Old Ladies

When checking our moth trap last night we found an Old Lady hanging around, so we potted her up and placed her in the fridge to settle down. Before anyone contacts age concern about ill treatment of a pensioner it must be stressed that this Old Lady is a large chunky brute of a moth, so much so that the call rang out "I think we need a bigger pot". Although not rare it is a first for our garden and is quite scarce in this area, it continues a run of "not scarce but nice " moths which we have had over the last few weeks. This is a big change from earlier in the season when any moth was a bonus, the warm humid nights have helped and lets hope this continues into the autumn.

 

 

Old Lady          

Wader counting.

WeBs count at Fenham le Moor was a matter of importance today.  A falling tide is never the best to count - never mind.  Highlights on the mud included 8 Little egret, 587 Dunlin, Whimbrel 2, Curlew 529, Knot 15 and Greenshank 1.

A female Marsh Harrier was feeding in fields around Fenham le Moor and a juvenile Wheatear was on the shore.

Sunshine at last ..........

It is good to get and do some fieldwork especially when the sun is shining.  A walk down the River Glen was no exception today.  There was a reasonable selection of birds with 2 Green Sandpipers, 6+ Common sandpipers and handfuls of Oystercatchers and lapwings gracing the edges of the river. Other birds include Kingfisher (1), Goosander (1) and a female Tufted duck with a brood of three.

Passerines seen were Blackcap feeding young, Reed bunting, Sedge warbler (male singing) and Lesser redpoll (4+).

Other species include a Southern hawker dragonfly, Large red damselfly, several Speckled wood butterflies and a good selection of common butterflies.  There were a good number of reasonably sized Sea trout in the larger pools with Grayling and Sticklebacks seen in other parts of the reach.

AWG Moth Trapping at Branton... 02/07/16.

As part of a mixed Bioblitz, several of us spent the night and early morning catching moths at Branton Gravel Pits near Powburn.

We used 5 traps on a clear and cool breezy evening, but we still managed a reasonable total of 362 moths of 75 species.

The following species were recorded including Coronet only the 5th for VC68 and the first since 1997. Mr Fairclough added to the moth trapping list with a few colephoras etc.

Taxa
Coleophora species (Coleophora sp.) 1
Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.) 4
02.001 a moth (Dyseriocrania subpurpurella) 4
03.003 Map-winged Swift (Korscheltellus fusconebulosa) 1
03.005 Ghost Moth (Hepialus humuli) 1
35.040 a moth (Bryotropha terrella) 1
37.006 a moth (Coleophora gryphipennella) 1
41.002 a moth (Blastobasis adustella) 1
41.003 a moth (Blastobasis lacticolella) 3
49.025 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis cerasana) 2
49.026 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis heparana) 1
49.031 Timothy Tortrix (Aphelia paleana) 10
49.091 a moth (Pseudargyrotoza conwagana) 7
49.156 Marbled Orchard Tortrix (Hedya nubiferana) 4
49.157 Plum Tortrix (Hedya pruniana) 1
49.166 a moth (Celypha lacunana) 4
49.292 a moth (Notocelia cynosbatella) 2
49.298 a moth (Notocelia trimaculana) 6
63.037 a moth (Udea olivalis) 1
63.064 a moth (Scoparia ambigualis) 7
63.066 a moth (Scoparia pyralella) 10
63.067 a moth (Eudonia lacustrata) 4
63.080 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) 4
63.093 a moth (Agriphila straminella) 5
65.010 Figure of Eighty (Tethea ocularis) 1
69.003 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 10
69.016 Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor) 3
70.054 Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) 45
70.059 Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata) 2
70.061 Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) 5
70.068 Beautiful Carpet (Mesoleuca albicillata) 1
70.093 Barred Straw (Gandaritis pyraliata) 10
70.100 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 6
70.176 Freyer's Pug (Eupithecia intricata arceuthata) 1
70.183 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 1
70.190 Grey Pug (Eupithecia subfuscata) 2
70.207 Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata) 22
70.226 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 10
70.252 Peppered Moth (Biston betularia) 2
70.265 Mottled Beauty (Alcis repandata) 7
70.277 Common White Wave (Cabera pusaria) 4
70.278 Common Wave (Cabera exanthemata) 7
70.283 Light Emerald (Campaea margaritaria) 17
71.021 Coxcomb Prominent (Ptilodon capucina) 4
72.002 Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis) 2
72.003 Snout (Hypena proboscidalis) 3
72.019 Buff Ermine (Spilosoma lutea) 2
72.020 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) 1
72.026 Garden Tiger (Arctia caja) 1
73.001 Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) 1
73.016 Beautiful Golden Y (Autographa pulchrina) 14
73.047 Coronet (Craniophora ligustri) 1
73.102 Brown Rustic (Rusina ferruginea) 10
73.114 Small Angle Shades (Euplexia lucipara) 2
73.147 Small Dotted Buff (Photedes minima) 2
73.154 Dusky Brocade (Apamea remissa) 5
73.156 Clouded-bordered Brindle (Apamea crenata) 5
73.156 Clouded-bordered Brindle [melanic form] (Apamea crenata ab. combusta) 1
73.159 Small Clouded Brindle (Apamea unanimis) 1
73.162 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 2
73.176 Middle-barred Minor (Oligia fasciuncula) 3
73.264 Pale-shouldered Brocade (Lacanobia thalassina) 4
73.267 Bright-line Brown-eye (Lacanobia oleracea) 5
73.281 Lychnis (Hadena bicruris) 1
73.298 Clay (Mythimna ferrago) 1
73.317 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 3
73.328 Flame (Axylia putris) 5
73.329 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 8
73.332 Purple Clay (Diarsia brunnea) 10
73.342 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 9
73.343 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua fimbriata) 1
73.351 Double Dart (Graphiphora augur) 4
73.353 Dotted Clay (Xestia baja) 1
73.361 Double Square-spot (Xestia triangulum) 16
73.368 Gothic (Naenia typica) 1

Above - Two views from Corby Crags on route to Branton in dramatic evening light.

The Coronet

Double Dart

The trapping site.

Unusual species in an unusual habitat....

Fieldwork in the College Valley has started in earnest.  Whilst putting our boots on, I could believe my ears - a male Quail was calling from the Bracken to the west of Cuddystone Hall (30th June). The bird was calling for at least an hour as we surveyed the vegetation.  This is the first time that I have heard this species in Bracken.  They are normally a species of cereals and grassland.

Other birds in the area were Whinchat (2), Meadow pipit and Stonechat with young.  Neighbouring plantation held Crossbill (3+), and singing Song thrushes and Willow warblers.  

Dor beetles were out in force with some piles of sheep dung having up to 20 beetles trying to roll balls.  A young Adder was also found.

Some of the upland plants were in full flower.  Where there were shallow soils Thyme, Heath Bedstraw, Mouse-eared Hawkweed and Pignut were in full bloom.  Both Common vetch, Bitter-vetch and Bell Heather were also in flower.