April 2020 part i

As April came around, I was totally recovered from my cold but COVID-19 cases were increasing on the island and everyone was very worried. Unlike the UK, the authorities here were testing and tracing, so the number of cases appeared to be rising quite fast. We were all trying to stay at home as much as possible, and school was already closed for an early Easter holidays. Of course, one thing that can be done at home without having to go any further than the bottom of the garden was moth trapping - and I made the most of it.

In recent years, I had more or less stopped moth trapping until the second half of May as the numbers are generally very low at that time of year in my garden and I was always more focussed on spring birding anyway. However, this year I managed to get the trap out on 6 occasions before mid-April, which is more than the whole last decade put together! And I was rewarded with 4 new species for the garden in this time. Three of them were geometers, with a Dotted Border on 5th April, and both Water Carpet and Streamer on 10th. All of these I’d seen previously in Guernsey but not for years. The fourth was a micro - Caloptilia semifascia which is pretty rare here and a lifer for me. It feeds on Maple mainly which is a rare tree here, but there are plenty planted quite close to me to screen the prison (it sometimes feeds on Sycamore as well). Other decent species recorded were Agonopterix alstromeriana, Pine Beauty and Blair’s Mocha, plus plenty of Orthosias that I hadn’t seen for ages.

Water Carpet - garden, 10 Apr 20

Streamer - garden, 10 Apr 20

Dotted Border - garden, 5 Apr 20

Caloptilia semifascia - garden, 7 Apr 20

Pine Beauty - garden, 12 Apr 20

Bird-wise, my garden is pretty much desolate, but I do spend a lot of time looking up. I was rewarded on 1st April when the large raptor to the east was not a Buzzard for a change, but a fine Osprey migrating north. Other wildlife seen included some tawny-backed bees which kept coming to the same little patch of Stinking Onions for nectar every day Persistence meant I managed to get some decent pictures and was able to identify them as Andrena nigroaenea (or the Buffish Mining-bee). The ones we get on the island are of the race sarnia (named after Guernsey of course) which are not actually so buffy and have a very black abdomen most of the time.

Andrena nigroaenea - garden, 12 Apr 20

Crab spider sp - garden, 12 Apr 20

Buzzards - over garden, 15 Apr 20

Of course, one of the things about ‘lockdown’ was being encouraged to change behaviour and not go far from home, and exercise in the local environs as much as possible. My house is mostly surrounded by other houses with very little open areas, however, there is a little slither of green just down the road which I endeavoured to explore during the crisis. The closest decent bird I saw was just 100 yards from the front door when I discovered a fine little Firecrest singing its heart out from a conifer by the traffic lights, the closest I’ve seen one from home so far.

Firecrest - Les Effards, 11 Apr 20

The first bit of green I come to on my, now regular, local walk is the small conservation area by St. Sampsons High School. There isn’t much bird life there but it has been productive for insects in the past. I did find a new species of Shieldbug there on the 4th when I lifted up a small bit of broken branch - a Turtle Shieldbug (Podops inunctus).

The conservation area by SSHSchool

Turtle Shieldbug - SSHS conservation area, 4 Apr 20

Fruit tree blossoms, SSHS conservation area - I gave myself a challenge of taking pictures of the blooms of these planted trees to see if I could differentiate them - best I could do was: a - Plum (unless they planted a Blackthorn), b, d, and g - all Pear I think with the purple anthers, c - Cherry, e - Juneberry, which I’d never heard of, and f - apple.

If I carry on walking round the school field I get to the walking path that joins the school with town and skirts the prison. I have been calling this path “Les Nicolles” because it doesn’t seem to have a proper name. It is a really nice track to walk with lots of vegetation and insects about, and sheltered from the wind. There was plenty of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs along here, but I was certainly surprised to hear a Cetti’s Warbler belting its heart out here on 11th April. Although the species is usually present at the Track Marais which is at about 5 - 600m away, I think this would be classed as a new site for the species. It certainly is an obvious range expansion at least, and I was chuffed to find it there.

The lockdown local patch - the track to the Track, or perhaps “Track Track”, although I will probably call it ‘Les Nicolles’ track

‘Neapolitan Garlic’ - Les Nicolles path, 7 Apr 20

The path eventually joins the lane behind the Bowl and then you are close to the St. Sampsons or Track Marais. This site is an excellent wetland but is so difficult to get to it is practically never checked. I hoped to be able to check it regularly this spring but, even though I managed to fight my way in, it was through waist high vegetation and I got very wet feet (as I discovered my wellies had perished since I last used them!). I don’t think it’ll be long before the vegetation gets so high it will be totally impenetrable. Nevertheless I plan to try and walk to the Track area a couple of times a week during the spring to dig out something good even if it is just looking from afar.

During the few visits I made there I didn’t see anything unexpected but there was also a Cetti’s Warbler singing there. It was easy to locate as it was loud enough to be audible from the road beside the sports field. I could also hear Sedge Warbler singing from the marsh on 7th April and Reed Warblers arrived from 9th which is pretty early for me. On 14th I saw my first Yellow Wagtail of the year there feeding round some horses.

St. Sampsons or “Track” Marais

Rustyback Fern - Track Stadium wall, 1 Apr 20

We did travel a little bit further a couple of times as a family, mainly to get the dog some proper exercise that she can’t get near home. We went up to Pleinmont as we could park in the family field and walk from there away from everyone. We didn’t see any unusual migrants but on 10th there were at least 3 different Firecrests singing in the Vaux de Monel/Pezeries area. The other good sightings of the month so far were of a pair of Barn Owls that have taken up residence quite close to where we live. I took the kids out on 6th and we had great views in the half-light of dusk of both birds.

Andrena flavipes - Pleinmont, 10 Apr 20

Greenhouse shadows - Les Nicolles, Apr 20

Nature re-taking a greenhouse - Les Nicolles, Apr 20