Wildlife at "The Willows": Ton up! 100 birds completed

Monday, 4 July 2011

Ton up! 100 birds completed - plus Foxes and more

Success! On Julia's birthday, you have to say rather unexpectedly, came bird species no. 100 - a Stock Dove flew over and joined two others with Wood Pigeons in the horse field. Yippee! Still no Peregrine, however....

Foxes have been regular for some weeks now, feeding on cheap catfood we've been putting out, but Julia's birthday present camera trap proved for the first time the presence of not one but TWO at the same time!

Baby birds and families have been a big feature too - notably Jays (up to four at a time on the bird table) and Great Spotted Woodpecker. At least two broods of Blue Tits were reared successfully, and there's an occupied House Martin nest under the eaves as we write.

Moths have been good too - lots of hawk moths, plus various local or scarce species, such as Lilac Beauty, Bordered Beauty, Lobster Moth and Minor Shoulder-knot. There was even a day-nectaring Hummingbird Hawk-moth on our new Verbena bonariensis!