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Click on "Programme & Volunteering" to see the Working parties |
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Click on "Flora & Fauna Record" to go to the Birds and Wild Flower Systematic lists
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BREAKING NEWS: May/June 2014
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| For injured Birds of Prey and Owls To report dead bats |
27 June 2014: Smooth Hawksbeard in grass field by Old West River. Sweet Cicely, Church Fen Drove.   |
| 25 June 2014: Forgot to say yesterday- Luke was back in the garden, having a fight with a normally plumaged blackbird. First time for a while. This morning there was a young Green Woodpecker in the garden, then shortly followed by an adult male. Barbara. |
23 June 2014: Church Fen Drove. Common Mallow. Nineacre Wood. Turtle Dove calling. Old West River. Common Terns fishing. Between Lode Way and Aldreth. 3 Jays, Bullfinch. Chiffchaff still singing, Blackcaps, Brown Argus butterfly. Masses of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies. PM&ID  Crioceris asparagi, better known as the Common Asparagus Beetle, the colourful, 1/4-inch-long insect in the photo. PM  |
| 23 June 2014: Today saw a male Blackbird with small white patches on it in the garden. Maybe son of Luke? Not this year’s bird- it looked a bit scruffy as if it was feeding young itself? I’ve been having a Hummingbird Hawkmoth in the garden daily- sometimes here several times a day- since 29th May. Has been nectaring mainly on Valerian but this is starting to go over now so its visits maybe less frequent? Barbara York |
| 18 June 2014: A friend of ours was walking his dog at approx 6.30 a.m.four or five days ago and saw a Fallow Deer on Fairchild's Meadows - is that unusual? He is a hunter, so knows what he saw. Wendy. Yes. It will be first record. PM |
| 18 June 2014: Subject: Part-time Ecology and Conservation Course from the University of Cambridge: DETAILS |
15 June 2014: Here are a selection of images of Spotted Flycatchers taken in Haddenham over the weekend. My favourite is the ‘portrait’ shot where the Flycatcher is perched on a metal hoop with a Large Skipper butterfly. This afternoon there was a male Marsh Harrier hunting the fields to the south of Aldreth and a purring Turtle Dove at the south end of the village. Simon.     |
15 June 2014: Old Lady moth emerged from chrysalis kept from caterpillar found by Wendy Lanman in April. Can see where it gets its name from. Smart Victorian dress worn by women in those days. PM.   |
| 14 June 2014: Turtle Doves: One singing and one flying so don't know if its a pair or not on North Fen Drove, Haddenham this a.m. Have been looking there for 3 weeks now and its the first time here for this traditional site. Maybe they are still coming in. Several pairs of Yellowhammers breeding. PM & ID. |
13 June 2014: 1. Black-tailed Skimmer teneral hardening in sun on track near old railway line to Sutton from Haddenham. 2/3. Blue-tailed Damselfly teneral eating prey item not identified. Purple Vetch climbing through hedge. 4 "Through the gap" Old railway line to Sutton. Note how unlevel it was going through the fen. Closed by Beeching.   |
12 June 2014: Galls drove. Pair Grey Partridges, pair Corn Buntings, 3 male 1 female Yellow Wagtails displaying. Common Whitethroats, Reed Buntings. Also a Painted Lady butterfly. Station Road. Spotted Flycatchers feeding young fast. PM.  |
| 8 June 2014: Berryfen Corner. New Cut Drain bank. Butterflies. 2 second brood Small Tortoishells, 1st Meadow Brown, 2 Large Skippers, 1 male Common Blue, Azure Damselflies around and mating. Wildflowers on bank now beginning to come out. PM Bullfinch: a male on the plum tree outside my back door this morning was a surprise. Also a male Blackbird with a white blob on its crown that reminded me of the NZ Parson Bird (Tui). Jake Allsop |
