Last month I told you about a device which detects, records and analyses all the birdsong within range of its tiny microphone. It has revealed a hidden world of birds, many of which are difficult to detect species, lurking as they do deep in the undergrowth or hiding high in the treetops. It has become evident which birds are actually breeding and which are simply migrating through the area. We are lucky to have a stream at the bottom of the garden and an abundance of dense undergrowth with an oasis of mature deciduous trees all of which have attracted an abundance of wildlife. Since last month the total has risen from 45 to 57 bird species which now includes Cetti’s Warbler, Turtle Dove, Hooded Crow and quite possibly Black Redstart, Golden Oriole, Tree Pipit and almost definitely Short-toed Treecreeper. Many of those mentioned have in the past been quite rare visitors to Devon. On the other hand, perhaps they are more numerous than previously thought as all the Devon records have been based on actual sightings.
Many of you have been remarking what a spectacular year this has been for birdsong and now as we enter into June our garden is bursting with dozens of freshly fledged youngsters. The young blackbirds are the messy ones, as they toss the slate in our path onto the grass and the mulch covering the rose beds just goes everywhere.
Whilst many species have clearly had a very good year indeed, I only wish the same could be said of our dragonflies, butterflies and moths. These all appear to have had a truly horrible year and I have never known moth populations crash in the way they have. By mid-June we should be recording over a hundred moths a night, but numbers have crashed to as low as 4. Yes, a mere four moths, which is unprecedented in my experience of monitoring moth populations over the past 20 years. On a more positive note, there is still time for a recovery, although many single brooded species may not do so well this year.
Paul 841696
(Hospiscare have asked that we pass on a big thank you to all those people who helped in so many ways to make the Payhembury Open Gardens a great success which raised a total of £1158. We hope that all who attended enjoyed the cream teas, plant sales and gardens.)
