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© David Hastings 2024
Natural History Diary : March 2024
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Tuesday 26th March
Only four moths in the trap this morning - one
Clouded Drab
and three
Hebrew Character
. A sunny morning brought out four
Brimstones
and a
Peacock
in the garden. Birds of note today were a
Pheasant
, a
Sparrowhawk
and a
Great Spotted Woodpecker
.
Saturday 23rd March
This afternoon a
Rook
took possession of the bird table, and aggressively prevented attempts by
Jackdaws
to muscle in. I found an
Indian Meal Moth
in the house in the evening.
Rook, Aston, Oxon, 23rd Mar
Rook
| Aston, Oxon
Friday 22nd March
There were twelve moths in the trap this morning. The pick of them was my first
Satellite
of the year. I went to Farmoor in the afternoon. There was nothing of note on the reservoirs. Down at the river I saw a
Blackcap
, two
Reed Buntings
(both firsts of the year), a
Greenfinch
and a
Treecreeper
. There were six or seven
Chiffchaffs
singing.
Satellite, Aston, Oxon, 22nd Mar
Greenfinch ♂, Farmoor, Oxon, 22nd Mar
Pied Wagtail ♂, Farmoor, Oxon, 22nd Mar
Satellite
| Aston, Oxon
Greenfinch
♂ | Farmoor, Oxon
Pied Wagtail
♂ | Farmoor, Oxon
Thursday 21st March
Today I saw a
Brimstone
in the garden, and a
Comma
(FOY) and two
Peacocks
at the allotment.
Brimstone ♂, Aston, Oxon, 21st Mar
Comma, Aston, Oxon, 21st Mar
Peacock, Aston, Oxon, 21st Mar
Brimstone
♂ | Aston, Oxon
Comma
| Aston, Oxon
Peacock
| Aston, Oxon
Tuesday 19th March
A
Chiffchaff
was singing somewhere near the house at lunchtime today, but I wasn't able to locate it.
Monday 18th March
Only fourteen moths in the trap this morning, but two of them were
Early Grey
(first of the year). There were also two
Limnephilus rhombicus
caddis-flies. I saw my first
Dark-edged Bee-fly
of the year in the garden (but no butterflies today). Two
Ravens
were overhead at one poimt, cronking loudly.
Limnephilus rhombicus
, Aston, Oxon, 18th Mar
Dark-edged Bee-fly, Aston, Oxon, 18th Mar
Early Grey, Aston, Oxon, 18th Mar
Limnephilus rhombicus
| Aston, Oxon
Dark-edged Bee-fly
| Aston, Oxon
Early Grey
| Aston, Oxon
Sunday 17th March
During a sunny spell around lunchtime today a male
Brimstone
was in the garden. There were lots of bees feeding on nearby Sallow catkins.
Saturday 16th March
I went over to Standlake this morning. As I got out of the car at the top of Shifford Lane a
Brimstone
was fluttering about, and it eventually settled on some Ivy. Pit 27 was fairly quiet. Of note were two
Oystercatchers
, four
Red-crested Pochard
and three
Goldeneye
. The water level at pit 60 was still very high. There were many ducks, particularly
Pintail
(200+) and
Wigeon
(100+). Also two
Oystercatchers
, two
Lapwing
, two
Grey Heron
, one
Little Egret
and four
Great White Egret
. Passerines seen around the site were a
Lesser Redpoll
(first for me at this iste), a
Goldcrest
, at least ten singing
Chiffchaffs
, four singing
Cetti's Warblers
(I saw one of them) and a
Goldfinch
. Finally, as I walked past the fenced-off fishing lake, I was surprised to find a
Rhea
looking at me from the other side of the fence! It strolled off, completely unconcerned.
Brimstone ♂, Standlake, Oxon, 16th Mar
Wigeon ♂, Standlake, Oxon, 16th Mar
Brimstone
♂ | Standlake, Oxon
Wigeon
♂ | Standlake, Oxon
Friday 15th March
I went to Radley Lakes today. The
Black-necked Grebe
found yesterday was still present, but it stayed well offshore. A pity, as it was in breeding plumage. The usual waterfowl and gulls were present, as well as two
Oystercatchers
. I also heard two
Chiffchaffs
and a
Cetti's Warbler
. Bagley Wood in the afternoon was again very quiet, although I did at least see a
Treecreeper
.
Black-necked Grebe, Radley Lakes, Oxon, 15th Mar
Black-necked Grebe
| Radley Lakes, Oxon
Wednesday 13th March
After a mild night there were 56 moths in the trap this morning, but most of them were
Clouded Drab
,
Common Quaker
,
Small Quaker
and
Hebrew Character
. However,
Grey Shoulder-knot
and
Early Reveller
(aka March Tubic) were new species for the year.
Later I almost ran over a
Red-legged Partridge
on the road north of Aston.
Early Reveller, Aston, Oxon, 13th Mar
Grey Shoulder-knot, Aston, Oxon, 13th Mar
Small Quaker, Aston, Oxon, 13th Mar
Early Reveller
| Aston, Oxon
Grey Shoulder-knot
| Aston, Oxon
Small Quaker
| Aston, Oxon
Monday 11th March
I found a
Brindled Buff
(aka Brindled Flat-body) in my outbuilding today.
Saturday 9th March
There were 13 moths in the trap this morning, but there was nothing of note. In the morning a
Red-tailed Bumblebee
was feeding on hyacinth flowers. In the afternoon I saw at least four
Redwing
and a
Song Thrush
in the horse paddock.
Redwing, Aston, Oxon, 9th Mar
Redwing
| Aston, Oxon
Friday 8th March
I found a tiny
Garden Mompha
moth in my outbuilding this afternoon. Surprisingly, this was a new species for me.
Wednesday 6th March
Only five moths in the trap this morning: 3
Hebrew Character
, one
Small Quaker
and one
Clouded Drab
. An
Indian Meal Moth
was flying about in the house. I saw one butterfly today, a
Peacock
at the allotment in the afternoon.
Tuesday 5th March
An almost spring-like day for a change. I saw my first garden butterfly of the year, a
Peacock
. Also a
Song Thrush
did a bit of sunbathing in a sheltered spot.
Peacock, Aston, Oxon, 5th Mar
Song Thrush, Aston, Oxon, 5th Mar
Peacock
| Aston, Oxon
Song Thrush
| Aston, Oxon
Monday 4th March
Once the sun came out his morning, a number of
Honeybees
were feeding on my potted Hyacinths. I saw a
Red Kite
and a
Carrion Crow
both carrying nesting material. In the afternoon there were three male
Chaffinches
underneath the fat ball feeder.
Long-tailed Tit, Aston, Oxon, 4th Mar
Red Kite, Aston, Oxon, 4th Mar
Robin, Aston, Oxon, 4th Mar
Long-tailed Tit
| Aston, Oxon
Red Kite
| Aston, Oxon
Robin
| Aston, Oxon