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Surreybirder's lep blog (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Surreybirder
- Start date
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Whoops! (Shades of I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.)
Happy Christmas and New Year to you, too, Mike and anyone else reading this.
Ken
Happy Christmas and New Year to you, too, Mike and anyone else reading this.
Ken
black52bird
Registered User
Happy Christmas!!
Hello Ken ........it's been a while since we chatted, largely because I spent a great deal of time travelling for work (Serbia, Italy, Bulgaria) in the past 2 months, and then when I was here there were no moths to report!! In fact, I saw the first one for ages a couple of nights ago, fluttering against the light the kitchen windows cast on the block walls..a Winter Moth of some kind, but it was unreachable and soon disappeared!!
In fact, I seem to be drawing blanks in most of my recent natural history exploits of late, partly I feel because of the strange weather. First an endless autumn, and now a very mild winter - it's unbelievable, but we haven't had a frost yet here at the base of the Buda Hills, although there has been a hundred metres higher...but this in a city where there's normally snow on the ground throughout the winter, and night-time temperatures are minus 10 C!!
I put out the bird balls later than usual (mid December), because there were no birds around - they were obviously still finding plenty in the woods and parks...and apart from the odd tit there's been nothing. I saw my first Hawfinch of the winter in the park on 19th Dec - a singleton - when normally we have flocks of c 10 by now, all the time. In Bulgaria, I finally got to the renowned Burgas lakes on Dec 3rd, hoping to tick Red-Breasted Goose (normally there in large numbers by then), but was told they're still in the Ukraine, feeding happily!! I only saw 25 Dalmatian Pelicans (nice, but not a new one for me). The compensation was finally seeing Otter - and not just 1 but 4 playing in the water at length. Charming!!
I wanted to wish you Happy Christmas, and to all the other moth-ers with whom I've corresponded through your blog and the rest of the site. And to say thanks for the companionship and help .... you've all helped me to push the list over the 200 species for my balcony this year, which is great. Thankyou. And I wish you happy mothing, and good everything for 2007, and look forward to another year of being part of this community. I appreciate it very much.
Best wishes
David
Surreybirder said:
Hello Ken ........it's been a while since we chatted, largely because I spent a great deal of time travelling for work (Serbia, Italy, Bulgaria) in the past 2 months, and then when I was here there were no moths to report!! In fact, I saw the first one for ages a couple of nights ago, fluttering against the light the kitchen windows cast on the block walls..a Winter Moth of some kind, but it was unreachable and soon disappeared!!
In fact, I seem to be drawing blanks in most of my recent natural history exploits of late, partly I feel because of the strange weather. First an endless autumn, and now a very mild winter - it's unbelievable, but we haven't had a frost yet here at the base of the Buda Hills, although there has been a hundred metres higher...but this in a city where there's normally snow on the ground throughout the winter, and night-time temperatures are minus 10 C!!
I put out the bird balls later than usual (mid December), because there were no birds around - they were obviously still finding plenty in the woods and parks...and apart from the odd tit there's been nothing. I saw my first Hawfinch of the winter in the park on 19th Dec - a singleton - when normally we have flocks of c 10 by now, all the time. In Bulgaria, I finally got to the renowned Burgas lakes on Dec 3rd, hoping to tick Red-Breasted Goose (normally there in large numbers by then), but was told they're still in the Ukraine, feeding happily!! I only saw 25 Dalmatian Pelicans (nice, but not a new one for me). The compensation was finally seeing Otter - and not just 1 but 4 playing in the water at length. Charming!!
I wanted to wish you Happy Christmas, and to all the other moth-ers with whom I've corresponded through your blog and the rest of the site. And to say thanks for the companionship and help .... you've all helped me to push the list over the 200 species for my balcony this year, which is great. Thankyou. And I wish you happy mothing, and good everything for 2007, and look forward to another year of being part of this community. I appreciate it very much.
Best wishes
David
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Hi, David,
Good to get your update! Strange that you've had no frosts yet. We've had a few here in Surrey but it's turned mild again. When I was taking my daughter to one of what feels like an endless stream of parties
there were quite a few moths in the car headlights. But I've not had the trap out for a while now.
Too bad about the red-breasted geese. I've never seen them in the wild. When I visited Belarus there were skeins of geese flying over but I couldn't ID them... perhaps they included the occasional RBG!
All the best for the coming year.
Ken
Good to get your update! Strange that you've had no frosts yet. We've had a few here in Surrey but it's turned mild again. When I was taking my daughter to one of what feels like an endless stream of parties
there were quite a few moths in the car headlights. But I've not had the trap out for a while now.Too bad about the red-breasted geese. I've never seen them in the wild. When I visited Belarus there were skeins of geese flying over but I couldn't ID them... perhaps they included the occasional RBG!
All the best for the coming year.
Ken
black52bird
Registered User
Spoke too soon!!
Well, Ken,
After a day of brilliant winter sun, and temperatures at around +3C on Boxing Day, I've just looked outside and it's now minus 3C (!!) so I guess there might be some white stuff when the sun comes up...and hopefully a few birds. One thing I should have said was that on 11th Dec we had a Wren in the back garden, which is quite unusual - perhaps the third or fourth we've had in the 6 years we've lived here. And a Robin (they breed in the park) the following Friday, which is also irregular in the back garden (that's over the block we live in from the park, but is also park-like with several Norwegian Maples,a Lombardy Poplar,a couple of Ash trees and a Horse Chestnut (that always remains unsprayed, and so suffers terribly from the HC Leaf Miners!!)). And it's fairly neglected, although to my great annoyance a new and enthusiastic young couple moved ina year or so ago, and rooted up lots of the overgrown shrubs and lilacs, and stripped part of the Ivy along one of the walls where Blackcaps and Blackbirds nested, and we get less birds now unfortunately!! But that's not actually our garden, rather the one at the back of the building beyond, which is joined to ours, so I can't say anything really....
