We've had some nice warm spring sunshine for a few days. This has brought out the insects. Today I saw two grizzled skippers in the garden - the first I've seen since June 2020. The past few years we've had really wet Mays so they've probably been around - I just missed seeing them due to the weather.

There were a few new insects recorded for the garden too.

I probably won't be recording many birds over the next few weeks as our house is surrounded by scaffolding which restricts my views.

As I was working in the garden, I had the opportunity to see insects I would normally miss. This speckled yellow was freshly emerged and was drying his wings in the sunshine. The hornet was collecting wood from our fence so there must be a nest being built nearby.

This opportunistic Common Wasp, Vespula vulgaris, has constructed a nest on the scaffolding outside our house. The construction started around 11:00 this morning and was finished around 20:00 this evening. No doubt our fence posts are significantly diminished! Click the image to see an animation.

I managed to get the moth trap out again last night. I had to place it up in the grass behind the house as the house is surrounded by scaffolding at the moment. Nonetheless, it was a really good night with two new macro moth species. The highlight was a male and female tau emperor moth. I found a caterpillar of this species a few years ago, but not in our garden so this is one of the new species. The female had layed three eggs in the trap so I've collected those and netted her up with some foodplants in the hope that she'll lay some more. **UPDATE** she layed another five eggs in the net before I let her go.

The other new species was a grey birch moth.

The weather is fantastic at the moment. I saw the first small copper butterfly of the year in the back garden today.

A black kite also flew over the house and a whinchat was sitting in one of our fruit trees.