Birds

21/09/25 Paul O'Neill was out and about in Area 7 at Emmbrook Walk and saw a Kestrel flying over, 4 Chiffchaff and a singing male Blackcap . Meanwhile Paul Bright-Thomas was in Area 4 where 4 Skylark were heading SW calling and 6 Siskin were also heading SW.

19/09/25 A female Tawny Owl was heard at 00:10 calling in Area 4.A loose group of 5 Buzzard were seen over Area 7A by Paul O'Neill.

18/09/25 Flying over Area 7A a Yellow Wagtail was heard calling by Paul O'Neill.

16/09/25 A Ring necked Parakeet flew over my Area 4 garden calling this morning.In Area 10 a Sparrowhawk was seen from the Activity Centre flying over towards Lavell’s Lake by Pete Lunn.

15/09/25 Seen feeding in the bushes, along with a Blue Tit flock in the Area 10 Car park field, was a Chiffchaff , fueling up before its return to Africa . In Area 7A heading SW 6 Swallow were seen by Paul O'Neill.

14/09/25 A small flock of Long tailed Tit visited my Area 4 garden this morning.

13/09/25 Once again in Area 10 at Black Swan Lake were, 10 Sand Martin ,200 House Martin and 40 Swallow seen by Fraser Cottington . In Paul Bright- Thomas's Area 4 garden a Chiffchaff was heard and male and juvenile Blackcap were seen.

11/09/25 Large numbers of returning hirundines , Sand Martin , House Martin and Swallow were seen in Area 10 from the Dinton Activity Centre by Philip Giles .

08/09/25 At 03:00 a female Tawny Owl woke me up again calling in Area 4 around my house.In Area 7A a Whinchat and a Stonechat were seen in Ashridge Meadows by Paul O' Neill.

07/09/25 In Area 10 a Yellow Wagtail flew over the Lavells Lake Car Park field calling. Heard and seen by Paul Bright Thomas.

06/09/25 3 Chiffchaff including 1 singing were seen in Area 8 at Old Forest Road Meadows and a female Wheatear was seen on a neighbours roof in Area 7A. Both sightings by Paul O'Neill.

05/09/25 A walk around Heathlake in Area 1 in this morning's sunshine produced 6 Tufted Duck , 4 Egyptian Goose , numerous Canada Goose , Mute Swan , Cormorrant , Black headed Gull , Mallard , Little Egret , Great crested Grebe and a Grey Wagtail . In Area 4 at 21:00 a female Tawny Owl was heard calling near my house.

04/09/25 At 20:30 a male Tawny Owl was heard calling in Area 4 around my house.

03/09/25 A group of 6 Raven were seen and heard calling as they flew over my Area 4 garden heading NW.

02/09/25 25+ Swallow were seen over the west side of Black Swan Lake in Area 10 by Fraser Cottington.

01/09/25 In Area 10 a solitary Swallow was seen heading South and at 23:30 a female Tawny Owl was calling in Area 4.

Insects

21/09/25 The moth-trap, was out again in my Area 4 garden overnight on 20/09/25 and emptied this morning . With the overnight temperature in single figures the catch was just 10 moth's of 7 species. There were unfortunately no highlights. With no new moth species added ,the total for 2025 is still 283 species. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

19/09/25 The moth-trap, was out in my Area 4 garden overnight on 18/09/25 and emptied this morning . Last nights catch was 26 moth's of 17 species. Highlight was 3 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa . With 1 new moth species added ,the total for 2025 is now 283 species. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

17/09/25 Despite the warnings of overnight rain the moth-trap, was out in my Area 4 garden overnight on 16/09/25 and emptied this morning . Septembers weather has been very changeable and as a consequence catch's have been affected. Last nights catch was 18 moth's of 12 species. Highlight was a Cypress Pug Eupithecia phoeniceata . A relatively recent arrival in Britain, being first recorded in Cornwall in 1959. Since then it has spread along the south coast and northwards to the south Midlands. With 1 new moth species added ,the total for 2025 is now 282 species. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

16/09/25 Aracnophobes look away now. Paul Hopcraft was out with his camera and macro lens at the Balancing pond in Area 4 and saw Flower Crab Spider Misumena vatia The flower crab spider is one of 27 species of crab spider. The flower crab spider can alter the colour of its body to match its surroundings and to hide from prey. It is not as common as other types of crab spider. and Diaea dorsata which is one of the smaller crab spiders.

