Categories
Members

Emerging Scarlet Tiger

John Cobb writes:

Yesterday, coming in after emptying the tea leaves on the garden at Sue’s house, I noticed something dark and very crumpled looking about a foot up from the bottom of the door frame.

Categories
Members

Lime Hawkmoth

Sue Morton writes:

I know there are lime hawkmoths in the lime trees in my road, because every summer I find a few of their caterpillars on the pavement….

Categories
Members

Otter spraint on the Windrush

Gavin Hageman writes:

For around five years I have been keeping an eye out for otter spraint by the river Windrush near where I live in Witney, always hoping that they will be once again abundant in the area as they were a few decades ago, given that they are making a gradual comeback across the country along with the other rarer mustelids such as the pine Martin and polecat.

Categories
Members

First Cricket of the Year

Sue Morton writes:

Each year in early May I watch for the first speckled bush cricket nymphs of the year to appear in my garden. 

Categories
Members

Terrapins at Tar Lakes

Sue Morton writes:

We were surprised to see something rather unexpected on the old tern raft at Witney Lake a couple of weeks ago….

Categories
Members

Witney Birds

Lindsay Fisher writes:

I spotted a Little Egret at the Bathing Place the other day…..

Categories
Members

Dog’s Vomit Slime Mould

John C. writes:

The full report of the club’s visit to Whitehill Woods last Sunday will appear in due course, but I can’t resist reporting one thing that only a few of us who were lingering at the back saw.

Categories
Members

A Newt in the Greenhouse

David Roberts writes:

I found this smooth newt under a pot in my greenhouse. I think it’s a young immature one from last year.

Categories
Members

Signs of Spring

Sue Morton writes:

In the last week, I’ve heard my first chiffchaff and seen my first bee fly, sure signs that spring is here.

Categories
Members

Melanistic Pheasant

Thanks to everyone who identified the exotic bird at Rushy Common. The consensus is that she was a female melanistic common pheasant, in particular Lindsay Fisher writes: