31 May To my amazement I think a whole brood of GREAT TITS have left a nestbox out the front of the flat! I must admit I assumed it was not being used and ignored it, but at 6 o'clock this morning six or seven birds were in the branches round the nestbox and one was sat on it! At 10.00 am I did a circuit of the patch and found a new fungus for Monty - a JEWS-EAR FUNGUS (sorry but that's what it's called) at Fairlawn Road. It is apparently a tasty fungus and can be used in soups, stews and Chinese dishes. Nearby there was a GREEN-VEINED WHITE butterfly and a HARLEQUIN ladybird. The St Andrews Road garden with the huge white lilies had about a dozen ROSE CHAFERS flying around and crawling all over the blooms! Some WALL LETTUCE at the bottom of Station Road was nice to see. I did my annual bird survey today - nothing unusual to report but it was good to see and hear plenty of HOUSE SPARROWS, especially around Ashley Hill, Albany Road and a few other places in the area. |
27 May This evening at about 6 o'clock I was on my way home and as I walked along Picton Street I heard LONG-TAILED TITS calling. I was amazed to see a family of at least half a dozen flying backwards and forwards over the road and occasionally perching on the roof of the Radford Mill Farm Shop! They came and went into the large Sycamore at the entrance to Picton Mews, busily feeding! Earlier I had walked through St Pauls Park which was heaving with kids playing, but also a small flock of about ten FERAL PIGEONS feeding on the grass. Food had obviously been put out for them and I don't really think it's a good idea to attract these birds to a play area. |
24 May Lots happening this morning. At about 10 O'clock a CORMORANT flew over the station (always a bit weird seeing this water bird over Monty) and, amazingly, a SWALLOW flew over soon after! It seems very late for the Swallow - most will have reached their nest sites by now but this one must still have been passing through as they do not nest in the urban areas. A couple of ROSE CHAFER beetles around - one in a St Andrews Road garden and another near the allotment gardens. There were some young STARLINGS at the top of St Andrews Road, a ROBIN carrying nesting material nearby and a GOLDFINCH at the railway path. Several SWIFTS screaming overhead in small groups. The nesting BLUE TITS in the neighbour's garage were still visiting the nest at regular intervals this morning and a GREAT TIT visited the garden. The council have spared the Guelder Rose during their mowing session! Good on ya lads! |
20 May Some very strange wildlife in the park this evening - the park group of the Montpelier Action Group met to decide the next steps towards improving the park for people and (hopefully) biodiversity. Later, at 9.25pm, the first PIPISTRELLE BAT I've seen this year flew over the flat, and the detector picked up more bat activity a few minutes later, which is encouraging. Later still I caught a GREEN CARPET moth in the trap plus three BRIMSTONE moths. |
19 May Patch the Magic Blackbird (i.e. the BLACKBIRD with the partial albino feathers) has allowed me to photograph him! His territory is the allotment garden area and he's very tame. When I photographed him he was always looking to the right so that's his best side. Meanwhile the BLUE TIT nest is still being visited every minute or two by the adults. Three newly-fledged Blue Tits were seen at Old Ashley Hill. Nearby, a SONG THRUSH was singing in Ashley Vale but heard well on the Monty side of Ashley Hill. Near the junction of Station and St Andrews Roads there is a patch of LESSER TREFOIL (although Chris may well tell me that the plant is Hop Trefoil or even Black Medic!). |
18 May I've tracked down the nest hole of a pair of BLUE TITS in a neighbour's garage roof - the adults visit every minute or so with food that they find in the shrubbery just below the nest. I heard a newly fledged Blue Tit earlier in Richmond Road so lets hope this spring has been a more successful one than last year when there was a disastrous breeding season for this species. This afternoon there was a GOLDFINCH sat on a lamp post in Fairlawn Road. Also there was a SMALL WHITE butterfly, a HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD and an interesting HOVERFLY called Myathropa florea. At the Hurlingham Road side of the iron bridge was a beautifully-camouflaged GREEN SHIELD BUG. Near the station footbridge were several WELSH POPPIES and the BROOKLIME which Chris found last year is flowering beautifully near the Royal Mail office. It looks like Network Rail have marked out the site of the communications mast near the railway tunnel. |
