News: First Banded Demoiselle seen earlier than usual

Wednesday, 5th June 2019

Last Wednesday, Jennifer H saw the first Banded Demoiselle damselfly of this year, in her garden. Jennifer commented -

" It is unusually early in the year for the demoiselle, since they are normally only seen here from July.  I have also never seen one in my garden before, I usually see them by the Millennium footbridge"


Further information on this fabulously coloured, iridescent damselfly can be found on the British Dragonfly Society and Wildlife Trust websites:
https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/species/banded-demoiselle/
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/damselflies/banded-demoiselle

Banded Demoiselle

Norfolk Wildlife Trust website (photo - Elizabeth Dack)

RiverCare sampling - June results

The Abington NatureWatch Rivercare group met on 5th June to sample the water quality and survey the river wildlife. Their results are summarised below:

Gammarus (Freshwater Shrimp)

Olives (Baetidae)

Ephemeridae (Mayfly)

Signal Crayfish

A tiny Signal Crayfish

May 2019. Interesting sightings around The Abingtons.

May 2019

Amphibians and Reptiles

Smooth Newt – four in garden pond on Bourn Bridge Road (3 female, one male)

Birds

Eleven reports for the Abington NatureWatch Bird Survey recorded a total of 52 species within the parishes over the Bank Holiday weekend (24^th-27^th).

Swallow – up to four seen around village. Nesting pair in Lt Abington garage.

House Martin – nesting in Mortlock Gardens. Up to 30 feeding and collecting mud on Granta Park.

Swift – first seen over St Mary’s Church on 4^th, up to eight seen regularly since.

Spotted Flycatcher – first report of one returning to Lt Abington garden on 25^th.

Wheatear – three along track above Chalky Road, possibly early-returning migrants, on 7^th.

Blackcap – regularly throughout month in Gt Abington. Old Railway Cutting, LSA and Granta Park.

Chiffchaff – regularly seen and heard, mostly at the start of the month.

Willow Warbler – two singing on Old Railway Cutting, and one heard several times on Granta Park.

Common Whitethroat – one singing near Abington Park Farm on 12^th, and heard several times since along Old Railway Cutting.

Lesser Whitethroat – one singing from a thick hedge along Hildersham parish boundary on 19^th.

Reed Warbler – one heard on 24^th, and several times over a week in Granta Park reedbed.

Corn Bunting – calling from wheat and hedgerow. Pair on Old Railway Cutting – possibly nesting.

Reed Bunting – several regularly heard singing around Granta Park lake

Red Kite – three reports of a single bird, over LSA, and from Granta Park

Buzzard – several reports of up to three

Kestrel – pair seen feeding prey to young on the nest in Sluice Wood.

Sparrowhawk – female seen swooping over Gt Abington High Street.

Barn Owl – heard at dusk in Gt Abington garden on 24^th.

Great Crested Grebe – single male back on Granta Park lake from 8^th – seen 3-4 times since.

Little Grebe – one seen diving in Granta Park Lake on 24^th.

Mallard – several females with two-five ducklings on river. Males moulting around Granta Park lake.

Greylag Goose – up to five, and Canada Goose – three pairs, one with 2-3 goslings on Granta Park.

Blue Tit – several reports of adults actively feeding at nest boxes.  Fledged family seen on 13^th.

Great Spotted Woodpecker – a pair frequently visiting suet feeder in LSA garden.

Goldcrest – close encounter with one bird indoors on LSA.

Stock Dove – pair in Gt Abington garden, and occasional reports from Sluice Wood.

Goldfinch – fledged young seen bathing in garden pond.  Bullfinch – pair along Old Railway Cutting.

Nuthatch – one reported in garden on Church Close, and a Treecreeper in Sluice Wood on 23^rd.

Mistle Thrush – one seen twice on Recreation Ground, and also on Granta Park.

Butterflies, Bees and other insects

A good number of reports in May (163 in total), but the weather again was very variable with some very warm days, some cold nights and very little rain.

Brimstone – 30 sightings, almost every day but more from the middle of the month.

Orange Tip – 26 sightings throughout the month continuing the good showing in April.

Holly Blue – sightings (26) a notable increase from the last two years.

Small White (20), Green-veined White (5) seen.

Speckled Wood – 16 sightings, increasing numbers.

Very few sightings of other butterflies: Peacock (2), Red Admiral (2), Large White (2), Small Tortoiseshell (1) and Comma (1).

Buff-tailed, Red-tailed and Tree Bumblebees – a few sightings.

Honey Bees – few sightings only.

