October wildlife sightings from a garden in Annan

This month has been very unusual in that the weather has been very mild. The wind has been so gentle that the leaves are still on many of the trees showing off their beautiful autumn colours.  There has been no frost to put an end to the growth of  many summer plants so we still have cosmos, nasturtiums and dahlias flowering!
Moths and butterflies have almost disappeared from our records this month though on sunny days the odd few have still been spotted. Moth traps and accessories have been officially put away for the winter!
Our max for this month is as follows:
Red Admiral - 7
Small tortoiseshell - 1
Silver Y moth - 1 (a day-flying moth)
Many birds have reappeared this month - house sparrows and starlings have been most numerous but it has been nice to see a good variety. We have also seen geese flying overhead as they return to D&G for the winter, often hearing them before we actually see them! However we have said goodbye to House Martins and Swallows as they fly off to warmer countries.
Our monthly max for birds:
Blackbird - 2 male, 3 female
Blue Tit - 4
Carrion Crow - 1
Chaffinch - 1 male, 1 female
Coal Tit - 4
Collared Dove - 2
Dunnock - 3
Geese - 150 flying overhead
Goldfinch - 3
Great Tit - 2
House Martin - 12
House Sparrow - 20 male, 15 female
Jackdaw - 4
Robin - 1
Rook - 1
Sparrowhawk - 1
Starling - 35
Swallow - 2
Wood Pigeon - 1
Wren - 1

Do you know the difference between members of the crow family? if not, here is a short guide:

 

 

The all black carrion crow is a fairly sociable bird, often found alone or in pairs.

 

 

The rook with it's bare, greyish-white face, thinner beak and peaked head distinguish it from the carrion crow. They are very sociable birds and feed and roost in flocks.

 

 

 

This is a small black crow with a distinctive silvery sheen to the back of its head. The pale eyes are very noticeable.

 

 

 

The hooded crow is closely related to the carrion crow but can be more sociable and groups of them can be seen together in fields.

 

Species to look out for in November:

The fieldfare is a large member of the thrush family. The head and rump are grey, with a chestnut -red back and wings and the chest and flanks are heavily spotted.

 

The redwing is smaller with its creamy stripe above the eye and a distinctive orange-red patch on the flanks, which is also visible in flight.

 

(Info & pictures from RSPB website)

September Wildlife sightings from a garden in Annan

A much better month for weather - some lovely sunny days although the evenings are beginning to draw in and cool down! Much of the wildlife this month has been butterflies again. The sunflowers and buddleia have finally fully opened their blooms and the butterflies have loved them!  The max for each species seen is as follows:
Painted Lady - 1
Peacock - 10
Red Admiral - 7
Small Tortoiseshell - 7
There have also been numerous white butterflies flitting around the garden.

We have noticed a good number of day flying moths around the garden too - especially on the sage! Usually a Silver Y, which is a very pretty moth, named for the mark on its wings. They have not however been caught in any numbers in traps.

Moths in the traps have still been in short supply. Cooler evenings have probably had something to do with it. New for us however is the Bulrush Wainscot (pictured on the right below) and Agonopterix arenella (pictured bottom left)

A few birds seem to be re-appearing in the garden now, but nothing in great numbers. There is presumably still plenty for them to find in the wild. The monthly max for birds was as follows:
Blackbird - 1 male, 1 female, 4 young
Blue tit - 2
Carrion crow - 2
Chaffinch - 1 male
Coal tit - 2
Dunnock - 1
Great tit - 1
House sparrow - 30 male, 20 female
Jackdaw - 4
Robin - 2
Starling - 30
Swallow - 4
Wood pigeon - 2

Seasonal Sightings (from the car) 31st Oct/1st Nov

We set off from Annan on a journey to Argyll hoping to see lots of autumn colour along the way. The weather wasn't exactly encouraging - mist and drizzle accompanying us. Photos were not therefore a very good idea until we got beyond Glasgow, and even then they were difficult. However there were some spectacular colours on the trees alongside the road and further in the distance.

Beyond Loch Lomond the visibility improved slightly and the colours began to intensify...

The return journey, on Sunday, looked much more promising....
The sun was shining!
As we had plenty of time we took the more scenic route home - beginning with a short detour through Stronmilchan. Only 2 miles to the village but the hills were ablaze with colour.

It was not a difficult decision then to take the road along Glen Orchy as our way back to Tyndrum. With the weather and the colours we had already seen we were sure to see more.

All along the road the colours were beautiful.

We stopped at one of our favourite spots along the way - there are always spectacular opportunities for photos at these rocks! Today, with the mist, you could see all the spider webs on the bridge. Many of the bushes along the roadside were also covered in spiders webs - visible because of the mist.

Continuing on our way, the colours continued...

Then we were at the junction for Tyndrum - but even then the display continued.

Loch Lomond was looking quite ethereal in the mist...

... which increased as we journeyed further South. By the time we left the A74M at Annan we could only see about 50 yards in front of us! We know the beautiful autumn colours are in Dumfries and Galloway but today we just couldn't see them!