On a visit to a trio of Nottinghamshire nature reserves our 'gang of four ' spotted a reasonable number of insects.
We weren't able to identify any of the bees caught by the East Leake Bee-eaters, but we did see Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies, Gatekeepers, Small Skippers, Large and Small Whites, Red Admirals and Burnet Moth A visit to Attenborough added Brown and Southern Hawkers, Banded Demoiselles and Comma, along with Soldier Beetle, Harlequin Ladybird, and a range of iridescent flies, mostly on the large clumps of Tansy. More Gatekeepers, Brown Hawkers and Banded Demoiselles at Welbeck, along with Meadow Brown and Ringlet.
Shannon Llewellyn said
Sun Jul 16 10:40 PM, 2017
Nice day for butterflies around Marshside today, with the sandworks area particularly productive; about were: small skipper, small white, green-veined white, common blue, gatekeeper, meadow brown, small tortoiseshell, red admiral and six spot burnet. Plenty of cinnabar caterpillars on the ragwort, too.
-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Sunday 16th of July 2017 10:40:51 PM
Doc Brewster said
Sun Jul 16 10:26 PM, 2017
A change of venue today with a visit to the Dyfi Estuary at Ynys-las.
Main interest in the dunes were Pyramidal orchids a plenty and then hundreds of Marsh Helleborines in a marshy area. Lots of butterflies but few species, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Small Skipper and Green-veined White were all seen in hugh numbers. A new beetle was seen - the leaf beetle Chrysomela populi, which looks like a big, spotless red ladybird!
John Williams said
Sun Jul 16 9:29 PM, 2017
Marshside RSPB (12.00-16.00)
Gatekeeper butterflies abundant along the edge of the saltmarsh, where they appear to be attracted by Ragwort. A single Common Blue butterfly was seen here too.
Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown butterflies were also abundant along Marine Drive north of Sandgrounders, where several 6 Spotted Burnet moths were on Red Clover.
Large White butterflies common throughout, and a single Speckled Wood butterfly was by Nels Hide.
Jeff Gorse said
Sun Jul 16 6:09 PM, 2017
Afternoon walk in glorious sunshine at Rixton Claypits LNR. Good numbers of young newt in the ponds, 3 x male emperor dragonfly, large white, speckled wood and meadow brown butterflies, common footman, six-spot burnet and silver-Y moths, good views of a fox sunbathing on one of the rides
Doc Brewster said
Fri Jul 14 10:26 PM, 2017
Rainy morning at Newchurch Common Patch.
Not a lot to report but some quality, especially in the shape of 2 Common Lizards, both quite sluggish in the cold & damp so showing very well, both on Abbot's Moss. Smooth Newt on Newchurch Common itself. Around and about several Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and a few Green-veined Whites.
John Williams said
Thu Jul 13 11:13 PM, 2017
Winsford Bottom Flash
1 longhorn beetle "Anaglyptus Mysticus" on brambles.
River Weaver (Bradford Mill Bridge to Vale Royal Locks)
Another "Anaglyptus Mysticus" was seen on an umbellifer by the towpath.
Butterflies : 6 Small Skippers, seen mainly on Knapweed. Also seen 4 Comma, 6 Red Admirals and 2 Speckled Woods.
Gatekeepers plentiful around brambles, whilst Meadow Browns were numerous in the grassy areas.
Odonata: Blue Tailed Damselflies were common around the area with small muddy pools by the cattle pasture near Bradford Mill.
Elsewhere Common Blue Damselflies were in abundance. Brown Hawkers were plentiful, and were the only large dragonflies seen.
Just 1 Common Darter Dragonfly was seen.
Rob Creek said
Tue Jul 11 9:44 PM, 2017
That's quite funny David, I had to laugh at that. The Tick is visible on its head in the 1st photo so judge for yourself if it looks good for a 'year' Tick. Could even be a site Tick, or I might just leave it as a County Tick (or Out of County Tick in this case). I was getting worried about Simon when he was holding the matches and was giggling excitedly, No seriously the matches thing is a delicate procedure (that doesn't actually burn the animal ... it's the heat that should release the Tick's mouth parts) and No Moles would've been harmed in the production of our forum post. Luckily the Tick bailed.
On reading a little, burning a Tick is still a common method of removal apparently and yes there are studies showing it could be a poor method of doing so in certain circumstances and for good reasons eg. regurgitation by the Tick, so maybe I could've been wrong to think of using this method, but without a pair of tweezers or a Tick twister tool then I was gonna try and help that Mole, and besides, the suggested method of pulling from near the mouth parts actually a lot of the time will leave the mouthparts in, you are then required to remove them as you would a splinter in the skin. That Mole was squirming and ready to motor after it had a good drink and there's no way I could've asked it to sit still while I faffed about in dense Mole fur to remove microscopic mouth parts!
I'll give you that one David, just Tick it!
Simon Gough said
Tue Jul 11 9:36 AM, 2017
Very good!
To be clear, I had no intention of waving lighted matches around the Mole; an interesting discussion around next steps was about to occur when we noticed the thing on the Mole's head had fallen off. It might not even have been a tick to be honest. What a lovely little thing the Mole was though, I hope it ended up OK.
David Walsh said
Tue Jul 11 7:54 AM, 2017
It wasn't one of those "Year Ticks" I've been reading so much about on this forum, was it?
Rob Creek said
Mon Jul 10 8:34 PM, 2017
Saturday 8th July at Wykeham Forest, North Yorkshire.
Myself and Simon Gough were exploring around the plantation area just off the road near the viewpoint looking for Turtle Doves. Simon suddenly stopped and said look there's a Mole. Sure enough it was. It looked to be struggling as it was trying to find a way back underground, it had a tick on its head and there were a few flies around it too. I went back to the car and got my gloves, a bottle of water, and a box of matches, while Si kept watch on the Mole. I suspected it could be dehydrated in the hot sun and i was right, it had a good drink from the puddle I created with the water on a little scrape in the earth. I picked the Mole up and was just about to get Simon to light a match to burn off the tick but as luck would have it it must've dropped off as it was no longer there. I also suspected it was open to flystrike being above ground but as I was handling the Mole the flies had disappeared so things were looking up, and as I put it back down it seemed to be moving a lot better so I poured the rest of the water out for it to have another drink and hopefully it made a full recovery.
Another great day at Newchurch Common and surrounds.
Highlight was a female Downy Emerald dragonfly that I found settled on bracken (pictures). It stayed long enough for me to digiscope it, very unusual for this species which seemingly never settles!! 8 species of odonata, the main one other than the Downy Emerald was my first Common Darter of the year, a teneral individual on Shemmy Moss, other noteworthy ones being Southern Hawker and Brown Hawker. 8 species of butterfly too including my first Small Tortoiseshell for ages and Gatekeepers and Small Skippers again.
