CEMETERY WILDLIFE – MAY 2024

There was a real mixed bag of weather for the cemetery wildlife to contend with in May.  And whilst I wouldn’t count myself as wildlife, the warm weather in the middle of the month resulted in my having to deal with dozens of biting insects as I worked in the cemetery!  Puddles and fallen branches were common sights as the month ended on a very wet and windy note.

Birds

Large Birds

The highlight of the month was the return of Tawny owls to one of the owl boxes at the western end of the cemetery.  I saw two different adult birds – I only realised this when I studied my photos and noticed subtle differences between owls I saw at different times.  And then a couple of weeks later I saw two large fluffy chicks (also known as owlets) perched outside the box (see photo above).

A tawny owl sitting at the entrance to a nest box in the cemetery
Tawny Owl

The last time I saw Owls and owlets was in May 2021, but that year I saw the owlets in the first week of the month.  This year I saw them in the last week of the month.  I’ve put a link to my 2021 report at the end of this report.

I saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker on a couple of occasions.  I saw plenty of Wood Pigeons, and amongst them a pair of Stock Doves.

A wood pigeon on the ground with the sun shining on it
Wood Pigeon (above)
Two stock doves feeding on the ground in the cemetery
Stock Doves

Small birds

I saw a male Bullfinch on several occasions and a female one just a couple of times.  However, as all the trees now have fully opened leaves it’s harder to get photos of the smaller birds.

A male bullfinch sitting in a tree in the cemetery
Bullfinch (male)

I was also delighted to see a pair of Blackcaps.

A Blackcap perched on the stem of a hogweed plant
Blackcap (male)

Some of the early nesting birds have now successfully raised some youngsters, and I saw fledgling Robins, Blackbirds and Chaffinches.

A young blackbird perched on a branch
Blackbird (above). It looks very similar to a young Robin, but due to its size I can confirm it’s definitely a Blackbird.
A young chaffinch calling for its parents to feed it
Young Chaffinch begging for food

I also saw a very active pair of Coal Tits several times during my walks around the Cemetery, plus plenty of Great Tits and Blue Tits.  I think it’s safe to say that the avian branch of the cemetery wildlife is having a good year so far.

Insects

Butterflies

I saw my first Red Admiral of the year, in the Quaker Burial Ground.  It’s the only one I’ve seen so far this year.

Red Admiral butterfly resting on a leaf
Red Admiral

This brought the cemetery total to 11 different species of butterfly, which is what I expected based on previous years. However, this month has not been a very good one for them, and I only saw butterflies in ones and twos.  The other species I saw this month were Brimstone, Orange Tip, Green-veined White, Small White, Large White, Speckled Wood and Holly Blue.

A Large White butterfly feeding on cow parsley
Large White (male) (above)
A Speckled Wood butterfly perched high on a leaf in the Quaker Burial Ground
Speckled Wood (above). Note the damaged wing.
A Holly Blue Butterfly resting on a nettle leaf in the cemetery
Holly Blue (male) seen near the Cholera Monument.

Other Insects

I saw lots of ladybirds of various species, and plenty of bees, flies and hoverflies.  I saw this Narcissus Bulb fly on the grass verge alongside the cemetery – the first one I’d seen.

A Narcissus Bulb fly, looking like a small bee, sitting on a leaf
Narcissus bulb fly

The insect branch of the cemetery wildlife is always surprising me.  When I was taking part in the City Nature Challenge for iNaturalist last month, I looked at what other people had found in Hull.  I came across the very interestingly-named Batman hoverfly on the list.  Then a few days ago I saw one for myself, feeding on Hogweed on the grass verge.  Unfortunately, the Batman logo-shaped mark at the top of the thorax that gives the hoverfly its common name isn’t very clear. I’ve added a link at the end of this report to a site that gives more information about hoverflies.

A Batman Hoverfly feeding on hogweed flowers
Batman Hoverfly. The eyes are close together, indicating this is a male.

But an insect I often see is the Thick-legged flower beetle and these colourful little insects are a favourite of mine.  And unmistakable once you’ve seen one!

Thick-legged flower beetle on a buttercup
Thick-legged Flower Beetle. Only the male has those large thighs.

Flowers

I was very happy to see a few flowers on the old Horse Chestnut tree.  This is probably one of the original trees planted when the cemetery was being laid out prior to its opening in 1847.  As far as tree flowers go, I think this is one of the prettiest to be found on our native trees.

The creamy white flowers of an old Horse Chestnut Tree in the cemetery
Horse Chestnut

I saw carpets of Wild Garlic, also known as Ramsons, throughout the cemetery although they reached their peak early in the month.  The rain and wind has flattened most of them now.

A carpet of white Wild Garlic flowers in the cemetery sunshine
Wild Garlic

There are plenty of Oxeye daisies growing on the grass verge alongside the cemetery.  They seem very attractive to the smallest branch of the cemetery wildlife, including this tiny fly.  I haven’t been able to precisely identify it, other than it being a Phania of some sort.

An Oxeye daisy with a tiny fly on it
Oxeye Daisy and fly

Other white flowers I saw this month were Common Chickweed, clover and Campion.  I also saw several Red Campion plants growing along the grass verge, and some Knapweed.  There are also some Dog-roses growing in the cemetery itself.

The pink flowers of the Red Campion
Red Campion (above)
The pink flowers of the Knapweed plant
Knapweed (above)
A pale pink Dog-rose with raindrops on it in the cemetery
Dog-rose

The thistles all over the grass verge have grown rather tall during the month, and a few are now in flower.  But not all of them are pink.  I noticed one with yellow flowers, and this is a Prickly Sowthistle.  I also saw some Smooth Sowthistle growing in the same area.

Two photos showing the yellow flowers of the Prickly Sowthistle and the Smooth Sowthistle
Prickly Sowthistle (left) and Smooth Sowthistle (right)

Conclusion

The cemetery wildlife continues to thrive.  New life is all around, including this squirrel.  It seems to be a youngster as I’d never seen it before this month.  Its extra red hairs, especially on its tail, makes it stand out from the rest of the cemetery’s squirrel population. The photo doesn’t quite do it justice, however, as that red colouration is much more noticeable in real life!

A grey squirrel with extra red coloration sitting in a tree
Your Squirrel of the month. See you same time next month!

Wonderful Wildlife – Friends Of Hull General Cemetery

ID Guide Hoverflies – British Naturalists’ Association (bna-naturalists.org)