Wild Sounds

Playing around with recordings on Sound Cloud. When I need a break from all this blinking nature recording and conservation stuff I mess about making music in my virtual band thee Bryans- an imaginary group of Socioenviron-minstrels. Working very slowly on putting together a CD and book and then hoping to do an exhibition or two. Here's the facebook page : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thee-Bryans/67571634534
Here's a sample.

Daddy Long Legs (Play track below)

This track is about early experiences with Nature: 

Tree Sparrow with Lesser Whitethroat, Beddington Farmlands

Sounds of our local speciality (click on link)

Tree Sparrow and Lesser Whitethroat, Beddington Farmlands

Prevailing May Day

Male Barn Swallow 

House Martin 

Common Swift 

Adela reaumurella - first one I've seen this year

Helophilus pendulus - note the striped thorax also (click on to enlarge) the first two long veins in the wing reach the wing margin, the third long vein has a deep U-shaped bend and anterior cross vein is near the middle of the discal cell

#### knows!? Click on to enlarge and see some of the bristles and details- complex creature

 

Prevailing weather conditions (or so called) today which usually means that most migration lines drift to the east of us reducing migrant numbers. However seemed to be quite a few Swallows around and the Swift numbers have increased in the last few days to about 80-100. A couple of House Martins too which could be the local birds - a relict population of a once healthy Hackbridge colony. In these kind of weather conditions the hirundines hawk low over the water where presumably the entomolgy is concentrating.

Noticed that the flies were being obliging in these rather cool conditions and many were sunning themselves on the brambles and posing for photos.

Frosted Green

Frosted Green

 

Caught this yesterday night- another first record for Beddington.

Also a few Knot Grass, Oak Hook-tip, still the odd Common Quaker, a few Eriocrania subpurpurella and a couple of Nut-tree Tussocks.

Forecasted to get a bit cooler in the evenings so the moth catch will probably reduce.

Roger had a good day yesterday on the farm:

http://dodge007.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/black-tern-arctic-tern-pom-skua-dunlin.html

The Green, Hackbridge

Here's the results of some of the planting we've done on one of the Beddington Farmlands to River Wandle green corridors.

Planting in progress here.

Banking ticks Holiday

Iron Prominent- a few moths in the trap in recent evenings 

Eriocrania subpurpurella

Willow Flea Beetle 

Rhopalus subrufus

In between some family stuff been bugrying about catching insects while the weather is warm and sunny. Certainly plenty about and my Beddington pan-species list is now on 906. I am aiming for the 1000 as a local patch milestone.

Planted some sunflowers in the hide field yesterday so will see what comes up.

Alright for birds yesterday too with 1 Red Kite, 2 Buzzard, 50+ Swallow, 10+ Reed Warbler, 1 Greenshank and 2 Common Sandpiper.

More on pan-species stuff here: http://peteralfrey.blogspot.co.uk/

Beddington Big Day

Whimbrel- bird of the day 

Swallows- a few tens coming down during the rain storms 

Powdered Quaker- a first for Beddington 

Orange Tip on Red Dead Nettle 

Cuckoo Bee sp

Big Day BBQ

 

Today we had our annual Bird group bird race day and notched up a modest 68 species. Bird of the day was Whimbrel with Lesser pecker and Hobby (first for the year) as other highlights. There was a Greenshank and Common Sand around, a couple of Buzzard over, about 40+ Swallow, 5 Swift and a Garden Warbler too. Noteable ommissions were Chaffinch, Yellow Wagtail, Mistle Thrush, LRP and Peregrine .

Hot Dogs came in during the early afternoon.