Originally posted today by Liam Langley:

Of note today was one Terrapin sp. basking on a log next to the western island. I've seen two individuals recently but they don't appear through bins to be Red-eared Sliders which seems to be the commonest feral species. Not sure if anyone has any interest in these or knows that species they are but I'd be interested to hear any thoughts on the subject.

a few butterflies out
yesterday
2 male orange tips on barlow tip, one at the entrance and one at the small marsh pond near the pumping station.
2 brimstones on barlow tip
1 comma on gropper hill in kenworthy woods
1 small white by the entrance of barlow tip
today
2 male orange tips at the entrance

Butterflies very thin on the ground now.

Saw one Small White on Michaelmas daisies near the river bridge. Quite a few Speckled Wood along the lane running through Kenworthy Fields. And a large dark butterfly, probably a Peacock, glimpsed on Palatine Road in Northenden.

I had a walk around the lake from 14:15-16:15
-60+ common blue damselflies
-1 blue tailed damselflies
-11 gatekeeper butterflies
-22 meadow brown butterflies
-3 red admiral butterflies
-5 small tortoise shell butterflies
-3 white butterflies
-16 brown hawkers
-1 male broad bodied chaser
-1 common spotted orchid
And sadly no emperor dragonfly (which I watch for ages hawking over the reedbed last Friday)

Brief butterfly count at Kenworthy Woods this afternoon.

3 Large White
1 Small White
2 Gatekeeper
1 Comma

Best area for sightings around the orchard.

Several Large Skipper in Kenworthy Woods (orchard area)
Speckled Wood abundant

20-30 Common Blue Damselfly at CWP, near slipway on southern shore.

This afternoon

Large Skipper 5 Old Tip, river, Kenworthy Woods
Meadow Brown 1 Old Tip
Speckled Wood 3 Kenworthy
Red Admiral 1 Kenworthy
6-spot Burnet 6 Old Tip
Banded Demoiselle 14 males and 4 females mostly along the top of the river bank south of the water park
Common Blue Damselfly 28 counted but many many more
Blue-tailed Damselfly 2 on edge of the Old Tip
Brown Hawker 3 along the river

Large skipper on Barlow tip.

Lots of common blue damselfly and a few blue-tailed damselfly at the reedbed end of the water park itself, and a few speckled wood by the pond (first of the year for me).

Sunday 7th June.

Several Brimstone seen mid-afternoon. CWP (western end) 3, Barlow tip 2, Kenworthy Fields 1.

Late report for yesterday
by the reedbed there were 10 orchard spike (this is a better turn out then last year where had 8 spikes) which I believe to be a speices of marsh I have photos if anyone could possibly help me identify it.

Kenworthy Fields 15:30 - 16:30 May 15

2 Brimstone males
1 Orange Tip male
Lots of whites out, both Large and Small seen.

My house in Northenden

Holly Blue exploring the ivy

Kenworthy Fields

2 Gatekeeper
2 Red Admiral
Very large brown dragonfly - Brown Hawker?

Barlow Tip

2 Comma in flight together
2+ Skippers - looked like Small Skipper to me
1 Meadow Brown
1 Red Admiral
Several Common Blue damselflies

These were all in a very productive small patch of mixed vegetation to the right of the entrance near to the river. Not 100% sure about the Skippers since Large Skipper has been seen here but appeared to be all orange and very small with no brown variegation.

Northenden

1 Comma on small patch of grass opposite Airport Hotel!

Small and Large Skippers in decent numbers this morning on Barlow Tip.
Lots of 5 Spot Burnets, Latticed Heaths and other day-flying moths plus enough dragonflies to attract the attention of a Hobby.

-- Edited by Tony Darby on Sunday 29th of June 2014 11:20:34 PM

Yesterday pm
Large Skippers 3 hiding in the grassy area at the entrance to the tip (NB Small Skipper colony is on the top and won't be out till July)
Family party of Mink. Presumed boar hunting along log followed by the sow carrying one cub or 'kit' followed by a second diving across the river path and into a bush
100s of Common Blue damselflies but not one Banded Demoiselle

No probs, Tony, thanks for checking it out. I will change plans tomorrow now & try to photograph Black Hairstreaks!!

I had a good look around this afternoon but no Small Skippers in the area I would expect to find them. I found 1 Large S. in the same
area as yesterday and got decent views this time.
I think I got my Skippers in a twist yesterday, sorry for getting you all excited Doc.

-- Edited by Tony Darby on Thursday 12th of June 2014 07:13:05 PM

Still not impossible that it was a Small Skipper, just less likely than Large given the emergence dates across the UK this year, but as I say not impossible & would be a real coup for Chorlton WP and you to have got one this early

I saw it (just the one) , in the little patch of grass and wildflowers to the right as you enter Barlow Tip past the metal barrier. On reflection, I
normally see them later in the summer when the Meadow Vetchling are in flower.

Cheers, yep used to be my local patch when I lived in West Didsbury so I have seen both at that site too. Would be great for it to be the 2nd place in the UK for emergence of this species, so a really important potential record here I have Friday off so may try to get over to get pics, which area in particular did you see them?

No photos I'm afraid Paul, just a brief sighting. Both species are found here, I'll have another look.

Very early Small Skippers, the first in the UK for 2014 were in Essex yesterday, so it would be expected for them to be later up here. Worth reporting in to Steve McWilliam at RODIS if you are 100% sure. There has been a big hatch of Large Skippers recently over a large area of the NW with the first in the UK seen on 17th May, so it is well into their flight season. Did you get any photos?

