September

A month of weather

Max rain fall = 118.1mm            Max Temp = 24.2 on the 21st

Min Temp = 5.5 on the 8th               Max Wind 20.8 m/h on 21st

30th. As the month draws to a close the garden is still holding onto the summer warmth. Daily temps are still reasonable with 15 - 16 deg being reached right up to the last day. This unseasonable warmth is reflected in the colour which is still very srong with Rudbekia, Cosmos,Solidago, Morning Glory and Clematis which is having a second flowering. The trees are still mainly in full leaf colour with only the Silver Birch of next door giving the time of year away as some of the leaves turn yellow and fall. As I write this at 17:40 the sun still shines and the clouds are wispy. I just hope that we do not miss out on Autumn and go straight into a freezing Winter!

Bird life is still very muted and only six Swallows that passed at 13:30 this afternoon have given cause for any bird activity of any note. I imagine these Swallows are the last I will see this year and draws the curtain on a Sept month which has been more noted for the unusual warmth rather that any bird activity or visit.

Visits from the Hummingbird Hawkmoth have continued right up to the last day, usually in the first light of the morning or in the late afternoon/evenings. One visitor that has been noted by it';s absence is the Hedgehog which has now not been seen since early July. I fear they may not have bred successfully locally which is always a shame.

24th. Very warm and muggy conditions have been abundant since the last entry with a max of 24.2 deg being recorded on the 21st at 16:30. Very little rain in the latter stages of the month has fallen, and only the heavy downfalls at the start of the month which have lead to the 104mm total so far.

The garden remains quiet as again most of the visitors are choosing to take mother natures offerings instead of the artificial offerings in the feeders. I always dislike it when this occurs as the shortening days mean I can not get my daily fill of the bird activity. It is not getting light until about 07:00 now and I set off for work at around 07:10 so I can only catch sight of any early birds. One benefit to this time of year is the chance of seeing something that may not be a regular to the garden and on the 23rd this proved the case as a Great spotted Woodpecker decided to have a look at the offerings. I presume that this individual may be of this years young which is probably leaving the comfort of the parents ground and searching for it's own. It is one of those birds which I think has a magical element to it and always carries a hint of excitement as it hammers away at your peanuts and fat.  A poor image which was taken through double glazing and about 60 foot away. Well worth it's inclusion though as this may be the only Woodpecker I see in the garden for quite a few months. I have, in the past, seen them around the middle of October so I hope that this bird decides to return.

Today A trip to Hollingworth Lake 30mins from my home will possibly change my digiscoping equipment as I look to replace my Nikon 4500 with a more user friendly camera and one which is a lot lighter, faster and smaller. A respected Digiscoper Paul Hackett is there offering advice along with a lot of other optics companies so I shall be taking some equipment to see if I can get satisfactory results with the Samsung NV3 which has caught my eye.

18th. A visit to Spurn Point in East Yorkshire was the journeys end on Sunday the 17th.

My wife and I set off at 04:00 and picked my Dad up on the way. After approx 2 1/2 hours later we found the weather a bit like hard work, not due to cold or rain, but due to a thick mist which was getting worse not better as the day wore on. Considering the time of year and the fact that we were on a very narrow strip of land which juts into the sea for about 2 miles we should be greatful of no cold winds. It is always a special place for a birder to visit as alsmost anything can turn up due to it's positioning for migratory birds to leave or land depending on season and bird. It ws not long as the "big" bird of the day turned up in the shape of a Honey Buzzard which was a lifer for my wife and I. After quite a lot of time taken scanning the Sea Buckthorn and surrounding vegitation it was clear that a large fall of Chaffinch had arrived. Whinchat, Whitethroat, Yellow wagtails, kestrels, and Blackcaps all showed with other birds also present. In total 48 species were spotted which for a visit to Spurn is qhite low for me.

