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6 Sep As it turned out, it was mostly a pleasant day today - sunshine and showers predominating. Lots going on along Fairlawn Road at around 11.30 this morning - at least one CHIFFCHAFF calling and singing near the bridge, and a good-sized party of LONG TAILED and GREAT TITS whizzing around near the junction with Ashley Hill. A spectacular moment, however, occurred at the bottom of the railway path, when I heard the trilling alarm-calls of the Long-Tailed Tits and saw a female SPARROWHAWK heading straight for me, passing only two feet above my head! She disappeared over the roof of the Old Malthouse! At the station, a JAY was foraging on the ground near the new telecom tower, then flew onto the tracks at the mouth of the tunnel. Also there were 3 or 4 BLACKBIRDS and about 6 HOUSE SPARROWS. A GREY WAGTAIL called overhead -this is a bird I only see in Monty during the autumn and winter. Last night an ANGLE SHADES moth was attracted to the kitchen light - it is amazing how moths still fly in wind and heavy rain! I notice what I assume to be several plants of PERENNIAL WALL-ROCKET near the hoardings at the bottom of Station Road. |
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Angle Shades moth |
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Perennial Wall-Rocket |
4 Sep Oh dear what a horrible wet morning and showery evening! This meant I really could not see much at all today except for a JAY in St Andrews Park this evening. Tomorrow is going to be even worse apparently! |
3 Sep A pleasant sunny morning. At the station a JAY flew into a tree and a party of BLUE TITS were feeding nearby. Jays become much more conspicuous at this time of the year as they disperse following a busy breeding season. |
2 Sep A nice sunny morning - I stepped out at 8.55, calling in at the park on my way to work - a JACKDAW flew over Richmond Road but there was not much to see in the park except for some BLUE TITS. I popped into St Pauls Park and had good views of a JAY flying from tree to tree, and GREAT TITS sang enthusiastically. In the garden this evening was a juvenile WOODPIGEON and a WREN doing its scolding alarm call. Yesterday I took a photo of a MALE FERN in a garden at the top of St Andrews Road. This lovely fern has lots of folklore attached to it - it was believed that the plant's spores could make you invisible, and its roots were traditionally dug up on St John's Eve, carved into the shape of a hand, baked, and used as a charm to ward off evil spirits. |
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