Lock Down Wildlife

Easter 2020 was a non-event and our plans to spend it in Bristol at my sisters to celebrate my Mums birthday went right out of the window due to the continuing COVID-19 lock down. The weather continues to mock us too as it remains dry and sunny, unusual for Easter at the best of times although it is often quite breezy, and with a few days off work over the Easter period we enjoyed a quiet time at home instead.

I had the moth box out in the back yard overnight on Sunday April 12th and despite the strong overnight breeze I found 5 moths in the trap the next morning - 2 Common Quaker, 2 Tachystola acroxantha and a Garden Carpet.

Common Quaker, Backyard

Tachystola acroxantha

Garden Carpet

It remained very windy all day on Monday 13th April (Easter Monday) but I decided to walk to Blagdons Meadow by the River Plym for a look around. It was sunny and warm out of the wind and I patiently scanned the skies in the hope of finding a passing Red Kite or Osprey but with no luck. The Meadow was bone dry as I suspected (it hasn't really rained now for over 4 weeks) and there was no sign of any orchids but Cuckoo Flower was very noticeable. A Blackcap was also singing away and 2 Swallows flew over heading upriver and I did find my first Speckled Wood of the year along with a Peacock.

Cuckoo Flower, Blagdon's Meadow

Speckled Wood

I headed home via the allotment where I found another Speckled Wood and a pair of Orange Tips with the female watched laying eggs on a weedy plant.

Speckled Wood, The Allotment

Speckled Wood

Female Orange Tip

Tuesday 14th April was sunny again and the wind had eased a little and so I walked to Ford Park Cemetery for a look around.

A few Butterflies were flitting about in the more sheltered areas and I found a Holly Blue, a Peacock, a Speckled Wood, Large White, Small White and Orange Tip along with a very smart looking Small Tortoiseshell.

 Small Tortoiseshell, Ford Park Cemetery

Small White

2 Ravens, 2 Jay and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were also seen and Chiffchaff and Blackcap were heard before it was time to head back home.

 Raven

 Robin

Robin

Thursday 16th April and it was time for my weekly walk to Saltram on another sunny but breezy day although the wind did ease later and it became very warm.

The tide was quite high although Blaxton Meadow wasn't flooded and out roosting on the mud were 3 Little Egrets and 14 Shelduck. 6 Curlews flew in to roost and with them was a very smart summer plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit but they kept getting a bit of hassle from nearby Carrion Crows and eventually they all flew off downriver.

 Bar-tailed Godwit and Curlew, Blaxton Meadow

 Bar-tailed Godwit and Curlew

 Little Egret - pinky/orange feet and pinky/lilac lores

Little Egret

The usual birds were seen and heard - Redshank, Canada Goose, Herring Gull, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Stock Dove, Ring-necked Parakeet, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, etc. - and a Swallow collecting mud for a nest was very pleasing to see. A female Sparrowhawk and a pale Buzzard overhead caused a brief bit of consternation amongst the Herring Gulls roosting out on the River but despite scanning the skies there was still no sign of an Osprey or Red Kite. It was nice to see 2 female Wheatears although the views were distant and heat hazy but better views were had of a very confiding male White Wagtail as it fed on insects along the small beach by Saltram Quay.

 Canada Goose

 White Wagtail

 White Wagtail

 White Wagtail

White Wagtail

The warm weather meant there was plenty of insect activity and Orange Tip, Speckled Wood, Large White, Peacock, Small White and Small Tortoiseshell were seen along with a Brimstone Moth, 2 Green Longhorn moths (Adela reaumurella) and St.Marks flies.

 Brimstone Moth

 Adella reaumurella

 Adella reaumurella

St. Marks Fly - 9 days early! 

And so another enjoyable walk with a bit more variety this visit but it does seem like deja vu as I walk my set route in sunny skies every week although I will no doubt complain about the weather when it eventually breaks. And I am very lucky to be able to walk to Saltram from home for a much needed wildlife fix, especially with the lock down now being extended by another 3 weeks (and probably for longer again).

Plymouth Hoe and River Plym

The weird world of lockdown continues and it very much feels like Groundhog Day with "eat, sleep, work, repeat" very much the order of the day and not helped by the glorious weather we have had since it all began with every day seeming to be dry and sunny. Going to work is currently the most normal thing in my life even though it is not normal when I am there due to all the changes that have occurred to accomodate the expected Coronavirus influx and with staff going off sick to self isolate for 7 or 14 days or 12 weeks the rota has had to be flexible too resulting in my early shift on Tuesday April 7th having to be changed to a night shift. It was a sunny but breezy day and so I decided to take a lunchtime walk to Plymouth Hoe for a quick look around before my looming night shift.

I had 2 targets in mind, the first being Sandwich Tern which I quickly connected with as I scanned around from Duttons Cafe. There were at least 9 birds present but they were very mobile around The Cattewater and along The Hoe so assessing numbers was difficult but never before have I felt so pleased to see and hear my first Sandwich Terns of the year in these weird times.

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Terns

Sandwich Terns

My second target was Holly Blue and I eventually found 2 flitting about the ivy growing up the walls of The Citadel along with a confiding Woodpigeon and lots of bees and flies.

Holly Blue

Holly Blue

Woodpigeon

Bee Sp.

Bee Sp.

Thursday April 9th and I decided to take my weekly walk to Saltram on what was a sunny and eventually very warm day. The tide was ebbing and out on the mudflats of the River Plym there were the usual birds with 3 Oystercatcher, 1 Curlew and 10 Redshank seen along with Shelduck, Canada Geese, Little Egret and 2 Grey Heron.

 Grey Heron and Little Egrets, Laira Bridge

Grey Heron and Little Egrets

A Swallow gave away its prescence as it flew overhead, chittering away in the sunshine, and Chiffchaff and Blackcap were very vocal in the undergrowth although the Blackcap mostly sang from within cover with the Chiffchaff being much more showy. A Stock Dove cooed and a Ring-necked Parakeet screeched in the trees, both giving brief views, but a pair of Stock Dove were seen flying across the mudflats before setting down. Nuthatch were vocal and showy too and quite confiding, maybe due to the reduced numbers of human visitors to the Park at the moment.

Nuthatch, Saltram

A pair of Mandarin were again on the small pond in the woods but were disturbed by some dogs and flew off towards Saltram House.

Mandarin, Saltram

A Comma, a male Brimstone (in the same place as I have seen one on my previous 2 visits and maybe the same individual?), 2 Holly Blue, Peacocks, Small Whites, Orange Tips (including a single female) and Large White were all flitting about but in the warm sunshine they didn't settle for any photographs.

I checked out some of the gorse bushes I came across on my walk in the vain hope of finding some Green Hairstreaks but without any luck although I will keep checking. I did however find quite a few Sloe Bugs on the gorse although they were very active and regularly flew off when I approached them.

Sloe Bug

Another very pleasant walk in these strange times and one that is becoming routine and familiar, it will be interesting to see how the wildlife changes week by week as the year progresses.

And with the warm weather I had another go with the moth box in the back yard that evening and on checking the next morning I had 3 moths of 3 species - Herald, Common Quaker and a male Muslin Moth.

 Herald

 Common Quaker

 Muslin Moth

 Muslin Moth

Muslin Moth