Also seen was a Black & Yellow Longhorn Beetle, Rutpela maculata.
The video of my Humminbird Hawkmoth from yesterday is on my Facebook newsfeed for anyone who wants to see it
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Sunday 9th of July 2017 10:12:56 PM
It gets even better!! Fabulous day today on my local patch of Newchurch Common in the sunshine.
A patch lifer and really great find of a Hummingbird Hawkmoth by Shemmy Moss at 11am. Watched and videoed on my iPhone, but no pictures as it was too skittish! Pretty much the same mix of insects as yesterday so I won't repeat. The additions being Small White and Large White butterflies. Another Common Lizard on a different part of the mosslands too.
Doc Brewster said
Fri Jul 7 9:51 PM, 2017
A day out with Paul Hill looking for insects on Newchurch Common today, we try to get a few in every year! Today really came up trumps too even though it was never sunny, but always warm.
New butterflies for the year were seen in the shape of Small Skipper and Gatekeeper. Also seen Speckled Wood, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Comma and Peacock. New odonata for the year were Black Darter (pictured), Southern Hawker and Emerald Damselfly. Also seen were Emperor Dragonfly and Red-eyed, Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies. Moths seen were Dingy Shell (new for patch) and Common Carpet. Other insects noted included Red-tailed, Tree and Buff/White-tailed Bumblebee, Common Carder Bee and Swollen-thighed Beetle as well as lots of Scorpion Flies. Hoverflies (Paul's speciality) included Eristalis pertinax, Eristalis horticola, Leucozona lucorum, Sphaerophoria scripta, Volucella bombylans and Volucella pellucens.
Away from the insects major highlights were a Water Shrew, a Common Lizard and a Common Carp of over 15lbs landed by an angler friend.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Friday 7th of July 2017 10:45:36 PM
Yesterday, went down to the River Dane at the southern end of Northwich to try and find the White-letter Hairstreak mentioned by both myself and Doc a few days ago. I didn't know the exact spot and as it turned out, I was too far north. However the hour or so I spent down on the flood plain wasn't wasted as I saw several Brown Hawker and a Banded Demoiselle together with Comma, Small Skipper, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Green-veined White, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies.
After having been given the exact location for the star butterflies (thanks Doc!), I went back for another go this morning, again in very warm and sunny conditions. Almost straight away I saw my first White-letter Hairstreak disappearing around the top of an Elm. It was then a matter of 'patience is a virtue.' After waiting around for over half an hour without further success, another one was sighted (photos attached). That individual was spooked by a bird and, when it flew up, put another three up in the air from the same small area, showing just how hard they can be to see when they're not in flight.
A couple of locations in Cheshire were covered today, neither were worked extensively but a few noteworthy sightings were made.
The first site was a private forestry site which I was taken onto by a friend who has access there through his work. The site is being managed for wildlife and our target was White-letter Hairstreaks in the elms. Unfortunately most of the native elms had succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease and the replacement Wych Elms and hybrid Elms were not large enough yet, with the resuly being no hairstreaks. They were seen at this site last year so hopes are that they will cling on somehow. However I did see my first Gatekeeper butterfly sunning on brambles as well as other species on the wing including Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral and Comma. Dragonfly ponds were created here last year and so are in their infancy. But they are attracting colonist species like Emperor and Broad-bodied Chaser, we saw 2 males of each species. Lots of Common Blue damselflies were here too.
With the weather being so good I popped over to Newchurch Common too but added very little. Speckled Woods were seen as well as Large White butterflies. Here too Ringlets were seen. A Brown Hawker was still near Big Pool. A Pellucid Fly hoverfly was photographed.
Doc Brewster said
Tue Jul 4 10:25 PM, 2017
I took a friend for a walk on Newchurch Common today and we had some great sightings other than birds. A new spider species was added to my patchlist, a Tetragnatha montana was seen and a new Harvestman (Leiobunum rotundum), which was in good numbers. A few Scorpion Flies were about as well as Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed Damselflies (picture). As the sun came out so did a few butterflies, Comma, Red Admiral, Large White and Meadow Brown all seen. Finaly my first Common Frog of the year was seen, a froglet in fact, near Big Pool.
Late news, on 1st july I recorded the first Brown Hawkers of the year at Newchurch Common with 3+ near Big Pool. Also a Brimstone Moth was here., brief walk so didn't merir a whole post
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Wednesday 5th of July 2017 09:12:05 AM
Doc, last summer Butterfly Conservation ran one of their field trips to the Leftwich site, for the White-letter Hairstreaks, so looks like it has been an established spot for some time, which is great news.
Yes it is a known site. I mentioned it to Paul Hill at the pub & he's known it for a long time apparently. Rupert the Cheshire Butterfly Recorder lives in a house overlooking the elms, so they get checked out very, very regularly! I just hadn't heard about it until this year
Mark Jarrett said
Tue Jul 4 4:26 PM, 2017
Burton Mere Wetlands today :- not a particularly good butterfly day but those seen included Gatekeeper, Green-veined White, Comma, Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell.
Mark Jarrett said
Mon Jul 3 6:18 PM, 2017
At Haydn's Pool - near Neumann's Flash, Northwich - yesterday, there were Red Admiral, Green veined White, Speckled Wood, Comma and Meadow Brown butterflies and two Brown Hawkers.
Today at the Dragonfly Pond at Anderton, there were Common Blue & Blue tailed Damselflies, Bown Hawker & Emperor Dragonflies. Also around were Green veined White, Comma, Large Skipper and Gatekeeper butterflies.
Doc, last summer Butterfly Conservation ran one of their field trips to the Leftwich site, for the White-letter Hairstreaks, so looks like it has been an established spot for some time, which is great news.
Doc Brewster said
Sun Jul 2 12:11 PM, 2017
One of my customers at Focalpoint last week just happened to be the Butterfly Recorder for Cheshire who gave me a tip off about a good local butterfly species and so today I followed this up. Within walking distance of my house in Leftwich on the outskirts of Northwich (less than 1.5mls from my house as the butterfly flies!), I followed his directions to a young elm plantation on the banks above the River Dane. After a short search I found two White-letter Hairstreaks in tumbling territorial flight in the canopy of one of the elms. Later I found another in another elm, and this one landed long enough for me to scope it, but flew as I was about to get a record digiscoped shot! For years I struggled to see this species so it is great to know that it is here so close to home
John Williams said
Sat Jul 1 8:24 PM, 2017
Burton Wetlands RSPB
Odonata :
1 Broad Bodied Chaser, 2 Brown Hawkers and 1f Blue Tailed Damselfly.
Several Common Darter were seen plus a few large hawkers that I failed to ID.
Butterflies :
6 Comma, 4 Red Admirals, 4 Large Skipper, 3 Gatekeeper, 2 Small Tortoiseshell and numerous Meadow Browns.
1 Pygmy Shrew seen foraging near the Marsh Covert Hide.
Doc Brewster said
Fri Jun 30 9:48 PM, 2017
Early walk on Newchurch Common today.
'Best' sighting was a first for me for mammals on there, but the bad news was it was dead!! A mole was near Small Pool, not dead in suspicious circumstances, it was so close to the pool it probably left its burrow in the rain and got killed by something like a fox. Some authorities have it that abandoned prey like this is because they are distasteful but others say not and that if they are found dead near a pth (this one was) then disturbance probably caused the predator to abandon the prey.
2 Smooth Newts were found near Small Pool too as well as a Double Square-spot Moth. Two Ringlet butterflies were on the meadow near Big Pool, this seems to be there area this year.
Andy Bissitt said
Fri Jun 30 9:23 PM, 2017
Lawrence Hindley wrote:
Andy Bissitt wrote:
Lawrence Hindley wrote:
A jaunt up to Morecombe bay for Butterflies yesterday.
Heysham Moss
4 Large Heath (seen near cotton grass off a path) Speckled wood many Large Skipper Red Admiral Meadow Brown Ringlet Small Tortoiseshell
Great to read about the large heaths seen at Heysham as I read the entire colony was thought to have been wiped out by a fire in April. Did you see the evidence of that?
Hi Andy Your are correct about the fire damage as I saw quite a bit of the heather had been destroyed by fire. However it seemed to be growing through again. We had been searching for an hour before we found an area with some cotton grass which had all four Large heaths we saw. Once this area was found they appeared in quick succession so I would say that in this area the colony was OK. Considering that it was four individuals seen in about a twenty minute period I would guess that there were a fair number on the wing. Lets hope that the damage has not affected the colony too much and they recover.
Thanks Lawrence
Good news indeed, Lawrence. God knows we need as much as we can get.
Andy
Lawrence Hindley said
Fri Jun 30 11:19 AM, 2017
Andy Bissitt wrote:
Lawrence Hindley wrote:
A jaunt up to Morecombe bay for Butterflies yesterday.
Heysham Moss
4 Large Heath (seen near cotton grass off a path) Speckled wood many Large Skipper Red Admiral Meadow Brown Ringlet Small Tortoiseshell
Warton Crag
7 Small Pearl Bordered fritillary (met a couple of students from Lancaster University studying the population and they have logged 200+ individuals so far since first emergence) 1 Brimstone 4 Northern Brown Argus Speckled wood Large Skipper Red Admiral Meadow Brown Ringlet Small Tortoiseshell Small White 3 Chimney Sweeper moths
Great to read about the large heaths seen at Heysham as I read the entire colony was thought to have been wiped out by a fire in April. Did you see the evidence of that?
Hi Andy Your are correct about the fire damage as I saw quite a bit of the heather had been destroyed by fire. However it seemed to be growing through again. We had been searching for an hour before we found an area with some cotton grass which had all four Large heaths we saw. Once this area was found they appeared in quick succession so I would say that in this area the colony was OK. Considering that it was four individuals seen in about a twenty minute period I would guess that there were a fair number on the wing. Lets hope that the damage has not affected the colony too much and they recover.
Thanks Lawrence
Doc Brewster said
Tue Jun 27 10:58 PM, 2017
Wierd day on my Newchurch Common patch as it was dull and overcast, even raining at times but it was so humid that it turned out to be a cracking day for invertebrates!!
First of all the vertebrates though. I had two Common Lizards on Abbot's Moss and a Smooth Newt on Newchurch Common near Small Pool. An unwelcome sighting of a feral cat on the mosses too, the first I've ever seen here & miles away from the nearest human habitation.
I had a lifer beetle in the shape of a Ten-spot Ladybird, found by Shemmy Moss amongst a big hatch of over 50 Seven-spot Ladybirds and one Harlequin. Another nice find was a Green Shieldbug nymph (prob 2nd instar). A 'creche' of about 12 Common Earwigs was also found. Another nice invert was a massive female Nursery Web Spider, defending her spiderlings in a conical tent web (picture).
Butterflies included my first Ringlet of the year, lots of Meadow Browns, and a few of each of Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and Comma. Moths included a Silver-Y, a Brown China-mark and a Shaded Broad-bar of the 'orange' form. Marmalade Hover Fly, Drone Fly and Pellucid Hoverfly were amongst the hoverfly species seen. Just Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed Damselflies on the wing to represent the odonata.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Tuesday 27th of June 2017 10:59:54 PM
Visited Prees Heath Reserve yesterday morning where around five hundred Silver-studded Blue butterflies were on the wing. Also seen were Red Admiral, Comma, Small Heath, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Meadow Brown and Ringlet. A Brown Hawker dragonfly was also noted.
I then travelled the five miles to Whixall Moss on the Shropshire/Welsh border. I arrived at 2pm and by then, unfortunately, it had clouded over. I spent an hour or so on the reserve, walking the public Mosses Trail which fringes the south western edge of the reserve only adding Azure Damselfly to my day list.
-- Edited by Mark Jarrett on Tuesday 27th of June 2017 04:46:47 PM
30 plus Banded Demoiselle damselflies along side of River Usk in Brecon Beacons (Wales)
John O'Neill said
Sun Jun 25 12:06 PM, 2017
Gatewarth
Southern Marsh Orchids over
Pyramidal Orchids out, some going over. This sp has definitely spread on site, one found growing on bank of canal, quite distant from others....also seemed an unusual habitat for this species as pretty thick scrubby vegetation here.
Comma and Red Admiral Butterflies on wing.
John Williams said
Sat Jun 24 9:35 PM, 2017
Delamere Forest (NE section) and along the "Delamere Way" path from Norley.
1 Gatekeeper butterfly was seen on brambles in Norley, whilst there were plenty of Meadow Browns in the wildflower meadows there.
No butterflies were seen in the forest itself, but singles of Yellow Shell and Mottled Beauty moths were found, and by one of the small peat bogs a single male Large Red Damselfly.
Steve Judge said
Fri Jun 23 10:57 PM, 2017
22nd June 2017 Wales - Brecon Beacons - North of Llangenny in tall grassland/heathland/fern along Grwyne Fawr valley ... the following butterflies were seen:
Marbled White (first time seen for me!) Red Admiral Ringlet Meadow Brown Small Heath
Doc Brewster said
Fri Jun 23 8:17 PM, 2017
A red-letter day for patch at Newchurch Common as I added a new mammal to my list there - Stoat I had stopped on the track by Abbot's Moss when an adult Stoat popped out of the undergrowth in front of me. It jinked towards me for a couple of feet, then realised I was there and changed direction with a kink of its body and bounded back into the grass, the black tip of its tail being the last thing to disappear! This was all only about 12 feet away and a real privilege to see. My only other sighting of note was, unusually, another mammal in the shape of a juvenile Bank Vole.