7 June 2014: The Friends of Haddenham group dug over a mysterious place called The Mound and its on a short road called The Ramparts. The origin of this archaeological mystery is not known but they thought in readiness for D-day 1944-2014 they would sow seeds of red, white and blue wild flowers and on D-day 2014 this is the result and very commendable. Poppies, Cornflowers and Oxeye Daisies. Well done.   Wildflowers amongst the red/white/blue on the Mound. 1 Hedge Mustard. 2. Cut-leaved Cranesbill.   One lone Corn Bunting looking for his way on Long Drove.Ian.  Not too good photo but its not easy with bees. This is Melecta albifrons, a type of Cuckoo bee. Note white spots. PM  This fungus was found 2/6/14 in a West End garden. Girded Dapperling (Lepiota boudieri)  |
| 6 June 2014: Male Bullfinch in hedge down Bury Lane drove yesterday evening - first time I've walked down there in ages. Also, per DHop, a Lesser Whitethroat singing in the corner of my garden' about a week ago. Jake Great photos of pair of Turtle Doves in Rachel and Tim Moss's Aldreth garden 4/6/14. Also Hairy Dragonfly in garden sometime in late May.    |
4 June 2014: Old Burial Ground. 1. Mixture of wildflowers much improved this year especially Rattle and Red Clover. 2 "The Open Gate". looking through Lime tree avenue to the gate on Church Lane. 3 The Wildflower meadow in bloom.   |
4 June 2014: A few images taken in Aldreth over the weekend. The images are female Common Blue roosting, covered in dew, Dog Rose and male Broad-bodied Chaser. Simon.    |
1 June 2014: Cyril Fenn has a camera trap and here are some of his results. 1. Muntjac deer. 2. Roe Deer by day. 3. Badger and Fox. 4. Badger foraging. All 21 May 2014.    |
27 May 2014: Wasp Beetle found in patio by I&SD. Harmless and fairly common. |
25 May 2014: Common Marbled Carpet moth in my porch. Aldreth Road. PM. |
| 21 May 2014: A great show of Water Violet in Church Fen Drain viewable from half way along Aldreth Causeway. Also pristine Red Admiral out on house wall Aldreth Road. A great morning just standing on Aldreth High Bridge over the Old West River this morning. Letting the birds come to us. Watched Swallows collecting mud to build nest under the bridge. Listening to Sedge Warblers singing and Reed Warblers rattling away in the reeds along the rivers edge and then hearing a Cuckoo get nearer and nearer. A female Marsh Harrier flew round us and carried on quartering the wheat and rape fields followed quickly by a Hobby hunting. Then another male Cuckoo approached and the two of them flew round with each other cuckooing away all the time from tops of tall trees. One (or two, we don't really know) Kingfishers streaked blue along the water while Scarce Chaser dragonflies chased off 4 spot Chasers and the other way round. Red-eyed Damselflies settled on the lily pads. Blackcap fluted from a tall willow and Green Woodpeckers found ants on the levies.To cap it all out came a Barn Owl and sat on a series of posts along the river bank. Peace perfect peace. PM&ID |
| 17 May 2014: Cuckoo flew over the house early this morning and ended up at top of College Farm field, near Hillrow, calling. Probably the cuckoo Jake A. heard. Sheila and Ian D. I’ve seen 'Luke' (leucistic Blackbird) in the garden on the last 3 days. Yesterday he bathed - unusual as he’s normally chased off straight away. Maybe he’s breeding- perhaps we’ll see lots of black 'n white birds in the autumn? Cheers Barbara The other mainly white but still leucistic bird hasn't been seen around Aldreth Road lately so perhaps being so white like an ice cream its melted in the heatwave! It was never named! PM |
| 16 May 2014: Several people told me of Cuckoo this morning between Bury Lane and Hillrow at 8 a.m. Among them was Keith Gipp. Likelihood is it was same one as yesterday but would be nice if it was two. PM. Also picture of Germander Speedwell (such vivid blue, and is among my most favourite wildflowers). There is a mass of it on old railway line to Wilburton yesterday as pictured. PM   |
| 15 May 2014: As with Turtle Dove, I heard/saw no cuckoos in Haddenham last year, but this afternoon, one calling from the other side of the field below my garden. Jake Hi, just to let you know that the Spotted Flycatchers arrived back this morning. They have come to exactly the same spot and are busy gathering nesting material. Mike Williamson |
