NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

Pan-species listing has hit the nationals. Click here to read how the Sunday Telegraph embraces the latest in a long line of natural history eccentricities. Whilst on the subject, recent exposure in the media has meant that a few more listers have come forward and declared their lists. I'm starting to slip down the table I'm afraid. In reality, I might not even make a top 100 if everybody owned-up to what they had seen in the UK. For me to compete I do need to obtain more in the way of identification keys, particularly for invertebrates. A decent lichen guide wouldn't go amiss either. This all taxa interest has exposed one problem and that is of time. With a job and family, leisure time is quite scarce. I have always had other interests other than natural history and have wanted to persue them, but.... it means doing less birding, less botanising and that is something that I'm not prepared to do. So, learning to speak French, writing a novel, visiting art galleries, wa...

A grey, wet morning at Beddington Sewage Farm was enlivened by this adult Caspian Gull and two Firecrests. The crests have been present since December, but have been elusive. I was pleased to finally catch up with them.

As I am about to embark on another season of moth recording in the garden, I thought it might be worth mentioning what has gone before... We moved into our current house in Banstead, (just outside of the Greater London boundary in north Surrey), in August 1987. The garden is 90 foot long and of a typical 1930s semi-detached house. There is a mature ash tree, a couple of large conifers and, to my shame, mostly non-native planting. I then owned an actinic moth trap which I ran on practically a nightly basis, with only snow, ice and winds above force 6 postponing the ceremonial switch on. I identified and counted everything - identified what I could, that is. Specimens that I struggled with were packed off to Graham Collins, the county moth recorder. In January 1990 I took the plunge and acquired an MV trap. My counts and range of species subsequently rocketed. By 1996 (a spectacular moth year) I stopped counting everything and contented myself in sifting through the catch and notin...

The garden MV produced: single Clouded Drab (pictured), Hebrew Character, Common Quaker, Spring Usher and Dotted Border, plus two each of The Chestnut and March Moth. Also, from the micro department a Light Brown Apple Moth and another that I've yet to tackle. A fair start to the garden moth year.

In North Downs and beyond land the night is muggy (9 deg C), overcast and calm. That must mean moths. So, for the first time this year the garden MV has been put out and switched on....

After the rant of yesterday, here comes the calm. Feast your eyes, if you will, on Common Jellyspot, a fungi that looks as if a woodland creature has just sneezed over a tree stump. This was taken at Pulborough Brooks (the heathland area) on Sunday. North Downs and beyond - bringing you yet another easy to identify and bleedin' obvious fungus.

I've just read this and, if it's true, I am disgusted. Disgusted at the lack of concern for the residents. Disgusted at the mean spirit of most those present (do the maths). Ashamed to claim to be a part of the 'birding' fraternity. If you can read the link and remain unconcerned, then I really do worry about our hobby - and a hobby is what it is, unless you are lucky enough to be paid to do it. Why don't those who are guilty just bugger off and take up less disguised social crimes such as vandalism and theft. Pathetic.