A Comma was out this morning by Withens Reservoir

Nice to see my first Purple Hairstreak also a nice Small Copper Butterfly at Elton Reservoir today 28th August 2021

Cheers Steven



-- Edited by Steven Higginbottom on Saturday 28th of August 2021 09:25:45 PM

Sunday 07:00-09:20am butterflies seen whilst walking around included , Meadow Brown, Comma , Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Green veined white and Skipper. Cheers Steven

Evening walk noticed a few butterflies as follows. 2 Ringlet butterflies in the dip. 20+ Small Skipper. 20+ Meadow Brown butterflies. 2 Large White Butterflies. 2 Spelled Wood butterflies. Dragonfly numbers seem down only seen 4 so far this year at Elton. Cheers Steven

This morning 30/6/19 walk around highlights.
10+ Ringlet Butterflies.
2 Painted Lady Butterflies.
3 Small Copper Butterflies.
6 Meadow Brown Butterflies.
1 Burnet Moth.

Cheers Steven

-- Edited by Steven Higginbottom on Sunday 30th of June 2019 08:47:54 PM

Could this be a Water Shrew Paul. Its fur looks quite dark - maybe after a swim? On the other hand maybe just a tatty Common Shrew with its fur matted and darkened by dew. You need a expert
Cheers John

I think I had a male (blue abdomen) Broad bodied Chaser this morning in bramble patch just up for the brick bridge over the creek

2 Common Darter - one at withins and one along canal at crow tree farm yesterday

Great spread of the not so common in GM Common Cornsalad at Daisy Field and what appears to be a very rare in GM Yellow Flowered Strawberry Duchesnea indica good patch growing totally wild at a spot in Bury. According to NBN records for south lancs vice County appears near the coast. Overlooked by self having walked past it oblivious for several years.

Hemlock Water Dropwort lots of green shoots leaf and in flower today rather than May. Also found Water Fern in the canal, Wall Rue, Black Spleenwort, Common Polypoddy and snakeskin liverwort Conocephalum conicum .

Bit of a Shufty found Narrow leaved Pea, Musk Mallow, and Fennel going over but still present. Also found Chicory, Corn Marigold, Cornflower, Wild Carrot all in flower. Also found Bohemian Knotweed which is a Frankenstein hybrid of Japanese Knotweed and Giant Knotweed.

Had a good shufty yesterday around to see what was stirring. Catkins in flower, ground beetle Anchomenus dorsalis, and best of all under a tarp the long nose of a common shrew that quickly disappeared.

On dam

Gypsywort, lots of Skullcap, Water Peper, Triffid Bur Marigold, Marsh Woundwort, Hart Tongue Fern, Wall Rue, Silver Weed, Hoary Ragwort, Celery Leaved Buttercup, Common St Johnswort, Bittersweet, and Wall Lettuce

Visit to Lower Hinds more Southern Marsh Orchids than previous years, Wild Thyme doing well despite fires, Fairy Flax, Common Century, Catsear and 15 Marsh Helleborine. Scouring between the numerous motor bike tracks, brocken bottles, excavated areas, throw away BBQs and a pair of shoes thrown into a tree could find no Blue Eyed Grass or Eyebright seen this year.

Total from Saturday was 280 species 7am - 3pm ID in the Elton Area breaking down as 45 birds, 171 Plants, 2 mammals, 62 invertebrates Arachnids and molluscs