| 14 May 2014: I was told today by one horse keeper in Hillrow that she had four pairs of Swallows this year in her sheds and buildings and do you know why....because her place equates to a good old fashioned livestock farmyard with plenty of flies etc. Also House Sparrows by the dozen come to feed on spilt feed for the horses. Also has a family of Song Thrushes come and many other birds like Starlings. (Mind you they can be a pest sometimes.) That's progress and not ultra hermetically sealed tidy farm buildings. Pity Turtle Doves don't come to farmyards. They would have a feast there. Thats not to say her place is untidy...its not, but there's room for her birds. My House Martins came and looked at their old nest and went. Hope they come back again. Paul M Turtle Dove singing in Aldreth this morning. I thought that I heard a snatch of song on 3rd, but couldn’t be sure. Simon Stirrup And one heard briefly across the field below my Haddenham garden. One more than last year... Jake Allsop We had Orange Tip butterflies (2 of) in the garden last Sunday (11th May), I hadn’t seen them for a while. John Burgess. Stuart Norman reports several pairs of Starlings nesting in old woodpecker holes in the orchard on Aldreth Road. also Little Owls somewhere in orchard. PM |
| 13 May 2014: Goat Moth emerged from chrysalis. It is a large moth and said to be one of the heaviest in UK. For larvae see August last year picture on website. PM   |
| 11 May 2014: Looks like Old Lady to me? Barbara York Well done Barbara! I have just looked on the Internet and agree totally. Apparently they feed on blackthorn and like to live in sheds and other dry woody places .. So that fits too. Wendy  |
| 10 May 2014: Reed Warblers by Guppys Pond. They are back! Chattering loudly ... Wonderful! Wendy Lanman. Caterpillar (see 8 May below) has now buried itself in soil in container so we will see what it is when it metamorphoses into a moth. But any ideas will be welcome still. Now 2-3 House Martins coming to nest site so hopefully we shall have a family or two. Swifts back in Haddenham High Street sites. PM |
9 May 2014: Orange Tip and a singing male Swallow taken in Aldreth. The Orange Tip was taken in late April and the Swallow was taken on 5th May. First Swifts, a party of c12, noted in Aldreth today. Simon.  |
| 8 May 2014: House Martin arrived back at nest on Aldreth Road house at 3.45 pm. PM This caterpillar found on 6 May whilst clearing up the "jungle" in my garden. Wendy Lanman. What is it? Looks to be about 2 inches long. Well, its a moth larvae that's certain but that leaves a lot to find. Can anybody out there help ID it. PM: Email. pmlindenbury@hotmail.com  |
| 7 May 2014: As I was dealing out the cornflakes this morning, I noticed a Song Thrush on the lawn. It had a narrow white "collar" at the back of the neck, and a white splodge above the right eye. I appreciate that this is not earthshattering compared to say, Albert Einstein leaping out of his bath shouting cogito ergo sum when the apple fell on his head, btw, what is the difference between albinism and leucism? I suppose this thrush would be described as leucistic? Jake Hoary Cress by roadside Haddenham to Witcham Toll Female Orange Tip butterfly on garden Variegated Privet. Ideal camouflage! PM    What is it? Looks to be about 2 inches long. |
| 6 May 2014: Whimbrel heard calling over Haddenham, High St this morning. PM Well, its a moth larvae that's certain but that leaves a lot to find. Can anybody out there help ID it. |
5 May 2014: Nth Fen Drove. Hedgerows a beautiful sight all Hawthorn in flower. Hedgerow Cranesbill, Red Campion and interestingly Greater Periwinkle by Milkinghill. There was a farm here in mid 1800s but afterwards no longer lived in so maybe Periwinkle has survived in local grass verges since then as it was/is used as a garden flower. It is in the British flora lists. Cowslips also there. Hedgerow Cranesbill. Birds mainly Common Whitethroats, Garden Warbler, Yellowhammers and Long-tailed Tits. Mass of Peacock Butterfly caterpillars seen. PM & ID   1. Hawthorn in flower round old gateway. Nth fen Drove. 2. Peacock butterfly caterpillars. Milkinghill. PM   |
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