Rainfall: 215.4 mm

Temp High: 24.1^oC on 1st

Temp Low: 2.0^oC on 10th

Temp Average: 11.6^oC

I was hoping to see some butterflies today, but it was a bit too windy and there wasn't quite enough sun. There are still a few orange-tips around including this female.

A european hornet mistook a fallen bird-cherry fruit for an insect and attacked.

This hunting spider only let me get one photo off before he shot into the undergrowth. I'll try to ID this when I get time.

After a couple of weeks of no-shows, the over-summering brambling was back today. He looks unfitter than ever and could barely fly. He's still got a good appetite though.

This female red-backed shrike seemed to be begging for food from the nearby male. He didn't oblige.

A grey wagtail was hunting in our pond early this morning.

Shortly afterwards, this male red-backed shrike was right outside my office window sitting on top of the pole I erected for our sun shade. He's been chasing other birds from this vantage point - he particularly dislikes white wagtails from what I've seen (they mostly just ignore him).

Yesterday, the poplar hawk-moth that I collected as a caterpillar back in October emerged. I didn't bother taking a picture, I just put her outside as dusk fell, on the willow above where I found the caterpillar. I wasn't expecting to see her again, but this morning she was still there with a 'friend'. It's a nice photo as you see both forms of this species here. She's the buff form at the top of the photo. This form is quite uncommon - I've never seen it before.

I took a few other photos of various beetles and moths including some Musaria affinis - a new species for the garden.

We've had some torrential rain this week, but today it finally cleared and we quite nice in the sun. So out came the camera.

There were a few moths flying about including this newly emerged green carpet moth.

We've been trying to grow ragged robin in the garden since we moved here - there was one plant in the front garden when we first moved in, but that disappeared and despite spreading lots of seed, we haven't been very successful until this year!

I'm including a photo of a damselfly and a micro moth which I will ID later.

I found a Lychnis moth inside the house today. I've recorded the caterpillar of this species before, but this is the first adult I've recorded and I didn't have a photo until now. He was a bit lively so I had to shoot off a photo quickly before he flew away.

Our spruce has a lot of cones this year.

This great tit is gathering nesting material. I think he's nesting in our roof.

A green woodpecker has found a nice supply of his favourite ants in our dry stone wall. I'm really happy with these photos - he was completely covered in ants and didn't seem to mind at all.

There were two wrynecks around the garden today. It was difficult to get a photo as they kept hiding behind branches.

This coal tit was more than happy to show off right in front of my office window though.

A wryneck was calling from the top of the garden, joining the red-backed shrike who was still around today. There's also still a whinchat around - coming a bit closer to the house for this photo.

A couple of green woodpeckers, a female blackcap and our sedentary brambling joined the migratory birds.

I couldn't resist including this picture of a red squirrel on top of our shed.