Insects and birds

Field Grasshopper

Field Grasshopper

Field Grasshoppers are currently enjoying basking on the boarding around our vegetable plot. Ellen has particularly enjoyed picking them up and watching them jump. This is the species that makes a single very short buzz repeated four or five times.

Small Coppers are here in record numbers, we counted 12 yesterday around this plant - anyone know the name of this horticultural species?

Grelyags flew over the garden heading south yesterday, it would be nice to think they were "real" ones especially as Pink-feet were moving south on the coast. There were another four tagging along with these. In the past we have got only low flying birds off the moor entering our air space.

Nuthatch nearly made it on to the "in the garden" list today missing by about 20m. I didn't see it fly in to the plantation so although it headed off west and probably came in from the east can't count it on the "in the garden (+airspace)" list; just the "seen from the garden" list where there was one previous record. Also today Blackcap again, continuing to be elusive in the brambles and elders.