The Natural History Of Staffordshire: Fauna and Flora (2 Viewers)

[minkstone]

The council are digging a good size scrape, between the school and park hall golf course (that was).

 

[minkstone]

Park Hall Wetland Walk, 3 darters in the sun, managed to identify one as a ruddy darter

 

[dwe]

Moth records for 2013

Getting towards the end of the mothing year now - though I did have 3 Red-green Carpets and a Chestnut last night plus a Mottled Umber on a tree trunk!

If any of you have any records for the year please do send them to me at [email protected]

Details of how to submit are on my Staffs Moths and Butterfly atlas http://tinyurl.com/puvypea

FYI I am updating the Smaller Moths of Staffordshire which will be available as a PDF so any micro data will be especially useful.

Thanks

Dave Emley

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Butterflies

A bit of warmth today and out come brimstones, peacocks, commas, small torts

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Orange tip at Hanchurch Woods yesterday - any one else seen any this year?

Cheers, Nick

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Silverdale CP

Orange Underwing (moth) - first I've seen in the area for 10+ years - and an early Large White on The Void today
Nick

 

[dwe]

Orange tip at Hanchurch Woods yesterday - any one else seen any this year?

Cheers, Nick

One at Keele on Sunday 13th, with Green-veined White too.

Dave

 

[Richard Powell]

Mayfly

This cracking Mayfly landed on my scope this afternoon. Quite a large hatching of them at Uttoxeter Quarry today.

 

[chris butterworth]

Good numbers of Orangetip, Green-veined White and Brimstone at Coombes Valley, along with Argent and Sable today.

 

[Adam M]

Good numbers of Orangetip, Green-veined White and Brimstone at Coombes Valley, along with Argent and Sable today.

I was part of a team that did surveys for A+S for 3 years at Coombes, where only one of us saw one...once. I've still never seen one of the little beauties. Now there are loads of people seeing them without too much effort. The recent photo on the Coombes blog was taken after a volunteer went "What's that moth?" I'm just a little jealous if I'm honest.

Quite glad the woodland ride work we did has seen the population grow to the point where visitors can just walk up and see them though. Conservation work that actually works. Gotta love it :t:

Adam

 

[chris butterworth]

It was the first time I'd been there Adam. Cracking place. There was just one A+S, in the same area as the dot on the map on the website, but it was embarrassingly 'easy'. Walked up to the area, looked at the map to make sure we were in the right spot and... there it was, flying around. :t:

 

[NickPomiankowski]

Swynnerton Army Base Butterly Survey

An excellent day's survey with W. Mids Butterfly Conservation of the army base (no public access unfortunately) produced 40+ grizzled skippers in perhaps 1/5 of suitable habitat surveyed. This must make it a site of national importance - it has large areas of wildflower habitat never touched by herbicides / insecticides. Also seen were 3-4 Brown Argus, Dingy Skippers, Common Blue, Small Heath, Marsh Pug, Small Copper, Latticed Heath, Burnet Companion, Orange Tip, Mint Moth, Peacock, Yellow Shell, Brown Silver-lines, Buff Tip.

Does anyone know what the shield bug is?

 

[Adam M]

The greater butterfly and common spotted orchids are almost flowering at Coombes Valley. Give it a week or two and they'll be ready.

The top meadow is looking stunning at the moment though, as it is a sea of pignut.

The big meadow (the last one you walk across on your way back to the car park), is full of bistort; which smells lovely...honest

It's a good time to get to grips with plants on site, I managed roughly 50 species with very little time and effort, and ignoring grasses.

Keep an eye out for chimney sweeper moths, which are currently present in all the meadows on site.

Adam

 

[chris butterworth]

I should have mentioned the Jaapiella vacciniorum galls on Bilberry at Coombes Valley. They were on most of the upper leaves of plants growing alongside an old wall as you climb up from the river ( where they are restoring meadowland? ).

 

[The Moore-hen]

My moth skills are a bit poor these days but I'm still pretty sure on the first two - Angle Shades and Brimstone Moth? No idea on the second two - a carpet or large pug? and some kind of micro? - any suggestions would be appreciated...:t:

 

[The Moore-hen]

A nice afternoon stroll in the sunshine around Seven Springs, Cannock Chase this afternoon not only produced a point-blank singing Wood Warbler and a couple of Spotted Flys but also a good showing of mammals...after seeing a Badger feeding in the undergrowth in broad daylight (my first live one for many years) I saw this tiny vole? feeding on the edge of the path - any idea on the ID of what it is? Then on the drive back over the Chase Road a nice group of Deer (Fallow?) by the side of the road including this very dark individual.

EDIT: I'm told on the ID forum that it's either a very young Wood or Yellow-necked Mouse - anybody know if both are present on the Chase?

 

[Adam M]

A nice afternoon stroll in the sunshine around Seven Springs, Cannock Chase this afternoon not only produced a point-blank singing Wood Warbler and a couple of Spotted Flys but also a good showing of mammals...after seeing a Badger feeding in the undergrowth in broad daylight (my first live one for many years) I saw this tiny vole? feeding on the edge of the path - any idea on the ID of what it is? Then on the drive back over the Chase Road a nice group of Deer (Fallow?) by the side of the road including this very dark individual.

EDIT: I'm told on the ID forum that it's either a very young Wood or Yellow-necked Mouse - anybody know if both are present on the Chase?

Yellow necked mouse would be a good record http://www.staffs-ecology.org.uk/ht...S0000080209&atlasid=M&maplevel=2&mapyear=1995

Wood mouse much more common http://www.staffs-ecology.org.uk/ht...S0000080210&atlasid=M&maplevel=2&mapyear=1995

No idea how to separate the two though; better left to people more knowledgeable than me no doubt.

But they are indeed fallow deer. The spots visible on the neck is the give away. But if seen fleeing, I seem to recall the pattern of the tail is also an ID feature for roe/fallow deer, with fallow having black and white looking like (l) roe having just white.

Adam

 

[Farnboro John]

Yellow necked mouse would be a good record http://www.staffs-ecology.org.uk/ht...S0000080209&atlasid=M&maplevel=2&mapyear=1995

Wood mouse much more common http://www.staffs-ecology.org.uk/ht...S0000080210&atlasid=M&maplevel=2&mapyear=1995

No idea how to separate the two though; better left to people more knowledgeable than me no doubt.

But they are indeed fallow deer. The spots visible on the neck is the give away. But if seen fleeing, I seem to recall the pattern of the tail is also an ID feature for roe/fallow deer, with fallow having black and white looking like (l) roe having just white.

Adam

The Fallow Deer tail pattern is diagnostic. The spots do not separate from Sika, though I don't know where the nearest population of the latter is.

The mouse photo is from the wrong angle and of a too young individual to identify to species.

John

 

[Adam M]

The Fallow Deer tail pattern is diagnostic. The spots do not separate from Sika, though I don't know where the nearest population of the latter is.

The mouse photo is from the wrong angle and of a too young individual to identify to species.

John

Never thought of sika as a confusion species. I always thought they were much bigger than fallow, but it appears not. Oh well, learn something new everyday :t:

Adam

 

[minkstone]

Over on the old Park Hall golf cause a possible common hawker flew past, never seen so many chimney sweep moths, the most marsh orchids I have seen over there on show this morning. Stu