1st Small Skipper and Banded Demoiselles of the year.
Loads of Common Blue Damselflies throughout the area + a few Blue-tailed Damselflies.
S. Marsh Orchids and Common Spotted Orchids in flower

Large numbers of Brown Hawkers throughout the area this afternoon ( 20+counted). Still many Common Blue Damselflies
around plus lots of Small Skippers, Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and a few Five-spot Burnets.

Lots of Common Blue Damselflies, some mating. A few Blue-tailed Damselflies and a
couple of Banded Demoiselles. Also 2 Dragonfly sp, 1st of the year, unfortunately too
quick for me to ID.

an adult fox in the wildflower meadow

A couple of common darter seen flying.

Weasel again over at Kenworthy next to the football pitches at 5.30pm
Mink next to the substation 10 minutes later (surprising both species appear to tolerate each other considering their fondness for young rabbits)
Fox last night at dusk at Kenworthy.
5 Pipistrelles over the lake at CWP
1 Noctule by the far bridge.

Uploaded a few photo's of the Mink from a couple of weeks ago to the blog naturalbornblogger.co.uk .

Great to see 5 Noctules fom the Bailey Bridge earlier this evening. Also several Pips around the lake. No Daubentons yet but surely its about time 1 dropped in from Sale Water Park.

Possible False Widow spider in the greenhouse (approx 100yds east of CWP). Difficult to get a clear view so not 100% sure. I'll try and get a photo over the weekend.

Kenworthy
1 small rodent (vole/wood mouse) shot across path next to football pitches followed by a Weasel at 5.30pm.
Couple of good clumps of Broad leaved Helleborine in flowers (both 4 spikes).

As per last year most of the BLH at the path edges have been destroyed. Last year mown out by the Warden Service. This year obliterated by recent Mountain Bikes races. I did take the trouble of telling Steve Marshall at Mersey Valley where they were but biodiversity is no longer a priority. Sadly they're only interested in "improving access" (carving the Mersey Valley up with gravel paths) and income generation through charging for the area to be used for events.

Two spikes of Broad-leaved Helleborine now in flower near the south bank slipway.
Thanks to Ian Keith who, about this time last year, pointed me in the right direction concerning the identification of this orchid sp.

Tony

23/07/2012 - evening walk around the WP and Barlow Tip:

probable Fish-pole Bamboo - on Barlow Tip - looks well naturalised here
Smooth Tare - on Barlow Tip, much scarcer than Hairy Tare
Goat's-rue - doing well on Barlow Tip
Hairy Tare
Meadow Vetchling
Wild Carrot
Jointed Rush
Compact Rush
Frog Rush

Mirror Carp - good views of spawning, a 17lb specimen caught by fishermen

A group of 5 Mink exploring the tiny "conservation" pool at the eastern end of the lake at 6pm. Despite the dog giving them a hard stare a couple of them continued to approach to within 6ft.

A pretty low count of butterflies on a very full pleasant July afternoon but

Barlow Tip:
Small Skipper 2 got some close up pics - nice
Gatekeeper 1
Kenworthy:
Small Tortoiseshell 1

Also Kenworthy Rabbits 4 and a nasty looking jet black Mink just feet in front of me

Single Mink hunting rabbits at 7am this morning by the substation

2 Mink dragging a dead female Mallard up the eastern side of the riverbank adjacent to CWP at 5.30pm.

1 Weasel at 8.30pm last night shot across the upper path next to the substation opposite CWP.

Dave - apologies for not letting you know about the Morel. I've only just discovered this thread. After pointing out the Morel to Phil and Henry I also found it at 3 other locations nearby. I'll drop you a pm next year.

Common Morel

After reading Henry's post I immediately rang him to arrange to go to see the Common Morel. I am mad of fungi and mushrooms and Common Morel is one I have looked for for years across GM. As Henry mentioned it is scarce locally, so scarce in fact there has never been a recorded sighting of Common Morel in GM, so to see this species locally today was a real treat for me, many thanks to Henry for showing me them and to Ian Keith who found them originally.

Also saw;

Shaggy Bracket
Puccina sessilis (on wild garlic)

Dave

23/04/2012 - Some great bits and bobs seen, with Phil Owen and Ian Keith:

Common Morel - along Mersey, scarce in GM
Conifer Mazegill - rapidly rotting its chosen picnic table, scarce
St George's Mushroom - appropriately!
Common Pipistrelle Bat - confident id's on the bats thanks to Ian's detector
Soprano Pipistrelle Bat

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Tuesday 24th of April 2012 11:56:43 AM

Pipistrelle and Noctule Bats over the Lake this evening.

a fox ran out in front off me whilst on barlow tip this afternoon.

Green-veined White on the Tip this afternoon, also Vole sp under one of the
corrugated sheets. It's made a little nest, so perhaps we should leave them
alone for a while.

2 Bank Voles under the corrugated sheeting on Barlow Tip this evening

2 field voles & 1 toad under corrugated sheets on barlow tip.

Barlow Tip this afternoon, a few Butterflies around.
3 or 4 Brimstone, very flighty in the warm sunshine
3 Peacock
1 Comma
Small Tortoiseshells seen in various places
1 Common Toad (deceased)

Although not actually in the park, about half a mile away I noted that a bumblebee species was flying about in Chortlonville around midday on Saturday 25th February

3 field voles on barlow tip under corrugated sheets

Fox running away on Barlow Tip yesterday.

21/12/2011 - Conifer Mazegill still at the waterpark on a picnic table, also some gone-over Wood Blewit, Candlesnuff and an agaricus sp.