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Post Info TOPIC: Out-of-county (other wildlife)


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RE: Out-of-county (other wildlife)


An afternoon walk on Newchurch Common in the sun.

A trio of fungi were photographed, a new one for patch was Silverleaf Fungus (Chondrostereum purpureum), and a new one for 2024 was Velvet Shank, a very young one on a dead gorse branch. There were lots of Witch's Butter Fungi (Tremella mesenterica) on the gorse too.

Grey Squirrels were seen scaling trees with mouthfuls of dead leaves, drey building in preparation for the upcoming breeding season!



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A nip on this am to Newchurch Common to see a patch lifer fungus found by fellow patcher Dave yesterday.

Saw the cluster of Jelly Ear fungus by the main track near Small Pool above the largest patch of Scarlet Elf Cups so far this winter. Hairy Curtain Crust also photographed.



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Doc Brewster wrote:

On my walk at Newchurch Common today I recorded Conifer Tuft fungus (Hypholoma capnoides) on a fallen conifer and a nice patch of Snowdrops on Shemmy Moss, my first flowers of the year!


 Strike out Conifer Tuft and replace with Common Rustgill (Gymnopilus sapineus)!!



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On my walk at Newchurch Common today I recorded Conifer Tuft fungus (Hypholoma capnoides) on a fallen conifer and a nice patch of Snowdrops on Shemmy Moss, my first flowers of the year!



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Saturday morning at Newchurch Common, and just 2two fungi of note, Root Rot (Heterobasidion annosum) and one Scarlet Elf Cup (Sarcoscypha austriaca), both in the woods near Big Pool Island Cut.



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A morning in the sun at Newchurch Common.

A Badger Latrine was found with signs of heavy use last night, must have been curry night

A mass of unidentifiable beetle larvae were under a log in one of the woodlands.

On dungheaps in a farmers field were lots of Haresfoot Inkcaps (Coprinopsis lagopus) in various stages of deliquescence.



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An afternoon walk at Newchurch Common produced an excellent fungus find in the shape of a small group of tiny Scarlet Elfcups (to be accurate they should be termed Scarlet/Ruby Elfcups as the two species can only be separated by microscopic examination, but most observers lump them into 'Scarlet Elfcup') by Small Pool, my first on patch for several years. Also in the woods nearby were several groups of Common Puffballs, all having sent out their spores long ago. Finally, and again in the same wood, the Birch Woodwart fungus was found, predictably on fallen birch!



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Bank Vole at the Lapwing Lane hide (Moore NR) on the food left out to the south of the hide.



-- Edited by Andy Slee on Sunday 21st of January 2024 09:15:20 PM

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Dog Fox wandering about on the frozen Pumphouse Pool at Moore NR this morning - looked almost Wolverine in monochrome colours produced by the heavy fog mist.



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Doc Brewster wrote:

In Gull Pool Wood today on pine needle litter a lone Common Rustgill fungus was found. A Stoat was seen again where I had the two on Dec 26th but unfortunately not by me. It is good to know that this is obviously a territory and future sightings are probable.


 The mushroom found on Jan 12th has subsequently been re-identified as Coral Brittlegill (Russula velenovskyi) of a more atypical colour form!



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In Gull Pool Wood today on pine needle litter a lone Common Rustgill fungus was found. A Stoat was seen again where I had the two on Dec 26th but unfortunately not by me. It is good to know that this is obviously a territory and future sightings are probable.



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At Newchurch Common Glistening Inkcap fungus was seen near Small Pool whilst photographing the Smew :)



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Mink at Moore NR Eastern Reedbed.



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A bit out of season at Newchurch Common were a new troop of Scurfy Twiglet (Turbaria furfuracea) fungi on dead twigs to the north of Big Pool today.



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I started the New Year in the sunshine on my Newchurch Common Local Patch and non-bird sightings were much the same as those the end of December.

Lost of Grey Squirrels were seen, but no other mammals.

Fungi included White Saddle and Oyster Mushroom in Gull Pool Wood. Also seen were Candlesnuff Fungus, Common Earthball, Birch Polypore, Blushing Bracket, and Hairy Curtain Crust. One nice new find was the tiny delicate Ivory Bonnet near West Bay, Big Pool.



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Went to Newchurch Common again am, dry and cold at first, milder later.

Near Gull Pool 4 Smooth Newts were under logs. Also under a log was a Nebria brevicollis ground beetle.

A small group of Glistening Inkcap fungi were on a bank by the former Leek Field.



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In a long morning walk at Newchurch Common the undoubted highlight was a sighting of 2 Stoats, a large adult first ran across the main track just 30m inside the barriers. This was followed by a smaller, young Stoat that showed fantastically well in the same area. I had a spectacular growth of Oyster Mushrooms in one of the woodlands, my second record of the species ever and by far the biggest 'clump'!



-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Tuesday 26th of December 2023 04:50:38 PM

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Today at Newchurch Common was proof that it's never too late in the year to add a new species. I found my first White Saddle Fungus for 4 years in the woods south of Big Pool.



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A walk in quite warm sunshine this morning on Newchurch Common.

Had a Smooth Newt in Gull Pool Wood whilst fungi hunting.

There were 2 Common Darters on Shemmy Moss, but I did have a later record last year so still more time for them if the weather allows!

Otherwise it was all fungi. These included Glistening Inkcap, Birch Polypore, Deceiver, Scurfy Deceiver, Clouded Funnel, Wrinkled Club, Jelly Rot, Sulphur Tuft, Shaggy Scalycap, Blushing Bracket, Hoof Fungus, Hairy Curtain CrustVariable Oysterling, Meadow Bonnet, Angel's BonnetButter Waxcap and Snowy Waxcap.

 



-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Saturday 18th of November 2023 04:43:04 PM

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Early November unsurprisingly dominated by fungi at Newchurch Common.

A new waxcap species for 2023 was found at 'Waxcap Corner', in the shape of a small number of Parrot Waxcaps. Also here were still Blackening Waxcaps, Butter Waxcaps and an increase in Snowy Waxcaps (waxcap montage picture attached). After never having seen a waxcap species ever 3 years ago now to have 4 species on my local patch is brilliant. Other nice fungi photographed this week were Variable Oysterling, Clouded Funnel, Wrinkled Club and Deceiver, all in the Big Pool area.

For those interested in other wildlife I have just posted a Blog on the Focalpoint website about my orthopteran summer! That is the Crickets and Grasshoppers of Newchurch Common (with one from my garden sneaked in due to its rarity value!), please take a look if you fancy a read with piccies! It is at:

https://www.focalpointopticsltd.com/post/owzat-cricket-lovely-cricket

 



-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Sunday 12th of November 2023 10:53:08 AM

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Late flying Red Admiral at Poynton Pool



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A morning walk on a cold and damp Newchurch Common.

A plant was IDed as well as many fungi, the plant in question being Gypsywort which has many medicinal properties but could be dangerous to use too!

All of our walk was around Big Pool and some cracking species were found. Three species of waxcap were seen with the first two being new this year, namely Snowy Waxcap and Butter Waxcap, with Blackening Waxcap still being seen. Also new for the year were Clouded Funnel (Clitocybe nebularis), Blushing Wood Mushroom (Agaricus silvaticus), Wrinkled Club (Clavulina rugosa), Inocybe splendens, Delicatula integrella, Brown Roll Rim (Paxillus involutus), Cortinarius umbrinolens, Ivory Bonnet (Mycena flavoalba), White Brain Fungus (Exidia thuretiana), and Turf Bell (Galerina graminea). A couple of fungi could only be IDed down to Entoloma sp.

Ones seen before but photographed were Angel's Bonnet, Scurfy Twiglet, Candlesnuff Fungus, Earthy Powdercap, Tawny Funnel, and White Domecap.



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An afternoon walk on a damp Newchurch Common after morning rain, brightening to hazy sunshine.

A very late Sericomyia silentis hoverfly was in Gull Pool Wood. On Shemmy Moss a nice Metellina mengei Long-jawed Orb-weaver Spider was found.

