Showery

A good tramp around the home patch on Saturday produced nothing new for the year but plenty of interest, a drake Goosander was probably the best bird. In the garden the Chaffinch seems to have gone but there continue to be three Goldfinch.

Our tom cat (neutered) killed two Orkney Voles on Friday, I was not pleased, he rarely seems to touch them, being more interested in larger prey, rabbits often, but today he redeemed himself by doing for a large rat. He doesn't seem very interested in birds, he did catch a feral pigeon the other day though, bring it in the spare bedroom and making a very serious mess.

Today's main activity was to get the greenhouse going. In the process I came across a few things:

Pterostichus melanarius, common here.

Lare Yellow Underwing larvae I reckon, there were two.

 Opinion is that this was Large White, note the parasite's exit(?) hole.

There was an interesting centipede as well which I should have probably bottled, suggested id was Geophilus flavus, certainly a Geophilidae anyway.

Blurry pic as it wouldn't stay still.

So some early tatties are in pots as are some peas. Seed bed ready for salad mix, to be sown tomorrow.

Handy sheltering in the greenhouse as the showers powered through.

 

Down to the beach with the hound, it was too windy to do much serious birding and I was short of time.

Hound enjoyed the outing anyway, strangely looking remarkably clean, no dead seals or cetaceans to roll in!

We managed to avoid a soaking.

Brough and mini broughs

Lapwing