Llanfairfechan - end of summer

Small Copper

Back from the Bird Fair at Rutland Water, lovely sunny day here if rather breezy – no day trips to Ynys Enlli (Bardsey) today! The Robin breeding season is over, they have moulted and the pairs have split up. Heard several Robins singing, the function is to defend individual feeding territories – this is the autumn / early winter song which gradually fades out leading up to December. These singing birds could include females, whereas from Christmas onwards only male Robins sing. Read all about it in The Life of the Robin by David Lack.

Not all birds have finished breeding though – lots of House Martins and Swallows about (the Swifts have all gone), and Woodpigeons carry on singing (and laying eggs) until October. No luck with Turtle Doves though this year; when I was living in North Wales in the late 1960’s, Turtle Doves were common breeders in NE Wales and a few bred on Lleyn and Meirionnydd. Now these have all gone - read about it in The Breeding Birds of North Wales by Brenchley et al (2013). I haven’t seen a Turtle Dove anywhere in Britain this year.

Getting a bit late for good butterflies, but quite a few showy ones on our Buddleia including a Painted Lady the other day and several Commas. Then this morning a Common Blue appeared (very scarce round here this year and our first in the garden for 2015), plus a very smart Small Copper. This picture was actually taken just up the road in August last year.

Several Purple Hairstreaks seen on our butterfly transect route earlier this month, we try to do this every week for Butterfly Conservation. Viewing one of these individuals I even saw the ‘hairstreak’ mark on the hindwing, usually they are too high up on the oaks or ashes to see this. They lay eggs on the oaks and visit the ash trees for honeydew. 

Geoff Gibbs

Small Copper on the Forget-Me-Nots

Small copper

At long last the garden got a soaking yesterday and today it was brilliant sunshine but cool; perfect for a bit of hard graft digging out a 10 year old compost pile. It’s several feet deep with extensive nettles and their yellow roots, so satisfying to pull out. Also deep in the mix are bracken rhizomes, bursting with energy. Both nettle roots and bracken rhizomes are drying out on top of the wall.

Mixed in with the weeds and soil was the odd bit of rotted carpet that I had put down to inhibit the weeds. For some reason I thought it would be biodegradeable, but it’s not, certainly not in my lifetime. I’ve got a black bin liner full of the various strands.

Sadly I have destroyed a couple of vole homes, globes of dry vegetation beneath the soil. A small toad looked indignant as I relocated it a couple of yards away. But star of the show was the butterfly flitting on the profusion of forget-me-nots. If I’ve read my guide correctly I think it’s a Small copper.