Andy Bissitt said
Thu Jun 22 8:46 PM, 2017
Yesterday, I tried a site near Buxton that I read about in the Cheshire & Peak Butterfly newsleter, and it was pretty good, although I did not find my target moths (cistus forester & red carpet). Did see 13 species of butterfly including a pristine dark-green fritillary, many fresh brown argus, tatty old dingy skippers, common blues, small heaths, ringlet, plus chimney sweeper and latticed heaths. All just 19 miles from home.
-- Edited by Andy Bissitt on Thursday 22nd of June 2017 09:20:45 PM
-- Edited by Andy Bissitt on Thursday 22nd of June 2017 09:22:23 PM
A jaunt up to Morecombe bay for Butterflies yesterday.
Heysham Moss
4 Large Heath (seen near cotton grass off a path) Speckled wood many Large Skipper Red Admiral Meadow Brown Ringlet Small Tortoiseshell
Warton Crag
7 Small Pearl Bordered fritillary (met a couple of students from Lancaster University studying the population and they have logged 200+ individuals so far since first emergence) 1 Brimstone 4 Northern Brown Argus Speckled wood Large Skipper Red Admiral Meadow Brown Ringlet Small Tortoiseshell Small White 3 Chimney Sweeper moths
Great to read about the large heaths seen at Heysham as I read the entire colony was thought to have been wiped out by a fire in April. Did you see the evidence of that?
Lawrence Hindley said
Tue Jun 20 12:56 PM, 2017
A jaunt up to Morecombe bay for Butterflies yesterday.
Heysham Moss
4 Large Heath (seen near cotton grass off a path) Speckled wood many Large Skipper Red Admiral Meadow Brown Ringlet Small Tortoiseshell
Warton Crag
7 Small Pearl Bordered fritillary (met a couple of students from Lancaster University studying the population and they have logged 200+ individuals so far since first emergence) 1 Brimstone 4 Northern Brown Argus Speckled wood Large Skipper Red Admiral Meadow Brown Ringlet Small Tortoiseshell Small White 3 Chimney Sweeper moths
John Williams said
Mon Jun 19 11:13 PM, 2017
Moore NR (17.30-20.15)
1 Ringlet butterfly on the tall grass/hogweed near the feeding station. 2 Speckled Wood butterfllies in the nearby copse.
1 Comma and 3 Meadow Brown butterflies, plus 2 Common Blue Damselflies were by Birchwood Pool.
Red Admiral butterflies were in abundance, and seen throughout the reserve.
-- Edited by John Williams on Tuesday 20th of June 2017 09:18:06 PM
John O'Neill said
Sun Jun 18 11:20 PM, 2017
Bold Heath near Warrington
Sloping verges running up to the Swinton Site (formerly HireCo) have been spared a mowing this year and Orchid numbers seem higher than usual.
Southern Marsh Orchids almost all over, though one or two still fully in flower. Bee Orchids fully out, some going over.
Numerous Burnet moths buzzing around.
Doc Brewster said
Sun Jun 18 10:09 PM, 2017
A walk in the sun on my Newchurch Common patch was almost too hot for insects today
Downy Emerald dragonflies were on Gull Pool (2) and Sandiway Big Pool (1). An Emperor was on Small Pool, first here this year and 10 Four-spotted Chasers were crowded over quickly shrinking peat pools on Abbot's Moss. A 7-spotted Ladybird was my first here this year, after seeing hundreds of adult & larval Harlequins so far! Only new butterfly were 2 Commas, the first I've seen for ages here.
A Common Lizard skittering over the sphagnum moss on Abbot's Moss was a nice sighting
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Sunday 18th of June 2017 10:27:57 PM
John Williams said
Sun Jun 18 2:58 PM, 2017
Callands Warrington.
female Banded Demoiselle in my garden at lunchtime.
John Williams said
Sat Jun 17 10:52 PM, 2017
Lathkill Dale (Derbyshire)
6 Red Admiral, 1 Common Blue, 2 Gatekeeper, 1 Large Skipper and lots of Speckled Wood butterflies.
1 Clouded Magpie moth alongside the path in the woodland.
-- Edited by John Williams on Sunday 18th of June 2017 01:49:17 PM
Shannon Llewellyn said
Sat Jun 17 10:26 PM, 2017
Some sightings from around Anglesey.
Not great weather for insects, and nothing in large numbers, only a single robber fly on the dunes, for example (why the sand martins weren't as evident, no doubt), but a few small heath, common blue, orange tip, large white, red admiral and cinnabar about, a single comma, too. Apart from a blue damselfly in a sedge warbler's beak, the only odonata were a couple of male black-tailed skimmer.
Harbour porpoise at South Stack, and a very brief view of a common lizard. The spatulate fleawort was coming to the end of its flowering, but nice to see it.
Spectacular bull grey seal at North Stack.
Several brown long-eared bats feeding around me at Llyn Maelog. Catching their prey right in front of me, often.
Rabbits everywhere, and plenty of marsh and pyramidal orchids in the dunes.
-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Saturday 17th of June 2017 10:34:41 PM
Doc Brewster said
Sat Jun 17 12:06 PM, 2017
Andy Bissitt wrote:
By the way, I take it from a previous post of yours that the downy emerald site has restricted access? Shame if that is the case, although I know they don't really sit still for close-up views.
Gull Pool which they are mainly on is totally private, but because it has a wide sphagnum margin you can't get to the water if you trespass in anyway. The little inlet below a bench on Whitegate Way is by far the best viewing point & is outside the fence so spot on, the water comes right to the fence there. They never settle anyway, that species are a pain, you need to get them just after emergence & that's just luck. I did get one on Thursday near Sandiway Small Pool perched up in the morning but had no camera! No access problems as it was the track that runs above Small Pool between it and Gull Pool. This ride is a traditional perching up ride & I have pictures from other years of them perching here, so worth a try. Another was over Small Pool and another over Big Pool. They do hover stationary for long periods so DSLR and Bridge Camera shots would be q.easy (not digiscoping though ). Hope this helps, good luck if you go
John O'Neill said
Sat Jun 17 10:11 AM, 2017
Gatewarth
Riot of wildflowers out this morning, Ox Eye Daisies Birds Foot Trefoil, Figwort, Purple Loosestrife, Vetches, Teasel etc etc Only 3 Butterflies on the wing tho, 2 Commas and a Meadow Brown.
Southern Marsh Orchids all but over, Pyramidal Orchids just coming out 10+ spikes, spreading a bit , in field sloping off site towards the Ferry Pub.
Andy Bissitt said
Fri Jun 16 8:55 PM, 2017
Doc Brewster wrote:
Andy Bissitt wrote:
One swollen-thighed beetle was first I've seen in the region (first away from Suffolk actually).
