Weekend Bits

Reed Warbler- 20+ singing males on site. Also 1-2 Sedge and 3-4 singing Reed Buntings

With 4-5 pairs of Shelduck on site we were hoping for this! Another Mallard brood out on the Northern Lake, at least five Canada Goose broods (too many?) and Great Crested Grebes are displaying on the Southern Lake

Toadflax Brocade- a few moths recently; Angle Shades, Small Seraphim, Knot Grass, Platydera subcinera and Pale Mottled Willow last night

Oedemera nobilis on Dog Rose

Swept a couple of patches of nettles- full of small beetles, spiders and weevils including this one

Also in the nettles

First-summer Yellow-legged Gull (presumably)

First-summer Lesser Black-backed Gull. There are more Lesser Black-backs at the moment than in the winter (many are immature birds like this one). Presumably these are birds (non-breeding immatures or past it adults) that have moved north from Iberia and deciding to hang round here for the summer rather than continue to the core breeding areas.

The Prater brothers re-united!

LNHS group visited today and found some new plants for the site

Spencer Road Wetlands

 New board walk

 The River Wandle

 Kingfisher bank

Water Cricket- a local speciality

 

Open day today at the London Wildlife Trust reserve- Spencer Road Wetlands aka Green Gates. Used to play there as a kid and build camps- its at the end of the road of our family home.

Recently had a nice makeover with new board walk and paths.

One of the little gems round here that make up our local green network.

May bugs and birds

 Lapwing. A female unfortunately not sitting which probably means an unsuccessful breeding attempt

 Ringed Plover- one on Southern Lake this evening. A group of Ringed Plover and Dunlin this morning moved on swiftly.

 Reed Warbler- after a frantic singing arrival a lot of the warblers have quietened down now- presumably getting on with work

 Each pair of Swans on the lakes have had six cygnets. The ones on 100 acre still sitting.

Cochylis atricaptana?



Dichrorampha plumbana/ aeratana  (cheers Billy)

 Plenty of micro-moths in the vegetation now. Nettle-taps, Grapholita sp (bottom pic) 

 And the odd macro moth too- Common Carpet

 Lots of minute beetles on the charlock flowers

 Leucozona lucorum- been looking for one of these.

Thyme-leaved Speedwell- found by Frankie along 100 acre path

Beddington Farmlands in the papers (again)

I don't think the farmlands as ever been so locally famous as in recent months. Here's the latest:
Local Guardian - letter from Jim Duffy

Hopefully one day we will have our 15 minutes of international fame when it becomes a flagship city nature reserve.

Wildlife Gardening day

 The 'obs' wildlife garden shrub border today

Same view in 2009

 LIDL vegetables and plants transferred to car park  more here

The farmlands entrance coming on well

 

Spent the day sorting out the obs garden with Steve. Had Red Kite and a couple of Buzzard going over , Whitethroat was singing and saw a really smart Spider that got away from me. The Berberis sawfly adults are numerous so I've been doing a bit of pest control too- I might sacrifice one bush for them this year but they completely done me over last year and ate the whole shrubbery. 

May days

 Great Crested Grebe- one of three on the lakes. Hopefully prospecting. Canada Geese chicks are appearing now.

 Juvenile Long-tailed Tit. The first young passerines are appearing, so far seen Dunnock and Blackbird young. Unfortunately doesn't look like Sand Martins are occupying the bank this year.

 Some birds are still on the move- Ringed Plover (left rear) and Common Sandpiper still heading towards their breeding grounds and Little Ringed Plover (right front) arrived a few weeks ago and have been prospecting. A few other migrants about- Swallows and House Martins still passing through in small numbers, a Yellow Wagtail over and Swifts presumably passing through too.

 Swallow Prominent (new one for me). Still not really picked up on the moth front. Evenings still cool. Diamond-backed Moth yesterday (first migrant of the year). Typical moths recently include Shuttle-shaped Dart, Heart and Dart, Platyedra subcinerea, Brimstone, Treble Lines, Knot Grass and Pale Mottled Willow.

 Xylota segnis- a very distinctive hoverfly

 Helophilus pendulus (I think I'm stringing these- these are bronzy looking, maybe Parhelophilus sp? 

Myathropa florea on Hawthorn flower. Currently Hawthorn (May Tree) and Cow Parsley (May weed) are the main flowers along the north lake path. Also apple still flowering. 

Planes

THEE BRYANS