June wildlife sightings from a garden in Annan

There have been plenty of birds in the garden this month, and as the month has gone on there have been more sightings of juveniles feeding and gathering together. They make quite a noise too - the juvenile chorus goes on all day and the feeders empty very quickly. We are still filling the feeders as the adult birds are having second broods and still need food for themselves. It has been quite comical to watch the young birds flying about and then suddenly flapping like mad because they are not too sure where to land! The goldfinches have been around just about every day, eating the seed heads on our centurea plants. I usually dead head them to stop them seeding everywhere but might have to rethink that for some of them now.

 

 

Monthly max is as follows:

Blackbird - 4 adults 2 young

Blue tit - 2

Carrion crow - 2

Coal tit - 1

Dunnock - 1 adult, 1 young

Goldfinch - 4 adult, 1 young

House sparrow 47 adult, 6 young

Jackdaw - 12

Rook - 3 adult, 1 young

Starling -  adult, 12 young

Swallow - 1

Swift - 25

Woodpigeon - 2

Wren - 1

There has been a great increase in bee numbers this month too - although we haven't always counted as carefully as we could have done! We have noticed them while gardening and tried to identify the species correctly. We were very pleased to see more Tree Bumble bees around this month after our first sighting of one last month. They seem to like the flowers on our raspberries!

Monthly max:

Buff or white-tailed bees - 4

Carder - 3

Honey - 5

Tree bumble bee - 4

 

Unfortunately there seems to have been a shortage of butterflies in the garden this month though. Even the early species like Orange Tip and Green-veined White have only been seen once, but we were very pleased to see a Painted Lady and a Small Copper - again only one of each!

 

 

DGERC Species to look for in July:

Wool Carder Bee - Anthidium manicatum

 

 

This solitary bee is at its northernmost edge of its range here in D&G. It has a dark abdomen with a pattern of yellow spots along its side and yellow markings on its legs and face. The male also has 5 formidable looking spines at the tip of the abdomen. Most D&G records are from gardens and favourite plants are Lamb's-ear and Catmint.

Painted Lady - Vanessa cardui

 

 

Painted Lady butterflies are migrants arriving in summer. Their numbers vary from year to year and there has been a welcome early influx during the nice weather earlier last month. It is quite a large butterfly, related to another migrant that we see in this country - the Red Admiral. The wings of the painted lady are orange , sometimes fading to a pale peach, with black and white markings on the wing tips. The underwings are mottled.

Remember  - DGERC always welcome details of sightings.