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

Sphagnum mosses are not easy

Still off, so I've been continuing checking for my 1kq square the last few days. The Chiffchaff is still present but has moved about 40 metres east, but today there were 2 other singing birds, 1 on each side of Waldridge Lane. Still flushing the odd Woodcock in the woods and a few Meadow Pipit have now joined the Skylarks, singing on the fell. There were 2 pair of Grey Wagtail on the South Burn and the singing Siskins are still present with a singing Bullfinch nearby today. Together with Wrens, Robins, Chaffinches, Greenfinch, Tits and Thrushes there was a lot of song today.

Wren in South Burn

I was nearly knocked over by a running Roe Deer yesterday which saw me at the very last moment as it hurtled over Waldridge Lane right into my path, veering off at the very last moment. At one point I thought it was going to leap over me.


Siskins are also now visiting my bird table which they have ignored all winter, just as I'm using up the last of the food to put out.

Siskin at my bird-feeder

I've spend some time looking at the sphagnum mosses in Felledge wood and Wanister and after much deliberation, checking through the field guide and other books and gazing through my microscope I am happy that I've identified three species - Sphagnum fallax, squarrosum and palustre.  It's not easy that's for sure.

The year list for my square has moved on to 241 with a few mosses and some commoner plants such as Common Mallow, Weld and Field Forget-me-not.

A summer visitor (at last)

It's been hard work, flogging my 1km square for new species and though I've been checking every day  over Easter, it's only today that I can say it's been worth it. My first summer visitor of the year, a Chiffchaff, singing by Brass Castle pond and soon followed by a small flock of Lesser Redpoll . The Redpolls were also new for the year as they have been very difficult generally in the area this winter. Unlike their cousins, Siskin, that seen to be everywhere and today at least 2 were singing and song-flighting in the woods. Also everywhere are Woodcock, for every time I've been in the woods recently, crashing around after mosses and the like I have flushed one, or two or three.  Another sign that spring is sort of starting is that the Grey Wagtails have returned to their nesting spots on the burn.

Chiffchaff

My first Common Frog spawn for the year was late, having just seen it on the pool by the fell car-park on Saturday. But besides that, it's been mainly a few more mosses and lichens and the vegetive states of some of the more common flowers.

Moths continue to be absent due to the cold, it's never been above 2C  overnight since I last had the trap out and tonight fares no better with it forecast -2C. I should have seen up to 16 or so species so far this year but have only seen 6.

So my list is 224 so far this year.

Add some mud to the snow and cold

Out and about yesterday in the freezing cold and with snow patches still on the fell. Why do I bother I wonder, especially on days like this?  It's been snowing and / or zero and below all week so I haven't even bothered with the moth trap.
A Kestrel on the fell was my first within the 1km square this year though I must have seen them in every adjacent square already. Onto Wanister bog where I flushed my 2nd new bird of the year, a Common Snipe, together with 2 Woodcock out of the same little patch of willow. The Willows are still not showing any sign of life, certainly no catkins,  so I doubt any moths are out at the moment around here.  A singing Siskin in the woods was nice to see and hear.

Because of the weather there's little new to see in the way of flora at the moment, though I did identify Wood Anemone in Felledge Wood but very little else. It's very wet (aka muddy) in there and I lost one of my wellies on two occasions as I sunk into the black oozy stuff. So like last week I was back looking at mosses and lifting stones and logs. A Chestnut Worm I uncovered was new for me, and, new for the square this year was Nodding Thread-moss (Pohlia nutans) and Grey Field Slug.

Hardly exciting but at least the list moved on, albeit slowly, to 185.

I walked along Beany lane (a different 1km square), which on the western side was quite sheltered and lacked any snow. The difference between the fields here  and on the fell is very noticeable and the birds have taken advantage of it. In one of the fields there were 59 Jackdaw (as usual, nearly all in twos, paired up), 79 Wood Pigeon, 42 Black-headed Gull, 2 Common Gull, 2 Herring Gull, 5 Redwing, 30 Meadow Pipit and 3 Skylark. The latter two species probably waiting for the weather so they came move back to their breeding areas.

Did I mention it's snowing again

This weather is not helping my 1km square list.  Still, I had 3 moths in the trap on Saturday morning, March Moth, Oak Beauty and a Hebrew Character. The latter 2 new for the year.

Rain, forced me back home from the woods after only getting Common Cat's-ear, Common Dog-violet, Common Mouse-ear, Ground Elder and Lesser Periwinkle plus 2 mosses Wood Bristle-moss, Broom Fork-moss and a lichen Cladonia chlorophaea.  I ended up scouring around the back garden looking for bugs and the like. Somehow I got another five with Shiny Woodlouse, 2 worms (Lob Worm and Green Earthworm)  and 2 land Molluscs (Large Rufous Slug, Strawberry Snail).

If that sound like I'm getting desperate, you're right. Oh, and it's now snowing.

Very few birds about, so this singing Reed Bunting in the woods was 'Bird of the week'

More snow

Woke up this morning to snow which scuppered my plans to get some decent square bashing in. In stead had a slow meander through the muddy, snowy  woods and an afternoon keying out some mosses and liverworts. Yes, I know how to enjoy myself.
The best of a quiet walk were a Curlew flying over and 3 Treecreeper in the same tree in Felledge Wood both new for this years 1km square count.
A few new flowers for the year were recorded in the snow such as Marsh-Marigold and Dog's Mercury but not in flower .
The list is currently 147 - a long way to go.

Hardly the weather for finding things

5 moths, 3 species this morning

Put the moth trap out again as I need to get some more moths for my 1000for1km list and it might be a few days before it's worth trying again. Wasn't expecting much but there were 5 moths of 3 species this morning.  Another Tortricodes alternella, 1 March moth & 3 Pale Brindled Beauty, the latter two of course being new for the year (and square).

male Pale Brindled Beauty