I get lots of Swollen-thighed Beetles on my Newchurch Patch, Andy, mainly on the adjacent mosslands, I mentioned them in this thread and think I may have posted a pic in an earlier post of here, or not!!
Hi Doc,
I'm a Greater Manc resident, so I really meant that I've never seen one therein rather than Cheshire. I always appreciate anything 'different'. By the way, I take it from a previous post of yours that the downy emerald site has restricted access? Shame if that is the case, although I know they don't really sit still for close-up views.
Cheers,
Doc Brewster said
Thu Jun 15 11:06 PM, 2017
From Newchurch Common today and of interest if anyone is going to catch up with Downy Emerald dragonflies (my rarity which has seen odonata twitchers turning up from as far away as Hull these past 2 weeks!).
1 Downy Emerald in the usual bay in Gull Pool viewed from the Whitegate Way, but in addition 2 Downy Emeralds on Sandiway Small Pool and one over Sandiway Big Pool.
Doc Brewster said
Thu Jun 15 11:00 PM, 2017
Andy Bissitt wrote:
One swollen-thighed beetle was first I've seen in the region (first away from Suffolk actually).
I get lots of Swollen-thighed Beetles on my Newchurch Patch, Andy, mainly on the adjacent mosslands, I mentioned them in this thread and think I may have posted a pic in an earlier post of here, or not!!
Andy Bissitt said
Thu Jun 15 9:27 PM, 2017
I too was out Cheshire way yesterday looking for insect quarry at Neumann's Flash. Nine species of butterflies was good (although all in small numbers), with year firsts of ringlet, large skipper, meadow brown and common blue. A tatty peacock was the biggest find! 5 or 6 black-tailed skimmers were freshly on view, with an emperor nearby. I guess I was too early for 6-banded clearwing, which is a bit of a tricky subject in any case. One swollen-thighed beetle was first I've seen in the region (first away from Suffolk actually).
Doc Brewster said
Wed Jun 14 9:20 PM, 2017
An excelent day for insects at my Newchurch Common patch today, even though it wasn't wall to wall sunshine but rather was light cloud and sunny intervals.
A few firsts for 2017 today including my first Black-tailed Skimmer Dragonfly near Big Pool as well as a Broad-bodied Chaser in the same area. An Emperor Dragonfly on Gull Pool was a first for the year for me and in the same area up to 4 Downy Emeralds and two Four-spotted Chasers were seen. Gull Pool hosted Large Red Damselfly whilst Newchurch Common had Red-eyed and Azure Damselflies. Common Blue Damselflies were at both sites as were Blue-tailed Damselfies. A lessc ommon form of Blue-tailed Damselfly (with no blue tail!!) was photographed - form rufescensobsoleta, see picture, sometimes this can be harder than birding!
My first Large Skippers and first Meadow Browns of 2017 were near Big Pool with Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and Green-veined White all on the wing. A new moth for site was a Green Oak Tortrix, Yellow Shell, Silver-ground Carpet, Straw Dot and Nettle Tap all also seen. Bee mimic hoverflies Volucellapellucens and V.bombylans were seen, you would swear the latter (variation plumata) was a bumblebee! The soldier beetle Cantharis nigra was a colourful addition and the cranefly Tipula fascipennis was also seen.
When birding is quiet then having other things to look at can brighten up the walk, but like I say it aint easy sometimes as insects have forms that mimic other insects regularly!
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Wednesday 14th of June 2017 09:29:04 PM
Earlier this evening, a single large American Mink strolled along the edge of the reservoir just a few yards in front of a dog walker with 2 Pekinese dogs.
The dogs were clearly pulling to get at the mink, but the little predator did'nt seem worried, just annoyed at being hurried along.
Whether the bold little fellow would of acted differently had the dogs been Jack Russel terriers is debatable, but with predators like this around the waterfowl need to watch out.
John Williams said
Sat Jun 10 11:53 PM, 2017
Woolston Eyes No3 Bed (14.30-17.30)
Silver Ground Carpet and Common Carpet moths were abundant in the tall vegetation along the paths.
A couple of Grey Squirrels clung onto to the seed feeders throughout.
We weren't able to identify any of the bees caught by the East Leake Bee-eaters, but we did see Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies, Gatekeepers, Small Skippers, Large and Small Whites, Red Admirals and Burnet Moth
A visit to Attenborough added Brown and Southern Hawkers, Banded Demoiselles and Comma, along with Soldier Beetle, Harlequin Ladybird, and a range of iridescent flies, mostly on the large clumps of Tansy.
More Gatekeepers, Brown Hawkers and Banded Demoiselles at Welbeck, along with Meadow Brown and Ringlet.
-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Sunday 16th of July 2017 10:40:51 PM
A change of venue today with a visit to the Dyfi Estuary at Ynys-las.
Main interest in the dunes were Pyramidal orchids a plenty and then hundreds of Marsh Helleborines in a marshy area. Lots of butterflies but few species, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Small Skipper and Green-veined White were all seen in hugh numbers. A new beetle was seen - the leaf beetle Chrysomela populi, which looks like a big, spotless red ladybird!
Gatekeeper butterflies abundant along the edge of the saltmarsh, where they appear to be attracted by Ragwort. A single Common Blue butterfly was seen here too.
Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown butterflies were also abundant along Marine Drive north of Sandgrounders, where several 6 Spotted Burnet moths were on Red Clover.
Large White butterflies common throughout, and a single Speckled Wood butterfly was by Nels Hide.
Afternoon walk in glorious sunshine at Rixton Claypits LNR. Good numbers of young newt in the ponds, 3 x male emperor dragonfly, large white, speckled wood and meadow brown butterflies, common footman, six-spot burnet and silver-Y moths, good views of a fox sunbathing on one of the rides
Rainy morning at Newchurch Common Patch.
Not a lot to report but some quality, especially in the shape of 2 Common Lizards, both quite sluggish in the cold & damp so showing very well, both on Abbot's Moss. Smooth Newt on Newchurch Common itself. Around and about several Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and a few Green-veined Whites.
1 longhorn beetle "Anaglyptus Mysticus" on brambles.
River Weaver (Bradford Mill Bridge to Vale Royal Locks)
Another "Anaglyptus Mysticus" was seen on an umbellifer by the towpath.
Butterflies : 6 Small Skippers, seen mainly on Knapweed. Also seen 4 Comma, 6 Red Admirals and 2 Speckled Woods.
Gatekeepers plentiful around brambles, whilst Meadow Browns were numerous in the grassy areas.
Odonata: Blue Tailed Damselflies were common around the area with small muddy pools by the cattle pasture near Bradford Mill.
Elsewhere Common Blue Damselflies were in abundance. Brown Hawkers were plentiful, and were the only large dragonflies seen.
Just 1 Common Darter Dragonfly was seen.
