Beyond Birdwatching

Discover April’s non-avian wildlife with James Lowen…

MOTH OF THE MONTH Appearing in moth traps this month (if it didn’t already do so in March) is the Red Chestnut. This brick-toned noctuid moth is widespread across the UK, so can be encountered almost anywhere. But it is also declining: numbers crashed by three-quarters from 1970 to 2016, with its distribution compressing by a third. BEE Colonising afresh An insect to keep an eye out for this spring is the Grey-backed Mining-bee. After a gap of 60 years without UK records, this lovely Andrena bee was thought nationally extinct. In 2008, however, it was discovered in Kent. Since then, it has been spotted north (to Norfolk) and west (to Hampshire), suggesting it has quietly recolonised. Females gather pollen from willows and sallows, and can form dense breeding colonies…

You're reading a preview of

Bird Watching (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.