Went around to ID as many things as possible. Covered most of the area but did not get to Lower Hinds and Radcliffe Marl Pit ponds near the Cemmy. Overcast so perhaps most noticeable was the absence of many things. Only 5 Butterflies, 2 Speckled Wood 2 Large Skipper, and a Green Veined White, Total absence of Dragonflies. Just two Damsels Azure and Common Blue. Quite few Bees but very lethargic Red Tailed Bees Buff Tailed Bee among others. No Communal Wasp just a two Ichneumon parasitic ones, Few moths Agriphila tristella Grass Moth, Zygaena trifolii (Five-Spot Burnet ), Depressaria daucella moth caterpiller on Hemlock Water Dropwort, Cataclysta lemnata duckweed moth, Several spiders Argyroneta aquatica, water spider in the Canal Lives and hunts under water, Cucumber Spider, Pirate otter-spider Canal lives on water surface. Only one Ladybird the awful Harlequin, Hardly any beetles, Two Mammals ,Several Hoverflies Marmalade Hoverfly - Episyrphus balteatus, The footballer helophilus pendulus, Cheilosia illustrata A furry bumblebee mimic, Syritta pipiensc , Xylota segni. Some good true bugs very vibrant Cercopis vulnerata Red-and-black Froghopper, Green Shield Bug, Deraeocoris flavilinea , Grypocoris stysi. Only one amphibian common Newt, lots of flies and Caddis Fly cases made from weed, sand, and one from small Planorbis Ramshorn shells anunderwater Swan Mussel, Back Swimmer, LesserWaterBoatman, Water Cricket .

Plants the more interesting Corn Flower, Corn Cockle, Corm Marigold, monkey Flower, Skullcap, Bog Bean, Tansy, Fringed Water Lilly White Water Lilly, Skunk Cabbage, Water Forgetmenot, Curled Pondweed, Lesser Spearwort, Lesser Stitchwort, Water Mint, Yellow Loosestrife, Common Comfrey, Figwort, Water Figwort, Water Soldier, Honeysuckle, Pignut, Salad Burnet, Hairy Tare, Dyers Greenwood, Southern Marsh Orchid, Common Spotted Orchid White and Red Campion, Hedge woundwort Enchanter Nightshade, Ramsons, Alternate Leaved Golden Saxifrage, Lord and Ladies, Narrow Leaved Pea, Fringecups, Orange Hawkweed, Siberian Iris, Water Cress, Purple Loosestriffe, Dotted Loosestrife, Fennel, Poppy, Ornamental PoppyHemlock Water Dropwort Gipsywort, Bilberry, Marsh Cinquefoil, Water Plantain, Yellow Rattle, Ivy Leaved Toadflax, Creeping Jenny, Oxeye Daisy, Tufted Vetch, Goatsbeard, Ragged Robin and lots more some in flower others not.

lots to ID and will update withtotal later

Few birds of note but the following W/E and Dinner
Huge Pike in the canal basking with plenty of other fish some looked like Roach.
Red and Azure Damsel, Orange Tipped , Green Viened White, Small Tortoise Shell, Peacock Butterflies, Noon Fly, Hoverfly Eristalis arbustorum, Cuckoo Bees Nomada Flava Nomada leucophthalma, Ground Bug Chartoscirta cincta
Beetles Cercyon (Cercyon) melanocephalus, Aphodius (Melinopterus) sphacelatus, Agelastica alni, and about 30 Donacia semicuprea on reed where they should be
Red Campion, Fringe Cups, Cuckoo flower, Yellow Rattle, Red Clover, Blacl Medic, Common and Bush Vetch, Sun Spurge, Ornmamental Poppy, Dame Violet, and Birds Foot Trefoil all in flower

3 Tortoiseshell out today with plenty off Early Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa, several bumble bee queens but did not settle to ID common newt, red ant, ground bugs Scolopostethus cf. thomsoni, and poss Scolopostethus cf. affinis both common, in flower Germander speedwell, Lesser celandine, lots of coltsfoot.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 8th of April 2013 07:04:35 AM

We watched a one eyed mink on the canal late afternoon take a frog, which it then took over to a hole in a wall. We also watched it coming in and out of the hole pulling in bedding.

Few bits

four small smooth newts, nice rove beetle pretty sure Quedius levicollis Hinds Mill Area Elton, common flower bug, harvest man Nemastoma bimaculatum, spring tail Pogonognathellus longicornis under pond weed on the shore and a plume moth which looks like Emmelina monodactyla.

fox in a field of sheep just sat there neither bothered.

