Lowestoft Life - 22nd - 25th January 2024

With milder but very windy and occasionally wet weather of the last week, I set about attempting to get several ton of gravel removed from my front garden in preparation for the digging of the hole for the pond.  Social media is a wonderful thig at times and a succession of very happy people had cleared almost all of it by Friday evening leaving me to plan for the week ahead. 

There has been very little in the way of new garden wildlife although two Pisaura mirabilis were out sunbathing in the catio one day and I found active mothy leaf mines whilst clearing a path through the Bramble clump up against the door of the garage at the bottom of the garden. 

Pisaura mirabilis

Pisaura mirabilis

Ectoedemia heringella 

Coptotriche marginea

Stigmella aurella

I am leaving the brash pile in front as a buffer and will be planting a small hedge in the run I made between it and the door which will still have Bramble and Ivy clambering up it.  There are so few back garden trees around here – many having removed in recent years (you can see where they were on Google earth!) that I need to get something growing upwards to attract in the birds and other wildlife.

On Thursday night  Antony and I headed out at dusk down to Frostenden Corner to see what Moths may be on the wing.  It was 10c and potentially could have been quite moth busy.  As it was it was fairly quiet although we did find a couple of Dotted Border (new to me), nine Chestnuts with glowing red eyes, Pale Brindled Crescent, Winter Moth and two micros with Tortrocodes alternella and Aganopterix heracliana.

Antony netting in the main beam by walking ahead of the car

Dotted Border

Pale Brindled Crescent  - Antony Wren

Tortrocodes alternella  - Antony Wren

Chestnut  - Antony Wren

It was a Slugfest once again but at east I now know that the grey ones amongst the Yellow Slugs are Tree Slugs. Seven Spot Ladybird, Parent and Red-legged Shieldbug and some cracking Spiders were observed while Tawny Owls hooted and kewicked and Barn Owls shrieked. We even found a roosting Blackcap in the Ivy.

Slug

Yellow Slug

A large Gnat - - Antony Wren

Parent Bug -  - Antony Wren

Red-legged Shieldbug nymph - the only immature stage to be found in the winter

Cyclosa conica - Antony Wren

Cyclosa conica - Antony Wren

Metellina merianae - Antony Wren

Metellina merianae - Antony Wren

Tetragnatha montana - Antony Wren

Xysticus lanio - Antony Wren

To be honest the Yellow-necked Mice were once again hard to beat with several seen utilizing runs under fallen trunks and diving into tree holes.  It is a treat to be able to watch this chunky money of a rodent behaving naturally.

The full moon broke through and we called it a night.