Other than that the main focus were fungi. In Gull Pool Wood a nice group of Poisonpie mushrooms (Hebeloma crustuliniforme) were found as well as Artist's Bracket Fungus (Ganoderma lipsiense), Spotted Toughshank (Rhodocollybia maculata), Jelly Rot Fungus (Phlebia tremellosa), Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare), Birch Polypore (Piptoporus betulinus), Candlesnuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon), Shaggy Scalycap (Pholiota squarrosa), and Common Bonnet (Mycena galericulata). A new fungus for patch, Purple Swamp Brittlegill (Russula nitida), was in woodland by Big Pool with Green Brittlegill (Russula aeruginea). Angel's Bonnet (Mycena acangeliana)was found near Shemmy Moss.



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On Newchurch Common early afternoon.

Shaggy Scalycap fungi were a new find, near Big Pool. Again lots of Fly Agarics were seen including lots of new ones. Wood Pinkgill fungi were near Big Pool too. Inocybe geophylla and Blushing Brackets were seen again.



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Morning on Newchurch Common, sunny but very cold.

Again just fungi to report. New ones were a patch of Deceivers in woodland near Big Pool as well as only my second find of Peeling Oysterling (Crepidotus mollis) on dead branches here too. Also in the same damp woods were lots of big Fly Agarics and several Scurfy Twiglets.



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A morning walk on patch at Newchurch Common only produced 1 new fungus species, Scurfy Twiglet, by Big Pool. The ivy on Novia Scotia Lane was alive with wasps and hoverflies.

Nearby at Foxwist Green in the horse paddocks where my wife's horse is were over 100 Butter Waxcap fungi, a superb display. A Red Admiral was also here.



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Another morning walk on Newchurch Common. Nearly all sightings were fungi, and all sightings were from the Big Pool area.

New ones seen were Parasol, Glistening Inkcap, Dwarf Bell, Lilac Bonnet, Angel's Bonnet, Earthy Powdercap, White Domecap, White Fibrecap, Wood Pinkgill, Oyster Mushroom, Coral Brittlegill, Leopard Earthball, Mycena aetites, Tawny Funnel, and Skullcap Dapperling. Previously seen species that were re-recorded were Blackening Waxcap, Fly Agaric and Common Earthball.

New plants recorded were Long-headed Poppy and Common Field-speedwell.

 



-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 12th of October 2023 10:29:05 PM

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A morning walk on Newchurch Common, dry and warm.

Four Smooth Newts were seen at Gull Pool.

Butterflies seen were 6 Commas and 2 Red Admirals.

Odonata sightings were 6 Black Darters including 2 pairs ovipositing and 4 Common Darters including 1 pair ovipositing.

At least 10 Hornets were seen across the whole site. A f.Melanostoma scalare hoverfly was photographed. The ichneumon Itoplectis maculator was seen.

The spiders Metellina segmentata, Nursery Web Spider, Garden Cross Orbweaver and Four-spotted Orbweaver were all seen.

Fungi seen included a Fly Agaric, Common Bonnets, Common Stump Brittlegills, a new flush of Blackening Waxcaps, Petticoat Mottlegills, Scurfy Deceivers, Earthfans, Common Earthballs, Turkeytails, Petticoat Mottlegill, Hairy Curtain Crust and Tawny Grisettes. The slime mould Red Rasperry Slime Mould was seen in Gull Pool Wood.



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At Newchurch Common pm in dry, warm weather.

Just 2 butterfly species, a Comma and 2 Red Admirals.

A well-worn male Common Darter was by Big Pool.

At least 3 Common Nettle-tap Moths were seen.

Whilst checking ivy on Novia Scotia Lane for Ivy Bee (still not seen on patch) I came across at least 5 Pine Ladybirds, 3 x 7-Spot Ladybirds and a Harlequin Ladybird. A Hornet was here too.

Looking for fungi, by Big Pool I found 2 Blackening Waxcaps, but too late as both had gone over! There were still 6 Collared Earthstars by the main entrance track. The Miller was also found, in the small woods bordering Beach Peg on Big Pool.



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Back on Newchurch Common, mainly over on the mosslands and the walk  over and back! Sunny intervals.

A Common Lizard was basking in the sunshine on Shemmy Moss. Great Crested Newts, Smooth Newts and a Common Toad were all seen too.

Only 4 butterfly species were seen; Comma, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and Large White.

