lots and lots of invertebrates but best of were Common Groundhopper-not often recorded but almost certainly overlooked, Ampedus balteatus Click beetle with a two third bright red electra, Longhorn Beetle Rhagium mordax fierce looking big things that is in reality a veggie, and a bright red weevil Attelabus nitens which is a leaf rolling weevil. It lays a single egg and rolls is up in a leaf to protect it. appears to be quite rare in GMC again probably overlooked and possibly at the edge of its range in the northwest according to NBN.

En route to Little Woolden I noticed a huge Rhubarb plant growing wild in a Hedge, and then another and then three more on the Horizon. An Advisory Plan originally published in 1947 by Rowland Nicholas and J. Hellier reported that at that time Celery Lettuce and Rhubarb were chief in the area.

-- Edited by Ian Boote on Monday 18th of May 2015 02:53:11 PM

Lochmaea caprea Willow Leaf Beetle, Kleidocerys resedae Birch Catkin Bug, alder leaf beetle , longhorn beetle Tetrops praeustus, Birch Leaf Roller Weevil - Deporaus betulae, Willow Flea Beetle - Crepidodera aurata Hover Fly Platycheirus rosarum, Orange Tipped Butterfly, Broad Based Chaser, Blue Tailed Damsel Red Damsel and more to ID

08.00-10.30


3 Peacock & 5 Small Tortoiseshell butterflies seen, mainly around Astley Moss Scrapes.

1 dragonfly here too, unsure of the species, but not a Four Spotted Chaser, as the wings were unmarked, it also had a thin brown body, looked a smallish hawker?.

Lots of St. Marks Flies around.

Four Spotted Chaser male with much reduced inner wing spots

-- Edited by Ian Boote on Monday 4th of May 2015 01:39:37 PM

Alder Leaf Beetle, Hair Tail Cotton Grass , wild pansy (Viola Tricolor) last two in flower on Astley Moss SSSI

dave broome wrote:

---

Hi Tim, it's likely to have been a Large Red Damselfly, an early emerging species

---

thanks Dave. Looking in my dragonflies book and reading the entry that is indeed what it was - almost bang on the average emergence date. The thorax was black with an iridescent sheen and the wings had a shimmering newly unfurled quality. I read they hugely increase their weight during their brief lives - males by 14% and females by 66%. Acid soils and ditches are favoured so I imagine they are common on the moss and the SSSI

Hi Tim, it's likely to have been a Large Red Damselfly, an early emerging species

Tony Darby and I had a very small orange-abdomened Dragonfly today in the line of wood off the feeding track off Rindle Road this afternoon. It was possibly a Common Darter but seemed smaller. Incredibly early either way

A Stoat ran along half the length of the Rindle feeding station track before disappearing into f69.

Creeping Corydalis in Flower Other things Scarlet Elf Cap, Zebra Spider, Saldula saltatoria Common Shore Bug, crab spider Xysticus cristatus, and two basking Common Lizards Lacerta vivipara.

Male Ruddy Darter on the steel gate from twelve yards to croxdens a first for me

Besides the Clouded Yellows mentioned in the bird thread
Loads of Common Blue, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, 2 Small Copper, Large White, Black Darters, Emerald Damsels, and a small patch of wild Pansy, Viola tricolor on waste land

A minimum of 4 Clouded Yellows (both males and females from photos of upper wing)
62 Common Blues
2 Peacocks
1 Red Admiral
1 Small Copper
3 Small Tortoiseshells
2 Small Whites
2 Meadow Browns

Loads of Black Darters, 2 Four-spot Chasers and 3 Toads

Cheers John

Male Banded Demoiselle on the old carrot field on Astley Moss SSSI this afternoon.

four spotted chaser resting in the grass near the entrance to the sssi

Good views of two hunting Stoats this afternoon along the Rindle road feeding track. Also seen on various parts of the mosses was another Stoat, Grey squirrel, plenty of Rabbits, 2 Toads , Common Frog.

Along the Southern edge of Astley Moss

1 Engrailed Moth and Silver Ground Carpet Moths in profusion.

Several Common Blue Damselflies also here, but the frequent showers meant they stayed clung to the vegetation.

1 Four Spotted Chaser, appearing newly emerged by the scrapes.

10.30-13.00

1 Stoat on the former feeding track.

1 dead Common Shrew on the path by the mossland info board.

Chat moss today

3 Stoats seen along various parts of 12 Yards road.
2 Grey squirels
Rabbit
Shrew species
At least 10 small Toads and one large adult

A Stoat was hunting along the feeding track at Rindle road this afternoon

A stoat ran within 2m of where I was supping hot Ribena on the edge of the SSSI this am. Also some very cute baby rabbits feeding on edge of field 67. Fortunately for them they were a good way away from the stoat........

Good numbers of Broad-bodied Chasers, Four-spotted Chasers and Large Red Damselflies at Astley Moss, along the edge of Rindle Wood and the SSSI this morning.
All that was missing was a Hobby to come along and chase them.

Astley moss this evening

Water vole
3 Pipistrelle bats

A couple of Black Rabbits were beside Rindle road yesterday evening, they were very alert as they watched the hedge next to the road.

Around the loop path by Astley Moss SSSI this afternoon single Brimstone patrolling up and down by the scrapes in the old carrot field, 2 male Orange Tips, 12 Peacock, 9 Small Tortoishell and a few whites I didn't get a good look at.

Astley moss this evening,

Hedgehog in Rindle woods was a nice find especially as it seemed to be in good condition.

