SEPTEMBER 2024 – IN OR FROM MY GARDEN
I’ve not been out locally very
much due to some health issues, so I’ve concentrated my efforts on things seen
in or from my garden (in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire).
It’s been a rather mixed array of
birds; insects; one mammal species; and amphibians, but a very disappointing
period for butterflies generally (except for Small and Large Whites).
Like the butterflies, dragonflies
have proved rather sparse over the summer, although things picked up a touch
early this month when a female Southern Hawker flew round the pond twice in one
day, and again once the following day. A pair of Common Darters visited the
pond separately one morning earlier in the month, then later the same day, the
pair was seen in tandem hovering over the pond, with the female depositing
eggs. Only one photograph - of the male, away from the pond - was possible,
however. A singleton Emperor and a couple of Migrant Hawkers were observed over
the garden, but did not visit the pond.
Other highlights included watching
a dog fox searching for food outside my front garden shortly before midnight one
night. I was lucky enough to watch it for at least 15 minutes before it
sauntered off into the night, but street lighting (which was due to go off at
1.00pm) allowed a much better view than otherwise might have been the case.
Another highlight was the
discovery of at least four frogs in my wildlife pond when I cleared away some
of the vegetation that had encroached during the summer. The odd thing about
this was that at least three of the frogs (apart from varying sizes) had
completely different colouration and markings – as is evidenced by one of the
included photographs.
Another very welcome sighting/s
included my first ever sizeable flock of House Martins moving through on the
evening of 25th September – at least 10 birds involved – when I’ve only managed singletons previously. And at
08.30 hrs on 26th September, I had two (possibly even three) juvenile
Chiffchaffs moving quickly through the back garden, and not associated with any
movement of tits and other small passerines as one might expect at this time of
year.
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