Doc Brewster wrote:A new Hoverfly for my patch - Pied Hoverfly, was photographed on Abbot's Moss.
Because common names are not favoured by hoverfly recorders I've been asked to specify the species on this sighting seeing as how a few species are in this genus! The hoverfly seen was the migrant Scaeva pyrastri, and a former hoverfly recorder for Cheshire tells me that there have been only 80 verified records of this species since 2000 in Cheshire.
Doc Brewster said
Sat Sep 18 1:21 PM, 2021
On Newchurch Common this am in the warm sunshine again.
A Hornet near Big Pool was just the second of the year on site. There seem to be lots around in Cheshire at the moment.
An amazing 22 Commas were seen, with 21 on one single bank of brambles! A Small Copper, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Green-veined White and c.20 Speckled Woods were also seen. A male Vapourer moth flew through.
Two Migrant Hawkers in Big Pool Island Cut were very fresh individuals, also here was an old Common Darter. Common Blue Damselflies were also seen.
Doc Brewster said
Wed Sep 15 10:36 PM, 2021
A walk on Newchurch Common both am and pm, dull mainly but some sun and pretty warm.
A Common Toad was seen near the entrance barrier.
Comma, Green-veined White, Large White and numerous Speckled Woods were seen.
Lots of odonata were recorded. Black Darters, Common Darters (some 'in cop'), Migrant Hawker, Brown Hawker, Southern Hawker, Red-eyed Damselfly, Emerald Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly made it 9 species in the day.
A new Hoverfly for my patch - Pied Hoverfly, was photographed on Abbot's Moss. several baby Nursery Web Spiders were in the nettle bed by Big Pool Island Cut. The harvestman Phalangium opilio (a male IDed by its long pedipalps) was on Abbot's Moss. Common Green Shieldbugs of varying ages were seen by Shemmy Moss.
A nice clump of Shaggy Scalycap fungus (Pholiota sqarrosa) was by Big Pool south shore. Common Earthballs were numerous. Silk Button Gall Wasp galls (Neuroterus numismalis) were on oak leaves by Shemmy Moss.
John Williams said
Wed Sep 15 7:42 PM, 2021
10.00-14.00 Frodsham Marsh (North bank of No 6 Tank)
Butterflies : 3 Comma, 4 Small Tortoiseshells and 7 Speckled Woods.
Dragonflies : Numerous Southern Hawkers and a few Common Darters.
Also noticeably large numbers of "Volucella pellucens" type hoverflies, especially around clumps of sowthistle.
Doc Brewster said
Tue Sep 14 2:08 PM, 2021
Seeing as how it's local Cheshire sightings I thought that I'd post!
As I set off at 5am to twitch the Green Warbler in Yorkshire yesterday (13th Sept 2021) I had 2 Fox sightings early on in my trip. The first was a dainty looking female, seen very well on the road by the village sign at my home village of Moulton, S.of Northwich. The second one was by the A559 near the Comberbach/Great Budworth crossroads, but this was a more fleeting back end view. From what I saw it was probably a dog Fox, looking bulkier than the earlier vixen.
Butterflies : 1 Small Heath (Unexpected find along the riverside path), 2 Small Tortoiseshells and lots of Speckled Woods.
Dragonflies : 4 Southern Hawkers and lots of Common Darters. 1 Common Blue Damselfly.
1 Common Toad.
Doc Brewster said
Thu Sep 9 11:22 AM, 2021
Another good moth trapped overnight in my Moulton garden, a Maiden's Blush (pictured). This moth species has only been documented 40 times in the county since 1945 and only 18 times in the last 48 years. This is the latest documented Cheshire date too (8/9/21).
This was despite having to turn my trap off and block the entrance at peak trapping time due to the Hornet(s) finding it. They can decimate a catch if they get inside the trap so I switched it off, caught the 1 Hornet that I could see and released it some distance away!! Then it was trap back on and the catch was unharmed this morning!
After a Hornet at home every day this week a sweltering visit to Newchurch Common, Cheshire today produced my first Hornet of the year there too, in the meadows east of Big Pool. Also lots of fresh Migrant Hawkers including a mating pair. There were also 2 Comma butterflies, pristine and just emerged.
Linyphia triangularis, Common Hammock-weaver Spiders were also seen. An Ectemnius wasp species was also seen.
Doc Brewster said
Fri Sep 3 9:22 PM, 2021
A garden sighting for Moulton, Northwich, Cheshire. Our first ever record of Hornet in our garden, cruising around the Buddleia and Russian Vine looking for insect prey. I just hope it doesn't find my moth trap!! Just shows how common Hornet is getting in Cheshire now, I've recorded them at numerous locations.
Doc Brewster said
Thu Sep 2 9:35 PM, 2021
On Newchurch Common today, warm, dull with a few glimpses of sun.
A first year Common Lizard was on Abbot's Moss. Migrant Hawker dragonflies were seen in a few sites. Black Darter and Common Darter were on the mosslands. Common Blue Damselflies were on Big Pool.
Otherwise a few common butterflies, beetles and hoverflies, all of which I have reported before.
Doc Brewster said
Thu Sep 2 8:57 PM, 2021
Doc Brewster wrote:
Thursday Aug 12th: On Newchurch Common am and pm in hot sunshine.
A possible Large Pine Weevil was seen but so as not to disturb basking lizards I didn't manage a picture..........
A bit more research and I have a positive ID for the beetle I saw on Newchurch Common on August 12th this year. It was a Snail Hunter (Cychrus caraboides), pretty common in the Uk and a new species for my patch. Its round body and long head had me mistakenly thinking it was a large weevel species, but the correct ID was reached in the end!!
John Williams said
Thu Sep 2 6:14 PM, 2021
Burtonwood (Farmland West of Alder lane and Sankey Brook) Afternoon visit
Butterflies : 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 4 Speckled Woods, 5 Small Whites (Including a coupled pair) and lots of Large Whites.
Dragonflies : 1 Southern Hawker and 4 Common Darters.
John Williams said
Wed Sep 1 12:01 PM, 2021
Late post for 31.08.2021. Around Midday.
Moss Side (Moore) and along the North bank of the ship canal from Halfway House to Lapwing Lane swing bridge.
Butterflies : Lots of Speckled Woods and 5 Large Whites. 1 Common White Wave moth. Oddly no dragonflies seen throughout.
1 Common Frog.
Doc Brewster said
Mon Aug 30 10:12 PM, 2021
On Newchurch Common for a very short morning walk. Very autumnal, overcast but not cold.
Came across 3 Spiked Shieldbugs on a bramble patch, two were mating too. My 2nd ever record of this species on patch. Only other invert of note was a Migrant Hawker dragonfly.
A belated record that I forgot on a day I was on doing management and not recording any other sightings was an August record of a male Black-tailed Skimmer in flight east of Big Pool.
