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BACK TO THE MANCHESTER BIRDING WEBSITE HOMEPAGE -> Manchester Birding Forum -> All other Greater Manchester wildlife sightings -> Sunfield Estate, Romiley (other wildlife)
Post Info TOPIC: Sunfield Estate, Romiley (other wildlife)
Andy Bissitt


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RE: Sunfield Estate, Romiley (other wildlife)
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Orange underwing moth seen in flight (second successive Sunday, but wasn't 100% sure last week), near Romiley Golf Course. First moth I've seen this year (apart from one briefly at window the other night).



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Andy Bissitt


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A quick butterfly hunt prior to lunch found 1 brimstone at Romiley common, and 1 small tortoiseshell just off Sunfield estate.



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Andy Bissitt


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Weds. 15th p.m.

2 commas & 1 small tortoiseshell near Romiley Golf Course on a beaut of an afternoon. Great to be back into insects again. A zebra (jumping) spider in my garden in the a.m. was pretty early for one of those.



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Andy Bissitt


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A remarkable sighting of a pipistrelle type bat over my garden at 3.35 p.m. yesterday. Flew in a direct line from the distance over the house, so wasn't hunting as such. Didn't really have that many sightings during their 'proper' season this year.



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Andy Bissitt


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9 species of butterfly near golf course this p.m. included new site record of 103 gatekeepers (and that in not the best of conditions). Other insects included a few antler moths, some cinnabar caterpillars, and one each of common darter and southern hawker.



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Andy Bissitt


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A record busting 27 ringlets at the golf course site this afternoon (in not too favourable conditions). 15+ were in flight, and in sight, at once and I almost felt like I was seeing something often described from a bygone era. Only three other species though, but meadow bown and large skippers in goodish numbers compared with the same date last year. Also seen - 2 blood-vein moths.



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Andy Bissitt


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Painted Lady in garden close to home this morning, and another two seen in rapid flight (westwards) near the golf course in the afternoon. Most other butterflies not yet emerged or already finished first broods so really very quiet as yet. Thankfully some moths appeared last night with 15 new species for the year in the garden, mostly common stuff, but common swift, hereld and sallow kitten not often caught here.



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Andy Bissitt


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First holly blue just spotted in garden.



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1 Red Admiral on Romiley Common this morning. We have lift-off!!!!!

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Andy Bissitt


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9 Red admirals; 1 comma, 1 speckled wood on a walk round 'hilltop'. 1 hawker, which was probably southern, but could conceivably have been migrant, also flew too high &/or fast for me to identify positively.

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Andy Bissitt


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Just a hint to local butterfly watchers. Ringlets are apparently everywhere in the area now (see 20th July last year). I've seen them at three different sites locally (Romiley ((different to last year))/Compstall/Ludworth), with probables at another two (didn't settle, flight views only). So another permanent addition to the local fauna it seems which is obviously very welcome. Now, where's that Essex skipper?!

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Andy Bissitt


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Amongst the butterflies on the fields behind the estate yesterday was a Painted Lady. Early in the year to see one this far north I think.

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Andy Bissitt


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A quick half hour stroll up to Romiley common before lunch where I was excited to see a broad-bodied chaser sunning itself. Also holly blue nearby. So the dragonfly season kicks off and birds fade into the background. They've not really been in the foreground this spring.

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Andy Bissitt


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Yellow-barred brindle moth was a first for my garden on night of 29th April, and a not too common moth in the area overall. Already had four new species for the garden this year as I try to reach 100 in a year for the first time. Well you've got to do something, what with birds being a bit slow to materalize so far this spring.

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Andy Bissitt


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Just caught first ever migrant moth, a dark sword-grass. Moth highlight of the year (at least) so far, and probably wildlife highlight too.

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Just watching a pipistrelle bat outside my bedroom window, coming to within a meter of the glass, and diving down into the garden to only two meters height. It was as if it knew I was about to turn my moth trap light on!! Sometimes you don't know where your sympathies lie when nature is involved.

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Andy Bissitt


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Really heartening numbers of butterflies this morning in a field no bigger than a quarter football pitch. Especially good was number of small tortoiseshells (c 50), and even small whites which have had a bad time recently (c20). Also small skippers, large whites, meadow browns, gatekeepers, comma, small copper and green-veined white. Even my garden had 3 small torts, 5 small whites and a meadow brown. Now it's raining as I type this, so that will bring things back down to earth.

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Andy Bissitt


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This is what wildlife watching is all about, and even better when it's on your own doorstep. A county first today, with two RINGLETS on the field just off the estate. Have been awaiting their arrival for a few years, but the weather has been against them - until now. Truly excellent. biggrin

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Andy Bissitt


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Tell you what. Let's call this Sunfield Estate and immediate surrounds.

Butterflies switched on a bit today and a brief stroll around the hill at the back of the estate brought several small tortoiseshells, a small copper, a speckled wood, a green-veined white, and at least four holly blues which was great. Also probably had a holly blue in the garden, but viewed through two windows from a distance without specs, could not be sure. Most unexpected was a sub-adult large red damselfly on Romiley Common, my first 'dragon' of the year (there is no pond nearby that I know of). This is the nearest I've seen one to home by a couple of miles. Yes, the bird season is well and truly over. Bring on the insects.

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There probably won't be much to report on this page, but it's a good day to start. I found a hedgehog crossing the road on the estate at about 11 a.m. this morning. The time was unusual, but, on top of that, it was the first live one I'd seen locally for about fifteen years (probably longer). During that time I'd seen at the most one or two squished ones nearby. They used to be seen frequently, and I am often out after dark mothing or watching other nocturnal beasts, so their disappearance from the area is a real decline. To make sure this one did not suffer a sudden end, I collected it and released it into my garden. Hopefully it will learn that it should only come out at night in future.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 7th of April 2012 08:51:21 PM

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