Staveley Nature Reserve - Sunday 13 Sep

Staveley NR a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve is a superb wetland area, recovered from quarrying that finished in the 1980's and has been managed to offer some rare habitat, and the best thing about it is that it is close to home.  

Over the East lagoon I was greeted by a Hobby being chased by a Black-headed Gull.  There were many Chiffchaff and a small number of Blackcap calling, and a Redpoll flew over calling. Dragonflies were about in small numbers: Common Hawkers, a couple of Brown Hawker, 25+ Common Darters and several Coenagrion sp. which were too far away to see properly.

Common Darter  Sympetrum striolatum

A ladybird seen turned out to be a Harlequin Harmonia axyridis, a species that was first recorded in Britain in 2004 and has spread rapidly north and west.  There are a few extra-limital records further north and in Scotland but Yorkshire is currently at the northern edge of the main range.

Harlequin Ladybird   Harmonia axyridis 

As for butterflies, they were attracted to the blueish globe flowers of Field Scabious in the meadow areas, and included just the one Red Admiral, several Peacock, c.20 Small Tortoiseshell, three Speckled Brown and a Small Copper, while moths were represented by two Udea lutealis and eight Silver Y.

Peacock

Red Admiral

Red Admiral

Red Admiral

Small Copper

Continuing on from last week I had a go at photographing some of the hoverflies and associated species.  One big black beastie stood out with large size and black bristles on the thorax, which reminded me of the tachinid of last week, and was found to be Tachina grossa, and looking at the state of its wings it was amazing it could fly; a more complete one was seen nearby.

Tachina grossa

Tachina grossa

Tachina grossa

The number and variety of hoverflies was not as good as last week, but those identified are added here.

Helophilus pendulus

Syrphus sp

Eristalis pertinax

Three traps in a week!

On the night of Friday 5th July I spent the night at Brimham Rocks in preparation for a Bioblitz planned for the Saturday when various experts were due to be present to try and identify as many species as possible in a 24hour period.  So, I got the ball rolling operating three traps overnight and despite ideal conditions, only managed about 80 species of the usual suspects for Brimham.  The highlight, at least for me, was Ancylis myrtillana, a moorland micro which I had only seen for the first time at this site last year.  Fortunately, for the benefit of the general public who were due to visit during the daytime, I had a good selection of the more colourful moths for their benefit.  These included, Barred Yellow, Peach Blossom, Garden Tiger and Elephant Hawk-moth plus a few of the more regular brown jobbies.  Unfortunately I had to leave for work by 10:00am, but by leaving my potted specimens in a cool place for others to see worked ok.

Trap 2 was at Wellesbourne in Warks at my Brother-in-Law's garden on Wednesday night.  A well-stocked suburban garden adjoining farmland, and the prize was a Cream-bordered Green Pea.  This is a species that somehow never seemed to venture north of Dorchester when I lived in Dorset, and is relatively scarce up here in Yorkshire.  With the Warks County Recorder David Brown only living 3 miles away in Charlecote, I sent him my records as usual, and he commented that he had only had the 2nd and 3rd county records in his garden, so mine was a notable local scarcity.

With this fantastic run of warm weather continuing, Saturday night meant trapping at Staveley NR just 3 miles from where I live.  With three traps around the furthest hide, a double gladiator actinic in the reeds, a Robinson on the main path between the trees and the waterside herbage, and the 160 MVB over a sheet next to the reeds in the more open grassy area.  Despite the early morning mist that bordered on drizzle, there were almost 900 moths of 116 species was the prize, including a new one for me, a Beautiful China-mark.  I had had one before but it escaped before I could pot it and photograph it.

Beautiful China-mark

The highlights among the rest were two Large Clover Case-bearer, six Elachista atricomella, a Metzneria metzneriella, a Syncopacma larseniella/cinctella, a Brachmia blandella, nine Mompha ochraceella, an Endothenia quadrimaculana, three each of Lobesia abscisana and Phlyctaenia perlucidalis, two Adaina microdactyla, three each of White Satin and Double Lobed, 15 Silky Wainscot and two Blackneck.

Large Clover Case-bearer

Metzneria metzneriella

Brachmia blandella

Mompha ochraceela

Lobesia abscisana

Spilonota ocellana

Crambus pascuella

Adaina microdactyla

Green Pug

Shoulder-striped Wainscot

Silky Wainscot.

It is worth bearing in mind that the micro-moths featured here are mostly less than 10mm in length, indeed the plume moth shown microdactyla which is the smallest of the plumes and had a wingspan on less than 20mm. You do not have to be big to be beautiful....

A wander round a wintery Pilmoor

Having safely received my written permissions for trapping from Natural England and the landowners for Pilmoor, I decided to have a walk round the SSSI and old railway track.  A cold crisp morning, still below freezing, which felt worse once the mist lifted to hide the sun, and with up to three inches of snow blanketing the heath.  

The best bird was a Red Kite flying over on motionless wings, while a flash of orange showed an amorous male Goldcrest trying to impress a female while circling her on a silver birch trunk.  Plenty of Long-tailed Tits, none with white heads, despite looking....dozens of Siskins feeding on the birch buds, and the odd Reed Bunting  acting sentinel on the tops of trees.

The most impressive sight of the morning, was the number of Seven-spot Ladybirds huddling on the dried-out umbellifers and on a tall thistle; at least 40 were counted.

Seven-spot Ladybird