The best dragonfly was an old Black Darter on Shemmy Moss, whilst nearby a Southern Hawker and a couple of Common Darters were seen.

It was a good spider day with lots of Four-spotted Orb-weavers and Garden Cross Orb-weavers seen. There were also loads of Hammock Web Spiders (Linyphia triangularis).

The hoverfly Sericomyia silentis was photographed.

Another huge growth of Tawny Grisette fungi has happened along with Scurfy Deceivers and hundreds of Common Earthballs. A few old Blushers were also found as well as a nice Blackfoot Polypore and an Earth Fan (Thelephora terrestris). The very alien looking slime mould Stemonitis fusca was new for me and for patch.

A plant I saw first for this year on holiday was seen today on patch for the first time this year too, Black Nightshade, near Small Pool.



-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Monday 18th of September 2023 10:11:01 AM

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My first day back on Newchurch Common for a long time, sunny and warm. All sightings in the Big Pool area.

Just 5 butterfly species, namely Speckled Wood, Small White, Peacock, Red Admiral and a good count of 10 Commas together in the Fishermen's Spit car park, as well as a few elsewhere.
 
A Common Darter and a Common Blue Damselfly were the only odonata.
 
A male Vapourer and a Silver Y moth were near Daleford Farm.
 
Other insects seen incuded 2 Green Shieldbugs, over 20 Harlequin Ladybirds, 5 x 7-Spot Ladybirds and a Phaonia valida fly. A Metellina segmentata spider was photographed too.
 
Lots of Fox and Cubs were in flower near Daleford Farm.
 
On the entrance track 4 Collared Earthstars and a clump of Upright Coral Fungus were seen. Common Earthballs are still coming up aver a widespread area.


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St Marys Rd Penketh

Small Copper Butterfly feeding on various flowers in our front garden was only second time I have seen this species here in 35 years.




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Near Arthog Bog in Wales (Barmouth area) a 4x4 coming the other way along the main road started flashing me and pulled into the middle of the road so I also had to stop. They must have been really sharp eyed as what I though was a stick blowing on the road turned out to  be a Grass Snake sunning itself in a patch of light through the trees. 1.2 - 1.5 yard long I'd estimate, took off after a couple off beeps. Talked to the driver of the 4x4 coming the other way - he has seen them on the road often of late (inc dead) - Railtrack are doing work on the Barmouth Bridge / Arthog Bog being used as a worksite so they have been driven off there, try to cross the road and then find the dense and steep forrest not a good environment so they sit on the road in the sun!!!!!



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Doc Brewster wrote:

Out & about am on Newchurch Common Patch, sunny and warm.

Two species of reptile with the biggest female Grass Snake yet, at least 3 feet long and with a good girth. Also seen were 3 Common Lizards.

Three species of amphibian with the best being a Great Crested Newt along with 3 Smooth Newts and 3 Common Toads.

The best butterflies were 3 Holly Blues, otherwise quite quiet.

My first male Black Darter of the year was nice, otherwise odonata highlights were a male Emperor and a Southern Hawker.

A Red-banded Sand Wasp was photographed on Shemmy Moss. Also at least 12 Pterostichus vernalis carabid beetles were together under a log in the damp edges of Gull Pool with 2 Devils Coach-horse beetles nearby. A Green Tiger Beetle was still on Shemmy Moss.

A really nice find was a large Leopard Slug in Gull Pool Wood.

Fungi seen included a lovely Petticoat Mottlegill by Shemmy Moss, Fenugreek Milkcap still on the mosses, and in Gull Pool Wood Lemon Disco, Beefsteak Fungus, Jelly Rot, Turkeytail, Bay Bolete, Tawny Grisette and Sulphur Tuft.

The plant Selfheal was also seen.


 The Fungus Blackfoot Polypore was also in Gull Pool Wood on 17th August. A Roesel's Bush Cricket was seen north of Big Pool on August 24th.



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A walk pm on Newchurch Common, dry and sunny intervals. Just the Big Pool area surveyed.

Severral butterflies were seen, the best being a Holly Blue. Others were Red Admiral, Comma, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Small White and Large White.

