as a fertiliser and as a composting aid.

07/05/16

In Area 4 by Kingfisher Bridge are Ramsons Allium ursinum . In Area 5 the Umbellifers are starting to appear with Hemlock Conium maculatum and Cow Parsley Anthriscus sylvestris .

05/05/16

Around Area 8 this afternoon were Greater Stichwort Stellaria holostea and Bluebells Primula veris . The white flowers of Greater Stitchwort, mixed with the blue of Bluebells, form one of the most attractive sights of hedgerows in spring.Also seen despite the works going on was Common Vetch Vicia sativa .

01/05/16

In Area 5 Cuckoo Flower Cardamine pratensis has started to appear. Cuckooflower, also commonly known as 'Lady's-smock', is a pretty springtime perennial of damp, grassy places like wet meadows, ditches and riverbanks, as well as roadside verges. 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. In the Wildflower Meadow the numbers of Cowslip Primula veris have increased to about half a dozen plants also in there are Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus acns and Dandelion Taraxacum officinale some of which have already set seed.The name derives from the French dent de lion and refers to the broad downward pointing teeth along the edges of the leaves.