Garden moths and birds update

Moths

Friday night was very mild with a temperature range between 12.9 and 11.6 degrees centigrade resulting in a few more moths in the trap. Early Grey (Xylocampa areola)is a new species for the year and I caught my first pug - well worn, as usual!. Not sure about the identity of the pug although I think it may be a Double-striped pug.

Early Grey



Possible Double-striped pug (wingspan of moth was around 16 mm) Poor photo of a worn specimen!



Summary of Moth Trapping Session - Friday, 1st April

Minimum Temperature 11.6 degrees centigrade

7.45 p.m. until dawn

15w Actinic Skinner Moth Trap

1 x Clouded Drab
1 x Emmelina Monodactyla
1 x Hebrew Character
3 x Common Quaker
1 x Early Grey (NFY)
1 x unidentified pug - possibly Double-striped Edit - Many thanks again to Dean for coming to the rescue. I will go with Double-striped pug which is a new species for the garden.

Garden Update

There is plenty of nesting activity in the garden. Blue tits are still making constant visits to nestbox, female blackbird still sitting on eggs, wren taking nest material into ivy and a pair of house sparrows yesterday were taking nesting material under the eaves.

Spotted a male sparrowhawk this morning - only the second garden sighting this year -plucking a small bird on the lawn - inspecting the feathers after the sparrowhawk had flown off I suspect the prey caught was a house sparrow. A pair of chaffinches are still coming for food but the female mallard hasn't returned to the pond.

There are still at least two common newts in the pond.

Wood anemone or wind flower is just starting to come into flower