14/09/25 The moth-trap, was out again in my Area 4 garden overnight on 13/09/25 and emptied this morning . The catch was just 12 moth's of 6 species. There were no highlights. With no new moth species added ,the total for 2025 is still 281 species. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released. Aracnophobes look away now. Paul Hopcraft was out wiuth his camera at the Balancing pond in Area 4

12/09/25 The moth-trap, was out again in my Area 4 garden overnight on 11/09/25 and emptied this morning . The weather affected catch was 15 moth's of 9 species. Highlight was a Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana . With 1 new moth species added ,the total for 2025 is now 281 species. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

09/09/25 The moth-trap, was out again in my Area 4 garden overnight on 08/09/25 and emptied this morning . The catch was 29 moth's of 15 species. Highlight was a Copper Underwing Amphipyra pyramidea and the micro moth Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea . With 2 new moth species added ,the total for 2025 is now 280 species. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

07/09/25 The moth-trap, was out again in my Area 4 garden overnight on 06/09/25 and emptied this morning , the catch was 29 moth's of 15 species. Highlight was a Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella . With 1 new moth species added ,the total for 2025 is now 278 species. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released. Seen and photgraphed in Area 4 by Paul Hopcraft was a Long winged Conehead Conocephalus fuscus and a Hairy shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum . This insect is also known as the Sloe Bug.

06/09/25 In Area 1 at Gorrick Woods are numerous ant hills, these are large nests of soil, twigs, leaves and pine needles. home to the Southern Wood Ant Formica rufa also known as the 'red wood ant' , its an aggressive predator, equipped with large, biting jaws and the ability to spray formic acid in defence.

05/09/25 The moth-trap, was out again in my Area 4 garden overnight on 04/09/25 after a few days rain delay and emptied this morning , the weather again affected the catch, which was 30 moth's of 14 species. Highlight was a micro moth Aethes smeathmanniana . With 1 new moth species added ,the total for 2025 is now 277 species. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

02/09/25 Not an insect but a spider. Spider sightings always peak in the autumn when the males of many species reach adulthood and wander about looking for females often coming into the house. Therefore it was no suprise when a Giant House Spider Eratigena atrica was on my Area 4 kitchen wall. These spider's are one of our fastest invertebrates, running up to half a metre per second.

01/09/25 The moth-trap, was out again in my Area 4 garden overnight on 31/08/25 and emptied this morning , the weather has certainly changed and the catch was just 12 moth's of 7 species. Highlight was a Nutmeg Phlogophora meticulosa . With 1 new moth species added ,the total for 2025 is now 276 species. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

Plants/ Trees

Every year the leaves on the trees and hedgerows change colour from green to a yellow/gold before falling , find out why at Why do leaves change colour .

15/09/25 The 2025 berry/fruit crop is a bumper harvest, with berries ripening significantly early due to a warm spring and ample sunshine.Seen in Area 10 were Sloe Prunus spinosa the fruit of the Blackthorn, also seen wereGuelder-rose Viburnum opulus and Hop Humulus lupulus a hedgerow climber .

05/09/25 In Area 1 at Gorrick Woods are Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa with its shiny, red-brown fruits wrapped in a green, spiky case.

03/09/25 Providing some colour on an otherwise gloomy afternoon in Area 7A at Ashridge Meadows were the yellow flowers of Greater Birds-foot trefoil Lotus pedunculatus and the daisy like flowers of Common Fleabane Pulicaria dysenterica . Both species adding a touch of sun to the end of the flowering season.

Fungi/ Lichen

Reptiles

Fish

Mammals

18/09/25 Seen running across Smiths Walk in Area 4 by Ian Randell , was a Weasel Mustela nivalis . Photo courtesy of Ian Randell.

07/09/25 In Area 10 a female Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus was on the bund at Lavells Lake.s Bittern Hide. Seen and photographed by Richard Sajdak.

05/09/25 In Area 10 at lunchtime a Muntjac Deer Muntiacus reevesi was seen running across a path. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to get a photo.

Molluscs