That Was the Year That Was!

 Well, having survived 2020 it just remains to wish all our Valued Readers a

Happy, Healthy, Safe and Prosperous New Year

before getting into reflective mode. Confined to our recording area alone we recorded a reduced 122 species of Birds, another shortfall below the +400 mark of the previous 3 years of 390 Moths and having covered the Mammals on a previous post we can leave it at that. While there was no additions to the Bird List we did secure c5 new Moth species.

Being unable to help ourselves we, as ever, flashed up a Moth Trap to cover the night of the First of the Year but more in hope than ambition! However, on that first cold, cold night we did catch a single Moth by way of a

CHESTNUT
after which the 'bleak' set in. The first noteable Bird of the year was a carry-over

BLACK REDSTART
from the previous year which spent the whole of the winter patroling the Sererage Works Fence before a second was found

plying between the Heath and nearby Solar Panel Compound.
It is hoped we will be showing you this years representative in the very near future.

The first addition to the Moth List was taken on the Heath on the 29th June and luckily a day that Dave Foot had chosen to join us as

DWARF PUG
was a compleatly new Insect for me.

Back to the earlier months when the 'hunters' seem to have moved in with sporadic records of

PEREGRINE

and

MERLIN
while a once breeding species here

LITTLE OWL
took up an all too short residency while again it was Dave who added the only

YELLOWHAMMER
once a prolific breeding bird (gone are the days) to the Year List.

27/06/2020 saw the next addition to the Moth List a fine looking

NARROW-BORDERED FIVE-SPOT BURNET

Spring was very much a game of 2 halves with only our 3rd and again vocal

NIGHTINGALE
but still reluctant to meet the eye, while usually reasonably numerous

YELLOW WAGTAIL
reached nowhere near double figures while on the other hand breeding

WOODLARK
went off the scale with on certain days the

JUVENILE's
being uncountable.

DEVON CARPET
was the next addition to the list on the last day of July while our frequent dusk sorties for

NIGHTJAR

appeared to show a decent increase in numbers

with a second nest in as many years being spotted from the footpath.
However, there was a downside as on those same visits Woodcock were all but absent.
Late summer brought with it our second only and strangely vocal

WOOD WARBLER
while back in the World of Moths the best was certainly saved until last.
Within a fortnight of each other, 15/08 and 26/08 respectivly, came unarguably the c2 best Insects of the year

SHINING MARBLED
and

SLENDER BURNISHED BRASS
both of course addition to the list.

 A mid-autumnal

GREAT WHITE EGRET
was only our forth ever and the final 'goodie' of the year but with traps, or trap. being run to the bitter end we ended the Moth Season with a second only

STREAK

plus outrageous numbers of both

SCARCE MERVEILLE du JOUR
and

DECEMBER MOTH
Here's Hoping for 2021 - Good Luck to All!