Yesterday, from top of dip with Ian Peters and Simon Johnson saw female Roe Deer and 2 youngsters.
Cheers Ian

Wander around some things of note

In a carpark/footpath near end of canal Scarlet Pimpernel not common in Bury same place field speedwell, sure thyme small specimen leaved speedwell, and hop trefoil, wild parsnip
railway small scabious
hinds smooth tare, hairy tare, narrow leaved pea, marsh mallow, margoram, and wild fennel
Canal Gypsey wort, Marsh bedstraw, Marsh woundwort, Skullcap, Hemp Agrimony.
Dip Devils Bit Scabious
Warthfold scattered around and sure not planted as very adhoc and appearing in alsorts of placs on open land Poppy, Corn Cockle, Corn Marigold, Corn Flower in good number with Redshank Scentless Mayweed and patch ivy leaved toadflax.

Several Small Copper, Peacock Small TTshell Green Viened white, Large and small skippers Gatekeeper and meadow brown
Common Darter lots, Brown and Southern Hawkers
Common Frog and Newt Crow Tree farm and Old Hall farm
Backswimmer, Lesser Boatman canal
Hoverflies Eristalis pertinax, Helophilus pendulus, Xylota segnis
few water beetles to ID
Dolerus genus Sawfly
Harlequin and seven spot ladybird



-- Edited by Ian Boote on Sunday 19th of August 2012 12:12:21 AM

PM Spen Moor SBI
Comma, Gatekeeper, large & Small skipper, Small TT Shell, Large White Green Viened White Meadow Brown and cinnabar Moth caterpiller
common Hawker around pond 2, Common Darter , Blue tailed Damsel, Chloromyia formosa soldier fly , Poecilobothrus nobilitatus dance fly, Neuroctena anilis fly

Plant Bugs
Lygocoris pabulinus Common Green Capsid, curious looking Heterotoma planicornis, Plagiognathus arbustorum, Apolygus lucorum on tansy , Liocoris tripustulatus, Apolygus spinolae and Deraeocoris ruber.

Rhagonycha fulva and Cantharis nigra soldier beetles

Common pond scater in a wheel rut puddle near pond two

Summer is here

Greater Spearwort in flower and Bogbean in flower the first of which was susposed to be extinct on this site Pond 2 Spen Moor SBI Cucumber Spider eating a soldier fly, a host of miradae to ID later other plants Tansy

Dip roe deer common darter meadow brown common newt

hinds
teazel creeping jenny, musk mallow, narrow leaved pea, ribbed melliot, large flowered evening primrose, tutusan, imperforate st johns wort, dotted and yellow loosestrife wild fennel hedge woundwort hairy tare

spenmoor
speckled wood, small TT shell, four barred major soldier fly, Volucella bombylans var. plumata bee mimic hoverfly

-- Edited by Ian Boote on Sunday 15th of July 2012 11:57:23 PM

Lower hinds

Commn Spotted orchid 5, southern marsh orchid 6, Marsh Heleborine 30 comming through, fairy flax, red white clover, yarrow, self heal, wild thyme catsear lots of berberis no blue eyed grass

-- Edited by Ian Boote on Sunday 24th of June 2012 08:03:45 PM

from lastr weekend Hare
This weekend
Rhadinoceraea micans Iris Sawfly and Aphthona nonstriata Iris Flea Beetle found on Flag Iris in a pond lots of these
Nettle Weevil - Phyllobius pomaceus
nettle weevil Nedyus quadrimaculatus
green shield bug adult
Empis livida - snipe fly
good day for cuckoo bees- Nomada flava, Nomada goodeniana, Sphecodes monilicornis
Hoverfly Pied Hoverfly - Scaeva pyrastri thought by some to be migrants, Baccha elongata - elongated hoverfly, Xylota segnis
Red Damseld flies at least two Pyrrhosoma nymphula
Ichneumon suspiciosus - wasp
Sawfly Aglaostigma spp maybe A. fulvipes
Common Carder Bumblebee - Bombus pascuorum
Phantom Craneflies genus Ptychoptera

in flower shiny leaved cranesbill, bogbean, flag iris, lesser stitchwort, sunspurge, bush vetch, garlic mustard, wild garlic, cow parsley

The Hedgerows from Bury Bolton Road are reported as of little use ecologiocal and mainly Hawthorn.

