Is it rare? Are you (even a little) disappointed when your “new” observation is “common”?

I love seeing a new butterfly/beetle/moth/bee in the garden. I run to my phone (which has a great camera), take a photo, enter it into the observation site. I have to say, although I pretend this is just to put a name to the new arrival, I am disappointed when the site says it is “common” for my area.

Are you the same?

 

Considering the apparent decline of so many insect species, I'm always happy to see anything, rare or not. Know what you mean tho - nothing quite like spotting a "one off" is there ?

 

My garden is a no herbicide, no pesticide haven surrounded by nutters who destroy anything that spoils the view of their Wannabelikeontv gardens. As a result, anything that turns up in my garden is welcome. I don’t care if it’s common or rare; it’s alive and that’s what pleases me.

 

I think things like that are written by A1 which doesn't actually know anything, or written by someone who doesn't live in your area and thinks they know it all, but don't.
If you haven't see it before then it's rare.
Everything is rare around here these days ... except idiots.

 

I don't use herb/pesticides either. At least I'm lucky that my garden is walled and "Treed" all round so rarely a chance of stray "killers" getting in - other than the ever wandering cats of course

 

I know what you are getting at. However, I use an international observation site (observation.org) which records all sitings, their precise locations, etc. It is used by the various conservation groups to know what is happening in a local/regional/national area. For example, I have an endangered amphibian in my locality. The national conservation organisation thought it had become extinct here. When I recorded having heard it, a rep came round, confirmed my “sighting”, advised me how to encourage it in my garden, and the conservation area had a huge influx of energy:- “They’re not all dead!”. I log all observations - if they are precious, my location is disguised.
Recently I saw a red kite fly overhead, heading north. Looking on the site, I could track the bird across Belgium….

 

We get lots of those around here, I see them circling above my garden on most days. They make a high whistling sound. They were rare once but not any more.
Interesting that you could track the Kite for miles.

 

Yes, since the re-introduction in the 1990s, the population has really recovered in the UK. They are wonderful birds, and still quite rare here in Belgium.

 

Red kites are rare here as well but common as muck in other parts of the country. I've seen two in norwich ever, which is only twice the number of white tailed eagles I've seen here (we had one fly over when i was walking the dog, which was tracked).

Some things that are supposed to be common, don't seem very common here.

 

We see a lot of Red Kites here in the Highlands, quite a few Buzzards too.