Ramblings, photos and thoughts from the village of Bepton, West Sussex – plus Midhurst, The South Downs, Chichester and surrounding areas.
This week I took delivery of a new gadget. An Apeman H55 trail cam… (Clearly I don’t need another gadget! But I’ve had me eye on a trail cam for a while and they’re as cheap as chips on Amazon, so what the heck).
Continue reading “Who ate the pheasant?”
They’re one of my favourite moths, and if you’ve ever seen one you’ll know exactly why they get their name. In fact, they look and behave so much like their feathered namesake that every year the RSPB get phone calls from worried members of the public reporting that they’ve seen escaped Hummingbirds!
Continue reading “I planted Red Valerian to attract Hummingbird Hawk Moths to the garden…”
This Painted Lady butterfly has been in the garden all morning – she’s looking a bit battered around the wing tips – but given that she’s just flown here from Morocco I reckon she’s in pretty good nick!
The House Martins seem to return later and later every year. And this year they’ve come back to a broken nest site. The side fell out of it during the winter – it’s a home renovation project if ever you’ve seen one!
I discovered this mighty beast walking up the hall this evening. Not a word of a lie it was at least 6 feet from front to back toe. An absurd monster, stalking around the house seeking to eat anything in its way. Giant teeth. Growling too. It attacked my dog, thank goodness I don’t own a cat!
I’m going to hazard a guess and say this is a Dark Bush Cricket. Might be wrong but it’s definitely a Bush Cricket and from the size of the ovipositor I’d say she’s a lady.
In case you’re wondering I scooped her up and put her outside 😃 She savaged my arm but I’ll be ok.
It’s only the 21st June and look at this – a Hummingbird Hawkmoth scooting around the garden!
Marsh Tits and Willow Tits are almost impossible to distinguish by sight alone – their call is the main way to tell them apart. But how can you differentiate them if they’re not making any noise? Here’s a great example – photographed through my office window!
I know most people like cute kittens, but I’d say the little face on this Long Tailed Tit is right up there on the cutenessometer! Continue reading “So cute!”
Bullfinches have a fearsome reputation amongst fruit growers. A pair (and Bullfinches always operate in pairs) can wreck a commercial orchard in just a few days. As gorgeous as they are – some folk consider them to be a pest!
Continue reading “Bullfinches are stripping my Cherry Tree!”
It’s been a busy year for Fieldfares. We’ve had flocks of 30-50 birds, chack-chacking around the hedgerows and squabbling over fruit in our neighbour’s crab apple tree.
Bepton Ranger 