Saturday 26th May 2012 - Chartley Moss NNR

Today I did something completly different and went with fellow British wildlife enthusiast (and supporter of inferior Midlands football teams) Mark P to an organized event at Chartley Moss National Nature Reserve in Staffordshire.

Chartley Moss NNR is the largest example of a floating peat bog, in Britain. The Sphagnum lawn supports important botanical communities adapted to grow in this hostile environment which in turn support a rich invertebrate fauna, including the nationally scarce White-faced Darter dragonfly.  The reserve is only opened to the public once a year for guided walks due to the sensitive nature of the habitat.

The weather conditions were almost ideal as the sunshine over the past week had meant that good numbers of dragonflies and damselflies had emerged...although the stronger breeze today made them very difficult to photograph!  We did however get great views of White-faced Darter ...a lifer for me!  As they were recently emerged though their facial frons hadn't whitened off as yet.  There were also Four-spotted Chasers and Broad-bodied Chasers on the wing.  Large Red Damselflies were also very much in evidence.

Also of interest were good numbers of Green Hairstreak that were present flitting around the wooded scrubby edge of the bog.  These are such beautiful butterflies and always a pleasure to see.  Amongst the Sphagnum moss there were patches of Britain's only carnivorous plant Sundew growing.

Unfortunately we didn't see any of Chartley's other speciality the day-flying Argent and Sable moth, but an enjoyable couple of hours was had all the same. 

I recommend that, if ever you get chance, visit the moss on one of these days...it's a fascinating place.  Wellies are recommended though as the Sphagnum moss that cover the peat is like a sponge and in some places your feet will sink 3 or 4 inches into the bog (that's about 70 to 100 mm for you metric types!).  Today wasn't a good day for my boots to start letting in!!!!

Chartley Moss NNR

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sundew and Sphagnum

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
White-faced Darter (imm. ♂)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Hairstreak

Friday 25th May 2012 - Captains Pool and Penny Hill Bank

This morning I started the day by popping around to Tony's to check on the moth trap.  I had set it up on his waterside bit of land that he leaves as a wildflower garden.  I am trying to build a list of moths for Captains Pool as it is part of my patch so Tony very kindly lets me run it here (and plies me with the finest hot beverages too!)

On checking the trap I lost 2 macros immediately as the box had already warmed up enough for them to be active.  In the box there were 5 macro moths:  2 Treble Lines, 2 May Highflyer and 1 unidentified.  Also present was a Phryganea grandis Caddis Fly.  This moth like fly is Britain's largest Caddis fly and it's body is almost an inch in length and its antennae about the same length again.

Treble Lines (Charanyca trigrammica)

May Highflyer (Hydriomena impluviata)

Caddis Fly (Phryganea grandis)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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From Captains Pool we headed over to Penny Hill Bank NR near Martley.  Its one of the Worcestershire Wildlife Trusts lesser known reserves and is a wonderfully preserved fragment of Limestone grassland that is rich in wildflowers and insects. Click on below link for more info:

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/reserves/penny-hill-bank

Whilst we were at Penny Hill there were a variety of butterflies on the wing.  We recorded good 10+ Dingy Skipper, 4 Brown Argus, 3 Common Blue, 1 Orange Tip, 1 Large White, 1 Small White, 1 Small Tortoiseshell and 2 Speckled Wood. 

Also of interest were 4 Burnett Companion moths and a Hairy Shieldbug.  Small numbers of Common Spotted Orchid were in bloom.

In the small pool behind the reserve we saw 2 Great Crested Newts and double figures of Smooth Newt.  A Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly was also present.

Brown Argus

Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum)

Wednesday 23rd May 2012 - Shenstone

This afternoon, I decided to park up on Barrs Lane and undertake my invert walk across the field and back along the Butts Lane set-aside. 

The walk proved to be quite fruitful as I saw 2 Brown Argus and a Small Copper .  Both species of butterfly were the first patch sightings for 2012.

Also of interest during the walk were a small number of Doc Bug (Coreus marginatus), a species that I have not noted before at Shenstone.  Common Malachite Beetles were also present.

Doc Bug (Coreus marginatus)

Tuesday 22nd May 2012 - The Wyre Forest

First up, just to let you all know, I am going to try my hardest to get up to date with my blog posts this week.  As it happens my car is in for bodywork repair this week so I won't be able to just jump in the motor and go birding!  So, the plan is to get a number of those jobs that I say I'm going to do but never seem to get round too and this includes getting back up to date with the blog.  Anyway enough of that, on with the post....

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Late morning I decided to pay a visit to an area of the Shropshire part of the Wyre Forest known as Postensplain.  Here, I walk a circuit of rides that surround the rocket testing facility.  Its great fun if the sirens go off followed by a ground shaking bang!  It is a quite area of the forest and is a good place to catch up with some of the local speciality species of butterfly.

During the walk I managed to record 17 Pearl-bordered Fritillary,  4 Grizzled Skipper, 5 Dingy Skipper, 7 Speckled Wood, 1 Brimstone and 2 Peacocks.  The butterflies were so active due to the hot weather and sunshine that I didn't manage to get the greatest of photos but, I will share them all the same.

Day flying moths were also apparent with Brown Silver-Line and Speckled Yellow both present.

On the walk I also noted 1 singing Tree Pipit, 1 Wood Warbler, 3 Garden Warblers and 3 Common Buzzard.  A personal highlight was seeing a stunning Fox just casually ambling along the ride in the sunshine...seemingly without a care in the world (that made two of us!)

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

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Grizzled Skipper

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Dingy Skipper

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Brown Silver-line

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Speckled Yellow

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday 20th May - Shenstone & back garden

Today I had my first walk around the patch since returning from holiday.  It's amazing how things can change in just a week.  The Spring passage migrants have all but finished (not a Wheatear or a Wagtail in sight) and hirrundines were now back in good numbers with 6 Swallows & 12 House Martins over Butts Lane and 14 Swallows and 4 House Martins over Heath Lane, where 3 Swifts were also noted.  I also observed two separate families of Blackbirds with juveniles in tow.

This time of year I generally start focusing more on the patch invertebrates. Its an area that fascinates me and it helps to fill a gap between Spring and Autumn migration periods.

Today's walk around Butts Lane only provided me with a single ♂ Orange Tip and a Small Tortoiseshell but many Black & Red Froghoppers were noted.

Heath Lane was equally unproductive in terms of butterflies but I did record a new beetle for the patch- Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn (Agapanthia villosoviridescens).  I also observed a Xanthogramma pedissequum Hoverfly  feeding on the umbilifer flowers.

Black & Red Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata) 

Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn 

(Agapanthia villosoviridescens)

Hoverfly (Xanthogramma pedissequum)

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Later that day, when Bev returned from work, we sat outside in the back garden and had a nice big mug of tea.  Whilst enjoying our brew we saw both a Holly Blue butterfly and a Large White.  

I then had a quick wonder around to see what else may be found.  I noted 3 species of day flying moth:  Adela reaumurella, Incurvaria masculella and small Purple and Gold (Pyrausta aurata).  On a number of bushes were mating Green Shield Bugs.

We have only got a narrow terraced house garden but it just shows what you can attract if you garden with wildlife in mind.

Small Purple & Gold (Pyrausta aurata)

Green Shield Bugs (Palomena prasina)