Doc Brewster said
Mon Aug 30 6:16 PM, 2021
In my Moulton, Northwich garden overnight I trapped a moth which was a third submitted record for Cheshire. This is a Cypress Pug, a recent coloniser of the UK from Europe, spreading from the south. In my Moth ID book (Waring & Townsend) it was reported as being as far north as Warwickshire, so has crept a bit further since publication! Really chuffed to get such a rarity for up here.
Picture attached of Cypress Pug 29th Aug 2021 Moulton Chehshire SJ658695:
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Monday 30th of August 2021 10:13:00 PM
Abbot's Moss, near Newchurch Common, Cheshire: Yesterday another Bog Bush Cricket was found in another area of Abbot's Moss, but just the one individual. This was a female, the one on 25th being a male, so breeding is actually possible on this evidence
Doc Brewster said
Wed Aug 25 9:14 PM, 2021
An afternoon walk on Newchurch Common, some sun and quite warm.
One small yearling Common Lizard was seen.
A big find was my first Bog Bush Cricket of the year (pictured). With Abbot's Moss being significantly wetter this year and much of it being under water this individual was in a totally new area in which I've never had the species before. Just one very elusive individual was seen despite an intensive search. I have been searching on every visit so it's nice to finally find one!
Odanata were again very evident with Migrant Hawker, Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Black Darter, Common Darter, Red-eyed Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly seen. Butterflies were represented by only 4 species, and in small numbers too.
On my patch at Newchurch Common this evening from 8.45-9.30pm with the bat detector. I've never done this before so all records would be new species of mammal for my patch.
Expected finds were Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus), Soprano Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) and Noctule (Nyctalus noctula). But totally unexpected and awaiting confirmation (I'm not sure I believe the detector on these records) were Barbastelle Bat (Barbastella barbastellus) and Leisler's Bat (Nyctalus leisleri), with another recording being either Leisler's or Serotine (Eptesicus serotinus). I am extremely dubious about these final records, but await a reply from the Cheshire Bat Group regarding these recordings!
Doc Brewster said
Tue Aug 24 1:35 PM, 2021
Over the past week a bit more bat detecting in my garden, in Moulton, Cheshire, added a further species to the garden bat list (if I had one!!).
As well as further records of both Soprano Pipistrelle(Pipistrellus pygmaeus) and Common Pipistrelle(Pipistrellus pipistrellus), on 2 nights I also recorded Noctule (Nyctalus noctula) as present. Allied with the rescued Brown Long-eared Bat (Plecotus auritus) this means I have recorded 4 bat species in our small cul-de-sac in the middle of our small village.
In my very low light intensity 15W actinic moth trap I have recorded over 90 species for the past 4 nights, obviously the reason that the bats are here
John Williams said
Fri Aug 20 8:00 PM, 2021
Rossall Point Fleetwood 11.00-15.00
Just 3 butterflies were seen alongside the golf course, singles of Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Common Blue.
1 small Common Toad also noted.
2 freshly dead jellyfish were found on the beach, 1 of which attracted a couple of Herring Gulls that vigorously pecked away at it.
Doc Brewster said
Thu Aug 19 10:31 PM, 2021
On Newchurch Common to test a new scope pm. Dull & drizzly but warm.
A Common Lizard was seen and photographed. Just 7 butterfly species were seen best of which were a Holly Blue and a Common Blue. But 10 Odonata species was a good count. This included a site rarity and a first here for 2021 in the shape of a maleBandedDemoiselle. Other species were Migrant Hawker, Southern Hawker,Brown Hawker, Black Darter, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter, Emerald Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly. A new hoverfly for 2021 was Myathropaflorea, lots of which were flying on the Mosslands as were many Sericomyia silentisstill.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Friday 20th of August 2021 10:27:54 AM
Doc Brewster said
Sun Aug 15 12:54 PM, 2021
A short nip to Newchurch Common this morning, mainly overcast with an occasional sunny interval.
Lots of Red-eyed Damselflies (pic) out but an extensive scope search revealed no Small Red-eyed Damselflies, which have recently been found on the Witton Limebeds Patch area not too far away. Brown Hawker seen too (pic) as well as Black Darter, Ruddy Darter, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly. The only butterflies of note were singles of Small Copper and female Common Blue.
At home, in Moulton, last night a bit of late night bat detecting revealed both Soprano Pipistrelles(Pipistrellus pygmaeus) and a single Common Pipistrelle(Pipistrellus pipistrellus) hunting though our garden.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Sunday 15th of August 2021 12:55:03 PM
Meadow Brown butterflies, Common Blue damselflies and Common Darter dragonflies in abundance.
Also 1 Brimstone and 1 Speckled Wood butterflies.
-- Edited by John Williams on Friday 13th of August 2021 10:21:38 PM
John Williams said
Fri Aug 13 10:16 PM, 2021
Re. Birkdale salt marsh & beach. 10.08.21
Thanks for the ID of the moth in my photo Paul.
Regards
John
Doc Brewster said
Thu Aug 12 9:52 PM, 2021
On Newchurch Common am and pm in hot sunshine.
On my managed area I had at least 5 Common Lizards (5 seen at once and then different smaller numbers on other visits).
Nine butterfly species, nothing other than my usual species. Seven odonata and again the usual suspects.
Some nice moths, a Blood-vein, new for 2021 as was Straw Dot. At least 12 Udea lutealis (micromoth) were seen and were new for 2021 too. One was in the jaws of a Common Blue Damselfly but escaped!
Common Carder Bee was seen as was Harlequin Ladybird. A Common Green Shieldbug 5th instar was found, as was an adult Gorse Shieldbug. A possible Large Pine Weevil was seen but so as not to disturb basking lizards I didn't manage a picture, but being very close to the Abbot's Moss Nursery and the masses of pines in there it isn't impossible that this species is here.
Long Hoverfly was new for 2021 on Abbot's Moss. For other hoverflies Pellucid Hoverfly, Tapered Dronefly and Sericomyia silentis were still plentiful.
New for patch was the invasive harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus, which rests with its legs out at 90 degrees from its body and has forked pedipalps (look like 'claws') at the front. Common Field Grasshopper was recorded. Garden Snail was photographed on Shemmy Moss.
Doc Brewster said
Thu Aug 12 7:38 PM, 2021
John Williams wrote:
Birkdale salt marsh & beach area 11.00-15.00
Also the moth (Photo attached) which was found on ragwort, after searching the web the only species that fits the criteria is Bordered Sallow.
The species is shown online as being resident along the Sefton coast, and flies during June and July. The specimen in my photo looks very
worn so may have been around for some time. I would welcome any comments regarding this sighting though.
Hi John
Sorry I'm late answering but Focalpoint, Newchurch and bat rescues have kept me a bit busy recently!! The moth is a Rosy Rustic. Wing shape and pattern of light and dark dictate this rather than Bordered Sallow (which has the light and dark areas opposite to the moth in question). I actually caught Rosy Rustic in my moth trap overnight last night and it is being caught by NW moth-trappers regularly at the moment, but even better to get a field observation. Well done on the Natterjacks too, years since I've seen one!!
I've attached a pic of the one I caught overnight, as you say yours is well worn making ID harder.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 12th of August 2021 07:59:08 PM
A morning walk on Newchurch Common. Mainly cloudy and dull, not cold though and a n occasional glimmer of sunshine.
A few minutes sun brought out 3 Common Lizards within 30 seconds!
Just 6 of the usual butterflies. A few Black Darters were seen as well as a Brown Hawker, Common Blue Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly and Emerald Damselfly. A Dingy Footman moth of the pale form stramineola was photographed on Shemmy Moss where several Common Carpets were still flying.
A Devils Coach-horse, Abax parallelepipidus and 7-Spot Ladybird were the beetle species noted. Red-tailed Bumblebee and Buff-tailed Bumblebee were noted. Lots of Yellow Dung Flies were on Abbot's Moss.
Glistening Inkcap Fungus was found by the Whitegate Way and very young Birch Polypore was found in Gull Pool Wood. Wolf's Milk Slime Mould was found for the first time this year, by the Whitegate Way.
Doc Brewster said
Wed Aug 11 9:38 AM, 2021
Had an interesting last 2 days!! All locally in Moulton S.of Northwich, and actually on our close!
Got a message from a neighbour to say that their cat had brought a bat into the house and it was in the bedroom somewhere, this was 7am. I went round and searched with a torch but to no avail, although I expected it to have roosted under the bed where we couldn't see. So I left saying to keep an eye out at dusk. That evening no news, but then a text at 11.30pm to say it had reappeared! I was still up checking my moth trap as every night, so headed round.
Recently I've been using a great little bat detector which you can connect to iPhones and Androids (available at Focalpoint Optics!!) and determined that the bats in our garden are Soprano Pipistrelles, so I expected this to be a Pip definitely. It was behind a bedside cabinet and I extracted it unseen and was amazed to see that it was a beautiful Brown Long-eared Bat. Never having seen one close up I was thrilled to be holding this fabulous wee beastie. I took it home and set up a holding tank with water and bark for it to grip onto. A quick health check revealed no puncture wounds and only a tiny hole in the wing membrane.I syringe fed water too as dehydration is the biggest problem and put vegetation with insects on in the tank too. At 1.30am it was my bed, but the next morning saw it still alive, I was so pleased. It had been to the water pot, so probably drank, and no insects remained plus there were 'normal' faeces in the tank, all good signs. I then headed to Lower Moss Wood Wildlife Hospital near Knutsford to drop it off for rehab. I will collect when it hopefully recovers fully, to release in its natal area.
Credit to the neighbours for alerting me immediately and let's hope this has a happy ending.
A sunny afternoon visit to Newchurch Common/Abbot's Moss, albeit shorter than usual..
My target was to photograph Common Lizards and with 5 seen this was achieved with ease. Two Common Frogs were seen too.
My first 3 Migrant Hawkers of the year were seen along with a Southern Hawker, a Brown Hawker, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter and Black Darter. Lots of Emerald Damselflies still as well as Common Blues.
A single Turkey-tail Fungus had me puzzled initiallybut it was this species, on Abbot's Moss.
Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Newton Brook) : 1 Stoat. 1 Southern Hawker dragonfly.
Butterflies :1 Comma, 1 Peacock, 1 Green veined White, 3 Large Whites and numerous Gatekeepers.
Farmland and paddocks west of Sankey Brook : 1 Brown Rat, 1 Common Frog and 3 Violet Ground Beetles.
1 Southern Hawker dragonfly. Gatekeeper butterflies again numerous plus 4 Large Whites and 1 very shabby Meadow Brown.
Clegs also numerous, and a real nuisance.
Doc Brewster said
Wed Aug 4 4:08 PM, 2021
A short morning visit to Newchurch Common/Abbot's Moss, warm and sunny.
In one of the mossland areas I did management yesterday I was rewarded with 5+Common Lizards (5 on the first visit & 1 on the second), great when things work out. I also had a small Common Frog and a Common Toadlet, both on Abbot's Moss.
No new butterflies or Odonata. But more Four-spotted Orb-weaverspiders plus one Cross Orb-weaver spider.
Several Sericoma silentis on Abbot's Moss, a large wasp-mimic hoverfly.
Doc Brewster said
Tue Aug 3 9:31 PM, 2021
All day on Newchurch Common, mostly doing management work. Sunny and hot.
On Abbot's Moss 3 Common Lizards were seen.
Again 10 butterfly species, different from yesterday with highlights of 3 Common Blues, a Brimstone, a Peacock and a Comma.
A count of 8 Odonata, including a Southern Hawker on Shemmy Moss, with 30 Black Darters and 6 Emerald Damselflies on Abbot's Moss.
At least 16 Common Carpet moths seen on the mosslands area.
On Abbot's Moss my first 2 Four-spotted Orb-weaver Spiders of the year were seen, one which caught a grasshopper and dispatched it and wrapped it in an instant!
Doc Brewster said
Mon Aug 2 9:59 PM, 2021
Newchurch Common am with lots of hope as it started with sunny intervals, ended with black clouds though!
Ten species of butterfly included a pristine Painted Lady (pictured), a newly emerged Peacock and a Comma, all of which weren't seen yesterday! No new Odonata.
A Common Awl Robberfly was photographed as were Common White Wave moth, a Harlequin Ladybird and Nursery Web Spider.
At Newchurch Common this afternoon, warm, dry and still but little sunshine.
A decrease in butterfly species with the lack of sunshine, only 9 species seen and nothing new. Some noteworthy observations were 6 Small Coppers, only 1 Small Skipper, no Essex Skippers today and no Purple Hairstreaks.
At least 2 male Ruddy Darters (pictured) by Big Pool and a 3+Black Darters too.
A new moth for patch was the tortrix Cydia splendana found under oaks, one of its larval foodplants. Two Mother-of-Pearl moths and 10 Shaded Broad-bars were seen.
The Dog Lichen Peltigera hymenina was seen in a meadow near Big Pool and was new for patch.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Sunday 1st of August 2021 11:01:51 PM
Another Cheshire scarcity in the Moth Trap last night in Moulton, Cheshire, a species that is slowly spreading northwards but still hasn't made it in great numbers to the NW: Chocolate-tip moth (pictured)
A morning walk on a cooler Newchurch Common, a few sunny intervals helped for invert hunting.
The usual array of butterflies was seen with the most noteworthy being 1 Essex Skipper (pictured), 1 Holly Blue, 1 Common Blue, 2 Small Coppers and 1 Small Skipper amongst the 11 species seen.
The Odonata highlights were Black Darters on Newchurch Common and Abbot's/Shemmy Moss and Ruddy Darters on Newchurch Common.
The two moth species noted were Common Carpet and new for the year here, Dingy Footman.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 29th of July 2021 04:21:54 PM
Again a short walk in the afternoon on Newchurch Common, to catch the last of the sunny, warm days if the forecast is right!
Another 2021 record with 16 species of butterfly recorded in one small area near Big Pool. New for the year was Common Blue (4 seen). Also noteworthy were 2 Essex Skippers and a Painted Lady. Other species seen were Peacock, Red Admiral, Comma, Small Copper, Small Skipper, Brimstone, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Large White, Small White and Green-veined White. It also means that on my last 2 visits, over just 4 days, I've had 19 species of butterfly in this small area on my patch.
A total of 10 species of Odonata were seen, best being a Downy Emerald still along with Southern Hawker, Black Darter, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter, Brown Hawkers (10), Azure Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly and Blue-tailed Damselfly.
The only notable moths were 3 Silver-Y and 6 Six-spot Burnet.
A nice Nursery Web Spider was in the meadow north of Big Pool.
John Williams said
Fri Jul 23 11:08 PM, 2021
Neumanns Flash Midday visit.
Butterflies : Gatekeepers galore. Also numerous Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Speckled Woods.
Plus 7 Green veined Whites, 2 Commas, 1 Small White and 2 Small Skippers.
Moths : 2 6-Spot Burnets and 2 Shaded Broadbars.
Odonata : 7 Brown and 2 Southern Hawkers, 2 Emperors, 4 Black tailed Skimmers and numerous Common Darters.
Only had time for a couple of hours at Newchurch Common this afternoon but still a good invert walk in the sun.
Fourteen species of butterfly was my best day this year. These were Holly Blue (2nd Brood), Essex Skipper (at least 3), Small Skipper, Purple Hairstreak (1), Small Copper, Gatekeeper, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Large White, Small White and Green-veined White.
Also seen 8 odonata species. These were Downy Emerald (a single perched individual), Brown Hawker (inc an ovipositing female), Ruddy Darter, BlackDarter, Common Darter, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfy and Red-eyed Damselfly.
At least 5 Six-spot Burnets and 4 Shaded Broad-bar moths were seen.
John Williams said
Mon Jul 19 9:11 PM, 2021
Sandbach Flashes 15.30-18.00.
Elton Hall Flash
Butterflies : 6 Comma, 1 Red Admiral, 4 Speckled Woods and 3 Ringlets.
Dragonflies : 1f Broad bodied Chaser and 2 Brown Hawkers.
Out at 5am to check Newchurch Common before work. This was rewarded handsomely with a UK Lifer Mammal!! As I was well down the main track a dark looking mustelid ran out and headed across the path only 10m ahead of me. I had an idea what it was but this was confirmed when it popped out again, ran along the road away from me and went back in to the brambles further up. This time I got my bins on it and confirmed what I had initially thought - a POLECAT
This was my first ever live Polecat, a mammal I'd wanted to see in the UK for ages. It follows on from this years earlier live sighting less than half a mile away, reported to me by a knowledgable fisherman and the dead one found in a friends stable about a mile away, last year.
So well worth the early start and my second mammal lifer of the year, Polecat and Walrus in the UK now on my list
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Monday 19th of July 2021 08:45:03 AM
Chris Harper said
Sun Jul 18 2:31 PM, 2021
At Burton Mere RSPB a Purple Hairstreak was showing very well near the visitor centre this morning. Many Gatekeeper on site, with other common butterflies including Small Skipper.
Stoat and Bank Vole too.
Doc Brewster said
Wed Jul 14 9:24 PM, 2021
Walks am and pm on Newchurch Common, sunny intervals, a light breeze but warm.
The undoubted highlight was a beautiful Grass Snake, watched at length on Abbot's Moss, it hadn't seen me so I watched it explore an area moving over and in and out of vegetation, stunning. Also on Shemmy Moss was a basking Common Lizard, nice to see that the reptiles on my patch are now showing.
In a day of highlights I had my first Purple Hairstreaks, 2 were seen in the crown of an oak on Newchurch Common and one by Shemmy Moss. All were picked up in flight but good views were obtained through bins of one settled too. Just after seeing the hairstreaks I was in the meadows and checked at least 40SmallSkippers and finally found a single EssexSkipper, another highlight of the day! Another new species of butterfly for the year was Gatekeeper, at least 8 of these were seen across my recording area, the first in the meadow east of Big Pool. In total 13 butterfly species were seen, the others being Small Copper, Large Skipper, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Large White, Green-veined White, Ringlet, Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood.
It was also a good odonata day too. My first Ruddy Darters of 2021 were seen, all east of Big Pool in their usual location, at least 5 newly emerged individuals were counted. At least 25 Black Darters were on Abbot's Moss, many again newly emerged. A Common Darter was by Shemmy Moss a well as a male Emperor. In all 10 species of odonata were seen, the others being Brown Hawker, Four-spotted Chaser, Emerald Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, CommonBlue Damselfly and Blue-tailed Damselfly.
It was also a good day for moths with Six-spot Burnet possibly being a new moth for patch ever. Another new for patch moth was the micro Bird Cherry Ermine. Also seen were Mother-of-Pearl and Shaded Broad-bar.
A strikingly pale almost white striped Bumblebee was a male White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum).
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 15th of July 2021 12:56:11 PM
John Williams said
Tue Jul 13 10:45 PM, 2021
Woolston Eyes No3 Bed 15.00-18.00
Butterflies : 1 Gatekeeper, 4 Comma, 5 Red Admirals, 5 Speckled Woods and 3 Small Tortoiseshells.
2 small dark butterflies having an aerial tussle just above an oak on the South Bank may well of been Purple Hairstreaks.
Odonata : 1 Southern Hawker, 5 Brown Hawkers, 2 Common Blue Damselflies and numerous Blue Tailed Damselflies.
One of the Brown Hawkers was avidly patrolling the outer branches of the oak where the hairstreak like butterflies were seen.
The severely mangled body of a mole lay on one of the paths.
Doc Brewster said
Fri Jul 9 10:00 PM, 2021
A cracking morning on my Newchurch Common/Abbot's Moss Local Patch with fellow wild-lifer Paul Hill. Sunny intervals and warm and even muggy at times.
Finally got my first 3 Common Lizards of the year on Abbot's Moss, about time too!
Nine species of butterfly: Small Skipper, Comma, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood.
Eight species of odonata: Black Darter (a big emergence of at least 15 individuals and the first of 2021, lots of tenerals), Common Darter, male Emperor, Four-spotted Chaser, Brown Hawker, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Red-eyed Damselfly.
Three new moths: 2 Four-dotted Footman (site speciality, pictured), Small Magpie and Common White Wave. The first Cinnabar caterpillars were seen with every ragwort plant festooned with them!