Odonata seen were Ruddy Darter, Common Darter, Brown Hawker, Common Blue Damselfly and Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Moths seen were Mother of Pearl, 2 Silver Y and a Straw Dot.

A Large Rose Sawfly (Arge pagana) was predictably on a Dog Rose. The Hump-backed Fly species Borophaga incrassata was new for patch.

Several fungi were seen including a large group of Pale Brittlestem (Psathyrella candolleana). A new slime mould was Physarum cinereum, sometimes known as Grey Slime Mould, looking like tiny grey eggs on a grass head.

 

 



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Out & about am on Newchurch Common Patch, sunny and warm.

Two species of reptile with the biggest female Grass Snake yet, at least 3 feet long and with a good girth. Also seen were 3 Common Lizards.

Three species of amphibian with the best being a Great Crested Newt along with 3 Smooth Newts and 3 Common Toads.

The best butterflies were 3 Holly Blues, otherwise quite quiet.

My first male Black Darter of the year was nice, otherwise odonata highlights were a male Emperor and a Southern Hawker.

A Red-banded Sand Wasp was photographed on Shemmy Moss. Also at least 12 Pterostichus vernalis carabid beetles were together under a log in the damp edges of Gull Pool with 2 Devils Coach-horse beetles nearby. A Green Tiger Beetle was still on Shemmy Moss.

A really nice find was a large Leopard Slug in Gull Pool Wood.

Fungi seen included a lovely Petticoat Mottlegill by Shemmy Moss, Fenugreek Milkcap still on the mosses, and in Gull Pool Wood Lemon Disco, Beefsteak Fungus, Jelly Rot, Turkeytail, Bay Bolete, Tawny Grisette and Sulphur Tuft.

The plant Selfheal was also seen.



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Newchurch Common again, a morning walk in warm sun.

A few butterflies with Common Blue on Shemmy Moss the best.

Odonata counts included 3 Black Darters on Shemmy Moss, a Southern Hawker by Shemmy Moss, 3 Common Darters Shemmy Moss, a Ruddy Darter (m) by Shemmy Moss, 4 Brown Hawkers, and 7 Emerald Damselflies by Gull Pool.

A Beautiful Yellow Underwing Moth was a nice find on Shemmy Moss.

A Syrhus ribesii hoverfly was photographed on Shemmy Moss as was Mottled Grasshopper, 3 being seen. A Green Tiger Beetle was here too.

My first Four-spot Orb Weaver Spider was on Shemmy Moss as was a Garden Cross Orb Weaver.

On oaks the Pineapple Gall, Knopper Gall and Oak Apple Gall were found.

A new fungus for the year was Sulphur Tuft in Gull Pool Wood. Also new was Fenugreek Milkcap on Shemmy Moss on Sphagnum.



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An afternoon walk in very hot sun on Newchurch Common.

Only 8 butterfly species, best of which was 2 Holly Blues.

The best odonata sighting was a male Migrant Hawker N.of Big Pool, the first I've managed to photograph this year.

A queen Common Black Ant (Lasius niger) was photographed in the Big Pool meadows.



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A short afternoon walk on Newchurch Common.

Three Smooth Newts were found under logs.

Out on Gull Pool 5 Ruddy Darters was an impressive count with 4 Brown Hawkers and 3 Common Emerald Damselflies also being seen as the pick of the odonata.

In Gull Pool Wood 3 Hornets were found taking sap from an oak trunk along with 3 Red Admirals at the same leakage. At least 2 Holly Blues were seen.

The fly Phaonia angelicae was near Big Pool as was the hoverfly Sericomyia silentis.

Similar to yesterday for fungi with new ones seen being Peeling Oysterling (Crepidotus mollis), Inocybe splendens and Birch Milkcap, all in Gull Pool Wood.



-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Saturday 5th of August 2023 07:53:43 AM

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My first August walk on my Newchurch patch this morning and managed to do it in the dry despite impending rain in the forecast.

A new beetle was added to my list, the carabid Pterostichus diligens, a small damp habitat species found by Gull Pool.

Plants identified included four in the 'beetle belt' planted by the farmer in the former setaside field. These were Field Pansy, Cornflower, Crown Daisy and Redshank, nice to see.