A Fox ran down the path in front of me next to the SSSI.

5 Rabbits.

Astley moss this evening

8 Rabbits
2 Grey squirrels
5 Brown rats
And due to the amount of bugs flying about 2 Noctule Bats and at least 20 Pipistrelle around the srcapes and the edges of Bedford moss.

I have just seen a Mink next to the small stream near Moss Brook stud and Moss lane on Astley moss. Water voles beware!!!

This morning
Grey Squirrel and a Hare in Rindle woods, Astley moss
A confused Wood mouse running around my boots along 12 Yards road.

Astley moss this afternoon,

7 Brown rats including 2 young on the feeding track, they don't mind the birds but do react to any bird giving out an alarm call.
Grey Squirrel in Rindle woods
Water vole swimming down the full length of the ditch.
Small Shrew seen in the grass
Toad and 4 adult Frogs near the SSSI

Seen around the mosses this morning,

2 Weasels running across 12 Yards road
Grey Squirrel in woods beside 12 Yards road
4 very well fed Brown rats on the feeding track at Rindle
2 Small tortoiseshell butterflies
1 small white butterfly, I'm not really sure of its id.

I watched a Stoat dancing in the snow this afternoon. It was at the edge of the potato field near to the path next to the SSSI and when I first saw it jumping about I thought that it was hunting nearby prey. I have seen Stoats before try to mesmerize Rabbits by jumping about , while getting closer and closer to the Rabbit before the attack. This was very different in that the Stoat crawled on its belly in the snow,then rolled over a couple of times, them jumped and ran about and then back to rolling about in the snow. It danced about for about 4-5 minutes and it did seem to be enjoying itself.

Also there was plenty of tracks in the snow around the mosses this afternoon including;

Rabbit, all over the place
Small dog, along the paths
Stoat, in three areas
Squirrel, Rindle woods
Brown rat tracks at the feeding track
and some that I did not recognise.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 7th of June 2014 06:21:09 PM

I watched a Stoat in the field between Rindle woods and Rindle road this afternoon. At one point it stood upright as it watched the many Fieldfare working their way across the field.

Blue coloured dragonfly flew across Lower Green Lane near to Bodens yesterday afternoon.

Seen this afternoon on Astley moss.

2 Rabbits
Grey Squirrel
Common Toad
Plenty of small Frogs
Lots of Dragonflies still about.
Stoat prints seen in the mud along the feeding track

Stoat near green sheds on Astley Road. A juv Pied Wagtail was mesmerised by it until some lads came along on scooters and the stoat scarpered, only to reappear when they had passed.
A few dragonflies also

2 stoats right by the road this afternoon, 6.30pm

16.00-18.00

Circular walk along the edge of Astley Moss from former Rindle Road feeding

station.

1 Light Emerald moth and 1 Snout moth. 1 Large and 3 Small Skippers and

4-5 Meadow Brown butterflies on the meadow. 5-6 Small Tortoiseshells

along the hedgerows.

A few big hawker dragonflies on Bedford Moss, but none seen over Astley.

Clegs out in force.

1 small frog.

The nettles on the North West corner of Astley Moss scrapes are

covered in Peacock butterfly caterpillars.

-- Edited by John Williams on Tuesday 10th of July 2012 06:11:58 PM

Chat and Irlam Mosses and Croxten

2 Peacocks - looking a little battered!
Cinnabar moth

Lots of damselflies and dragonflies - sorry I can't be more precise in identification!

Astley moss this evening
Plenty of Rabbits

Chat moss
Stoat hunting around two piles of bricks opposite Red Challis farm.

Also on Saturday [12/5] evening a Buzzard was perched on a fence post beside field 69. A couple of young Rabbits were feeding on the grass close by. One Rabbit got too close to the Buzzards post and the bird just dropped on the rabbit and very quickly killed it and carried it off to the trees beside the rail track.

A Weasel was hunting beneath a fallen tree branch this evening in Rindle woods.
Also seen;

7 Rabbits
Grey Squirrel

17.30-21.00

2 Brown rats
Plenty of Rabbits
9 Pipistrelle Bats

Astley moss this evening

13 Rabbits, wet grass seems to bring them out
2 Brown rats
Grey squirrel
Dead Mole

A quick look on the way back from Pennington flash this morning turned up a Stoat in the field next to the feeding track.

Astley moss this morning

2 Rabbits
Hedgehog with at least 5 ticks attached wandering around Rindle woods
Field mouse

Astley moss this evening,

Water vole, my first of the year
2 Brown rats
5 Rabbits
A Weasel ran in front of my car as I went down Moss lane

Around Astley moss this afternoon

3 Rabbits
Brown Rat
Grey Squirrel

I know it's not quite Astley Moss but an unidentifed hawker type dragonfly flew over a Astley garden today! Is it me or is that very early?

Astley moss this afternoon

2 Rabbits
Plenty of Buff tailed bumble bees about
Lots of Frog spawn in the ponds and the ditches and a small amount of Toad spawn with one dead Toad found near the scrapes

17.30- 19.45 this evening on Astley moss

6 Brown rats all under the feeders on the Rindle road feeding track including 2 which had a disagreement and started a fight, lots of jumping about and I was able to get very close to watch.

5 Rabbits in f69
2 Pipistrelle bats over Bedford moss
3 small rodents caught by a pair of Kestrels following the plough in f67
Plenty of Frogs and two Toads on Rindle road.