Hoverflies included a stunning Volucella zonaria (hornet-mimic, pictured), Xylota segnis, Helophilus hybridus, Eristalis intricarius, Eristalis nemorum and Cheilosia illustrata (all new for 2021 on patch), as well as Pellucid Hoverfly, Eristalis tenax, Eristalis pertinax and Episyrphus balteatus.
A new beetle was the darkling beetle Lagria hirta. The longhorn beetle Rutpella maculata was seen again. Lots of ladybird larvae were seen, including 7-Spot Ladybird, Harlequin Ladybird and 14-Spot Ladybird. A Bronze Shieldbug was new for 2021, possibly even ever on patch, as was a Deraeocoris ruber nymph, another bug.
A smart green sawfly Rhogogaster scalaris was new for the year as was a Common Awl Robberfly.
A weird record of Common Field Mushroom growing in the edge of the road that leads past Abbot's Moss to the nurseries.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Saturday 10th of July 2021 01:02:14 PM
Butterflies : 3 Comma, 2 Red Admirals and 2 Speckled Woods.
(Both Red Admirals and 2 of the Commas were on the same Buddleia bush).
Dragonflies : Lots of Common Darters and numerous Migrant Hawkers.
2 male Southern Hawkers were patrolling the path along the South Bank.
the old river and new cut merge.
Reptiles: 1 huge and 3 smaller Grass Snakes. The 3 smaller snakes were seen simultaneously.
Butterflies : 1 Small Copper, 2 Comma, 1 Speckled Wood and 2 Large Whites.
Dragonflies : Numerous Migrant Hawkers around the riverside vegetation, including 2 coupled pairs.
Also 2 Brown and 3 Southern Hawkers and at least 6 Common Darters.
Because common names are not favoured by hoverfly recorders I've been asked to specify the species on this sighting seeing as how a few species are in this genus! The hoverfly seen was the migrant Scaeva pyrastri, and a former hoverfly recorder for Cheshire tells me that there have been only 80 verified records of this species since 2000 in Cheshire.
On Newchurch Common this am in the warm sunshine again.
A Hornet near Big Pool was just the second of the year on site. There seem to be lots around in Cheshire at the moment.
An amazing 22 Commas were seen, with 21 on one single bank of brambles! A Small Copper, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Green-veined White and c.20 Speckled Woods were also seen. A male Vapourer moth flew through.
Two Migrant Hawkers in Big Pool Island Cut were very fresh individuals, also here was an old Common Darter. Common Blue Damselflies were also seen.
A walk on Newchurch Common both am and pm, dull mainly but some sun and pretty warm.
A Common Toad was seen near the entrance barrier.
Comma, Green-veined White, Large White and numerous Speckled Woods were seen.
Lots of odonata were recorded. Black Darters, Common Darters (some 'in cop'), Migrant Hawker, Brown Hawker, Southern Hawker, Red-eyed Damselfly, Emerald Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly made it 9 species in the day.
A new Hoverfly for my patch - Pied Hoverfly, was photographed on Abbot's Moss. several baby Nursery Web Spiders were in the nettle bed by Big Pool Island Cut. The harvestman Phalangium opilio (a male IDed by its long pedipalps) was on Abbot's Moss. Common Green Shieldbugs of varying ages were seen by Shemmy Moss.
A nice clump of Shaggy Scalycap fungus (Pholiota sqarrosa) was by Big Pool south shore. Common Earthballs were numerous. Silk Button Gall Wasp galls (Neuroterus numismalis) were on oak leaves by Shemmy Moss.
Butterflies : 3 Comma, 4 Small Tortoiseshells and 7 Speckled Woods.
Dragonflies : Numerous Southern Hawkers and a few Common Darters.
Also noticeably large numbers of "Volucella pellucens" type hoverflies, especially around clumps of sowthistle.
Seeing as how it's local Cheshire sightings I thought that I'd post!
As I set off at 5am to twitch the Green Warbler in Yorkshire yesterday (13th Sept 2021) I had 2 Fox sightings early on in my trip. The first was a dainty looking female, seen very well on the road by the village sign at my home village of Moulton, S.of Northwich. The second one was by the A559 near the Comberbach/Great Budworth crossroads, but this was a more fleeting back end view. From what I saw it was probably a dog Fox, looking bulkier than the earlier vixen.
Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar crawling accross path
Butterflies : 1 Small Heath (Unexpected find along the riverside path), 2 Small Tortoiseshells and lots of Speckled Woods.
Dragonflies : 4 Southern Hawkers and lots of Common Darters. 1 Common Blue Damselfly.
1 Common Toad.
Another good moth trapped overnight in my Moulton garden, a Maiden's Blush (pictured). This moth species has only been documented 40 times in the county since 1945 and only 18 times in the last 48 years. This is the latest documented Cheshire date too (8/9/21).
This was despite having to turn my trap off and block the entrance at peak trapping time due to the Hornet(s) finding it. They can decimate a catch if they get inside the trap so I switched it off, caught the 1 Hornet that I could see and released it some distance away!! Then it was trap back on and the catch was unharmed this morning!
After a Hornet at home every day this week a sweltering visit to Newchurch Common, Cheshire today produced my first Hornet of the year there too, in the meadows east of Big Pool. Also lots of fresh Migrant Hawkers including a mating pair. There were also 2 Comma butterflies, pristine and just emerged.
Linyphia triangularis, Common Hammock-weaver Spiders were also seen. An Ectemnius wasp species was also seen.
A garden sighting for Moulton, Northwich, Cheshire. Our first ever record of Hornet in our garden, cruising around the Buddleia and Russian Vine looking for insect prey. I just hope it doesn't find my moth trap!! Just shows how common Hornet is getting in Cheshire now, I've recorded them at numerous locations.
On Newchurch Common today, warm, dull with a few glimpses of sun.
A first year Common Lizard was on Abbot's Moss. Migrant Hawker dragonflies were seen in a few sites. Black Darter and Common Darter were on the mosslands. Common Blue Damselflies were on Big Pool.
Otherwise a few common butterflies, beetles and hoverflies, all of which I have reported before.
A bit more research and I have a positive ID for the beetle I saw on Newchurch Common on August 12th this year. It was a Snail Hunter (Cychrus caraboides), pretty common in the Uk and a new species for my patch. Its round body and long head had me mistakenly thinking it was a large weevel species, but the correct ID was reached in the end!!
Butterflies : 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 4 Speckled Woods, 5 Small Whites (Including a coupled pair) and lots of Large Whites.
Dragonflies : 1 Southern Hawker and 4 Common Darters.
Moss Side (Moore) and along the North bank of the ship canal from Halfway House to Lapwing Lane swing bridge.
Butterflies : Lots of Speckled Woods and 5 Large Whites. 1 Common White Wave moth. Oddly no dragonflies seen throughout.
1 Common Frog.
On Newchurch Common for a very short morning walk. Very autumnal, overcast but not cold.
