On Monday I took myself north of the Thames for a plod around some of the farmland just north of Orsett. It was mild but fairly grey nut at least there was some autumnal colour in the trees. It started quite well with a couple of Brambling feeding with nearly 50 Chaffinches in some stubble along a field margin. There were a couple of Siskins calling overhead and Goldcrests moved through the adjacent trees with a Tit flock. My hopes of a farmland bird filled walk sort of ended there and the ensuing four slowly walked miles produced just one Yellowhammer (where have they all gone?) and just a few Meadow Pipit, Skylark and a solitary Reed Bunting.
A dapper little orange Robin - probably of Continental origin
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| White Dead Nettle |
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| Hogweed |
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| Yarrow - there were quite a few species still in flower |
Gulls constantly moved west in purposeful ‘v’s to the
landfill site with many Great Black-backs amongst them but I did not see a
single Lapwing and not even many Woodpigeons.
What there were was hundreds of bewildered Red-legged Partridges erupting
from the margins and dotted across the winter wheat fields but conversely not
that many Pheasants at all.
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| mmm... not ideal |
A couple of Buzzards were out and about worming and a Kestrel
gave chase of one bird while a Green Woodpecker probed around a front lawn of one of the farms
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| Common Buzzard |
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| A damp Green Woodpecker |
To be honest I ended up looking for moth leaf mines as I walked along hedge rows and roadsides so that at least there would be some biodiversity to report. Needless to say I deluged Antony Wren with half labelled images that evening and he was able to advise appropriately and it would appear that I found 22 different identifiable species along with several annoying ones on English Oak that were ‘above his pay grade’.
So I apologise for the next splurge of images
comprising of bits of leaves with wiggles, blotches or folds each of which
would have and in some cases still did have the larva of some very beautiful
but truly miniscule mothlets… Putting
them in my blog helps me to learn and although I only have a cursory interest
it is still a fascinating but complicated extra subject to add to my natural history knowledge.
Enjoy!
Or if not, then look away now!
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| Cameraria ohridella on Horse Chestnut |
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| Cameraria ohridella on Horse Chestnut |
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| Coptotriche marginea on Bramble |
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| Ectoedemia erythrogenella on Bramble |
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| Ectoedemia heringella on Holm Oak |
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| Ectoedemia heringella on Holm Oak |
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| Leucoptera malifoliella on Apple |
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| Leucoptera malifoliella on Apple |
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| Lyonetia clerkella on Hazel |
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| Lyonetia clerkella on Apple |
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| Lyonetia clerkella on Apple |
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| Lyonetia clerkella on Cherry |
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| Phyllonorcter joannasi on Norway Maple |
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| Phyllonorycter acerifoliella on Field Maple |
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| Phyllonorycter acerifoliella on Field Maple |
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| Phyllonorycter geniculella on Sycamore |
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| Phyllonorycter leucographella on Apple |
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| Phyllonorycter leucographella on Apple |
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| Phyllonorycter leucographella on Pyracantha |
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| Phyllonorycter messaniella on Sweet Chestnut |
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| Phyllonorycter messaniella on Sweet Chestnut |
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| Phyllonorycter oxyacanthea on Hawthorn |
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| Phyllonorycter oxyacanthea on Hawthorn |
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| Phyllonorycter schreberella L & Stigmella viscerella R on Elm |
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| Phyllonorycter schreberella R & Stigmella viscerella L on Elm |
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| Phyllonorycter tristrigella on Elm |
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| Phyllonorycter tristrigella on Elm |
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| Phyllonorycter tristrigella on Elm |
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| Phyllonorycter tristrigella on Elm |
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| Stigmella aceris on Field Maple |
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| Stigmella aurella on Bramble |
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| Stigmella lemniscella on Elm |
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| Stigmella salicis group on Osier |
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| Stigmella samiatella on Sweet Chestnut |
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| Stigmella speciosa on Sycamore |
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| Stigmella tityrella on Beech |
