A trip to the west coast of the Scottish Highlands too but little to report due to heavy rain!! Seawatching produced a few Common Dolphins and two Common Seals.
Doc Brewster said
Mon Jul 9 11:00 PM, 2018
Still up in the Highlands of Scotland and a fabulous day seeing the main target species of the whole holiday - Brilliant Emerald dragonfly. We caught up with this gorgeous beastie at Loch Bran where we also saw Highland Darter, Black Darter, Golden-ringed, Common Hawker, 4-Spot Chaser, Emerald Damsel, Common Blue Damsel, Large Red Damsel and Blue-tailed Damsel. Also here was the Scottish form of Speckled Wood, larger and darker than the English form.
Doc Brewster said
Sun Jul 8 10:05 PM, 2018
Another day up in the Highlands of Scotland and duller but still with sunny intervals. We started with the moth trap in the garden and had a bumper catch. Some of the moths were Scarce Silver-Y, Beautiful Golden-Y, Burnished Brass, Swallow Prominent, Coxcomb Prominent, Ghost Swift, Green Arches, Dark Spectacle, Grey Pine Carpet and Bright-eye Brown-line. Also in there was a Sexton Beetle. Also in the garden new butterflies for the trip - Large White and Meadow Brown.
Next we revisited White-faced Darter, Black Darter and Northern Damselflies at local sites. We popped into Loch Garten & had a very cute baby Red Squirrel! Also here were Common Lizard and Common Toad.
Finally on to Uath Lochans where we recorded Northern Emerald Dragonfly, Barred Red moth, Bordered White moth and Golden-ringed Dragonfly. There was a Common Frog here too. Also here I found a lifer ladybird in the shape of Striped Ladybird, a pinewood specialist.
John Williams said
Sat Jul 7 11:24 PM, 2018
Langsett Reservoir & Moor S.Yorks. 10.00-14.30
Still quite a few Common Heath moths fluttering across the heather, also 1 Pebble Hooktip was alongside a small brook..
No dragonflies or damselflies were seen throughout, but plenty of butterflies were on the moor, mainly Small Heaths.
Ringlets were plentiful around the scrub and bramble patches, as were Meadow Browns.
Numerous Green Veined White butterflies flew across the moor, and 3 Small Tortoiseshells were around the high moor too.
2 Comma and 1 Small Skipper butterflies were in the woodland.
A Meadow Grasshopper landed on my rucksack, and an Oak Egger moth caterpillar was found on the heather.
Doc Brewster said
Sat Jul 7 10:20 PM, 2018
Another day in the Scottish Highlands & more good inverts! First Northern Damselfly and Black Darter near Loch Garten, one of the latter being taken by a Raft Spider. In the Findhorn Valley we saw two magnificent Red Deer stags, lots of Dark Green Fritillaries and Fragrant Orchids. Then whilst having seconds of White-faced Darters near Loch Garten we saw Yellow Shell and True Lovers Knot moths. Finally in Abernethy Forest we ended the day with the delicate Twinflower.
Doc Brewster said
Fri Jul 6 10:07 PM, 2018
My first full day up in the Scottish Highlands. First stop was Station Road, Carrbridge where we saw Green Tiger Beetle and Clubmoss. Next onto Moorland north of here and highlights were Oak Eggar Moth, Antler Moth, Salmon leaping and amazingly our first Speckled Woods of the trip.
Doc Brewster said
Thu Jul 5 10:48 PM, 2018
First afternoon of a mainly insect watching trip to the Highlands of Scotland and the sun helped us out! Butterflies recorded were Northern Brown Argus, Dark Green Fritillary, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Ringlet, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Green-veined White and Small Heath. All near the Old Spey Bridge, Grantown. Also here lots of Chimney Sweeper Moths. Near Loch Garten we had White-faced Darter, Common Hawker, Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Black Darter and 4-Spot Chaser as well as Large Red & Emerald Damselflies. The bad news was lots of cleg horseflies, and I ended up with 3 bad bites.
Andy Bissitt said
Wed Jul 4 9:37 PM, 2018
Andy Bissitt wrote:
Fenn's & Whixall Mosses yesterday:
Most of the odonata you'd expect, with white-faced darters still hanging on (six certainly seen, including 4 males and a pair in 'cop'). Emerald damsel and emperor were the only additions to what Mark saw a few days back. The only other insect of note was Large Heath, with three certains seen and two fly-bys which were probables. Little else stirred in the insect world and the place is crying out for rain - none soon and you'd think permanent damage might be done.
My first trip to Newchurch Common for over a week saw me add several species of lepidoptera and odonata to my 2018 patch list.
Gatekeeper and Small Skipper were two new butterflies, with lots of the former and two of the latter. Other species seen were Large Skipper, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Large White, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Peacock and Comma.