Came across 3 Spiked Shieldbugs on a bramble patch, two were mating too. My 2nd ever record of this species on patch. Only other invert of note was a Migrant Hawker dragonfly.
A belated record that I forgot on a day I was on doing management and not recording any other sightings was an August record of a male Black-tailed Skimmer in flight east of Big Pool.
In my Moulton, Northwich garden overnight I trapped a moth which was a third submitted record for Cheshire. This is a Cypress Pug, a recent coloniser of the UK from Europe, spreading from the south. In my Moth ID book (Waring & Townsend) it was reported as being as far north as Warwickshire, so has crept a bit further since publication! Really chuffed to get such a rarity for up here.
Picture attached of Cypress Pug 29th Aug 2021 Moulton Chehshire SJ658695:
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Monday 30th of August 2021 10:13:00 PM
Abbot's Moss, near Newchurch Common, Cheshire: Yesterday another Bog Bush Cricket was found in another area of Abbot's Moss, but just the one individual. This was a female, the one on 25th being a male, so breeding is actually possible on this evidence
An afternoon walk on Newchurch Common, some sun and quite warm.
One small yearling Common Lizard was seen.
A big find was my first Bog Bush Cricket of the year (pictured). With Abbot's Moss being significantly wetter this year and much of it being under water this individual was in a totally new area in which I've never had the species before. Just one very elusive individual was seen despite an intensive search. I have been searching on every visit so it's nice to finally find one!
Odanata were again very evident with Migrant Hawker, Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Black Darter, Common Darter, Red-eyed Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly seen. Butterflies were represented by only 4 species, and in small numbers too.
A fabulous moth in my moth trap in Moulton, Cheshire last night. Red Underwing, a really large species and one of our most spectacular moths
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Wednesday 25th of August 2021 08:43:48 PM
On my patch at Newchurch Common this evening from 8.45-9.30pm with the bat detector. I've never done this before so all records would be new species of mammal for my patch.
Expected finds were Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus), Soprano Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) and Noctule (Nyctalus noctula). But totally unexpected and awaiting confirmation (I'm not sure I believe the detector on these records) were Barbastelle Bat (Barbastella barbastellus) and Leisler's Bat (Nyctalus leisleri), with another recording being either Leisler's or Serotine (Eptesicus serotinus). I am extremely dubious about these final records, but await a reply from the Cheshire Bat Group regarding these recordings!
Over the past week a bit more bat detecting in my garden, in Moulton, Cheshire, added a further species to the garden bat list (if I had one!!).
As well as further records of both Soprano Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) and Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus), on 2 nights I also recorded Noctule (Nyctalus noctula) as present. Allied with the rescued Brown Long-eared Bat (Plecotus auritus) this means I have recorded 4 bat species in our small cul-de-sac in the middle of our small village.
In my very low light intensity 15W actinic moth trap I have recorded over 90 species for the past 4 nights, obviously the reason that the bats are here
Just 3 butterflies were seen alongside the golf course, singles of Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Common Blue.
1 small Common Toad also noted.
2 freshly dead jellyfish were found on the beach, 1 of which attracted a couple of Herring Gulls that vigorously pecked away at it.
On Newchurch Common to test a new scope pm. Dull & drizzly but warm.
A Common Lizard was seen and photographed. Just 7 butterfly species were seen best of which were a Holly Blue and a Common Blue. But 10 Odonata species was a good count. This included a site rarity and a first here for 2021 in the shape of a male Banded Demoiselle. Other species were Migrant Hawker, Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Black Darter, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter, Emerald Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly. A new hoverfly for 2021 was Myathropa florea, lots of which were flying on the Mosslands as were many Sericomyia silentis still.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Friday 20th of August 2021 10:27:54 AM
A short nip to Newchurch Common this morning, mainly overcast with an occasional sunny interval.
Lots of Red-eyed Damselflies (pic) out but an extensive scope search revealed no Small Red-eyed Damselflies, which have recently been found on the Witton Limebeds Patch area not too far away. Brown Hawker seen too (pic) as well as Black Darter, Ruddy Darter, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly. The only butterflies of note were singles of Small Copper and female Common Blue.
At home, in Moulton, last night a bit of late night bat detecting revealed both Soprano Pipistrelles (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) and a single Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) hunting though our garden.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Sunday 15th of August 2021 12:55:03 PM
Meadow Brown butterflies, Common Blue damselflies and Common Darter dragonflies in abundance.
Also 1 Brimstone and 1 Speckled Wood butterflies.
-- Edited by John Williams on Friday 13th of August 2021 10:21:38 PM
Thanks for the ID of the moth in my photo Paul.
Regards
John
On Newchurch Common am and pm in hot sunshine.
On my managed area I had at least 5 Common Lizards (5 seen at once and then different smaller numbers on other visits).
Nine butterfly species, nothing other than my usual species. Seven odonata and again the usual suspects.
Some nice moths, a Blood-vein, new for 2021 as was Straw Dot. At least 12 Udea lutealis (micromoth) were seen and were new for 2021 too. One was in the jaws of a Common Blue Damselfly but escaped!
Common Carder Bee was seen as was Harlequin Ladybird. A Common Green Shieldbug 5th instar was found, as was an adult Gorse Shieldbug. A possible Large Pine Weevil was seen but so as not to disturb basking lizards I didn't manage a picture, but being very close to the Abbot's Moss Nursery and the masses of pines in there it isn't impossible that this species is here.
Long Hoverfly was new for 2021 on Abbot's Moss. For other hoverflies Pellucid Hoverfly, Tapered Dronefly and Sericomyia silentis were still plentiful.
New for patch was the invasive harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus, which rests with its legs out at 90 degrees from its body and has forked pedipalps (look like 'claws') at the front. Common Field Grasshopper was recorded. Garden Snail was photographed on Shemmy Moss.
Hi John
Sorry I'm late answering but Focalpoint, Newchurch and bat rescues have kept me a bit busy recently!! The moth is a Rosy Rustic. Wing shape and pattern of light and dark dictate this rather than Bordered Sallow (which has the light and dark areas opposite to the moth in question). I actually caught Rosy Rustic in my moth trap overnight last night and it is being caught by NW moth-trappers regularly at the moment, but even better to get a field observation. Well done on the Natterjacks too, years since I've seen one!!
I've attached a pic of the one I caught overnight, as you say yours is well worn making ID harder.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 12th of August 2021 07:59:08 PM
A morning walk on Newchurch Common. Mainly cloudy and dull, not cold though and a n occasional glimmer of sunshine.
A few minutes sun brought out 3 Common Lizards within 30 seconds!
Just 6 of the usual butterflies. A few Black Darters were seen as well as a Brown Hawker, Common Blue Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly and Emerald Damselfly. A Dingy Footman moth of the pale form stramineola was photographed on Shemmy Moss where several Common Carpets were still flying.
