Patch Delta

I enjoyed a great hour or so after work today, in some nice mild late afternoon sunshine for a change. I headed over to the south-eastern corner of my patch along the Guthlaxton Trail. I didn't go far, just a small area of paddocks and fields between an industrial estate and the River Sence. On one side of the trail there is a series of what were slightly marshy fields last time I visited (which was a fair while ago), but after all of the recent rain this area is now beyond a marsh and is more like a full-blown delta. Looks brilliant for passage waders - shame it's in such an unlikely place for passage waders.

Five Grey Herons were huddled in one corner, and I scanned meticulously all around - surely at least one Yellow Wagtail would have the decency to stop by. Or not. There were waders there though, including a Snipe furtively probing amongst tussocky bits. It was a long way off though ......

During the whole visit though I didn't hear a single warbler, the only wagtails were Pied and the only other birds I noted were Reed Bunting and Swallow, and a Mallard family party on the 'delta'. Still looks a very good area to keep an eye on over the next week or so - more rain forecast tomorrow to top it all up.

Otherwise I pointed the camera at a couple of inverts, potted up a tiny hovefly which I am hoping will hang on for some photos tomorrow, and also potted up a micro larva that was sitting on top of a dandelion flowerhead.

Dock Bug

Cream-spot Ladybird

Biggest surprise of the day was finding a moth at rest in the garden ....
 

Early Grey

A few bits

No trapping to report, and whilst VC55 has had a bit of a purple patch on the bird front (2 White-winged Black Terns, Blue-winged Teal, several singing Firecrests, Temminck's Stint) I've seen them all before in the County and haven't had a chance/bothered to go and see these ones.

In lieu of anything doing, here's a few bits that got missed from recent posts for one reason or another plus a couple of updates.

First up, back on 11/05/2010 I searched for larvae and collected sprigs of hawthorn. A couple of days ago I had a first success when this emerged:

Ptycholoma lecheana

Even on freshly emerged individuals, the yellow-brown scales seem patchy and prone to falling off leaving black patches.

Next up, a micro I've been taking in the garden recently:

Coleophora albicosta

This breeds on the gorse bushes that are on the embankment adjacent to the garden. Back in 2002 I had the first for VC55 confirmed from my garden (and it was present the year before but not gen detted)

Here's a few that are from the Narborough Bog catch on Sunday night:

Platyptilia gonodactyla

Nutmeg

Gold Swift - refused to sit still, constantly revving

Buff-tip - wouldn't sit the right way up (upside down) on the birch sapling

Also from Narborough Bog is this:

Cream-spot Ladybird

Ladybirds quite often turn up in the moth traps and I like to see them - they are mothing mates in my book. Obviously I would be concerned if I started getting ladyboys in the moth trap, that would just be wrong.

Finally, last week I was lucky enough to be presented with a box of Emperor Moth caterpillars courtesy of Keith 'Mothshots' Tailby. He'd reared some last year, and managed to assemble a male to his garden this year resulting in more eggs than he could possibly cope with. I've tried assembling this species before without success, so was more than happy to blag a few to rear for next spring. They were already just under 20mm when I got them on the Wednesday evening, now they are just over 30mm and growing fast - eating loads of sallow and shedding skin. They change dramatically through the instars, going from mainly black with a bit of orange, to orange and black, to green and black, and finally to huge and green. Superb caterpillars. I'll get more images as they grow.