The new odonata were Emperor Dragonfly, Black-tailed Skimmer, Southern Hawker and Emerald Damselfly. Also seen were Downy Emerald, 4-Spot Chaser, Brown Hawker, Red-eyed Damsel, Common Blue Damsel, Azure Damsel and Blue-tailed Damsel.
This sunny weather has its benefits, but the water levels on certain parts of the patch are worryingly low, we do need rain.
Andy Bissitt said
Mon Jul 2 9:23 PM, 2018
Fenn's & Whixall Mosses yesterday:
Most of the odonata you'd expect, with white-faced darters still hanging on (six certainly seen, including 4 males and a pair in 'cop'). Emerald damsel and emperor were the only additions to what Mark saw a few days back. The only other insect of note was Large Heath, with three certains seen and two fly-bys which were probables. Little else stirred in the insect world and the place is crying out for rain - none soon and you'd think permanent damage might be done.
Mark Jarrett said
Mon Jul 2 2:47 PM, 2018
Three hours on Marbury Patch this morning in hot and sunny weather looking for Dragonflies and Butterflies. Good numbers of both seen.
Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Emperor Dragonfly, Four-spotted Chaser, Broad-bodied Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer, Common Darter, Large Red Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Red-eyed Damselfly.
Green-veined White, Small White, Large White, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Small Skipper, Comma and Gatekeeper.
Our local country fair this weekend just gone, but indirectly that contributed to a great find. As I was walking to the event (at the pub!!) I noticed a small, dark butterfly on the path ahead of me on the outskirts of our village, Moulton, near Northwich. As I suspected it was a hairstreak butterfly and being under oaks wasn't surprised to see that it was a Purple Hairstreak. This is the first local one of these I have ever had, being here for 19 years, so I was really well chuffed! Piccy attached.
Also nearby, at Whitegate where we ride the horses my wife Carys had a Large Marsh Horsefly. This species is having a bumper summer with a population boom. The flies are over an inch long but nowhere near as sneaky as clegs so probably wont't be able to bite humans un-noticed, I like the critters actually As always the tabloids are having a field day, the Sun saying that there is an invasion of monster horseflies from Europe (helps their agenda ) when it's just a population boom of a native species!
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Monday 2nd of July 2018 03:14:39 PM
Walked from Pant and entered the forest in the SW corner along a vehicle track marked as a footpath and
followed this route round to a high point overlooking a large cleared area. The path goes round in a "U" shape,
so at it's highest point you're overlooking the point where you started and Pant.
In the hot sun the path provided a bonanza of insect sightings though.
Butterflies : Lots of Ringlets and Meadow Browns in the vegetation alongside the path. Also 4 Small Skippers,
4 Small Tortoiseshells, 4 Red Admirals, 3 Comma, 1 Large White and lots of Small Whites.
Moths : 1 Bordered White and 1 Red Necked Footman (For which I broke the rules and rescued it from a web, although there was
no sign of a spider. The moth seemed soon clear of the sticky thread and flew off well into the bracken).
Dragonflies : 2 Southern Hawkers, 2 Brown Hawkers, 1m Golden Ringed Dragonfly, 1m+1f Broad Bodied Chasers.
Also 1 Cleg that had an unfortunate fate.
Andy Bissitt said
Fri Jun 29 9:56 PM, 2018
Mark Jarrett wrote:
Andy Bissitt wrote:
Mark Jarrett wrote:
Whixall Moss & Prees Heath, North Shropshire today for dragonflies and butterflies.
A male and female White-faced Darter ovipositing plus another three females. Also around were Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Four-spotted Chaser, Common Blue Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly.
Butterflies represented by Green-veined White, Large White, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Brimstone, Common Blue, Holly Blue and Silver-studded Blue.
Hi Mark,
You haven't mentioned black darter. which your photos clearly are. Just a slip of the mind I presume?
Andy
No Andy, weve mis-identified! Three of the five darters disappeared straight away and we were left with two females to id. My friend and I both had our reservations that they were WFDs based on size and the fact that the frons wasnt right. Weve allowed ourselves to be swayed, partly by others at the site. Never gave Black Darter a thought. Guilty as charged!
We were at the pool so it appears the WFDs could have dispersed now. I may just pop back in a few days or just leave it until early June next year.
Glad to be of service Mark. It is a little late for WFD now, especially after the weather we have had. I took the attached photograph in Staffordshire on 20th May, which is quite a while back now.
Whixall Moss & Prees Heath, North Shropshire today for dragonflies and butterflies.
A male and female White-faced Darter ovipositing plus another three females. Also around were Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Four-spotted Chaser, Common Blue Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly.
Butterflies represented by Green-veined White, Large White, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Brimstone, Common Blue, Holly Blue and Silver-studded Blue.
Hi Mark,
You haven't mentioned black darter. which your photos clearly are. Just a slip of the mind I presume?
