I first met Alan shortly after we moved to the village and immediately recognised a kindred spirit: we shared a passionate love for nature in all its forms. I met up with Margaret shortly before his funeral, when she explained to me that he wanted his Nature Notes to continue and, when she asked me if I would take on Alan’s role, I was very happy to agree, indeed I felt privileged.
As Alan’s life ebbed away, it was replaced with a huge surge in bird numbers. Over a period of three days in June
fourteen different families fledged in the garden here at Moorside – there was birdsong everywhere, a magical experience indeed. Which were the best birds? Well, they were all special, but we fell in love with a family of Goldcrests, although our Great-spotted Woodpeckers, which had hammered out a hole in our giant willow tree, immediately 
vacated the garden after fledging. The male started to drum again – did he want a new mate or was he calling the old one back? We had become worried about them, as the Jackdaws had started to gather around the hole, but all went well. Blackcaps were still singing, but tantalisingly we have been unable to discover where they are
nesting.
In the meantime, Andrew and Cherry at Mousehole Farm photographed an adult Tawny Owl and 
were overjoyed when Pied Flycatchers took over a nesting box and settled in. We are all really enjoying our Payhembury Bird Reserve! With summer here at last, we are seeing less of the foxes and deer, but our hedgehogs are doing well, when I see them late at night as I check out my moth traps.
A huge Privet Hawk-moth appeared on 1 July, my first record of this impressive species, and with a wing span of over five inches it was almost as big as a small bird. The total moth count now stands at 511 species, which is
quite remarkable in only two and a half years.
Finally, after a very slow start due to the abnormally high rainfall we endured in the spring, butterflies are at last emerging in quite good numbers and there are even a few dragonflies in evidence.
Paul Lister – 01404 841696