Hedgerows from Road to spenmoor include Elder, Hawthorn Holly and one Cherry. Flowers include Bluebell, Garlic Mustard, Herb Robert in flower among others

In a pond between two farm right in the centre of the site large raft of Bogbean comming into flower and Marsh Cinquefoil. The first only site in Bury I know for this and the last Notable though at a least three other sites nearby.

late report from weekend

Ground Beetle
clivinia fosser ainsworth lodges 14/04/12
Nebria brevicolis r ainsworth lodges 14/04/12
agonum muelleri ainsworth 14/04/12
Black Clock Beetle - Pterostichus madidus buckley fold 14/04/12

Sap beetle Epuraea melanocephala on hawthorn railway elton 15/04/12

Hover Fly Syrphus ribesii hinds 14/04/12

Sawfly Hoplocampa genus hinds on willow 15/04/12

Butterfly speckled wood

water cricket nymph doffer fold stream

Great Crested Newt found by accident under a rock long way from known breeding areas rock quickly replaced as offence to disturb this species.


Sunny Bank as you enter foot path into dip is a good spot for mining bees and lurking cuckoo bees who follow the mining bees into burrows and lay their eggs. Very active.
Andrena cineraria grey nining bee dip 14/04/12
tawney mining bee dip 16/04/14
Cuckoo bee Sphecodes monilicornis dip 16/04/12
Cuckoo bee Nomada goodeniana dip 16/04/12

From Sat
Ectopsocus petersi bakl louse elton rialway line

forgetmenot in flower
Cow Parsley in flower
Opposite Leaved Golden Saxifrage
Garlic Mustarrd

Pardosa lugubris dip wolfspiderte
tragnatha Montana dip elongated spider
Larinioides cornutus orb spider dip

Anthocoris nemoralis browny black ground beetle canal end
7 spot ladybird
amara anea old hall ground beetle
leistus spinibarbis buckley fold ground beetle
Quedius mesomelinus poss buckley fold rove beetle
Devil's Coach Horse - Ocypus olens very big striking a scorpion pose
Pterostichus madidus canal red legged ground beetle

true bugs
Heterocordylus tibialis on broom hinds red nymph
Anthocoris nemorum common plant bug hinds on broom
Anthocoris nemoralis on broom hinds

Last twp days
Rather large fox rather short distance site supressed as they are shot around here.
Owl midge
lots of true bugs
Anthocoris sarothamni Plant bug on Broom
Stenodema laevigata rather pretty brown bug 4 found two locations ID lack of spur on rear leg and pitted protonum
Common Flower Bug - Anthocoris nemorum
Birch Catkin Bug - Kleidocerys resedae


two crab spiders
xysticus cristatus
xysticus poss erraticus


beetles tiny
Protapion genus weevil in grass 2mm
genus Epuraea orange beetle two different types
flea beetle so called as they jump
Altica genus poss lythri visable by its slightly larger size, maybe brighter blue colour, and by size of the elytra, which are somewhat widened towards the posterior
Longitarsus genus poss luridus found in grass three of

and first hoverfly but two fast to id

Bank Vole Site of Buckley Fold

Ground Beetle small two brown spots bembidon biguttatum

Cercyon melanocephalus 3mm beetle
Sitona lineatus weevil
Stenus Genus rove beetle
Tachinus rufipes rove beetle
llepthyphantes Genus poss tenuis spider

Spiders
pardosa lagubris wolf spider
xysticus cristatus crab spider
trochusa ruricola wolf spider
Walnut Orb Weaver - Nuctenea umbratica

mining bees dip

in flower
colts foot
thale cress
rape
blackthorn
daffodill

Very active weekend things warming up
Field Vole

common newt
common toad

water crickets 6 warth fold in spite of the works

Groundsel in flower Dam
Crocus in flower Hinds
Flowering Raspberry in flower Hinds
Lesser Celendine in flower Warthfold