Andy
No Andy, weve mis-identified! Three of the five darters disappeared straight away and we were left with two females to id. My friend and I both had our reservations that they were WFDs based on size and the fact that the frons wasnt right. Weve allowed ourselves to be swayed, partly by others at the site. Never gave Black Darter a thought. Guilty as charged!
We were at the pool so it appears the WFDs could have dispersed now. I may just pop back in a few days or just leave it until early June next year.
Andy Bissitt said
Thu Jun 28 9:08 PM, 2018
Mark Jarrett wrote:
Whixall Moss & Prees Heath, North Shropshire today for dragonflies and butterflies.
A male and female White-faced Darter ovipositing plus another three females. Also around were Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Four-spotted Chaser, Common Blue Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly.
Butterflies represented by Green-veined White, Large White, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Brimstone, Common Blue, Holly Blue and Silver-studded Blue.
Hi Mark,
You haven't mentioned black darter. which your photos clearly are. Just a slip of the mind I presume?
Andy
Mark Jarrett said
Thu Jun 28 6:31 PM, 2018
Whixall Moss & Prees Heath, North Shropshire today for dragonflies and butterflies.
A male and female White-faced Darter ovipositing plus another three females. Also around were Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Four-spotted Chaser, Common Blue Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly.
Butterflies represented by Green-veined White, Large White, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Brimstone, Common Blue, Holly Blue and Silver-studded Blue.
Walked this morning from the bridge at Acton Bridge (roughly a mid point between Northwich and Frodsham) to just beyond Dutton Locks and back.
Brown Hawker was the only dragon present and butterflies were represented by Small & Large Skipper, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Common Blue and Small, Large & Green-veined White.
Lawrence Hindley said
Wed Jun 27 12:03 PM, 2018
Climbed from Kirkstone Pass Inn to Hartsop Dodd via Stony Cove Pike in search of Mountain Ringlet yesterday.
Saw 10 on climb up to summit of Stony Cove Pike from about 550m up to summit at 763m. Then descended to Coll on the way to Hartsop Dodd summit where there were a further 61 seen. We stopped counting once we got to the Hartsop Dodd summit so as not to double count, but there were so many on the return around the Coll I would estimate a number in excess of 100. I had heard this place was good for Mountain Ringlet but it exceeded all expectations.
Also large numbers of Small Heath again 100+. The weather was hot and cloudless with a light South Westerly breeze.
Mark Jarrett said
Mon Jun 25 4:37 PM, 2018
Small Pool and Gull Pool adjacent to Whitegate Way and part of Newchurch Common patch.
Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Green-veined White and Small White butterflies.
Odonata :- Large Red Damselfly, Azure Damselfly (1), Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Brown Hawker and Common Darter.
Dragonflies : Lots of Black tailed Skimmers (Especially along the path to Pods Hide)
Plenty of Azure Damselflies around too.
Butterflies : 1 Large Skipper, 3 Gatekeepers, 3 Speckled Wood and lots of Ringlets.
Also 1 "10p" sized water beetle (Resembled "Lybius Fenstratus" but could'n be sure of ID) that flew in and landed
on the waterside mud by the path to Pods Hide.
8 Meadow Brown butterflies were on Dairyhouse Meadows.
Andy Bissitt said
Sat Jun 23 9:41 PM, 2018
Some shots from a recent visit to Scotland (early June), where I was lucky with the weather and even luckier with dragonflies queueing up to be photographed. I've included female and male Northern Emerald, Downy Emerald and (the reason for my visit) Azure Hawker. Also slipped in a shot of Argent and Sable moth, another target which I was lucky to connect with. Let me tell you, if I hadn't had this antidote to the completely flat local insect scene, I'd be on to the Samaritans by now!
Visited Gull Pool (part of Newchurch Common patch) adjacent to the Whitegate Way path this morning. We regularly dog walk in this area but todays visit was to try and see Downy Emerald which would be a new dragonfly species for me. Two duly obliged in the inlet below the bench. One male was present, patroling its territory but every now and then another would appear whereupon there would be a little spat before territorial rights were resumed. Thanks for the exact spot Doc, you always deliver! Large Red Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly also around plus Speckled Wood and Green-veined White butterflies nearby.
Great news Mark, really pleased that you connected, especially as a lifer dragon
Mark Jarrett said
Sat Jun 23 2:35 PM, 2018
Visited Gull Pool (part of Newchurch Common patch) adjacent to the Whitegate Way path this morning. We regularly dog walk in this area but todays visit was to try and see Downy Emerald which would be a new dragonfly species for me. Two duly obliged in the inlet below the bench. One male was present, patroling its territory but every now and then another would appear whereupon there would be a little spat before territorial rights were resumed. Thanks for the exact spot Doc, you always deliver! Large Red Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly also around plus Speckled Wood and Green-veined White butterflies nearby.
Doc Brewster said
Thu Jun 21 10:39 PM, 2018
Newchurch Patch again this morning in the sunshine.
