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For the last week we have been treated to the song (starting at 4 am) of what was, initially, an unseen garden bird. Eventually it made an appearence on the bird table. It is clearly a Canary which has, presumably, escaped captivity. We suspect that it is an aviary bird rather than a caged pet as it seems quite relaxed and confident with the local finch and tit family groups.
I led a walk around Pearson Park for the Friends of Pearson Park earlier in the month. The people attending were really good with their questions and ideas. One of them spotted a woodpecker entering and then leaving a nest hole. When I passed through this afternoon, the chicks were making a lot of noise and one of them was peeking out of the nest hole.
The highlights of this trip for me were:
The path by the heath had numerous Green Tiger Beetles (Cicindela campestris), a pair (lower photo), posed nicely for photos, and you can note how the male holds onto the female with his jaws.
The reserve was very dry, particularly the exposed heath, but we were please to find a large clump of Hare's-tail Cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum). Surprisingly the pond held water, but no dragonflies were seen.
Spring is often a disappointing time for moth trapping, with low catches of rather drab specimens and a restricted species list. This year's cold nights have been somewhat similar EXCEPT, after five years, with 15562 moths of 325 species recorded, so far my meagre total of 73 moths has included two new species, both colourful and belonging to the same genus.
The top picture is of the Streamer (Anticlea derivata), one of three specimens caught so far, and the lower is the Shoulder Stripe (A. badiata). Both species feed on roses.
The first Wood Anemone of the year makes its appearance in Burton Bushes.
Every year the BSBI sets a challenge to record wild plants in open flower during a 3-hour walk, a challenge we have supported from the beginning. Individual hunts were undertaken by Lesley at Hornsea with 27 records, including a surprisingly late Bush Vetch, Yannah and Andy (who supplied the longest Hull list with 31 records and an unusual find of Japanese Quince) and myself at Sculcoates with 28 records, Jersey Cudweed being the only notable find.
This year only one HNHS group hunt was scheduled for 29 December - a repeat of last year's unforgettable Hullnats in Hessle quest, minus the downpour! Given the recent very cold weather, including frost, the five members taking part were not expecting a large haul but we managed to clock up 58 records from the Sainsbury's area and foreshore, much the same as last year. Notable plants from around Sainsbury's were Bastard Cabbage and White Ramping-fumitory again. To the previous year's highlights at the foreshore of Musk Stork's-bill, naturalised Stinking Hellebore and Spurge-laurel (still there if you look in the right place!) was added Butcher's-broom, which had seeded itself, inaccessibly, inside a thick hedge.
When I came to download the Recording App to my computer, I noticed a shift in emphasis on the website away from light-hearted challenge to serious phenological study. All the photos, fizz and beginners' tips were confined to social media. Rules have been tightened, as one walk to one site only, previous records integrated into the project and a new recording app developed. This app can be used by those registered to send in flower records with photos direct at any time of the year, with provision for recording the stage of development of each plant. It is a massive undertaking.
Musk Stork's-bill, Andrew Chadwick
Stinking Hellebore, Helen Kitson