I was getting worried about Simon when he was holding the matches and was giggling excitedly, No seriously the matches thing is a delicate procedure (that doesn't actually burn the animal ... it's the heat that should release the Tick's mouth parts) and No Moles would've been harmed in the production of our forum post.
Luckily the Tick bailed.
On reading a little, burning a Tick is still a common method of removal apparently and yes there are studies showing it could be a poor method of doing so in certain circumstances and for good reasons eg. regurgitation by the Tick, so maybe I could've been wrong to think of using this method, but without a pair of tweezers or a Tick twister tool then I was gonna try and help that Mole, and besides, the suggested method of pulling from near the mouth parts actually a lot of the time will leave the mouthparts in, you are then required to remove them as you would a splinter in the skin.
That Mole was squirming and ready to motor after it had a good drink and there's no way I could've asked it to sit still while I faffed about in dense Mole fur to remove microscopic mouth parts!
I'll give you that one David, just Tick it!
To be clear, I had no intention of waving lighted matches around the Mole; an interesting discussion around next steps was about to occur when we noticed the thing on the Mole's head had fallen off. It might not even have been a tick to be honest. What a lovely little thing the Mole was though, I hope it ended up OK.
Myself and Simon Gough were exploring around the plantation area just off the road near the viewpoint looking for Turtle Doves.
Simon suddenly stopped and said look there's a Mole. Sure enough it was.
It looked to be struggling as it was trying to find a way back underground, it had a tick on its head and there were a few flies around it too. I went back to the car and got my gloves, a bottle of water, and a box of matches, while Si kept watch on the Mole.
I suspected it could be dehydrated in the hot sun and i was right, it had a good drink from the puddle I created with the water on a little scrape in the earth. I picked the Mole up and was just about to get Simon to light a match to burn off the tick but as luck would have it it must've dropped off as it was no longer there.
I also suspected it was open to flystrike being above ground but as I was handling the Mole the flies had disappeared so things were looking up, and as I put it back down it seemed to be moving a lot better so I poured the rest of the water out for it to have another drink and hopefully it made a full recovery.
Another great day at Newchurch Common and surrounds.
Highlight was a female Downy Emerald dragonfly that I found settled on bracken (pictures). It stayed long enough for me to digiscope it, very unusual for this species which seemingly never settles!! 8 species of odonata, the main one other than the Downy Emerald was my first Common Darter of the year, a teneral individual on Shemmy Moss, other noteworthy ones being Southern Hawker and Brown Hawker. 8 species of butterfly too including my first Small Tortoiseshell for ages and Gatekeepers and Small Skippers again.
Also seen was a Black & Yellow Longhorn Beetle, Rutpela maculata.
The video of my Humminbird Hawkmoth from yesterday is on my Facebook newsfeed for anyone who wants to see it
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Sunday 9th of July 2017 10:12:56 PM
It gets even better!! Fabulous day today on my local patch of Newchurch Common in the sunshine.
A patch lifer and really great find of a Hummingbird Hawkmoth by Shemmy Moss at 11am. Watched and videoed on my iPhone, but no pictures as it was too skittish! Pretty much the same mix of insects as yesterday so I won't repeat. The additions being Small White and Large White butterflies. Another Common Lizard on a different part of the mosslands too.
A day out with Paul Hill looking for insects on Newchurch Common today, we try to get a few in every year! Today really came up trumps too even though it was never sunny, but always warm.
New butterflies for the year were seen in the shape of Small Skipper and Gatekeeper. Also seen Speckled Wood, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Comma and Peacock. New odonata for the year were Black Darter (pictured), Southern Hawker and Emerald Damselfly. Also seen were Emperor Dragonfly and Red-eyed, Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies. Moths seen were Dingy Shell (new for patch) and Common Carpet. Other insects noted included Red-tailed, Tree and Buff/White-tailed Bumblebee, Common Carder Bee and Swollen-thighed Beetle as well as lots of Scorpion Flies. Hoverflies (Paul's speciality) included Eristalis pertinax, Eristalis horticola, Leucozona lucorum, Sphaerophoria scripta, Volucella bombylans and Volucella pellucens.
Away from the insects major highlights were a Water Shrew, a Common Lizard and a Common Carp of over 15lbs landed by an angler friend.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Friday 7th of July 2017 10:45:36 PM
After having been given the exact location for the star butterflies (thanks Doc!), I went back for another go this morning, again in very warm and sunny conditions. Almost straight away I saw my first White-letter Hairstreak disappearing around the top of an Elm. It was then a matter of 'patience is a virtue.' After waiting around for over half an hour without further success, another one was sighted (photos attached). That individual was spooked by a bird and, when it flew up, put another three up in the air from the same small area, showing just how hard they can be to see when they're not in flight.
A couple of locations in Cheshire were covered today, neither were worked extensively but a few noteworthy sightings were made.
The first site was a private forestry site which I was taken onto by a friend who has access there through his work. The site is being managed for wildlife and our target was White-letter Hairstreaks in the elms. Unfortunately most of the native elms had succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease and the replacement Wych Elms and hybrid Elms were not large enough yet, with the resuly being no hairstreaks. They were seen at this site last year so hopes are that they will cling on somehow. However I did see my first Gatekeeper butterfly sunning on brambles as well as other species on the wing including Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral and Comma. Dragonfly ponds were created here last year and so are in their infancy. But they are attracting colonist species like Emperor and Broad-bodied Chaser, we saw 2 males of each species. Lots of Common Blue damselflies were here too.
With the weather being so good I popped over to Newchurch Common too but added very little. Speckled Woods were seen as well as Large White butterflies. Here too Ringlets were seen. A Brown Hawker was still near Big Pool. A Pellucid Fly hoverfly was photographed.
I took a friend for a walk on Newchurch Common today and we had some great sightings other than birds. A new spider species was added to my patchlist, a Tetragnatha montana was seen and a new Harvestman (Leiobunum rotundum), which was in good numbers. A few Scorpion Flies were about as well as Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed Damselflies (picture). As the sun came out so did a few butterflies, Comma, Red Admiral, Large White and Meadow Brown all seen. Finaly my first Common Frog of the year was seen, a froglet in fact, near Big Pool.
Late news, on 1st july I recorded the first Brown Hawkers of the year at Newchurch Common with 3+ near Big Pool. Also a Brimstone Moth was here., brief walk so didn't merir a whole post
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Wednesday 5th of July 2017 09:12:05 AM
Yes it is a known site. I mentioned it to Paul Hill at the pub & he's known it for a long time apparently. Rupert the Cheshire Butterfly Recorder lives in a house overlooking the elms, so they get checked out very, very regularly! I just hadn't heard about it until this year
Today at the Dragonfly Pond at Anderton, there were Common Blue & Blue tailed Damselflies, Bown Hawker & Emperor Dragonflies. Also around were Green veined White, Comma, Large Skipper and Gatekeeper butterflies.