Biggest highlight was a male Clouded Buff moth on Abbot's Moss, a heathland specialist and scarce & localised in Cheshire. My record is possibly the first for this 10km square Also seen my first Comma here for the year, along with Red Admiral, Ringlets, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Green-veined White and a cracking Painted Lady. Odonata seen were Brown Hawker, Downy Emerald, 4-Spot Chaser, Red-eyed Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly. Seven-Spot Ladybird and Harlequin Ladybird were seen, the latter including subspecies conspicua. Nettle Weevil was also seen.
John O'Neill said
Thu Jun 21 2:08 AM, 2018
Bold Heath
Clock Face Rd
Swinton Commercials
Verge and lower bit of grassy slope here has been mowed back, razing two out of the three Bee Orchids I saw here last week.
A few more spikes were out though, six or seven plants.
A Yellowhammer was singing in nearby fields.
Doc Brewster said
Wed Jun 20 10:26 PM, 2018
Decided on an afternoon visit given that the weather forecast gave sunny intervals pm, and so it turned out!
Had my first Brown Hawker dragonfly of 2018 in the meadows near Big Pool. All the common 'blue' damselflies still but also my forst sighting for a while of Large Red damselflies, with 2 on the mosslands. A Silver-Y moth was seen. More Ringlets on the wing today, again mainly in the meadows. One of the 'violet' Ground Beetles, Carabus problematicus, was found under a log. Lots of Nursery Web Spiders were evident. Common Spotted Orchids are now out in the meadows too. Finally a large adult Common Lizard was on the mosslands.
2m Southern Hawker Dragonflies and a single Large Red Damselfly.
Masses of tiny frogs and toads were on the move.
Doc Brewster said
Tue Jun 19 10:16 PM, 2018
A morning walk on Newchurch Common saw only one addition to my invertebrate list for 2018 there, Narrow-bordered 5-Spot Burnet Moth, the burnet that is the one seen up in these parts almost exclusively. A Ringlet butterfly still seen too.
Shannon Llewellyn said
Sun Jun 17 10:33 PM, 2018
Large numbers of male long-horn moths Nemophora degeerella in Padley Gorge woodland today; around the quarry area. Female scorpionfly around the same area, too.
Doc Brewster said
Fri Jun 15 9:44 PM, 2018
A visit on a dull day today to Newchurch saw many more Ringlets out, in a few locations across the site now. As a recent colonist of many sites, including this one, folk may be interested in these. If you need more directions just PM me
Doc Brewster said
Thu Jun 14 10:32 PM, 2018
Back in Cheshire and with a little sunshine this afternoon I decided to try Newchurch again! What a surprise!
First Ringlet of the year on brambles in a glade near Small Pool and lots of Meadow Browns around, which weren't out before I went on holiday. I checked the ID of lots of blue damselflies getting to around 1000 Common Blues before I got the first Azure Damselfly ( I then gave up ). Still at least 2 Downy Emerald Dragonflies on the wing.
Doc Brewster said
Wed Jun 13 10:16 PM, 2018
Leaving Somerset today we couldn't resist a final trip up Collard Hill en route! Again, as for the whole holiday, the weather was dry, fine & sunny most of the time, with the result that lots of Large Blue Butterflies were again on the wing giving great views. This time however we were helping the warden of 2018, Mia, look for eggs, a task in which we all failed. We did find Bee Orchids which was a target too, along with Pyramidal, Common Spotted & Greater Butterfly Orchids. Painted Lady and Silver-Y & Orchard Ermine moths were seen too.
Doc Brewster said
Tue Jun 12 10:41 PM, 2018
Back in Somerset for our last full day, at Ham Wall/Shapwick Heath. Highlight has to be the Mole we found above ground. It looked like a juvenile looking for a territory and didn't half move fast! Also seen were Scarce Chaser, 4-Spot Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer, Emperor, Common Blue Damselflies, Azure Damselfly, Variable Damselfly & Red-eyed Damselfly. A Garden Tiger moth was seen & a huge 7cm long Drinker Moth caterpillar. A Summer Spider was a new species for us.
Doc Brewster said
Mon Jun 11 9:43 PM, 2018
Since I can't edit on my phone, should read 5-spot Burnet, not Chaser!
Doc Brewster said
Mon Jun 11 9:42 PM, 2018
Headed to Dorset today in sweltering hot weather mainly for butterflies. Started off st Lydlinch Common in an area of it that was new to us. Straight away the main target was seen: Marsh Fritillary. Over the two halves of the reserve we saw c.11 individuals, and hot lots of photos despite the heat. Also here were 1 Silver-washed Fritillary, 2 Painted Ladies, Small & Large Skippers and Meadow Brown. We also had both Beautiful & Banded Demoiselles, Broad-bodied Chaser, 5-spot Chaser, Hornet and Fallow Deer. Next we went to Alners Gorse and saw a similar mix of commoner species along with Green Hairstreak, Brimstone, Red Admiral, Common Blue and another Hornet . Final destination was Fiddleford Mill where we saw White-legged Damselflies and Banded Demoiselles, the latter in their hundreds!!!
