A good bird but it by-passed Waldridge

On the way home this evening, I had a very good bird in Chester-le-Street, which chuffed me significantly. An Osprey slowly flying over the Durham County Cricket ground and the A167, heading NE towards and over the Lambton Estate made my day, especially as it was my first day back at work since the Easter break. In fact it was my joint earliest ever, having seen one over  Deadwater Fell in Northumberland on the same day in 2007. Though outside my Waldridge 'square', I don't reckon it ever  entered it, unlike my one and only, in July 2009.

Apart from that excitement, an improvement in the weather on Saturday, abiet for one day only, I haven't seen much else. Still  no butterflies or bees for example. My list for the 1000for1ksq moved on by 3 to 244 with the additions of a moss,  Ulota crispa (Crisped Pincushion), a vascular plant,  Water Horsetail and two Common Quaker moths. The latter,  because it was still warm enough to have a go with the moth trap on Saturday night. Though the temperature plummeted, I managed to get 2 Oak Beauties, a Hebrew Character and the aforementioned Common Quakers before I called it a night. Much better than I thought.

Crisped Pincushion Moss

Common Quaker

Two Oak Beauties

Apart from from these few new species, and of course the Osprey, it's still been too cold for much in the way of new stuff. Actually the bird table at the moment, since I threatened to take it down for the Spring has never been busier. Siskins are on it continuously and despite the weather, a recently fledged Wood Pigeon appeared with a gang of adults on Sunday afternoon. The Siskins are particularly entertaining. I temporarily moved the table to another part of the garden so we could have a spot of lunch in the garden on Saturday. Very civilised. They weren't happy,  and were flying around our heads, calling and buzzing, the male singing from a few feet away in the plum tree, twittering and squeaking away and generally showing displeasure that their new food source had been moved (not removed I may add). Even at dusk when I was setting the moth trap up, they ascended and were feeding on the lawn right next to the trap.

Siskin on the lawn