Tuesday 31 March 2009

new moth for year


Ian had an Early Thorn in his trap last night.

Thursday 26 March 2009

Riverside cemetery, Pawtucket RI

                 Mourning Cloak 

                        Red-bellied Woodpecker

                           Downy Woodpecker

                      Coyote
              The cemetery is starting to offer something more than ducks, with the first butterfly of the year and a few mammals starting to show.

Out of my apartment window 24/3





     The cats strange gurgling at the window called my attention to a quite fantastic  Merlin.

Westport Mass, 20th March.

                     Male Bufflehead

               White-winged Scoter


               Piping plovers returning to the beach before the tourists was the first definitive sign of spring here in New England.

25/3

pale brindled beauty

Very quiet on the bird front , but a hebrew character along with a pale brindled beauty in the moth trap this morning, the first one ever trapped at flamboro'. (It is however a quite common moth in Yorkshire, though moth lights havn't been used on the head this early in the year before). (mike)

Monday 23 March 2009

N.Y.Moors




wheatears


Great Grey Shrike



Sorry about the shrike but it was very distant, but the wheatears on Levisham common are "cute", (american for O.K.). (mike)

Sunday 22 March 2009

Do waders contemplate suicide?

bemused (or amused) Knot

Purple Sandpiper - "life's not that bad really" , I'm better off without her !!

Purple Sandpiper - "woe is me, the missus has run off with a redshank" !


A purple sandpiper was so depressed that it tried to drown itself, but then thought better of it - at least the knot was entertained though. (mike).

Thursday 19 March 2009

North London niceties, March 2009





From a couple of recent day trips this month - Grey Phalarope on the KGV Res, Siskin and Goosander at Trent Country Park.

(Barack)

Abney Park Cemetery (in the last 24 hours), 19th March 2009







Moth Mayhem! er, kind of. We ran a trap for a couple of hours in Abney last night for the first time this year, just to see what happened. It wasn't completely blank at least...... Two Quaker spp, Twin-spotted and Common. Arguably more entertaining was creeping around the graves at night trying to find the source of a strange call, like a cross between a Firecrest and a Sanderling; after much torch-related pissing around, we found the culprits - the winged Koalas as pictured above.

The above shots were taken this morning when all three were clambering around and test-flying in the sunshine. An absolute joy to have a couple of minutes from our door, in the very heart of urban London.

(Neil)

Another moth

common quaker

The little lepi's are flooding through (well, 2 at least) this morning - another hebrew character and this common quaker............ that's 3 species for the year now. (mike)

Wednesday 18 March 2009

Halleluja !!!

Skylark

Little Owl

Halleluja!, Hebrew Character


Finally caught the 2nd. moth of the year last night after 4 million hours of trying. Celebrated today (as it was sunny) by taking the 1ds and nailing the Little Owl at "Shifters" properly. Have chucked in a Skylark for good measure. (mike).

Monday 16 March 2009

turnstone - avoiding the fight.

The Fight !

Bransdale

lapwing

meadow pipit

red grouse - male


red grouse - female


fallow deer - stag

A day out at Bransdale in pleasant but watery sunshine saw Meadow Pipits, Lapwings and Curlew all taking up territories and displaying. Plenty of Red Grouse scurrying about but surprisingly, not one Buzzard seen all day.Small herd of Fallow Deer on way back, including the fine stag photographed.
Late in the afternoon, a dead fish washed up on Brid. beach caused a fracas amongst the local Greater BB'S.
(mike)



Sunday 15 March 2009

turnstone

March 15th.

- Brid harbour Knot - Brid harbour

Purple Sandpiper - Brid harbour

Kestrel - Hartendale


Is this suspended animation ?



Roe Deer - Thornwick Pools

A pair of Little Owls are in residence on Flamborough castle ruins (hopefully images to follow if I can find a way of getting close enough), and a pair of Little Grebes are courting on Thornwick pools, getting very funny looks from a couple of Roe deer.
(mike)



Friday 13 March 2009

Swan Point Cemetery, Providence RI, Friday 13th March

                           White-breasted Nuthatch

                             Mourning Dove


...and a demonic Common Grackle were among decent numbers of common species, plus a flock of 6 White-winged Crossbills made for a nice morning.