A Devils Coach-horse, Abax parallelepipidus and 7-Spot Ladybird were the beetle species noted. Red-tailed Bumblebee and Buff-tailed Bumblebee were noted. Lots of Yellow Dung Flies were on Abbot's Moss.
Glistening Inkcap Fungus was found by the Whitegate Way and very young Birch Polypore was found in Gull Pool Wood. Wolf's Milk Slime Mould was found for the first time this year, by the Whitegate Way.
Had an interesting last 2 days!! All locally in Moulton S.of Northwich, and actually on our close!
Got a message from a neighbour to say that their cat had brought a bat into the house and it was in the bedroom somewhere, this was 7am. I went round and searched with a torch but to no avail, although I expected it to have roosted under the bed where we couldn't see. So I left saying to keep an eye out at dusk. That evening no news, but then a text at 11.30pm to say it had reappeared! I was still up checking my moth trap as every night, so headed round.
Recently I've been using a great little bat detector which you can connect to iPhones and Androids (available at Focalpoint Optics!!) and determined that the bats in our garden are Soprano Pipistrelles, so I expected this to be a Pip definitely. It was behind a bedside cabinet and I extracted it unseen and was amazed to see that it was a beautiful Brown Long-eared Bat. Never having seen one close up I was thrilled to be holding this fabulous wee beastie. I took it home and set up a holding tank with water and bark for it to grip onto. A quick health check revealed no puncture wounds and only a tiny hole in the wing membrane.I syringe fed water too as dehydration is the biggest problem and put vegetation with insects on in the tank too. At 1.30am it was my bed, but the next morning saw it still alive, I was so pleased. It had been to the water pot, so probably drank, and no insects remained plus there were 'normal' faeces in the tank, all good signs. I then headed to Lower Moss Wood Wildlife Hospital near Knutsford to drop it off for rehab. I will collect when it hopefully recovers fully, to release in its natal area.
Credit to the neighbours for alerting me immediately and let's hope this has a happy ending.
A sunny afternoon visit to Newchurch Common/Abbot's Moss, albeit shorter than usual..
My target was to photograph Common Lizards and with 5 seen this was achieved with ease. Two Common Frogs were seen too.
My first 3 Migrant Hawkers of the year were seen along with a Southern Hawker, a Brown Hawker, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter and Black Darter. Lots of Emerald Damselflies still as well as Common Blues.
A single Turkey-tail Fungus had me puzzled initiallybut it was this species, on Abbot's Moss.
Butterflies : 5 Wall Browns, 4 Common Blues, 1 Speckled Wood (By Sea Buckthorn thicket), 2 Gatekeepers and several Meadow Browns.
Dragonflies : 4 Common Darters and 1 Brown Hawker.
Also the moth (Photo attached) which was found on ragwort, after searching the web the only species that fits the criteria is Bordered Sallow.
The species is shown online as being resident along the Sefton coast, and flies during June and July. The specimen in my photo looks very
worn so may have been around for some time. I would welcome any comments regarding this sighting though.
A real bonus today was finding 4 tiny toads, they hopped into a ditch that bisected the path, along their backs was a barely noticeable yellow
stripe, the sign of a Natterjack. Little gems, and a lifer find for me.
Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Newton Brook) : 1 Stoat. 1 Southern Hawker dragonfly.
Butterflies :1 Comma, 1 Peacock, 1 Green veined White, 3 Large Whites and numerous Gatekeepers.
Farmland and paddocks west of Sankey Brook : 1 Brown Rat, 1 Common Frog and 3 Violet Ground Beetles.
1 Southern Hawker dragonfly. Gatekeeper butterflies again numerous plus 4 Large Whites and 1 very shabby Meadow Brown.
Clegs also numerous, and a real nuisance.
A short morning visit to Newchurch Common/Abbot's Moss, warm and sunny.
In one of the mossland areas I did management yesterday I was rewarded with 5+Common Lizards (5 on the first visit & 1 on the second), great when things work out. I also had a small Common Frog and a Common Toadlet, both on Abbot's Moss.
No new butterflies or Odonata. But more Four-spotted Orb-weaver spiders plus one Cross Orb-weaver spider.
Several Sericoma silentis on Abbot's Moss, a large wasp-mimic hoverfly.
All day on Newchurch Common, mostly doing management work. Sunny and hot.
On Abbot's Moss 3 Common Lizards were seen.
Again 10 butterfly species, different from yesterday with highlights of 3 Common Blues, a Brimstone, a Peacock and a Comma.
A count of 8 Odonata, including a Southern Hawker on Shemmy Moss, with 30 Black Darters and 6 Emerald Damselflies on Abbot's Moss.
At least 16 Common Carpet moths seen on the mosslands area.
On Abbot's Moss my first 2 Four-spotted Orb-weaver Spiders of the year were seen, one which caught a grasshopper and dispatched it and wrapped it in an instant!
Newchurch Common am with lots of hope as it started with sunny intervals, ended with black clouds though!
Ten species of butterfly included a pristine Painted Lady (pictured), a newly emerged Peacock and a Comma, all of which weren't seen yesterday! No new Odonata.
A Common Awl Robberfly was photographed as were Common White Wave moth, a Harlequin Ladybird and Nursery Web Spider.
At Newchurch Common this afternoon, warm, dry and still but little sunshine.
A decrease in butterfly species with the lack of sunshine, only 9 species seen and nothing new. Some noteworthy observations were 6 Small Coppers, only 1 Small Skipper, no Essex Skippers today and no Purple Hairstreaks.
At least 2 male Ruddy Darters (pictured) by Big Pool and a 3+Black Darters too.
A new moth for patch was the tortrix Cydia splendana found under oaks, one of its larval foodplants. Two Mother-of-Pearl moths and 10 Shaded Broad-bars were seen.
The Dog Lichen Peltigera hymenina was seen in a meadow near Big Pool and was new for patch.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Sunday 1st of August 2021 11:01:51 PM
Another Cheshire scarcity in the Moth Trap last night in Moulton, Cheshire, a species that is slowly spreading northwards but still hasn't made it in great numbers to the NW: Chocolate-tip moth (pictured)
A morning walk on a cooler Newchurch Common, a few sunny intervals helped for invert hunting.
The usual array of butterflies was seen with the most noteworthy being 1 Essex Skipper (pictured), 1 Holly Blue, 1 Common Blue, 2 Small Coppers and 1 Small Skipper amongst the 11 species seen.
The Odonata highlights were Black Darters on Newchurch Common and Abbot's/Shemmy Moss and Ruddy Darters on Newchurch Common.
The two moth species noted were Common Carpet and new for the year here, Dingy Footman.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 29th of July 2021 04:21:54 PM
Again a short walk in the afternoon on Newchurch Common, to catch the last of the sunny, warm days if the forecast is right!