Doc Brewster said
Sun Jun 10 9:09 PM, 2018
In Somerset again but only just, on Haddon Hill, Exmoor, near the Devon border. Here at the well known hotspot we were soon watching over 30 Heath Fritillaries and getting some cracking photos. Also seen was a Wood Tiger moth, Chimney Sweeper moth, and Small Skipper & Orange-tip. Finally we had a large, very strangely named Longhorn beetle: 'Blackspotted Pliers Support' beetle!?!
John O'Neill said
Sun Jun 10 11:30 AM, 2018
Bold Heath
Clock Face Rd
Swinton Commercials
The grassy roadside slope running up to the old Hire Co. Several Marsh Orchids out, most looked Northern. Only one Bee Orchid found although two more flowering spikes right on the adjacent verge inches from busy A Road.
Doc Brewster said
Sat Jun 9 11:25 PM, 2018
In Devon today at Aylesbeare Common we had Keeled Skimmer, Emperor dragonfly, Golden-ringed dragonfly and Beautiful Demoiselle. We saw Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Holly Blue. We also saw 2 Palmate Newts and hundreds of froglets!
Doc Brewster said
Sat Jun 9 11:23 PM, 2018
In Devon today at Aylesbeare Common we had Keeled Skimmer, Emperor dragonfly, Golden-ringed dragonfly and Beautiful Demoiselle. We saw Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Holly Blue. We also saw 2 Palmate Newts and hundreds of froglets!
Rob Creek said
Sat Jun 9 7:09 PM, 2018
Cornwall.
Some other sightings on my holiday this last week.
Marine Discovery. - Risso's Dolphin 2 groups seen inc mother and calf - Harbour Porpoise 3 seen inc mother and calf
Scillonian III. - Ocean Sunfish
Mount's Bay. - Bottlenose Dolphins I couldn't tell how many present but likely to be the ones recently proved to be of Cornish waters descent
Zennor head. - Grey Seal 5
Ludgvan. - Badger 1 foraging around one night near my mates driveway as we came back from the pub - Red Fox 1 - Grey Squirrel 2
3 different sizes of Bat seen throughout the week but without a detector I'm working on likelihood. - The tiny ones were Pipistrelle but whether it was Common or Soprano is anyone's guess. - The slightly larger ones seen are likely to be Lesser Horseshoe which have a few colonies in the area using some of the disused but fully monitored tin mines. - The larger ones again I'm not sure but I think are likely to be Noctules, a slower wingbeat and a lighter colour.
John Williams said
Sat Jun 9 5:47 PM, 2018
Danebower Quarry and Hollow (10.00-13.30)
Moths : 1 Common White Wave, 1 Purple Bar, 1 Wood Tiger and a few Common Heaths.
Small Heath Butterflies abundant.
Doc Brewster said
Fri Jun 8 11:03 PM, 2018
Second day in Somerset produced lots of great non-bird sightings. Saw Large Blue butterflies at Collard Hill along with Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Greater Butterfly Orchid & Pyramidal Orchid there. A lovely Grass Snake was seen at Graylake RSPB as well as Banded Demoiselles. At Ham Wall we saw the inch long Large Marsh Horsefly, Swollen-thighed Beetles and a newly emerged Black-tailed Skimmer. Also here were Perez Frogs showing much better than yesterday. To finish off a White Ermine Moth was in the pub in the evening, so I rescued it & set it free!!
John Williams said
Thu Jun 7 10:39 PM, 2018
Elton Hall Flash Sandbach
1m Banded Demoiselle.
Doc Brewster said
Thu Jun 7 10:11 PM, 2018
Down in Somerset on holiday and the first afternoon was spent at Ham Wall RSPB area. Despite the overcast weather we had lots of good non-bird sightings. Best was a few Variable Damselflies. Another was 2 Glow-Worm larvae, not something you get every day! Two Perez Frogs were seen in the pools. Other sightings included Four-spotted Chasers, Red-eyed Damselflies, Azure, Blue-tailed & Common Blue Damselflies, a Large Skipper, Red-headed Cardinal Beetle, Nettle Weevil, Green Dock Beetle, Nursery Web Spider and Brown Bush Cricket. If this was the fare with. Lousy weather we are looking forward to a bit of sunshine!
Shannon Llewellyn said
Mon Jun 4 3:08 PM, 2018
Some excellent other wildlife seen around Rhosneigr last week, especially amongst the dune networks. Some of the highlights:
Small heath, common blue, dingy skipper, small pearl-bordered fritillary, orange tip, small white, large white, wall, painted lady, small tortoiseshell, red admiral, cinnabar and a garden tiger caterpillar.
Common blue damselfly, blue-tailed damselfly, four-spotted chaser.