12 May As it was a bit quiet in Monty (apart from a couple of SPECKLED WOOD butterflies at the railway path) I had a thrash around nearby Narroways nature reserve between 1.00 and 3.00pm. The highlights were two COMMON WHITETHROATS singing and showing well - they usually sing from exposed perches and sometimes do a nice song-display flight. Also nearby were a couple of CHIFFCHAFFS, a BLACKCAP and at least one BULLFINCH. Plants included the uncommon but splendidly-named CORKY-FRUITED WATER-DROPWORT, and one of my favourite flowers, the equally silly-sounding MOUSE-EARED HAWKWEED. Sadly my attempts at photographing them failed for some technical, camera-related reason. Last night in the moth trap I caught no less than 5 BRIMSTONE moths, but little else of note. |
10 May Another warm and sunny day, which brought out at least two HOLLY BLUES in the garden. A COAL TIT was calling and singing from a garden at the top of St Andrews Road and the WOOD AVENS flowers were in abundance at Fairlawn Road (see below). The female BLACKBIRD who usually comes to food outside my window made only a brief appearance today, suggesting she is sitting on eggs, but the male has been around quite a bit. Likewise, the two WOODPIGEONS have been going to and from their presumed nest in the Ivy. |
8 May A real heatwave this morning! I had a quick circuit around the park and despite the early hour (8.50am) a SPECKLED WOOD butterfly was flying around and settling under the large Horse Chestnut by the play area. Also some LONG-TAILED TITS near the Old Vicarage. This evening some young STARLINGS were heard calling from the eaves of a house in City Road. |
5 May Between 10.00am and 11.00am I had a wander round the patch, making a bee-line for St Barnabas School playing field to catch up with the CUCKOO FLOWERS Chris had flagged up in his recent report. There was an absolutely magnificent show (see photo). From there I made my way to Fairlawn Road where a CHIFFCHAFF was singing and a NIPPLEWORT plant was in bloom. At the allotment gardens near the station, the BLACKBIRD with white feathering on its head showed well but I was not quick enough to get a photo - I shall lie in wait and 'snap' it one of these days! |
4 May I think the garden BLACKBIRDS have a nest as they reacted noisily to a MAGPIE which came too close and they chased it off. The nest seems to be deep in the Ivy covering the wall of the house opposite. The WOODPIGEONS might also have a nest as they disappear regularly into another Ivy-covered wall! There were still three HOLLY BLUES in the garden, another two at the railway path and yet another at the allotment gardens. At the station an ORANGE TIP butterfly was flying up and down the platform and some HOGWEED was in flower. Three Magpies were also at the station, two of whom were having a right old scrap (maybe two males?) with an audible swishing of wings! (see photo). A HONEY BEE (or possibly some kind of Solitary Bee as it was ..er... solitary) was nearby. |
3 May It was great to see two native species of LADYBIRD this morning, both 7-Spot and 2-spot! They will hopefully hold their own against the onslaught of Harlequins. Butterflies included no less than three HOLLY BLUES in the garden and a SPECKLED WOOD at the railway path. There were over a dozen DOCK LEAF BUGS at Fairlawn Road. There were several RED DEADNETTLE plants in St Andrews Road, a plant which seems much less common in Monty than the related White Deadnettle, and the first WOOD AVENS flowers of the spring were in bloom at Fairlawn Road. Bird highlights included a SPARROWHAWK being chased by a gull over St Andrews Road at lunchtime, a pair of GOLDFINCHES at the railway path and a party of ten SWIFTS over the station. In Redland, a lucky birder found a Ring Ouzel this morning - this is a scarce migrant which is rarely seen in urban areas so well done Margaret! |
1 May I was amused by a CARRION CROW and a MAGPIE in the garden this morning. The Crow was definitely the dominant bird. The Magpie tried to hide in the Elder bush and as soon as it so much as poked its head out, the Crow flew at it very aggressively and chased it out of sight! A BLACKCAP was singing strongly from behind the health centre at 8.40am. |