Doc, last summer Butterfly Conservation ran one of their field trips to the Leftwich site, for the White-letter Hairstreaks, so looks like it has been an established spot for some time, which is great news.
One of my customers at Focalpoint last week just happened to be the Butterfly Recorder for Cheshire who gave me a tip off about a good local butterfly species and so today I followed this up. Within walking distance of my house in Leftwich on the outskirts of Northwich (less than 1.5mls from my house as the butterfly flies!), I followed his directions to a young elm plantation on the banks above the River Dane. After a short search I found two White-letter Hairstreaks in tumbling territorial flight in the canopy of one of the elms. Later I found another in another elm, and this one landed long enough for me to scope it, but flew as I was about to get a record digiscoped shot! For years I struggled to see this species so it is great to know that it is here so close to home
Odonata :
1 Broad Bodied Chaser, 2 Brown Hawkers and 1f Blue Tailed Damselfly.
Several Common Darter were seen plus a few large hawkers that I failed to ID.
Butterflies :
6 Comma, 4 Red Admirals, 4 Large Skipper, 3 Gatekeeper, 2 Small Tortoiseshell and numerous Meadow Browns.
1 Pygmy Shrew seen foraging near the Marsh Covert Hide.
Early walk on Newchurch Common today.
'Best' sighting was a first for me for mammals on there, but the bad news was it was dead!! A mole was near Small Pool, not dead in suspicious circumstances, it was so close to the pool it probably left its burrow in the rain and got killed by something like a fox. Some authorities have it that abandoned prey like this is because they are distasteful but others say not and that if they are found dead near a pth (this one was) then disturbance probably caused the predator to abandon the prey.
2 Smooth Newts were found near Small Pool too as well as a Double Square-spot Moth. Two Ringlet butterflies were on the meadow near Big Pool, this seems to be there area this year.
Good news indeed, Lawrence. God knows we need as much as we can get.
Andy
Hi Andy
Your are correct about the fire damage as I saw quite a bit of the heather had been destroyed by fire. However it seemed to be growing through again. We had been searching for an hour before we found an area with some cotton grass which had all four Large heaths we saw. Once this area was found they appeared in quick succession so I would say that in this area the colony was OK. Considering that it was four individuals seen in about a twenty minute period I would guess that there were a fair number on the wing. Lets hope that the damage has not affected the colony too much and they recover.
Thanks
Lawrence
Wierd day on my Newchurch Common patch as it was dull and overcast, even raining at times but it was so humid that it turned out to be a cracking day for invertebrates!!
First of all the vertebrates though. I had two Common Lizards on Abbot's Moss and a Smooth Newt on Newchurch Common near Small Pool. An unwelcome sighting of a feral cat on the mosses too, the first I've ever seen here & miles away from the nearest human habitation.
I had a lifer beetle in the shape of a Ten-spot Ladybird, found by Shemmy Moss amongst a big hatch of over 50 Seven-spot Ladybirds and one Harlequin. Another nice find was a Green Shieldbug nymph (prob 2nd instar). A 'creche' of about 12 Common Earwigs was also found. Another nice invert was a massive female Nursery Web Spider, defending her spiderlings in a conical tent web (picture).
Butterflies included my first Ringlet of the year, lots of Meadow Browns, and a few of each of Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and Comma. Moths included a Silver-Y, a Brown China-mark and a Shaded Broad-bar of the 'orange' form. Marmalade Hover Fly, Drone Fly and Pellucid Hoverfly were amongst the hoverfly species seen. Just Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed Damselflies on the wing to represent the odonata.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Tuesday 27th of June 2017 10:59:54 PM
I then travelled the five miles to Whixall Moss on the Shropshire/Welsh border. I arrived at 2pm and by then, unfortunately, it had clouded over. I spent an hour or so on the reserve, walking the public Mosses Trail which fringes the south western edge of the reserve only adding Azure Damselfly to my day list.
-- Edited by Mark Jarrett on Tuesday 27th of June 2017 04:46:47 PM
30 plus Banded Demoiselle damselflies along side of River Usk in Brecon Beacons (Wales)
Southern Marsh Orchids over
Pyramidal Orchids out, some going over. This sp has definitely spread on site, one found growing on bank of canal, quite distant from others....also seemed an unusual habitat for this species as pretty thick scrubby vegetation here.
Comma and Red Admiral Butterflies on wing.
1 Gatekeeper butterfly was seen on brambles in Norley, whilst there were plenty of Meadow Browns in the wildflower meadows there.
No butterflies were seen in the forest itself, but singles of Yellow Shell and Mottled Beauty moths were found, and by one of the small peat bogs a single male Large Red Damselfly.
Marbled White (first time seen for me!)
Red Admiral
Ringlet
Meadow Brown
Small Heath
A red-letter day for patch at Newchurch Common as I added a new mammal to my list there - Stoat I had stopped on the track by Abbot's Moss when an adult Stoat popped out of the undergrowth in front of me. It jinked towards me for a couple of feet, then realised I was there and changed direction with a kink of its body and bounded back into the grass, the black tip of its tail being the last thing to disappear! This was all only about 12 feet away and a real privilege to see. My only other sighting of note was, unusually, another mammal in the shape of a juvenile Bank Vole.
Yesterday, I tried a site near Buxton that I read about in the Cheshire & Peak Butterfly newsleter, and it was pretty good, although I did not find my target moths (cistus forester & red carpet). Did see 13 species of butterfly including a pristine dark-green fritillary, many fresh brown argus, tatty old dingy skippers, common blues, small heaths, ringlet, plus chimney sweeper and latticed heaths. All just 19 miles from home.
-- Edited by Andy Bissitt on Thursday 22nd of June 2017 09:20:45 PM
-- Edited by Andy Bissitt on Thursday 22nd of June 2017 09:22:23 PM
Great to read about the large heaths seen at Heysham as I read the entire colony was thought to have been wiped out by a fire in April. Did you see the evidence of that?
Heysham Moss
4 Large Heath (seen near cotton grass off a path)
Speckled wood
many Large Skipper
Red Admiral
Meadow Brown
Ringlet
Small Tortoiseshell
Warton Crag
7 Small Pearl Bordered fritillary (met a couple of students from Lancaster University studying the population and they have logged 200+ individuals so far since first emergence)
1 Brimstone
4 Northern Brown Argus
Speckled wood
Large Skipper
Red Admiral
Meadow Brown
Ringlet
Small Tortoiseshell
Small White
3 Chimney Sweeper moths
1 Ringlet butterfly on the tall grass/hogweed near the feeding station. 2 Speckled Wood butterfllies in the nearby copse.
1 Comma and 3 Meadow Brown butterflies, plus 2 Common Blue Damselflies were by Birchwood Pool.
Red Admiral butterflies were in abundance, and seen throughout the reserve.