We also spotted Hummingbird Hawk-Moth which fed right in front of us but sadly non of the photos were good enough due in part to poor light. On our way home we stopped off to pick up some fresh crab and headed West. The weather was surprisingly pleasant as we neared home with warm sunshine abounding.

On the 17th Mandy and I tried in vane to get a good photo of the frequent visits by the Hummingbird Hawkmoth to our garden but non were of good quality with much blur in evidence. Then as Mandy walked away she noticed that it had come to rest on a tall Cosmos plant. I can only describe the scenes as Paparazzi "V" Hawkmoth as our lenses got closer and closer with fingers pressing down the shutter faster and faster.......no need really as he stayed like this for a good 10mins.

The Moth looks totally different in a stationary position with non of the bright orange hind wings which are so showy present. It is still my wish to capture it in flight but sadly I fear I will have to wait until next year as this little beauty was later flying with a certain slowness and wandering which suggested it may be coming to the end of it's life.

12th.  First of all let me make note of the weather that has been lovely for the last 4 days with plenty of sun and light winds for most of the weekend. A high of 22.7 deg was reached on the 11th at 15:30. This high temps has been accompanied with quite muggy conditions with dew points reaching 17.9 which reads as "uncomfortable". The high temps and cloudless skies overnight have also created cool nights where the temp has dropped as low as 5.5 deg, something that quite a few of the plants have not liked.

The garden is showing signs of the fast approaching Autumn as leaves on a Birch are yellowing and starting to fall.The small passage of birds continues with several sightings of Willow Warblers on their journey South. Bird numbers are still low and not much food has been taken. I gave the bird feeders a good clean on Sunday due to the news of a disease that is hitting finches for the first time this year. I will be putting a little section on the homepage to bring this to people who feed birds in the garden. If nothing else it will serve as a timely reminder of hygiene and vigilance around the feeding areas. I have spotted a Greenfinch with a problem that would suggest Salmonella, which is not unusual by the way at this time of year. If you would like to find more info about this please check the homepage.

Due to the balmy weather we have had good numbers of Butterflies with many Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Peacock, Whites and even a lovely Comma which hung around feeding on Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' for a long time. This plant has probably been the longest flowering in the garden this year. It is still in full bloom with no signs of giving up with the suberb bright glow really brightening up the fading colours in the garden. As I looked out of the window at 06:30 this morning I again saw a HummingBird HawkMoth which zipped around the Purple Loosestrife for a short time and then disappeared.

As I was talking to a neighbour this evening we had two failed strikes by a Male Sparrowhawk which has not been a regular over the last twelve months. I know a lot of people struggle with the idea of a Sparrowhawk taking birds but I always enjoy watching it's agility in the hunt.

5th.  I forgot to mention in the diary in August but we brought more than be bargained for back from the Bird Fair, as from under the bonnet of the car I spotted this beast emerging up from a gap between the wing and bonnet. It was photographed identified and then put into habitat that was more suitable for it. We choose not to put it in a neighbours privets as there would be chance of decapitation.

The Privet Hawk Moth

It was quite a sight as it's size was about 100mm long with a large girth.

The temps are staying quite low at the moment with highs of 19.8 and lows of 11.9 deg so far this month. The rain has been a constant presence with 52.8mm falling already in September. I have put the wind sensor of the new weather station on top of a 3m pole in the garden so as to get a better reading. It took some setting up with the pole needing to be absolutely vertical and then setting the wind sensor direction to TRUE NORTH. This was calculated and it was found I had to adjust the fixing of north by three degrees west. All sorted now so I have just got to find a more suitable place for the rain collector as this is in a easily disturbed spot and probably to close to a fence.

A late evening update as two Jays were seen flying over the garden just before the last light faded. This has been noted in the last few weeks each evening sometimes with much noisey accompaniment. A similar ritual has also started with a Tawny Owl calling at about 20:15 and then a shadow is seen against the pale night sky as it flies slowly North West to its night time haunt.