Large Red Damselflies – 3 sightings, first on 1^st May

Azure Damselfly – 1 sighting late in month

Cinnabar Moth – one in Lt Abington garden. Garden Carpet Moth – in Gt Abington garden

Flowers

Fine displays of Hawthorn in full flower early in the month, as well as White Dead-nettle, Hedge Bedstraw and Wood Forget-me-not.

Profusions of Buttercups and Oxeye Daisies in flower on meadows in Granta Park.

Common Vetch, Milk Vetch, Hedgerow Cranesbill and Common Storksbill on open rough ground.

Good areas of Garlic Mustard and Germander Speedwell, as well as Herb Robert and Ground Ivy in Sluice Wood.

White Campion and, more unusually, Red Campion in flower along Linton Road verges at the end of the month.

Mammals

Muntjac Deer – three reports, one each in Lagden’s Grove, along the Old Railway Cutting, and in a field near Church Lane.

Hare – two seen in the field adjacent to ‘hairdresser path’ on Granta Park.

Fallow Deer – single report of eight deer in the fields around Hildersham Wood

Hedgehog – droppings as evidence of a visit to a Lt Abington garden

Bat, likely Pipistrelle – two reported flying around a garden in Gt Abington, and three in Lt Abington

RiverCare

No report this month

Many thanks to all those who contributed reports of their sightings for May 2019:

Mike and Lois Bull, Anne Dunbar-Nobes, David Farrant, Gaynor Farrant, A Gamble, Jennifer Hirsh, Carole McCrae, Len Mead, Andy Merryweather, Joan Nevin, Ross Nobes, Peter and Linda Page, Brian Parris, Dave Pimblett, Gareth Rees, Marion Rusted, Maggie Turner, Derek Turnidge, Sally Turnidge. Evelyn Ward.

Please email your sightings, within the Abington parishes, to the relevant ANW Recorder:

Amphibians and reptiles: Anne Dunbar Nobes      ac.dunbar.nobes@gmail.com

Birds:                               Derek Turnidge              derek@turnidges.com

Butterflies, Bees etc:       Jennifer Hirsh                 jennifer@hirsh.com

Flowers:                          Sally Turnidge                 sally@turnidges.com

Mammals:                       Gill Smith                        richardandgill.smith@live.co.uk

News. Spotted Flycatcher - first sighting of the year

Saturday, 25th May 2019

As part of the Abington NatureWatch Bird Survey over the Bank Holiday weekend, Marion R reported seeing a Spotted Flycatcher in her Little Abington garden.  First of the year!

Marion used to regularly see Spotted Flycatchers in her garden, but this is the first one to visit for some years.  She reports seeing the bird again since, and so maybe it will stay around and nest.


You may recall from Michael Holdsworth's very interesting talk on this subject at our spring meeting, that Spotted Flycatchers are in decline across the UK, and he is undertaking research to try and understand more about this problem. To that end, Michael would very much like to hear about any sightings of Spotted Flycatchers in the village - so if you see one, please notify Derek and Andy as soon as possible, so we can verify and pass the message on.

Spotted Flycatchers are apparently rather drab birds, lacking any bold plumage colouration, being a dull brownish-grey above, creamy-white below with feint streaks on the upper breast, with relatively large black eyes, and a narrow pointed bill.  Being around 14cm in length (about the size of a House Sparrow), they appear slim and typically perch with an upright stance. Their behaviour however is anything but dull, as they will typically fly out from a high perch to catch small insects in mid-air, returning to the same perch. Typically they catch insects such as moths, butterflies, damselflies and craneflies.

Spotted Flycatcher (AM May 2015)

Knapweed Broomrape along the Roman Road

Anne D-N saw an unusual plant whilst out for a walk along the Roman Road on Monday 3rd June.  This was identified as Knapweed Broomrape (Orobanche elatior), a parasitic plant using Greater Knapweed as its host.

Described as 'a stout upright plant growing up to 75cm high, with a long spike of honey-coloured (usually tinged purple) flowers. Totally lacking chlorophyll, it is brownish throughout'.

News. First report of Meadow Brown and Small Heath butterflies this year

Monday 3rd June 2019

Anne D-N reported seeing a lot of Meadow Brown butterflies and some Small Heath butterflies during her walk along the Roman Road.  These are the first reports of these two species in the Abingtons this year. Anne also reported Brimstone, Speckled Wood and Small White butterflies.

Abington NatureWatch May 2019 Bird Survey

During the Abington NatureWatch late-Spring Bank Holiday survey this year, Derek received 11 reports, totalling 52 bird species seen or heard in the Abingtons over the weekend 24th - 27th May.

The full list is shown below, indicating the number of reports for each species, and the maximum number of that species seen (where the maximum number exceeded 5).