Common sexton beetle, green tiger beetle.
Lots of robberfly sp. The terrors of the dunes.
Marsh orchid sp. in flower; several individuals, with my inexpert opinion being possible early marsh orchid and northern marsh orchid. A friend, though, is a genuine orchid expert, so should have a positive ID soon (though I was't intelligent enough to photograph leaves as well as inflorescence).
Brilliant views of seven grey seals at North Stack.
Gatewarth
First orchids of the year here for me
4 Southern Marsh Orchids fully out
1 darker Marsh Orchid just coming out was probably Northern
1 Small Tortoiseshell
A large area of the old grassed over tip has been heavily mowed/had vegetation removed. Can't think why this has been done, the area's one of the best on site for Marsh Orchids and also usually has Purple Loosestrife. Depressing.
Doc Brewster said
Sun Jun 3 9:10 PM, 2018
Given hope by Marks Black-tailed Skimmers locally I headed to Newchurch Vommon as they breed there too, to see if I could find one.
The sweltering sunny morning was perfect but only odonata of note were the usual Downy Emeralds, with a couple seen at one of my locations. All the other usuals were seen but no skimmers. Instead I had to settle for a new species of butterfly for the year in the shape of a Large Skipper. Great compensation indeed Also new for the year was a Yellow Shell moth.
Todays morning visit to Newchurch Common (1st June) produced my first Painted Lady butterfly of 2018, several Silver-Y moths were also seen, both species being migrants. A female Banded Demoiselle was seen near where the male was seen yesterday, the third record of this species on the site and this time was photographed. Other than that 1+ Downy Emerald was on the wing. Common Twayblade is now flowering in the woods.
Still quite a few Common Heath moths fluttering across the heather, also 1 Pebble Hooktip was alongside a small brook..
No dragonflies or damselflies were seen throughout, but plenty of butterflies were on the moor, mainly Small Heaths.
Ringlets were plentiful around the scrub and bramble patches, as were Meadow Browns.
Numerous Green Veined White butterflies flew across the moor, and 3 Small Tortoiseshells were around the high moor too.
2 Comma and 1 Small Skipper butterflies were in the woodland.
A Meadow Grasshopper landed on my rucksack, and an Oak Egger moth caterpillar was found on the heather.
Photos now added.
Andy
My first trip to Newchurch Common for over a week saw me add several species of lepidoptera and odonata to my 2018 patch list.
Gatekeeper and Small Skipper were two new butterflies, with lots of the former and two of the latter. Other species seen were Large Skipper, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Large White, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Peacock and Comma.
The new odonata were Emperor Dragonfly, Black-tailed Skimmer, Southern Hawker and Emerald Damselfly. Also seen were Downy Emerald, 4-Spot Chaser, Brown Hawker, Red-eyed Damsel, Common Blue Damsel, Azure Damsel and Blue-tailed Damsel.
This sunny weather has its benefits, but the water levels on certain parts of the patch are worryingly low, we do need rain.
Fenn's & Whixall Mosses yesterday:
Most of the odonata you'd expect, with white-faced darters still hanging on (six certainly seen, including 4 males and a pair in 'cop'). Emerald damsel and emperor were the only additions to what Mark saw a few days back. The only other insect of note was Large Heath, with three certains seen and two fly-bys which were probables. Little else stirred in the insect world and the place is crying out for rain - none soon and you'd think permanent damage might be done.
Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Emperor Dragonfly, Four-spotted Chaser, Broad-bodied Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer, Common Darter, Large Red Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Red-eyed Damselfly.
Green-veined White, Small White, Large White, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Small Skipper, Comma and Gatekeeper.
Our local country fair this weekend just gone, but indirectly that contributed to a great find. As I was walking to the event (at the pub!!) I noticed a small, dark butterfly on the path ahead of me on the outskirts of our village, Moulton, near Northwich. As I suspected it was a hairstreak butterfly and being under oaks wasn't surprised to see that it was a Purple Hairstreak. This is the first local one of these I have ever had, being here for 19 years, so I was really well chuffed! Piccy attached.
Also nearby, at Whitegate where we ride the horses my wife Carys had a Large Marsh Horsefly. This species is having a bumper summer with a population boom. The flies are over an inch long but nowhere near as sneaky as clegs so probably wont't be able to bite humans un-noticed, I like the critters actually As always the tabloids are having a field day, the Sun saying that there is an invasion of monster horseflies from Europe (helps their agenda ) when it's just a population boom of a native species!
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Monday 2nd of July 2018 03:14:39 PM
Walked from Pant and entered the forest in the SW corner along a vehicle track marked as a footpath and
followed this route round to a high point overlooking a large cleared area. The path goes round in a "U" shape,
so at it's highest point you're overlooking the point where you started and Pant.
In the hot sun the path provided a bonanza of insect sightings though.
