What's buzzing or flying near you 2025 ?

@fairygirl Silver Y moth.

 

Silver Y moths regularly munch my tomatoes plants and fruit.

 

Many thanks @strongylodon - I knew you'd ID it! I get them quite often, but I just couldn't recall the name. My memory's terrible nowadays.
I didn't see any munched toms @NigelJ - maybe he didn't fancy the ones I had in there! I'm suddenly getting quite a nice crop of Garnets and Toddlers, and I picked a load of the latter yesterday. The Sungolds don't make it to the kitchen....

 

@fairygirl Silver Y moths and Hebrew Character moths are the main summer problems on my greenhouse toms. I am known to amble up there, just before bedtime, and pick them off in mid meal.

 

Not flying yet but yesterday I spotted a hitherto unknown striped yellow and black caterpillar with yellow spots on a wild carrot stem. Turns out it's a black swallowtail larva. Only ever seen the white ones and not for a few years.

On another wild carrot there were several striped red and black shield bugs which are migrating north from Italy. Another new one for us.

 

I'll keep an eye on them for the tomatoes @NigelJ ! I've certainly not had a problem with them eating mine in the past, it's only ever been magpies if the doors are open, so I'm ready for that with protection if the doors are open. Not usually needed here at this time of year though, or as the fruits are ripening. I open the top rather than the doors.

I hadn't heard of the other moth you mentioned, but I looked it up, and we probably do get them - I'll just never have noticed, and so many of them look very similar.

I had to re read your post - as I wasn't sure if it was the moths having the late night feast....or you....

 

This Tufted Titmouse is into its annual molt, thankfully, they don't have mirrors.

 

Eastern Phoebe, these little flycatchers, are mostly found near bodies of water and swamps. They will be heading south soon for the winter.

 

Five young Siskins on the feeders.


Blue Tit waiting to get on the feeder.

 

We get siskins round here, but they rarely come in the garden @strongylodon , which is a pity.
The amount of sparrows going bonkers would probably frighten them off anyway!

I had 8 or 9 yesterday - having a bath in part of the gutter of the neighbour's garage, as it isn't properly fixed, and just fills with water very quickly. I was doing dishes at the time, and, due to the odd angle of our gardens, I have a good view of it from that window.
It's about 10 feet from the pond, but hey - it was different. Very entertaining

 

@fairygirl we didn't have any Sparrows throughout the Winter but from Spring they have been every day and have had three broods as well as all the young Goldfinches so the feeders are emptying very quickly.
Some young Goldfinches are now starting to get more adult colour but still look a bit of a mess.

 

Sparrows are plentiful here @strongylodon , and although a third brood would be very unusual here, the longer season this year might produce one. I saw a few gathering bits and pieces recently. My neighbour across the front from me [footpath between our front gardens] has them nesting in the ivy on his garage, so they fly back and forth from there to my back garden, down our boundaries with the road. My feeders are quite near my boundary hedging/shrubs, so they sit there making a racket and generally taking over! I often see around 12 to 15 or so at one time, feeding, shouting, using the pond etc. They also love the corner under my bedroom window, next to the original gable end of the house. The dunnocks love it too. Must be something very tasty in there. I sometimes come out the back door and walk along there, and they all fly out. Don't know who gets the bigger fright!
They were enjoying the Lychnis under the kitchen window yesterday. Not a great pic, as it was through the window and it's an awkward angle, but I couldn't resist getting the camera


That goldie is lovely. We had a couple of juveniles a few weeks ago, but I think that's just from an original brood. They definitely had more colour on their heads than your one. Not sure we'd get a 2nd bunch of them. I didn't realise they had more than one brood per year, but I looked it up to find out. I doubt we ever get more than one, but I'll be looking out for them as autumn proceeds. It's till very, very mild here which is unusual, so perhaps they'll go for it.
Both breeds are very noisy and messy aren't they! Plenty of food needed, as you say, and some chucked out for the other ground feeding birds. The little collared doves I've had this year are enjoying that.
We've never had so many birds as this year - the weather has definitely made a huge difference to their success rates. Costing me a fortune, but wonderful to see them all doing so well.

 

This morning was a real bun fight, nearly all young Siskins just two young Goldies, we have never had this number before. There are at least 12 here and no adults.

 

Forgot to post this yesterday. Lovely to see in the garden - even if it was only one!
I thought at first it was a Comma, as I'd had a couple of visits last year, but this was even better when I realised what it was- Painted Lady. We used to get them very regularly in the garden round the corner, but they've not been regular in this one.
I believe there's a weird ten year thing that happens with them, and we certainly had loads one year while in this property. We've been here 12 years, but I'd need to check back for photos to know what year it was.
It was very considerate and posed nicely for several pix

 

Sorry I can't look at most of your photos on here - bird phobia

But I was dusting in my front room, and in a bowl on a shelf I found a dead bat ! It was tiny, a pipistrel I think.
It must have flown in one summer evening ...

I took it down the garden and put it in the hedgerow along the field, it may come as food for something, or if not it will decompose and become part of the hedgerow.

When I lived in another house the then cat would sit on the roof and catch them. Bella can't be bothered to catch anything and I must say I'm not sorry about that.