Here's hoping the cold will bring us some birds!!
Best
David
Surreybirder said:Hi, David,
Good to get your update! Strange that you've had no frosts yet. We've had a few here in Surrey but it's turned mild again. When I was taking my daughter to one of what feels like an endless stream of parties
Too bad about the red-breasted geese. I've never seen them in the wild. When I visited Belarus there were skeins of geese flying over but I couldn't ID them... perhaps they included the occasional RBG!
All the best for the coming year.
Ken
Well, Ken,
After a day of brilliant winter sun, and temperatures at around +3C on Boxing Day, I've just looked outside and it's now minus 3C (!!) so I guess there might be some white stuff when the sun comes up...and hopefully a few birds. One thing I should have said was that on 11th Dec we had a Wren in the back garden, which is quite unusual - perhaps the third or fourth we've had in the 6 years we've lived here. And a Robin (they breed in the park) the following Friday, which is also irregular in the back garden (that's over the block we live in from the park, but is also park-like with several Norwegian Maples,a Lombardy Poplar,a couple of Ash trees and a Horse Chestnut (that always remains unsprayed, and so suffers terribly from the HC Leaf Miners!!)). And it's fairly neglected, although to my great annoyance a new and enthusiastic young couple moved ina year or so ago, and rooted up lots of the overgrown shrubs and lilacs, and stripped part of the Ivy along one of the walls where Blackcaps and Blackbirds nested, and we get less birds now unfortunately!! But that's not actually our garden, rather the one at the back of the building beyond, which is joined to ours, so I can't say anything really....
Here's hoping the cold will bring us some birds!!
Best
David
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Wildmoreway
Well-known member
MikeWall said:I glow-worm, you glow-worm, we all glow-worm?
Happy festive periods to all!
M
Glowworms at Christmastime, what next?!
Merry Glowwormmas!
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Hi, Speck W,
Slight misunderstanding there... the glow-worm was included in my summary of the year. I saw it on the same night as the heart moth, 4th July, which explains why I didn't comment on it at the time.
Ken
Slight misunderstanding there... the glow-worm was included in my summary of the year. I saw it on the same night as the heart moth, 4th July, which explains why I didn't comment on it at the time.
Ken
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
2007
I'm off the mark this year with a mottled umber, found on the wall of a pub yesterday. It had probably been celebrating.
Ken
I'm off the mark this year with a mottled umber, found on the wall of a pub yesterday. It had probably been celebrating.
Ken
nctexasbirder
young birder
LOL i guess it couldnt find any wine socks as of late!
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Brian Stone
A Stone chatting
Looks a much better shape for Small Brindled Beauty A. hispidaria I'd have thought.
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
It wasn't furry, which is why I was leaning towards pbb but it was definitely smaller, so you are probably right. (Dates don't seem to mean much any more.)
Ken
Ken
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Oenanthe said:
Of course! How thick I am!
Ken
Brian Stone
A Stone chatting
Oenanthe said:
Where's the smilie with the guy slapping his forehead!
Pete Haynes
Pete H
This year so far.
Hi all,
Haven't been corresponding much as I had a very busy year last year and still have to complete my records for the County Recorder. They will have to go without quite a number of gen dets being done yet, especially Coleophoras and Phyllonorycters.
My catches at present, due to the wind and the rain, are dependent on the front door light and a 40W Actinic plus 60W standard lamp beaming out of the conservatory. It has only failed twice this month to catch and they were a very wet and very windy night and a very cold night. Last night produced the first Small Brindled Beauty (yes, definitely not a Spring Usher!) and Oak Beauty of the year! Both over a month earlier than last year. Well, who's surprised? Also had 3 Spring Ushers (quite common at the moment, 6 is the best to date) and a Pale Brindled Beauty (had 6 the other night).
I'm just logging species each day this year plus numbers of migrants only. Last year was extremely hard work with very nearly 40,000 moths of about 670 species (651 confirmed so far) from the garden. Species to date is up to 706 confirmed.
All the best
Pete H (Holmbury St Mary, Surrey Hills, VC17)
Hi all,
Haven't been corresponding much as I had a very busy year last year and still have to complete my records for the County Recorder. They will have to go without quite a number of gen dets being done yet, especially Coleophoras and Phyllonorycters.
My catches at present, due to the wind and the rain, are dependent on the front door light and a 40W Actinic plus 60W standard lamp beaming out of the conservatory. It has only failed twice this month to catch and they were a very wet and very windy night and a very cold night. Last night produced the first Small Brindled Beauty (yes, definitely not a Spring Usher!) and Oak Beauty of the year! Both over a month earlier than last year. Well, who's surprised? Also had 3 Spring Ushers (quite common at the moment, 6 is the best to date) and a Pale Brindled Beauty (had 6 the other night).
I'm just logging species each day this year plus numbers of migrants only. Last year was extremely hard work with very nearly 40,000 moths of about 670 species (651 confirmed so far) from the garden. Species to date is up to 706 confirmed.
All the best
Pete H (Holmbury St Mary, Surrey Hills, VC17)
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Hi, Pete, I reckon you must have the best garden in the UK (with the possible exception of some on south coast promontories)! Will you be posting a 2006 list eventually?
Have a good 2007!
Ken
Have a good 2007!
Ken
Pete Haynes
Pete H
Surreybirder said:
Hi Ken,
Good to talk to you after all this time. If you're interested I'll put up my Excel file when it's a bit more complete.
Have a good 2007 yourself.
Pete H
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Yes please, though it sounds as if it may be too big to attach to a message on this forum!Pete Haynes said:
