As summer turns into autumn we have been facing strong winds and a lot more rain. The bog garden has been awash over recent days, but as warmer 
days returned we were blessed with excellent numbers of butterflies. Most of our Painted Ladies have gone from the garden and I suspect many will have commenced their autumn migration back to Europe and thence to where their forebears came from earlier in the year. This has been an excellent year for this species, almost matching the last big one in 2009 when an estimated 11m reached our shores.
There are many strange things in nature and one I often marvel at is how moths often hatch in exactly the same week every year, sometimes on the very same day. There are, of course, exceptions when adverse weather conditions can impact adversely on their first appearance. It will be interesting to monitor this as the climate changes. I first started monitoring moth populations in 2007 and so my database is now starting to reach a stage where some realistic conclusions can be drawn.
We have become fascinated by juvenile Chiffchaffs hunting for insects in the cotoneaster 
outside our conservatory. One was even trying to practice his calls, but still had a lot to learn.
Another juvenile, this time a Sparrowhawk, swooped in and settled on the lawn, not that it caught anything. I have been wondering if this is the same bird I have been seeing around the village. This reminded me that it will soon be time to restock the bird feeders – this always encourages them to arrive on one of their ‘bombing’ raids, hedge-hopping at an extremely low level in anattempt to surprise the other birds.
There had been a family of Little Owls around, announcing their appearance every 
night by their distinctive calls. The juveniles were constantly calling to be fed, that is until a Tawny Owl appeared on the scene. It was just a little past ten o’clock at night when I heard a reasonably close call from a tawny. A few minutes later there was the most prolonged call I have ever heard, a really triumphant sound, which was immediately followed by the continuous call of a Little Owl. This lasted several minutes, gradually subsiding until there was silence again. What do they say about nature being red in tooth and claw? I can only surmise about what had happened!
Paul Lister, 841 696