Groundbeetles
Bembidion tetracolum 4 spotted electra
Paranchus albipes
notiophilus biguttatus very busy big eyed bug
Harpalus rufipes
Loricera pilicornis hairy antenna coppery green
badister bullatus very pretty black brown bug
Calathus melanocephalus

Other Beetles
Exapion ulicis gorse seed weavil found on gorse huge hooter
Seven spot Ladybird
Scarab beetle Aphodius prodromus

Ground Bug
Scolopostethus cf. affinis
Dicyphus pallicornis lives on foxglove found on foxglove
Kleidocerys resedae Birch Catkin Bug found on gorse but near birch

Shield Bug Troilus luridus Adult on Spruce

Spiders
Pisaura mirabilis Nursery Web Spider in a tussock
Philodromus emarginatus crab spider in a tussock

One Black ant
Red Ant nest

Some type of Gall Wasp adult on oak quite a few
Phantom Midge

Had a check on lower Hinds premier site for alkaline plants and its seen the usual neglect and wear and tear from trial bikes, camp fires, and rubbish over winter. Wild Thyme grows here one of only two sites in GMC. It is just about hanging on despite a huge bonfire and extension of the bike track over around and near it and general wilful excavations.

Then slightly surprised to see a huge spam tin hanging in a tree, which I thought matched the beer bottles and old umbrella adorning other trees. Then very pleasently surprised to see someone had turned it into a somewhat unorthadox bird feeder along with a ice cream tub simlarly suspended with bird food. Nice to know someone at least on lower hinds cares.

And Warth Fold Weir repairs. I won't say anything but there has been some very accidental but serious damage done to a bit of GMC wildlife by the work.

Soap box away.

-- Edited by Ian Boote on Monday 27th of February 2012 12:16:42 AM

-- Edited by Ian Boote on Monday 27th of February 2012 12:20:18 AM

First wolf spider seen look like pirata latitans
spider pachygnatha degeeri buckley fold hunts in rubble
Ground Bug Scolopostethus cf. affinis crow tree farm seen before in this area.
Green Springtail - Isotoma viridis buckley fold
gedis wasp doffer fold flightless parasitic wasp that hunts its host. About 40 species in UK but very difficult to nail beyong genus, This one was paying attention to snails and was orange and black. Very small 3mm
Weevil Dorytomus taeniatus found on willow withins under bark another found on willow end of canal

Pulled back a flat stone around Elton and saw two field voles looking back at me 3 feet away too fast for a pic. Other stuff later.

Despite the frost snow quite a lot about

Ground Beetles
Stream bank alpha ocys harpaloides, Paranchus albipes,
Under Logs Nebria brevicollis, Anchomenus dorsalis bright green beetle site of buckley fold
at least two of each species
harvest man and spiders doffer fold buckley fold areas
Paroligolophus agrestis, bolyphantes luteolus, neriene clathrata
common newt canal side

and just had Ground Bug Anthocoris cf. confusus lowercroft res ainsworth kindly confirmed few records GMC on NBN though that does not mean it isn't common.

In spite of the solid frozen ground and various rocks frozen to the ground still few things about and active
Orchesella cincta springtail
Banded Centipede Lithobius variegatus.
Brown Centipede - Lithobius forficatus
Common Pygmy Woodlouse - Trichoniscus pusillus
Common Shiny Woodlouse - Oniscus asellus

all very common but active and useful for the hungary birds

Also council planted but swathes of Crocus on Walmersley Rd in Flower

In the quick visit today
At the end of the canal in the trees bordering Hinds
alder leaf beetle agelastica alni and another Dromius quadrimaculatus ground beetle woken in a branch crucks
Old Hall two Common House-spider - Tegenaria domestica under a brick

And in a Document Store in an Old Cotton Mill in Radclife

Pholcus phalangioides other names Daddy Long Leg Spider and Celler Spider easily recognized by small body and long legs first pair five and half times the length of its body. Lives in Buildings and has a variety of hunting techniques taping on other webs then ambushing other spiders as they appear, or just hunting most other insects in the house including when starving hungary its own species

relativelly warm weather has stirred a few things

Spiders -Neriene peltata, Amaurobius similis, even a wolf and crab spider that were too quick and a harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis. Beetles

ground beetles
Ocys harpaloides found in leaf litter canal end, Common but not reported GMC before NBN

Dromius quadrimaculatus handsome beetle with four brown spots on the abdomen lives and was found under bark end of canal. Common but not reported GMC before nearest in a field near mellor NBN.