-- Edited by John Williams on Tuesday 20th of June 2017 09:18:06 PM
Sloping verges running up to the Swinton Site (formerly HireCo) have been spared a mowing this year and Orchid numbers seem higher than usual.
Southern Marsh Orchids almost all over, though one or two still fully in flower. Bee Orchids fully out, some going over.
Numerous Burnet moths buzzing around.
A walk in the sun on my Newchurch Common patch was almost too hot for insects today
Downy Emerald dragonflies were on Gull Pool (2) and Sandiway Big Pool (1). An Emperor was on Small Pool, first here this year and 10 Four-spotted Chasers were crowded over quickly shrinking peat pools on Abbot's Moss. A 7-spotted Ladybird was my first here this year, after seeing hundreds of adult & larval Harlequins so far! Only new butterfly were 2 Commas, the first I've seen for ages here.
A Common Lizard skittering over the sphagnum moss on Abbot's Moss was a nice sighting
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Sunday 18th of June 2017 10:27:57 PM
female Banded Demoiselle in my garden at lunchtime.
6 Red Admiral, 1 Common Blue, 2 Gatekeeper, 1 Large Skipper and lots of Speckled Wood butterflies. 1 Clouded Magpie moth alongside the path in the woodland.
-- Edited by John Williams on Sunday 18th of June 2017 01:49:17 PM
Not great weather for insects, and nothing in large numbers, only a single robber fly on the dunes, for example (why the sand martins weren't as evident, no doubt), but a few small heath, common blue, orange tip, large white, red admiral and cinnabar about, a single comma, too. Apart from a blue damselfly in a sedge warbler's beak, the only odonata were a couple of male black-tailed skimmer.
Harbour porpoise at South Stack, and a very brief view of a common lizard. The spatulate fleawort was coming to the end of its flowering, but nice to see it.
Spectacular bull grey seal at North Stack.
Several brown long-eared bats feeding around me at Llyn Maelog. Catching their prey right in front of me, often.
Rabbits everywhere, and plenty of marsh and pyramidal orchids in the dunes.
-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Saturday 17th of June 2017 10:34:41 PM
By the way, I take it from a previous post of yours that the downy emerald site has restricted access? Shame if that is the case, although I know they don't really sit still for close-up views.
Gull Pool which they are mainly on is totally private, but because it has a wide sphagnum margin you can't get to the water if you trespass in anyway. The little inlet below a bench on Whitegate Way is by far the best viewing point & is outside the fence so spot on, the water comes right to the fence there. They never settle anyway, that species are a pain, you need to get them just after emergence & that's just luck. I did get one on Thursday near Sandiway Small Pool perched up in the morning but had no camera! No access problems as it was the track that runs above Small Pool between it and Gull Pool. This ride is a traditional perching up ride & I have pictures from other years of them perching here, so worth a try. Another was over Small Pool and another over Big Pool. They do hover stationary for long periods so DSLR and Bridge Camera shots would be q.easy (not digiscoping though ). Hope this helps, good luck if you go
Riot of wildflowers out this morning, Ox Eye Daisies Birds Foot Trefoil, Figwort, Purple Loosestrife, Vetches, Teasel etc etc Only 3 Butterflies on the wing tho, 2 Commas and a Meadow Brown.
Southern Marsh Orchids all but over, Pyramidal Orchids just coming out 10+ spikes, spreading a bit , in field sloping off site towards the Ferry Pub.
Hi Doc,
I'm a Greater Manc resident, so I really meant that I've never seen one therein rather than Cheshire. I always appreciate anything 'different'. By the way, I take it from a previous post of yours that the downy emerald site has restricted access? Shame if that is the case, although I know they don't really sit still for close-up views.
Cheers,
From Newchurch Common today and of interest if anyone is going to catch up with Downy Emerald dragonflies (my rarity which has seen odonata twitchers turning up from as far away as Hull these past 2 weeks!).
1 Downy Emerald in the usual bay in Gull Pool viewed from the Whitegate Way, but in addition 2 Downy Emeralds on Sandiway Small Pool and one over Sandiway Big Pool.
I get lots of Swollen-thighed Beetles on my Newchurch Patch, Andy, mainly on the adjacent mosslands, I mentioned them in this thread and think I may have posted a pic in an earlier post of here, or not!!
I too was out Cheshire way yesterday looking for insect quarry at Neumann's Flash. Nine species of butterflies was good (although all in small numbers), with year firsts of ringlet, large skipper, meadow brown and common blue. A tatty peacock was the biggest find! 5 or 6 black-tailed skimmers were freshly on view, with an emperor nearby. I guess I was too early for 6-banded clearwing, which is a bit of a tricky subject in any case. One swollen-thighed beetle was first I've seen in the region (first away from Suffolk actually).
An excelent day for insects at my Newchurch Common patch today, even though it wasn't wall to wall sunshine but rather was light cloud and sunny intervals.
A few firsts for 2017 today including my first Black-tailed Skimmer Dragonfly near Big Pool as well as a Broad-bodied Chaser in the same area. An Emperor Dragonfly on Gull Pool was a first for the year for me and in the same area up to 4 Downy Emeralds and two Four-spotted Chasers were seen. Gull Pool hosted Large Red Damselfly whilst Newchurch Common had Red-eyed and Azure Damselflies. Common Blue Damselflies were at both sites as were Blue-tailed Damselfies. A lessc ommon form of Blue-tailed Damselfly (with no blue tail!!) was photographed - form rufescens obsoleta, see picture, sometimes this can be harder than birding!
My first Large Skippers and first Meadow Browns of 2017 were near Big Pool with Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and Green-veined White all on the wing. A new moth for site was a Green Oak Tortrix, Yellow Shell, Silver-ground Carpet, Straw Dot and Nettle Tap all also seen. Bee mimic hoverflies Volucella pellucens and V.bombylans were seen, you would swear the latter (variation plumata) was a bumblebee! The soldier beetle Cantharis nigra was a colourful addition and the cranefly Tipula fascipennis was also seen.
When birding is quiet then having other things to look at can brighten up the walk, but like I say it aint easy sometimes as insects have forms that mimic other insects regularly!
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Wednesday 14th of June 2017 09:29:04 PM
Earlier this evening, a single large American Mink strolled along the edge of the reservoir just a few yards in front of a dog walker with 2 Pekinese dogs.
The dogs were clearly pulling to get at the mink, but the little predator did'nt seem worried, just annoyed at being hurried along.
Whether the bold little fellow would of acted differently had the dogs been Jack Russel terriers is debatable, but with predators like this around the waterfowl need to watch out.
Silver Ground Carpet and Common Carpet moths were abundant in the tall vegetation along the paths.
A couple of Grey Squirrels clung onto to the seed feeders throughout.