Weather Summary - April 2024

Rainfall: 138.9 mm

Temp High: 25.5oC on 6th

Temp Low: -3.9oC on 24th

Temp Average: 7.3oC

Tuesday 30 April 2024
Male red-backed shrike, Christophstal April 2024

Male red-backed shrike, Christophstal April 2024

The bird migration continues. Today we had our first (and I think earliest) red-backed shrike. This handsome male was calling from the top of one of our willows.

Sunday 28 April 2024

I didn't see any more whinchats today, but our first house martins of the year were flying over the house most of the day today.

Once again, the bird cherry has been providing a nice backdrop for bird photos - today it was blackcaps.

The willow looks pretty good too - siskins were collecting/eating the fluff from the catkins.

House martin, Christophstal April 2024

House martin, Christophstal April 2024

Blackcap, Christophstal April 2024

Blackcap, Christophstal April 2024

Blackcap, Christophstal April 2024

Blackcap, Christophstal April 2024

Siskin, Christophstal April 2024

Siskin, Christophstal April 2024

Siskin, Christophstal April 2024

Siskin, Christophstal April 2024

Buzzard vs crow, Christophstal April 2024

Buzzard vs crow, Christophstal April 2024

Saturday 27 April 2024
Whinchat, Christophstal April 2024

Whinchat, Christophstal April 2024

Whinchat, Christophstal April 2024

Whinchat, Christophstal April 2024

Whinchat, Christophstal April 2024

Whinchat, Christophstal April 2024

Whinchat, Christophstal April 2024

Whinchat, Christophstal April 2024

Whinchats, Christophstal April 2024

Whinchats, Christophstal April 2024

A pack of starlings, Christophstal April 2024

A pack of starlings, Christophstal April 2024

Great tit, Christophstal April 2024

Great tit, Christophstal April 2024

Great tit, Christophstal April 2024

Great tit, Christophstal April 2024

Great tit, Christophstal April 2024

Great tit, Christophstal April 2024

Greenfinch, Christophstal April 2024

Greenfinch, Christophstal April 2024

Crested tit, Christophstal April 2024

Crested tit, Christophstal April 2024

Crested tit, Christophstal April 2024

Crested tit, Christophstal April 2024

It looks like the bird migration has finally started, about a week later than normal. It was a lot warmer today and we had at least two whinchats hunting around the house. I spent several hours photographing birds so there's a lot of photos today. The bird cherry blossom seems to have survived the frosts and blizzards and it still looks very picturesque.

Thursday 25 April 2024

This evening, we found another Idaea inquinata moth in our bathroom. This was a different form to yesterday's - so it's nice to have examples of both. 

<em>Idaea inquinata</em>, Christophstal April 2024

Idaea inquinata, Christophstal April 2024

Wednesday 24 April 2024
<em>Idaea inquinata</em>, Christophstal April 2024

Idaea inquinata, Christophstal April 2024

I thought we'd recorded a new species of moth today. This Idaea inquinata was in our bathroom. Its English name is Rusty Wave, but the German name is far more useful: Heu Zwergspanner which roughly translates as Hay dwarf looper. This gives a clue as to where this came from and why it was in the house - we had a delivery this week of a new bird box and it was packed in hay. I noticed we'd already recorded this species in the garden back in June 2018, so it is just as likely to have come from some of Christine dried herbs.

I put it outside, but it's unlikely to survive the cold snap we're having at the moment.

Tuesday 23 April 2024

It was so cold last night that there was an ice spike in our bird bath.

Ice spike, Christophstal April 2024

Ice spike, Christophstal April 2024

Ice spike, Christophstal April 2024

Ice spike, Christophstal April 2024

Friday 19 April 2024
No bird migration! Christophstal April 2024

No bird migration! Christophstal April 2024

Pine marten, Christophstal April 2024

Pine marten, Christophstal April 2024

Tolerant black redstarts, Christophstal April 2024

Tolerant black redstarts, Christophstal April 2024

I took a few days off work as the next few days is when the big spring bird migration usually happens. Unfortunately, the last few days have been extremely cold and today there were blizzards. I'm not expecting to see anything this year as the forecasts are bad too.

