Newport Garden Log - 6 Apr 20 to 8 Apr 20

Here are the results of another three days in lockdown. Different photos of birds are getting hard to find. To compensate a reasonable array of insects and spiders despite the garden having no flowers to speak of. More in a few days

Monday 06 April 2020

First garden Chiffchaff passed through early. Otherwise Sparrowhawk displaying and Kestrel carrying food were notable.

I found a small bug, and a small spider. I also noted different leaf-mines in my Cherry Laurel that I managed to provisionally ID.

List for the day
Canada Goose, Mallard, Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Wood Pigeon, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, House Martin, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Greenfinch, Goldfinch

Pipistrelle-type bat

Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax)
Small red and black bug perhaps Anthocoris nemorum
Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) leaf mines, possible 21.001 Lyonetia clerkella (aka Apple Leaf-miner)
spider sp.

Some images from today:

Not my best shot of a Sparrowhawk. I have included it because it shows the wing action of a displaying male bird – the slightly rufous tone to the body confirms it as a male. It real life that was evident on size too – males significantly smaller than females. Only when displaying would the wings be held in a ‘V’ as here.

An equally poor shot but visible here are the fluffed-out undertail coverts, also only seen when the bird is displaying over its territory. From the side it can make it appear the bird has a white rump.

Quite a different shape if a similar size. Note the long narrow and pointed wings. The tail is held tightly closed in level flight and is also long and pointed. This Common Kestrel shot over the garden carrying prey. An unusual sighting for me overhead.

One of the Feral Pigeons looking down – moments later it dived in to a nearby garden. Food I guess. Note the white rump that these birds show, unlike the superficially similar Stock Dove.

You do not have to be in a bird hide to get close-ups of Blue Tits. This noisy individual was in a bush in the garden.

It appears to have found some string which it is ripping apart no doubt to use as nesting material. Blue Tits always look as if they are concentrating intensely.

All gathered ready to go?

An unusual angle – a Dunnock in full song.

After some deliberation I have decided this is a bug and not a beetle – in the latter group the hardened front wings (elytra) covers the entire body, whereas with bugs the front wings are short and often only partially hardened. My best guess is a plant bug and very provisionally Anthocoris nemorum (no vernacular name for individual species in this large group). Note how small this is against the veins of a leaf.

Pale on the front two-pairs of legs means this is a Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax).

Another with its rear legs neatly together. Note the shading in the wings of this male – the eyes meet in male hoverflies. Not all references illustrate this wing-shading.

And here he is again rubbing his hands with glee (over the photo royalties ...?)

This is the leaf of a Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) with a leaf mines, probably produced by the moth Lyonetia clerkella (aka Apple Leaf-miner). Moths (and flies) that emerge from leaf-mines are all very small and inconspicuous, usually have a short life as winged adults and are rarely encountered. Keep the leaf in a container and see what hatches!

One of the spiders I found – a very small specimen apparently wearing boxing gloves! Large palps in reality.

Indeed ‘hairy’ palps. No idea as to the species

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Tuesday 07 April 2020

New bird species
None

Several sightings of Canada Geese in pairs low overhead. I wonder whether they are searching for a local nest site. I do not recall this from previous years, though at the time of day I saw these I would typically be at Priorslee Lake.

Pairs of Jackdaws were busy flying too and fro collecting nesting material.

Managed to confirm my first Peacock (Aglais io) butterfly after several possible fly-throughs.

Also new was a different var. succinea form of Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis). Also my first Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare).

After dusk the local pipistrelle-type bat appeared again – there does seem to be only one.

The list for the day
Canada Goose, Common Buzzard, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Feral Pigeon, Wood Pigeon, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, House Martin, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Greenfinch, Goldfinch

Pipistrelle-type bat

Peacock (Aglais io)
Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax)
Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Tawny Mining Bee (Andrena fulva)
Blue Mason Bee (Osmia caerulescens)
Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) var. succinea

Some images from today:

This small insect is a Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare). My first of the year. The flowers are from a Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus).

Again showing rather better at least part of the body pattern that was somewhat obscured by the folded wings in the previous shot.

This insect has long antenna and is therefore a bee and not a hoverfly. I am still trying to get to grips with this group. However I am reasonably confident this is a male Blue Mason Bee (Osmia caerulescens).

Compare with a male Tawny Mining Bee (Andrena fulva).

This is the succinea form of the Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis). Usually with 17 or (as here) 19 spots.

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Wednesday 08 April 2020

Not much to note with birds in and around the garden. Still seems to be at most two House Martins in the area and these rather intermittently. A single Black-headed Gull over was unusual at this date here.

One new insect was an unidentified very tiny beetle. Another sighting of Dark-edged Bee-fly.

In addition to the two previously logged spiders – Garden Spider and Stretch spider sp. (seen with prey), I noted three other species, two of which I have managed to identify.

The list for the day
Canada Goose, Common Buzzard, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Feral Pigeon, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, House Martin, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Greenfinch, Goldfinch

Peacock butterfly (Aglais io)
Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax)
Tawny Mining Bee (Andrena fulva)
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Dark-edged Bee-fly (Bombylius major)
very small beetle sp.

Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
Stretch spider sp. (Tetragnatha extensa?)
small green spider (Nigma walckenaeri)
small jumping(?) spider (Salticus scenicus)
fifth spider sp. unidentified.

Some images from today:

A Dark-edged Bee-fly (Bombylius major) was back after a few days’ absence. Here it is castings its shadow while hovering in front of the fence, looking for a sunny spot in which to bask.

Now settled and allowing me an angled shot with the markings in the left wing clear of shadows and reflections.

I do like male Tawny Mining Bees (Andrena fulva).

Much spider action today. This is the stretch spider sp. (possibly Tetragnatha extensa?) that I photographed on Sunday. It now has a meal – not sure what of.

Note how the spider’s legs are still attached to the web while it is having its meal.

A tiny well-camouflaged green spider. Note the web-like strands across the leaf. I assume these are to ensnare small walking creatures. I am fairly certain it is Nigma walckenaeri. My reference Here notes that it “spins an indiscreet sheet web across the upper surface of a leaf”.

This is a typical Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus) in the centre of its web.

This seems also to be a Garden Spider all hunched up.

Another tiny spider today looking rather like a jumping spider, though I did not see it jump. This seems to be Salticus scenicus, sometimes called Zebra spider. Big ‘spotlights’ in the top of its skull – just some of its eyes.

Done quite well in identifying things today but I will have to pass on this spider. The back markings are not dissimilar to a Garden Spider – as they are in many species – but the front part of the body (the cephalothorax) is a different shape and the palps are too large.

I will also have to pass on this minute beetle sp. Compare with one of my dirty finger nails (well I was gardening at the time).

Oh! What’s that? A bird? Superman? No a plane! A rare sighting these days. It is a Cargolux Boeing 747 freighter en route to Luxembourg from the US. You can see the airline name and logo under the forward fuselage as it passes over at 35000’. Many freight aircraft are being kept busy flying medical equipment.

(Ed Wilson)