Late July can sometimes be a quiet time for birds but not this year – the garden echoed to the calls and tweets of countless fledglings. In fact some were a positive nuisance, as I had to constantly usher them out of the 
greenhouses. The worst offenders were the juvenile blackbirds – I have never seen so many and I am sure you will have noticed those mobs of juvenile sparrows, some over 30 strong, flying around all over the place, but there have been two real stars this year.
I have already told you about the first, a pair of Spotted Flycatchers which successfully reared a full brood. I spent far too many hours watching them as they hawked around for food.
The second has been a pair of House Martins, which decided to repair a nest started way back in 2017. What happened then was a real disappointment because just before the nest was completed the sparrows evicted them and took up residence. A pair returned this year and not only completed the rebuilding of the nest but hatched out four chicks. The first we knew was when we found the discarded eggshells on the ground underneath the nest. Since then the parents have been really busy feeding the young. What I love about these birds is listening to their sub-vocalisation, one of the prettiest sounds imaginable and for this I can forgive them the mess they make on the bathroom windowsill. For me I would rather listen to them than a nightingale.
The recent run of really hot, humid nights meant one thing. Moths were attracted to my MV light in huge numbers, particularly the micro moths and other miniscule insects. Moths in such numbers 
means one thing – the dreaded Ichneumons are not far behind. These are parasitic wasps which specialise on moth caterpillars and some like Netelia testacea are spectacular in their own right.
These weather conditions also brought forth large numbers of beetles. Did you know that there are over 4000 species, but other than ladybirds and shield bugs you do not often 
get to see many of them as they are nocturnal? I have photographed several of the larger species: Tanner beetle, Great Diving beetle, Nicrophorus humator and Nicrophorus investigator. Just why such a colourful beetle as that last one does not have a common name I find really strange, perverse even, but that’s bug life for you.
Paul Lister 841696
