Several people have sent in contributions at the end of week two of the ‘lock-down.
From Doug: Whilst wending my way to recover my moth traps from the allotments near our house, I heard a Greater Spotted Woodpecker drumming, which started a train of thought about other woodpeckers that have been seen in Silkstone Common.
I have not heard a Green Woodpecker’s yaffling call for a while and wondered if any others have seen or heard one in their area. All this underlines the importance of recording not just rare species but more common ones that may decline.
This weeks insect sightings have been low due to the colder weather and I have recorded the following moths: Small Quaker, Common Quaker, Clouded Drab and Hebrew Character. Highlight of the week my first record of a Red Mining Bee for 2020. Stay safe and well, Doug
From Gill’s garden in Dodworth: Here the Chiffchaff has been silent today and I feel that it is the herald for Summer for me. It is calling from Ratten Row, Dodworth and all the scrubby and so far undeveloped land (thank goodness) on Strafford Walk. It was a bit closer on Saturday but I still claimed it for my weekly BTO listing this last week – the first quarter!
From my greenhouse this afternoon a Song Thrush popped up from the scrub and then went into the thicket/ back hedge and that is another favourite bird of mine. Is it nesting?‑ I shall be watching!
We too have had up to a dozen or more Blue Tits this winter and now there is a threesome and bound to be some disappointment there. Also we often get pheasants and on Saturday the shorter-tailed cock pheasant had two ladies in tow and another that hadn’t had its tail damaged was a Johnny no mate!
Stuart’s account of Lock-Down in Penistone: We have also got into a bit of routine this past week which includes morning coffee in the garden summer house. Now, this is nothing very grand and is smack bang in the centre of Penistone, but we do have bird feeders which I top up while my wife makes the tea and coffee. We have a good head of House Sparrows which are always entertaining as well as visits from Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Dunnock, Robin and Blackbird. What you might call the staple urban species.
We also have a good many Jackdaws (we had eight all at the same time today) one of which is “pied” with a mix of black and pure white feathers. We also get a regular pair of Wood Pigeons which after clearing out the seed tray soon start kissing and canoodling which today got even more serious and x-rated; they certainly know it is Spring! As well as the garden entertainment we also get the “fly-pasts” with regular Canada Geese and even a pair of Buzzards that maybe are using the thermals of Tesco`s roof to their advantage.
After our morning coffee we go out for our “one-exercise-a-day-walk” this takes us up past the Penistone Show Ground fields and for a nice circular walk. When the weather has been warm we have had good sightings of butterflies (Peacock and Tortoiseshell) as well bumblebees. The birds have also been interesting with Curlew, Lapwings and Skylark all within 15 to 20 minutes walk of the Tesco store in Penistone town centre. I am sure there will even more to see in the coming weeks (months!). Stuart
More on bees another time. And let’s have your observations of butterflies and moths (Jill spotted a Brimstone on 22 March), frog and toad spawn (Monica reported 7 frogs with spawn on 31 March), hedgehogs appearing, and birds nesting. Or anything else of note!
We have enjoyed seeing the hairy-footed flower bees in our garden. Here is the female in the pulmonaria.