It was an excellent walk for fungi. First seen was The Blusher near Big Pool. These were seen over a large area but nearly all had gone over. Another very abundant fungus was Tawny Grisette, especially in Gull Pool Wood.  Two bolete species were found, Red Cracking Bolete near Big Pool and Bay Bolete in Gull Pool Wood. Also in Gull Pool Wood were lots of Scurfy Deceivers, a tiny clump of Glistening Inkcaps, a small patch of Goblet Parachutes, swarms of Common Earthballs and Hairy Curtain Crust.

A couple of patches of the very photogenic Red Raspberry Slime Mould were found and pictures duly taken!



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Sightings for 30th JULY 2023:

Again a walk with Paul Hill at Newchurch Common, a bit later starting after we spent last night in our local!! All sightings were from Shemmy Moss, except a Purple Hairstreak which was in Oaks near the entrance barrier.

A small Grass Snake was seen.

A total of 5 Beautiful Yellow Underwing caterpillars were found along with 1 adult moth. A Double-striped Pug moth caterpillar was also found. Three Dingy Footman moths were seen.

We did some beating and sweeping surveys for inverts and got some excellent results. Three new Shieldbugs were added to the patch list, namely Bronze Shieldbug, Parent Bug and Bishops Mitre Shieldbug. The weevil Strophisoma melanogrammum was found as well as the Mirid Bug Megacoelum infusum. 14-spot, 7spot and Harlequin Ladybirds were seen. The Spiders Philodromus albidus and Candy Striped Spider (Enoplognatha ovata) were found too. 3 Bog Bush Crickets and 2 Common Ground Hoppers were seen.

The Mosaic Puffball (Calvatia utriformis) was a new species of fungus for the year.



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A morning on Newchurch Common with mate Paul Hill for inverts, warm and got a bit of sun!

A Common Lizard was seen at the edge of Shemmy Moss near the Whitegate Way.

No new butterflies or odonata, but of note a male Holly Blue by Shemmy Moss and 2 Black Darters on Shemmy Moss, the latter are in short supply so far this year. My first Dingy Footman moth on patch was by Shemmy Moss.

A Red Banded Sand Wasp was on Shemmy Moss. A Helophilus pendulus was photographed near Big Pool, where 3 Phasia hemiptera tachinid flies were seen, including my first female.

A Cereal Leaf Beetle was on Newchurch Common and a Hairy Shieldbug was on Shemmy Moss.

Both Bog Bush Cricket (4) and Mottled Grasshopper (1) were on Shemmy Moss.



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Another morning in the sun on Newchurch Common.

An amazing patch lifer on the north of the Big Pool when I approached a bramble patch and found a Silver-washed Fritillary! It was a way back from the front of the patch and as I tried to get close enough for a photo it flushed and rocketed off over the meadow out of view. I was elated and gutted all at once, but getting the sighting was what mattered really. This has already been reported to the county butterfly recorder who is happy with the sighting. All told I had 15 species of butterflies which included 1 Essex Skipper, 2 Holly Blues, 1 Common Blue, 2 Small Coppers, 4 Brimstones, 8 Speckled Woods and a Small Skipper.

Just the usual odonata but a good count of 6 Brown Hawkers.

Moths included 2 Udea lutealis, 3 Silver Y2 Common Carpets and a 6-Spot Burnet.

A Volucella zonaria hornet-mimic hoverfly was seen but again evaded my phone camera lens!

An amazing new fly was seen and photographed in the nettle bed near Big Pool Island Cut, the tachinid Phasia hemiptera.

A total of 3 Four-banded Longhorn Beetles were seen north of Big Pool. At least 3 Gorse Shieldbug nymphs were found.

The Deceiver Fungus was east of Big Pool.

Another small Pike was seen, this time in the beak of a Great Crested Grebe!



-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 27th of July 2023 09:09:23 AM

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Had a superb morning walk covering a large area of my Newchurch Common Patch this morning with an invert specialist researcher from the BBC Natural History Unit, Bristol! With overcast weather some things were not in the numbers that I have had recently but it was still a great tour that I think showed off my patch at it's best!

The undoubted highlights were 2 Grass Snakes and a Common Lizard.