We did see a manky pine marten in the garden today. We watched as he visited all the places in the garden where we'd previously found soil, rocks and wood piles dug out and destroyed. At least that mystery is solved.

Black redstarts don't usually tolerate each other, but these two were happily sharing the peanut feeder (which they are having to use as it is too cold for insects).

Thursday 18 April 2024

The brambling that I mentioned earlier this month is still with us. It doesn't look like he's going to bother migrating this year - he's just going to stuff his face with our sunflowers instead.

Brambling, Christophstal April 2024

Brambling, Christophstal April 2024

Brambling, Christophstal April 2024

Brambling, Christophstal April 2024

Brambling, Christophstal April 2024

Brambling, Christophstal April 2024

Wednesday 17 April 2024
Blue tit eggs from destroyed bird box, Christophstal April 2024

Blue tit eggs from destroyed bird box, Christophstal April 2024

Schwegler bird boxes are crap, Christophstal April 2024

Schwegler bird boxes are crap, Christophstal April 2024

It was really stormy last night and unfortunately, the front fell off of our Schwegler birdbox. There were several blue tit eggs in there - we won't be buying Schwegler bird boxes again. I'd already repaired this box once and had to install some mesh over the bottom to stop woodpeckers pecking through the incredibly ineffectual concrete that the bottom of these boxes are made from.

Saturday 13 April 2024

I recorded two new beetle species in the garden today: Chrysolina coerulans and Cassida sanguinolenta.

<em>Chrysolina coerulans</em>, Christophstal April 2024

Chrysolina coerulans, Christophstal April 2024

<em>Cassida sanguinolenta</em>, Christophstal April 2024

Cassida sanguinolenta, Christophstal April 2024

Thursday 11 April 2024
Grey wagtail, Christophstal April 2024

Grey wagtail, Christophstal April 2024

Brambling, Christophstal April 2024

Brambling, Christophstal April 2024

A couple of grey wagtails visited the garden today. I was a bit disappointed with the photo to be honest (this was taken through particularly distorting window glass).

Bramblings have usually departed by now, but we have a solitary male who is still with us. I originally thought he might be sick, but I now think he is just fat and lazy.

Tuesday 9 April 2024

A couple of siskins were drinking from our pond today.

Following on from yesterday, another photo of a great tit - this one was fluttering her wings, presumably trying to attract a mate.

Siskin, Christophstal April 2024

Siskin, Christophstal April 2024

Siskin, Christophstal April 2024

Siskin, Christophstal April 2024

Great tit courting behaviour, Christophstal April 2024

Great tit courting behaviour, Christophstal April 2024

Monday 8 April 2024
Great tit, Christophstal April 2024

Great tit, Christophstal April 2024

Great tits don't get a lot of attention in our diary. Here's a photo of a very disapproving individual on our fence.

Sunday 7 April 2024

The population of snails in our pond has reduced, but there are some different species now. Here's a poor photo of a great pond snail floating upside down (see its flat pointed horns).

Great pond snail, Christophstal April 2024

Great pond snail, Christophstal April 2024

Saturday 6 April 2024
Palmate newt, Christophstal April 2024

Palmate newt, Christophstal April 2024

Palmate newt, Christophstal April 2024

Palmate newt, Christophstal April 2024

Palmate newt, Christophstal April 2024

Palmate newt, Christophstal April 2024

Palmate newt, Christophstal April 2024

Palmate newt, Christophstal April 2024

It's been extremely warm for the past few days so I ran my moth trap for the first time for over a year.

There was nothing unusual in the trap, but this female palmate newt was sitting on the patio.

Friday 5 April 2024

Our first common redstart of the year arrived today.

After our nightly amphibian patrol, we took a look in our pond and found this enormous frog. It looks unusual, so we're not 100% certain of the ID.

When we went in the house afterwards, this orange-striped stonefly was sitting on the door. Now we have a pond, we're going to be seeing more of this sort of insect.

Common redstart, Christophstal April 2024

Common redstart, Christophstal April 2024

(Common?) Frog, Christophstal April 2024

(Common?) Frog, Christophstal April 2024

Orange-striped stonefly, Christophstal April 2024

Orange-striped stonefly, Christophstal April 2024