Hello again, I was thinking I wouldn't be blogging this eve as I have just got home. I happened to check my phone to find a message from Andrew saying that he had a photo of the sightings for me...Oh, go on then I thought!
So here goes with the sightings from the book today. Thanks Andrew :)
There's quite a list from the bird garden today. Here's what our visitors saw - the pair of coal tits visited again along with greenfinches, goldfinches, great tits, blue tits, chaffinches, dunnocks, blackbirds, stock doves, collared doves and magpies. And, a willow tit!
I had a good moment last weekend as I was walking up the path to the Tree Sparrow Farm. All the birds were flying away but I was thinking that it wasn't because of me as I wasn't near enough. I got to the screen bit and had a good look to the left but didn't see much. I turned around to find this beautiful male sparrowhawk sitting on the near branch to the right. I took a few photos and then off it went.
The book goes to Wath Ings next, so will I. There were 4 ruff, 2 dunlin, 4 green sandpipers, 14 little egrets, a spotted redshank and 5 ringed plover.
On the Mere today came reports of a black tailed godwit, a pintail and a lovely juv whooper swan. I love whoopers as you know...whoop whoop!
A male stonechat was seen from the Family Hide and a Cetti's warbler was heard from the reedbed hide. Also from the reedbed hide comes a sighting of a peregrine at 11:20am.
The message that Andrew sent also contained a sightings of 68 golden plover and more fabulously spotty fly agarics. They are my favourite fungi but they are extremely poisonous.
Fly agarics not from Old Moor.I have that delight yet to come!
I do have other fungi from around the ponds at Old Moor though.
You know I like moths, well, today and the next couple of days are the 'National Moth' nights. I've just put my trap on and Butterfly Conservation are asking for your help. They are asking you to take a torch outside at night if you have any flowering ivy. This is a great autumn plant for bees,wasps, hoverflies, butterflies and moths to feed on. We have some flowering ivy at Old Moor that you can see as you enter the courtyard and in the courtyard. Next time you visit have a look at just how many of these creatures are feeding on it.
What else do I have for you? You may have been to our Stargazing event last Saturday. Over 100 visitors thoroughly enjoyed this. If you missed it, we have another one next month on the 11th November. Details here
Freddie, our young writer from the WEX Club, was there with his family. He was kind enough to send me some writing about what he thought.
He also asked me to type up his writing because he said that he'd done it 'rather quickly.'
We walked to Wath Ings and we saw cormorants and little egrets going to roost. Evening at Old Moor is completely different from day. When you are going along a long path, if there are clouds in the way it looks like you are walking straight into the sky. Out on the kingfisher pond you could see the sunset shimmering on the water.
I think that writing is fabulous. Thank you and well done Freddie. I do agree that the evening at Old Moor is very different to the day. It has a different, very special feel. Do go along to the next Stargazing event, I'm sure that you will have a wonderful time.
I think that's about it. Have a lovely evening :)