We had at least 4 Small Copper butterflies as well as a Holly Blue near Big Pool. Very few odonata but all my common damselflies as usual.

Both Six-spot and Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnets were seen.

The hoverfly Sericomyia silentis was seen for probably the first time in 2023.

Orthoptera were good with a Roesel's Bush Cricket in Big Pool Meadow, a Bog Bush Cricket on Shemmy Moss, and Common Field, Common Green and Meadow Grasshoppers all north of Big Pool.

A new species for 2023 was a Gorse Shield Bug nymph. A Wasps nest was very active in the north meadows.

Fungi found included Polyporus tuberasta and Rootlet Brittlestem (Psathyrella microrhiza).



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An afternoon on my Newchurch Common Patch, sunny and hot but breezy.

A total of 16 species of butterflies, namely Purple Hairstreak (3), Small Copper (2), Common Blue (3), Holly Blue (2), Small Skipper, Brimstone (2), Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Comma (25), Peacock(1), Red Admiral (6), Small White, Large White and Green-veined White. I didn't go to my main Essex Skipper area so no doubt they would have been present too. This was the best butterfly day of 2023.

A good array of odonata too, namely Black Darter, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter, Brown Hawker, Common Blue Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Large Red-eyed Damselfly and Emerald Damselfly.

A Blood Bee species, most likely Box-headed Blood-bee (Sphecodes monilicornis), was seen by Shemmy Moss. Silky Ant (Formica fusca) was out on the moss.

A good orthoptera day with 3 Mottled Grasshoppers on Shemmy Moss as well as a Bog Bug Cricket and a Common Ground Hopper nymph.

A Four-banded Longhorn Beetle (Leptura quadrifasciata) was also by Shemmy Moss.



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On Newchurch Common am, fine at first so a few inverts! All Big Pool area.

In Island Cut a small Pike hung just underneath the waters surface.

I saw 14 species of butterfly, namely Purple Hairstreak, Essex Skipper, Small Skipper, Small Copper, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Comma, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper.

My first Migrant Hawker dragonfly was seen with 3 Brown Hawkers and the usual damselflies. A new wasp was added: Saxon Wasp. Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebees were again seen in good numbers. A sawfly larva was seen but unidentifiable! The hoverfly Eristalis arbustorum was one not seen that often amongst lots of other common species.

 



-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Tuesday 18th of July 2023 08:38:51 AM

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Penketh
First Painted Lady of year on Buddleia bush in our back garden this PM
Several Red admirals, also a Peacock Butterfly, rather scarce this year.

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A very short walk pm on Newchurch Common added nothing new.

Butterflies seen were 3 Essex Skippers, 3 Small Skippers, Comma, Red Admiral, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small White, Large White and Green-veined White.

Nothing new in the odonata or orthoptera families, but 2 Roesel's Bush Crickets were found.

Common Carpet, Six-spot Burnet, Silver Y and Shaded Broad-bar moths were seen.

A Syrhus ribesii hoverfly was seen.

 



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A short morning walk on Newchurch Common before the rain set in.

In the north meadow 2 Essex Skippers and 5 Small Skippers were seen. At least 12 Gatekeepers were seen in a small area.

In the north meadow 3 Six-spot Burnets were noted as well as 2 Silver Y Moths.

A Vestal Cuckoo Bee (Bombus vestalis) was in the north meadows. A Platycheirus albimanus hoverfly was photographed.

A nice Dryad's Saddle fungus and a Nitrous Bonnet fungus were near Beach Peg on Big Pool.



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Another morning on my Newchurch Patch, very early and then cut short by rain after it had started sunny.

A Grass Snake was on Shemmy Moss.

A insect lifer on patch was a female Mottled Grasshopper on Shemmy Moss, the 7th orthopteran of 2023 on patch. A single female Bog Bush Cricket was seen,

A nice fly species Poecilobothrus nobilitatus was seen with several individuals on oaks near the Whitegate Way near Gull Pool.

Fungi recorded were Red Cracking Bolete (Boletus chrysenteron) on Shemmy Moss, Russet Toughshank (Gymnopus dryphilus) also on Shemmy Moss and Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrinum) predictably on Shemmy Moss!



-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Monday 10th of July 2023 05:43:09 PM

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