Butterflies : Lots of Ringlets and Meadow Browns in the vegetation alongside the path. Also 4 Small Skippers,
4 Small Tortoiseshells, 4 Red Admirals, 3 Comma, 1 Large White and lots of Small Whites.
Moths : 1 Bordered White and 1 Red Necked Footman (For which I broke the rules and rescued it from a web, although there was
no sign of a spider. The moth seemed soon clear of the sticky thread and flew off well into the bracken).
Dragonflies : 2 Southern Hawkers, 2 Brown Hawkers, 1m Golden Ringed Dragonfly, 1m+1f Broad Bodied Chasers.
Also 1 Cleg that had an unfortunate fate.
Glad to be of service Mark. It is a little late for WFD now, especially after the weather we have had. I took the attached photograph in Staffordshire on 20th May, which is quite a while back now.
Good luck whenever you try again.
Andy
No Andy, weve mis-identified! Three of the five darters disappeared straight away and we were left with two females to id. My friend and I both had our reservations that they were WFDs based on size and the fact that the frons wasnt right. Weve allowed ourselves to be swayed, partly by others at the site. Never gave Black Darter a thought. Guilty as charged!
We were at the pool so it appears the WFDs could have dispersed now. I may just pop back in a few days or just leave it until early June next year.
Hi Mark,
You haven't mentioned black darter. which your photos clearly are. Just a slip of the mind I presume?
Andy
A male and female White-faced Darter ovipositing plus another three females. Also around were Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Four-spotted Chaser, Common Blue Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly.
Butterflies represented by Green-veined White, Large White, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Brimstone, Common Blue, Holly Blue and Silver-studded Blue.
Brown Hawker was the only dragon present and butterflies were represented by Small & Large Skipper, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Common Blue and Small, Large & Green-veined White.
Saw 10 on climb up to summit of Stony Cove Pike from about 550m up to summit at 763m. Then descended to Coll on the way to Hartsop Dodd summit where there were a further 61 seen. We stopped counting once we got to the Hartsop Dodd summit so as not to double count, but there were so many on the return around the Coll I would estimate a number in excess of 100. I had heard this place was good for Mountain Ringlet but it exceeded all expectations.
Also large numbers of Small Heath again 100+. The weather was hot and cloudless with a light South Westerly breeze.
Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Green-veined White and Small White butterflies.
Odonata :- Large Red Damselfly, Azure Damselfly (1), Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Brown Hawker and Common Darter.
Dragonflies : Lots of Black tailed Skimmers (Especially along the path to Pods Hide)
Plenty of Azure Damselflies around too.
Butterflies : 1 Large Skipper, 3 Gatekeepers, 3 Speckled Wood and lots of Ringlets.
Also 1 "10p" sized water beetle (Resembled "Lybius Fenstratus" but could'n be sure of ID) that flew in and landed
on the waterside mud by the path to Pods Hide.
8 Meadow Brown butterflies were on Dairyhouse Meadows.
Some shots from a recent visit to Scotland (early June), where I was lucky with the weather and even luckier with dragonflies queueing up to be photographed. I've included female and male Northern Emerald, Downy Emerald and (the reason for my visit) Azure Hawker. Also slipped in a shot of Argent and Sable moth, another target which I was lucky to connect with. Let me tell you, if I hadn't had this antidote to the completely flat local insect scene, I'd be on to the Samaritans by now!
Cheers,
Andy
Great news Mark, really pleased that you connected, especially as a lifer dragon
Newchurch Patch again this morning in the sunshine.
Biggest highlight was a male Clouded Buff moth on Abbot's Moss, a heathland specialist and scarce & localised in Cheshire. My record is possibly the first for this 10km square Also seen my first Comma here for the year, along with Red Admiral, Ringlets, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Green-veined White and a cracking Painted Lady. Odonata seen were Brown Hawker, Downy Emerald, 4-Spot Chaser, Red-eyed Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly. Seven-Spot Ladybird and Harlequin Ladybird were seen, the latter including subspecies conspicua. Nettle Weevil was also seen.
Clock Face Rd
Swinton Commercials
Verge and lower bit of grassy slope here has been mowed back, razing two out of the three Bee Orchids I saw here last week.
A few more spikes were out though, six or seven plants.
A Yellowhammer was singing in nearby fields.
Decided on an afternoon visit given that the weather forecast gave sunny intervals pm, and so it turned out!
Had my first Brown Hawker dragonfly of 2018 in the meadows near Big Pool. All the common 'blue' damselflies still but also my forst sighting for a while of Large Red damselflies, with 2 on the mosslands. A Silver-Y moth was seen. More Ringlets on the wing today, again mainly in the meadows. One of the 'violet' Ground Beetles, Carabus problematicus, was found under a log. Lots of Nursery Web Spiders were evident. Common Spotted Orchids are now out in the meadows too. Finally a large adult Common Lizard was on the mosslands.