Leaf Beetle
Oulema gallaeciana cerial beetle found in a log.

A Rove beetle too difficult to ID.

Groud Bug Drymus brunneus Common but not reported GMC before NBN
found under a brick near Doffer Fold

and
Very Large Common toad

first real visit of 2012
In flower gorse dandelion yarrow five plants Railway Daffs coming through
Jelly ear and Velvet shank fungi Canal
Erigone arctica money soider Amaurobius similis funnel weaver spider found under bark Hinds
Some bembidon genus ground beetles very small three under a rock Buckley Fold
Atrecus affinis - Rove Beetle found under bark dip where it inhabits not reported in GM before but common several
Spring Tails Entomobrya nivalis and Entomobrya intermedia are two closely related species and some experts think the same quite a lot of these either or both found very small under bark dip.
I noticed tiny black specks moving under bark Globular springtail Sminthurinus niger, these are about 0.6mm long and resemble full stops moving about very active Collembola. Common but not recorded in GM I think.
usual wood lice millipedes
Dead Rat Grey Squirrel
more to come from here and other sites in bury in 2012

Common Pygmy Woodlouse - Trichoniscus pusillus agg
Common Shiny Woodlouse - Oniscus asellus
Woodlouse Porcellio spinicornis
Amaurobius fenestralis very pretty spider found in a log alpha
eyed Flat-backed Millipede Nanogona polydesmoides ID by round plates near legs fairly common in UK but restricted to UK and Scandanavia only. alpha
Ground Bug Drymus sylvaticus id from other two in genus by general lighter colour and a dark elongate rectangular mark by the apex of the clavus. Not reported in GM before according NBN
and two escapee peacocks in my back garden on return

Plenty still happening

Tomocerus minor. Spring tail
Entomobrya nivalis spring tail
Pogonognathellus longicornis spring tail o reported in gmc according to nbn can be found up trees ans is the largesty UK springtail with even longer antenna. Common
Earwig - Forficula auricularia
Tachypodoiulus niger White Legged millipede
Brown Centipede Lithobius forficatus
Banded Centipede - Lithobius variegates
Wavy Bitter Cress Cardamine flexuosa in flower
Achillea millefolium or yarrow in flower
Leucanthemum vulgare, oxeye daisy in flower
Centaurea nigra. Common or lesser knapweed in flower
Large flowered Evening Primrose, Oenothera lamarckiana in flower
Eristalis arbustorum Drone fly
birch rust, Melampsoridium beltline
alder beetle
Leistus spinibarbis black ground beetle
Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata
Platynus assimilis ground beetle
pardosa monticola wolf spider

With all the bird excitement it was tempting to focus on that. Im glad I didnt found a few bits but best
2 Spot Ladybird - Adalia bipunctata (sexpustulata form) four red spots on black wing cases. Landed on dam. Can be seen up to November and is thought to be being persecuted by the harlequin ladybird.

Ground bug Scolopostethus affinis lives on nettles or leaf litter found earlier in year near Crow tree but again found today west of Crow Tree Farm in leaves not reported in GMC before on NBN website. overlooked

today thought things would be sparse i was wrong.

shaggy ink cap mushroom
Tomocerus minor springtail metalic blue bouncy thing oldhall
tegnaria domestica spider oldhall
pirata hygrophilus spider trotting around on the surface of pond spenmoor
Entomobrya nivalis spring tail buckley fold
Pterostichus strenuus ground beetle buckley fold
seven spot ladybird buckley fold
Common Striped Woodlouse - Philoscia muscorum
Leistus fulvibarbis ground beetle buckley fold
Dolichopodidae fly over 30 on pond surface spenmoor over 300 species in this genus
Earwig - Forficula auricularia
common toad commmon newt