Another 2021 record with 16 species of butterfly recorded in one small area near Big Pool. New for the year was Common Blue (4 seen). Also noteworthy were 2 Essex Skippers and a Painted Lady. Other species seen were Peacock, Red Admiral, Comma, Small Copper, Small Skipper, Brimstone, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Large White, Small White and Green-veined White. It also means that on my last 2 visits, over just 4 days, I've had 19 species of butterfly in this small area on my patch.
A total of 10 species of Odonata were seen, best being a Downy Emerald still along with Southern Hawker, Black Darter, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter, Brown Hawkers (10), Azure Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly and Blue-tailed Damselfly.
The only notable moths were 3 Silver-Y and 6 Six-spot Burnet.
A nice Nursery Web Spider was in the meadow north of Big Pool.
Butterflies : Gatekeepers galore. Also numerous Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Speckled Woods.
Plus 7 Green veined Whites, 2 Commas, 1 Small White and 2 Small Skippers.
Moths : 2 6-Spot Burnets and 2 Shaded Broadbars.
Odonata : 7 Brown and 2 Southern Hawkers, 2 Emperors, 4 Black tailed Skimmers and numerous Common Darters.
Only had time for a couple of hours at Newchurch Common this afternoon but still a good invert walk in the sun.
Fourteen species of butterfly was my best day this year. These were Holly Blue (2nd Brood), Essex Skipper (at least 3), Small Skipper, Purple Hairstreak (1), Small Copper, Gatekeeper, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Large White, Small White and Green-veined White.
Also seen 8 odonata species. These were Downy Emerald (a single perched individual), Brown Hawker (inc an ovipositing female), Ruddy Darter, Black Darter, Common Darter, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfy and Red-eyed Damselfly.
At least 5 Six-spot Burnets and 4 Shaded Broad-bar moths were seen.
Elton Hall Flash
Butterflies : 6 Comma, 1 Red Admiral, 4 Speckled Woods and 3 Ringlets.
Dragonflies : 1f Broad bodied Chaser and 2 Brown Hawkers.
Out at 5am to check Newchurch Common before work. This was rewarded handsomely with a UK Lifer Mammal!! As I was well down the main track a dark looking mustelid ran out and headed across the path only 10m ahead of me. I had an idea what it was but this was confirmed when it popped out again, ran along the road away from me and went back in to the brambles further up. This time I got my bins on it and confirmed what I had initially thought - a POLECAT
This was my first ever live Polecat, a mammal I'd wanted to see in the UK for ages. It follows on from this years earlier live sighting less than half a mile away, reported to me by a knowledgable fisherman and the dead one found in a friends stable about a mile away, last year.
So well worth the early start and my second mammal lifer of the year, Polecat and Walrus in the UK now on my list
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Monday 19th of July 2021 08:45:03 AM
At Burton Mere RSPB a Purple Hairstreak was showing very well near the visitor centre this morning. Many Gatekeeper on site, with other common butterflies including Small Skipper.
Stoat and Bank Vole too.
Walks am and pm on Newchurch Common, sunny intervals, a light breeze but warm.
The undoubted highlight was a beautiful Grass Snake, watched at length on Abbot's Moss, it hadn't seen me so I watched it explore an area moving over and in and out of vegetation, stunning. Also on Shemmy Moss was a basking Common Lizard, nice to see that the reptiles on my patch are now showing.
In a day of highlights I had my first Purple Hairstreaks, 2 were seen in the crown of an oak on Newchurch Common and one by Shemmy Moss. All were picked up in flight but good views were obtained through bins of one settled too. Just after seeing the hairstreaks I was in the meadows and checked at least 40 Small Skippers and finally found a single Essex Skipper, another highlight of the day! Another new species of butterfly for the year was Gatekeeper, at least 8 of these were seen across my recording area, the first in the meadow east of Big Pool. In total 13 butterfly species were seen, the others being Small Copper, Large Skipper, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Large White, Green-veined White, Ringlet, Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood.
It was also a good odonata day too. My first Ruddy Darters of 2021 were seen, all east of Big Pool in their usual location, at least 5 newly emerged individuals were counted. At least 25 Black Darters were on Abbot's Moss, many again newly emerged. A Common Darter was by Shemmy Moss a well as a male Emperor. In all 10 species of odonata were seen, the others being Brown Hawker, Four-spotted Chaser, Emerald Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly and Blue-tailed Damselfly.
It was also a good day for moths with Six-spot Burnet possibly being a new moth for patch ever. Another new for patch moth was the micro Bird Cherry Ermine. Also seen were Mother-of-Pearl and Shaded Broad-bar.
A strikingly pale almost white striped Bumblebee was a male White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum).
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 15th of July 2021 12:56:11 PM
Butterflies : 1 Gatekeeper, 4 Comma, 5 Red Admirals, 5 Speckled Woods and 3 Small Tortoiseshells.
2 small dark butterflies having an aerial tussle just above an oak on the South Bank may well of been Purple Hairstreaks.
Odonata : 1 Southern Hawker, 5 Brown Hawkers, 2 Common Blue Damselflies and numerous Blue Tailed Damselflies.
One of the Brown Hawkers was avidly patrolling the outer branches of the oak where the hairstreak like butterflies were seen.
The severely mangled body of a mole lay on one of the paths.
A cracking morning on my Newchurch Common/Abbot's Moss Local Patch with fellow wild-lifer Paul Hill. Sunny intervals and warm and even muggy at times.
Finally got my first 3 Common Lizards of the year on Abbot's Moss, about time too!
Nine species of butterfly: Small Skipper, Comma, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood.
Eight species of odonata: Black Darter (a big emergence of at least 15 individuals and the first of 2021, lots of tenerals), Common Darter, male Emperor, Four-spotted Chaser, Brown Hawker, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Red-eyed Damselfly.
Three new moths: 2 Four-dotted Footman (site speciality, pictured), Small Magpie and Common White Wave. The first Cinnabar caterpillars were seen with every ragwort plant festooned with them!
Hoverflies included a stunning Volucella zonaria (hornet-mimic, pictured), Xylota segnis, Helophilus hybridus, Eristalis intricarius, Eristalis nemorum and Cheilosia illustrata (all new for 2021 on patch), as well as Pellucid Hoverfly, Eristalis tenax, Eristalis pertinax and Episyrphus balteatus.
A new beetle was the darkling beetle Lagria hirta. The longhorn beetle Rutpella maculata was seen again. Lots of ladybird larvae were seen, including 7-Spot Ladybird, Harlequin Ladybird and 14-Spot Ladybird. A Bronze Shieldbug was new for 2021, possibly even ever on patch, as was a Deraeocoris ruber nymph, another bug.
A smart green sawfly Rhogogaster scalaris was new for the year as was a Common Awl Robberfly.
A weird record of Common Field Mushroom growing in the edge of the road that leads past Abbot's Moss to the nurseries.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Saturday 10th of July 2021 01:02:14 PM