ED Nature Watch

[TheTruthisOut]

I spotted this lovely moth feeding on red valerian in Faversham in July. I also had to google it! I have never seen one in London.

[Sue]

I've seen one in Venice (sorry to place drop).

It was feeding from flowers in a window box over a canal.

[Penguin68]

I've certainly seen them both in France and Italy, but never in the UK. However I believe they are not, in fact, that uncommon.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science-environment-36474577/hummingbird-moths-colonise-uk

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/read-and-learn/watching-birds/identify/hummingbirdhawkmoth/

[offspinner]

My wife and daughter saw a a hummingbird hawk-moth a couple of weeks ago at the Centre for Wildlife Gardening in Marsden Road. The only time I've seen one was in the gardens at at Glyndebourne (sorry to place-drop!).

[Peckhampam]

I saw one in my garden in Ondine Road. Maybe it was slumming it from the Centre for wildlife Gardening.

[Nigello]

Saw one today on a neighbour's buddleia.

[Sue]

There is something in my garden which looks like a very small damsel fly and is jumping up and down near the ground.

If disturbed it flies a short distance and then jumps up and down somewhere else.

Anybody know what it is?

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

A damsel in distress?

[Sue]

Ha ha ha :))

[Nigello]

Possibly a crane fly, which - I think - emerge from the ground around about this time of year but only live a day or two.

[Twilight2014]

That is appalling just to hear let alone see.

[Sue]

Nigello Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Possibly a crane fly, which - I think - emerge

> from the ground around about this time of year but

> only live a day or two.

Ah yes it could have been, but it didn't seem to have those long crane fly legs!

[Hillbilly29]

I've been lucky to see a few humming bird moths in our garden here just off Ruskin Park. Most years though not every one but still a delight

[Sue]

Just seen a bird of prey in my very small garden after hearing wings flapping.

Not sure what it was, but it wasn't a Peregrine Falcon.

Buzzard?

It saw me through the window and flew off before I could get a photo.

Only the second time I've ever seen one in the garden. The last one got a starling, and I've never seen a starling in the garden since.

Hope the sparrows come back :(

[BrandNewGuy]

Almost certainly a sparrowhawk, Sue. Looking to breakfast on your sparrows :-) Don't worry, the sparrows will be back.

 

[Sue]

Thanks BNG, yes that looks like it.

No sign of any sparrows this morning :(

[BrandNewGuy]

They'll be back ? they'll hunker down for a while out of view.

[red devil]

Just seen a cat with a squirrel in it's mouth being chased by a fox down my garden. 30 secs later the fox is running back up the garden with the squirrel in it's mouth. I thought cats were supposed to be quick...

[louisemurray]

Boy I wish I'd seen that! Lucky you

[Sue]

My eagle-eyed partner spotted THREE goldfinches in a tree overlooking my garden yesterday!

Maybe the nigella seed I have been hopefully putting out for ages is finally attracting them ....

The sparrows haven't returned yet though - I can hear them twittering away in somebody else's garden :(

[red devil]

Goldfinches go nuts for sunflower heart seeds, it's the crack cocaine of the bird world...

[Sue]

Ah, thanks for that, I shall get some and try - I like goldfinches!

[sallyfran]

Keep going with the nigella seed Sue. We regularly get one goldfinch on every perch (6 in total) of our nigella feeder and over the summer had at least two families with young birds coming to feed. At one point there must have been 12 or more in the garden. I think they have become very common around here now.

[Sue]

Ah, thanks, that's good to hear!

[Jenny1]

I keep disturbing frogs trying to hunker down for hibernation - stressful for all concerned. Just have to be ultra cautious when moving anything I guess.