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Sunday, 7 July 2019

Some July finds I'm excited about


Giant Puffball found at Hanson Lane in a very urban garden. Now mostly eaten. It fries beautifully brown and absorbs other flavours.


Wood Tiger moth at Crimsworth Dean


Wood Tiger showing its underwings. I saw my first one the week before at Gibson Mill. I'd never heard of it before!  Seen on a butterfly survey with Hardcastle Crags National Trust volunteers.


Willow Warbler nest at Jerusalem Farm. It builds a roofed-over nest with a side entrance similar to its relatives the Chiff-chaff and the Wood Warbler. When we found it last week the adults were busy feeding chicks (Annie brought my attention to them) but the nest was on a steep bank, cleverly built among thick grass with thistles and Dog-rose, making it impossible to check the contents without beating a path up to it. So finding it empty today (we waited about 15 minutes to see if the adults were still feeding,) and no signs of predation I can record it at least as a successful nest with young fledged in the first week of July. I record nest histories for the BTO, but don't find many warbler nests!


3 comments:

  1. The wood tiger is lovely. How was it caught?

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  2. Natalie (our Projectionist at the HSS) caught it a net. I was joining in with the Hardcastle Crags volunteers on a butterfly survey for the National Trust.

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  3. An interesting post, Steve. Great to get the Wood Tiger and the Willow Warbler nest info.

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