2m Southern Hawker Dragonflies and a single Large Red Damselfly.
Masses of tiny frogs and toads were on the move.
A morning walk on Newchurch Common saw only one addition to my invertebrate list for 2018 there, Narrow-bordered 5-Spot Burnet Moth, the burnet that is the one seen up in these parts almost exclusively. A Ringlet butterfly still seen too.
A visit on a dull day today to Newchurch saw many more Ringlets out, in a few locations across the site now. As a recent colonist of many sites, including this one, folk may be interested in these. If you need more directions just PM me
Back in Cheshire and with a little sunshine this afternoon I decided to try Newchurch again! What a surprise!
First Ringlet of the year on brambles in a glade near Small Pool and lots of Meadow Browns around, which weren't out before I went on holiday. I checked the ID of lots of blue damselflies getting to around 1000 Common Blues before I got the first Azure Damselfly ( I then gave up ). Still at least 2 Downy Emerald Dragonflies on the wing.
Leaving Somerset today we couldn't resist a final trip up Collard Hill en route! Again, as for the whole holiday, the weather was dry, fine & sunny most of the time, with the result that lots of Large Blue Butterflies were again on the wing giving great views. This time however we were helping the warden of 2018, Mia, look for eggs, a task in which we all failed. We did find Bee Orchids which was a target too, along with Pyramidal, Common Spotted & Greater Butterfly Orchids. Painted Lady and Silver-Y & Orchard Ermine moths were seen too.
Clock Face Rd
Swinton Commercials
The grassy roadside slope running up to the old Hire Co. Several Marsh Orchids out, most looked Northern. Only one Bee Orchid found although two more flowering spikes right on the adjacent verge inches from busy A Road.
Some other sightings on my holiday this last week.
Marine Discovery.
- Risso's Dolphin 2 groups seen inc mother and calf
- Harbour Porpoise 3 seen inc mother and calf
Scillonian III.
- Ocean Sunfish
Mount's Bay.
- Bottlenose Dolphins I couldn't tell how many present but likely to be the ones recently proved to be of Cornish waters descent
Zennor head.
- Grey Seal 5
Ludgvan.
- Badger 1 foraging around one night near my mates driveway as we came back from the pub
- Red Fox 1
- Grey Squirrel 2
3 different sizes of Bat seen throughout the week but without a detector I'm working on likelihood.
- The tiny ones were Pipistrelle but whether it was Common or Soprano is anyone's guess.
- The slightly larger ones seen are likely to be Lesser Horseshoe which have a few colonies in the area using some of the disused but fully monitored tin mines.
- The larger ones again I'm not sure but I think are likely to be Noctules, a slower wingbeat and a lighter colour.
Moths : 1 Common White Wave, 1 Purple Bar, 1 Wood Tiger and a few Common Heaths.
Small Heath Butterflies abundant.
1m Banded Demoiselle.
Small heath, common blue, dingy skipper, small pearl-bordered fritillary, orange tip, small white, large white, wall, painted lady, small tortoiseshell, red admiral, cinnabar and a garden tiger caterpillar.
Common blue damselfly, blue-tailed damselfly, four-spotted chaser.
Common sexton beetle, green tiger beetle.
Lots of robberfly sp. The terrors of the dunes.
Marsh orchid sp. in flower; several individuals, with my inexpert opinion being possible early marsh orchid and northern marsh orchid. A friend, though, is a genuine orchid expert, so should have a positive ID soon (though I was't intelligent enough to photograph leaves as well as inflorescence).
Brilliant views of seven grey seals at North Stack.
Bad butterfly photographs:
First orchids of the year here for me
4 Southern Marsh Orchids fully out
1 darker Marsh Orchid just coming out was probably Northern
1 Small Tortoiseshell
A large area of the old grassed over tip has been heavily mowed/had vegetation removed. Can't think why this has been done, the area's one of the best on site for Marsh Orchids and also usually has Purple Loosestrife. Depressing.
Given hope by Marks Black-tailed Skimmers locally I headed to Newchurch Vommon as they breed there too, to see if I could find one.
The sweltering sunny morning was perfect but only odonata of note were the usual Downy Emeralds, with a couple seen at one of my locations. All the other usuals were seen but no skimmers. Instead I had to settle for a new species of butterfly for the year in the shape of a Large Skipper. Great compensation indeed Also new for the year was a Yellow Shell moth.
Lots of Common Heath Moths
Lamaload Reservoir : 2 Silver Ground Carpet Moths. Soldier Beetle (Cantharis Pallida) on Cow Parsley.
Todays morning visit to Newchurch Common (1st June) produced my first Painted Lady butterfly of 2018, several Silver-Y moths were also seen, both species being migrants. A female Banded Demoiselle was seen near where the male was seen yesterday, the third record of this species on the site and this time was photographed. Other than that 1+ Downy Emerald was on the wing. Common Twayblade is now flowering in the woods.