Moth Quiz 9
Fe stands out in Blyth and WrightAnswer: Iron prominent
Moth Quiz 10
This raptor is well liked in Lombardy
Friday May 8
Viv has just arrived with a package containing two scones and two slices of Chocolate Cake. Pam's very happy. This is for this afternoon's virtual VE Day street party, about which I knew nothing. I've given up watching the Covid19 News at 10. I actually said to Pam that it would be good to go back to the normal stuff like murders, shooting and badly behaved youngsters. Not really.......
Adrian has been at work this morning. Maincrop potatoes planted, growbag in the lean-to greenhouse ready for the pepper plants, frame with the second growbag on top on the patio, ready for planting. The rocks have been moved back to the edge of the raised bed ready for me to place them and a bag of JI3 spread on the centre section. The alpine planting medium is 50/50 JI3 and alpine grit. Over the years, the surface layer of grit has sunk, making the soil much grittier than it should be. I shall rake in the JI.before planting the new flowers.
Over the years, the vegetable bed soil has been improved by the addition of truckloads of mushroom compost, bags of peat dug from the Black Mountains every time I went home to Cwmgiedd (allowable then), and horse manure. The original claggy soil is now an agreeable tilth, still containing a percentage of sand - which we find when washing newly dug potatoes - making it necessary to water the crops in dry weather, as it drains well.
Today's title. I thought that I knew the common names of most of our plants. A neighbour contacted me to ask if we needed anything picked up from the surgery At the same time she wrote that she was fed up with digging up all the Sticky Willy. I had to look it up. That had my mind racing. I know it as Goosegrass!
Doing some dead-heading yesterday using my freshly sharpened secateurs, I became aware of at least three male Orange-tip Butterflies and one Holly Blue flitting fast around me. I still haven't given up hope of one actually landing near enough and long enough to photograph so I was equipped with my camera. One actually landed on a red flower, for a nanosecond. I shall try again, and again.
There were Swifts and the occasional House Martin, appearing sporadically, high overhead. Using my 100mm macro lens, I had a go at those too. At least I got some sort of a result.
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House Martin
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The back garden male Blackbird has become very confiding, waiting beside us within touching distance when we are in the garden. He's beginning to look rather frazzled fulfilling his paternal duties to the vocal nestlings calling from the honeysuckle below the Grey Heron weather vane. He was talking softly to me yesterday.
The front garden Blackbird is less tame but the front Robin is there as soon as Pam appears with the egg boxes to free any moths trapped overnight. Shades of Natural Surroundings.
We had two new for the year (NFY) moth this morning. A Lychnis, and a Pug which we haven't definitely identified yet. Probably Currant Pug.
We intend taking part in the NENBC (North East Norfolk Bird Club) Garden Big Sit to-morrow. Our Ridlington garden lies within the club's boundaries. From the newsletter :
We intend taking part in the NENBC (North East Norfolk Bird Club) Garden Big Sit to-morrow. Our Ridlington garden lies within the club's boundaries. From the newsletter :
The Big Sit 2020 – Saturday 9th May 2020
For this year only we are adapting the rules to fit with Government Coronavirus guidelines. As the nature of this activity is largely sedentary, it cannot be incorporated within your daily exercise routine. This year’s Big Sit is a ‘Stay at Home’ event - limited to your home and garden. The objective is to get as many households involved as possible, from across the whole NENBC area, and between us see how many species we can record in total. We’re just one big team!
1. The Big Sit begins at midnight and end 24 hours later. You can watch for as long or as little as you like, within that time period.
2. Any members of the same household can take part in your Big Sit - participants can work in shifts. No one person needs to be there throughout the whole Big Sit although you can be if you want! Your garden area can be left and returned to as frequently as desired.
3. Observations can only be made from your home or garden - you are not limited to the traditional 17ft circle!
4. All birds, heard or seen in or from your home / garden can be included. ‘Single observer’ records count.
5. Please keep a record of each new species and the first time you hear or see it. Attached is a handy checklist in alphabetical order and you can just write the appropriate time against the species (eg: 08:30 for the Blue Tit and Rook, 08:45 for the Great Tit etc).
6. After your Big Sit, if possible please enter your sightings on the Club website. If you are struggling with that then please email Carol instead at nenbc@aol.co.uk
For this year only we are adapting the rules to fit with Government Coronavirus guidelines. As the nature of this activity is largely sedentary, it cannot be incorporated within your daily exercise routine. This year’s Big Sit is a ‘Stay at Home’ event - limited to your home and garden. The objective is to get as many households involved as possible, from across the whole NENBC area, and between us see how many species we can record in total. We’re just one big team!
1. The Big Sit begins at midnight and end 24 hours later. You can watch for as long or as little as you like, within that time period.
2. Any members of the same household can take part in your Big Sit - participants can work in shifts. No one person needs to be there throughout the whole Big Sit although you can be if you want! Your garden area can be left and returned to as frequently as desired.
3. Observations can only be made from your home or garden - you are not limited to the traditional 17ft circle!
4. All birds, heard or seen in or from your home / garden can be included. ‘Single observer’ records count.
5. Please keep a record of each new species and the first time you hear or see it. Attached is a handy checklist in alphabetical order and you can just write the appropriate time against the species (eg: 08:30 for the Blue Tit and Rook, 08:45 for the Great Tit etc).
6. After your Big Sit, if possible please enter your sightings on the Club website. If you are struggling with that then please email Carol instead at nenbc@aol.co.uk
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