[Leica] IMGs x 3: CoVid-19 Chronicles

[Philippe]

Beech : we do have them in abundance in the park - but I would never have thought you could trim them into hedges - lesson learnt, thanks.

As to the moth, it was certainly common in our previous place. I had posted photos then. But can’t find them on my own site …

Thanks


Amities

Philippe



> Le 24 mars 2020 à 12:51, Douglas Barry <imra at iol.ie> a écrit :
> 
> Philippe, it's Fagus Sylvatica which is known as Beech over here and in the UK.
> 
> It's full of birds at the moment, bursting their little hearts out with song as they nest and fly busily, and far too speedily for our cat - and my lens. Amazingly, there's quite a lot of wildlife in our little urban garden at this time of year. At the end of February, I was out on my patio which has our kitchen herbs growing in a raised concrete bed running alongside it. I was standing beside our Rosemary bush, and was quite motionless in contemplation when something fast shot down and alighted on it.
> 
> I couldn't believe it - it was a Hummingbird Hawk Moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) which is a rare summer visitor here, but has not over wintered here yet. I know they are very common on mainland Europe, and are just starting to breed in the south of the UK as global warming gives Brexitannia some new migratory species - as well as improving British wine. However, they are really rare insects here. I only saw one in our garden before at the height of the 2017 August heat, and this was February so the sighting was very strange. I recorded it on the moth and butterfly website https://butterfly-conservation.org/our-work/recording-and-monitoring/migrant-watch/humming-bird-hawk-moth-2020/results <https://butterfly-conservation.org/our-work/recording-and-monitoring/migrant-watch/humming-bird-hawk-moth-2020/results>., and so far it is the only one recorded in Ireland. I'm baffled as to how it appeared in my garden, but must assume it was the result of a mistaken visit to some warm crevice in a local building, and it then overwintered.
> 
> I keep a beady eye on the patio, but no sign of any reappearance of the moth, so assume an early bird got lucky.
> 
> Douglas
> 
> On 24/03/2020 07:26, Philippe via LUG wrote:
>> Is this hornbeam / bower?
>> 
>> I love these as they keep their leaves in the winter only to lose them when the new one come out, and provide shelter from the winds
>> 
>> Yours looks thicker and denser than mine (planted last year only) Good on you and the birds :-)
>> 
>> Amities
>> 
>> Philippe
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> Le 24 mars 2020 à 02:11, Douglas Barry <imra at iol.ie> a écrit :
>>> 
>>> My hedge is filling with nesting birds not that you can see any in this shot.
>>> 
>>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/CoVid-19/CV19_Beech+hedge.jpg.html <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/CoVid-19/CV19_Beech+hedge.jpg.html> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/CoVid-19/CV19_Beech+hedge.jpg.html <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/CoVid-19/CV19_Beech+hedge.jpg.html>>
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> 
> 
> 
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