The Naturalists' Notebook

A dozen MNA members turned out for our visit to Neumann’s and Ashton’s Flash near Northwich. We took one of the well marked trails on a circular path around Neumann’s stopping off at the hides en route. Great numbers of Lapwing at around 400 birds and a lone European Golden Plover joined them. On one of the Flash spits a couple of Dunlin were busy feeding and a Snipe was unusually out in the open on with a couple of others adopting their more usual habit of skulking in the reeds. The motley crew of Gulls was joined by a snoozing Yellow-legged Gull. Waterbirds included Cormorants, Grey Herons, Mallards, Teal including one displaying male, Shoveler, Moorhen and a lone Wigeon.  A Sparrowhawk flew over and later we had a Buzzard. A couple of feeding Tit flocks flew over the path in front of us containing Long-tailed and Great Tits. Lingering Summer migrants included a couple of Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler and a few Swallows zooming past. A group of four Jay provided entertainment around the completely dry Hadyn’s Pool in the Anderton Nature Park and later we had good views of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker on the top of a tree.Usually seen in the Spring, there were large numbers of Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni on one tree and a few others seen during the walk.

Alder Leaf Beetles

A few interesting finds along the wooden fencing with two Harlequin Ladybirds Harmonia axyridis and four larvae, two Orange Ladybirds Halyzia 16-guttata and one larvae, a Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina and nymph and a few Blue Bottles Calliphora vomitoria.

Harlequin Ladybird larvae

Orange Ladybird

Green Shieldbug

Bluebottle

Hoverflies included a few Eristalis species, Syrphus ribesii and Sphaerophoria scripta.

Hoverfly Syrphus ribesii

Hoverfly Sphaerophoria scripta
 

Flowering plants included Common Toadflax Linaria vulgaris, Hedge Woundwort Stachys sylvatica, Himalayan Balsalm Impatiens glandulifera, Hemp Agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum, Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea, Bush Vetch Vicia sepium, Tansy Tanacetum vulgare, Wild Parsnip Pastinaca sativa, Great Bindweed Calystegia silvatica and Perforate St John’s Wort Hypericum perforatum.

Great Bindweed

With the Fungi season underway we were pleased to find Many-zoned Polypore Trametes versicolor, numerous layers of Lumpy Bracket Trametes gibbosa on a few dead trees, Hairy Stereum Stereum hirsutum, Beech Woodwart Hypoxylon fragiforme and alone Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria. Rumaging around in a young Birch wood provided some more interesting finds with large numbers of Birch Webcap Cortinarius triumphans and four mouse-eaten specimens of Orange Birch Bolete Leccinum versipelle.

Birch Webcap

More evidence of Autumn with fruiting Black Bryony Tamus communis, Guelder Rose Viburnum opulus, Elderberry Sambucus nigra, Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, Blackthorn Prunus spinosa, Spindle Tree Euonymus europaeus. 

A number of the Penduculate Oaks Quercus robur had galls: Marble Gall caused by the Gall Wasp Andricus kollari, a few Silk Button Galls caused by the Gall Wasp Neuroterus numismalis and numerous Common Spangle Galls caused by the Gall Wasp Neuroterus quercusbaccarum. Also found a couple of Turkey Oaks Quercus cerris with pointy ended short-stalked acorns in bristly cups.

Marble Galls

Common Spangle Galls

All too soon we had to head home…

Nearly a full coach for the MNA visit to Old Moor RSPB Reserve located in the DearneValley close to Barnsley, Yorkshire.The feeding station adjacent to the visitor centre was doing good business with Greenfinches, Chaffinches, a female Bullfinch feeding her two offspring, Blue and Great Tits, Robins and a Wren. A small pond held a number of Pond Skaters Gerris lacustris, a couple of aquatic Snails and a beautiful pink Water Lily.

Pond Skater

Pink Water Lily

There were also White Water Lilies Nymphaea odorata, Branched Bur-reed Sparganium erectum, Bulrushes Typha latifolia, Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria and Water Mint Mentha aquatica growing in some of the newly created dragonfly ponds.A trail led to a number of hides overlooking shallow ponds with muddy wader scrapes and islands scattered around. This excellent habitat provided us with good views of a number of duck species mostly still in eclipse plumage with Wigeon, Gadwall, Tufties, Shoveler, Teal, Mallard, Moorhen and Coot. Plenty of Little Grebes, I counted nine along with two Great-crested Grebes. Waders included Lapwings, Dunlin – some with the remnants of their black summer bellies, a Curlew Sandpiper seen by a few members, three Greenshank,  two Black-tailed Godwits, a dozen or so Ruff and a few Green Sandpipers joining the ten Common Sandpipers. The islands held small birds feeding on insects or seeds in the grass with a female Wheatear, Linnets, Meadow Pipits, Goldfinches and Pied Wagtails. A number of Swallows were flying around busy re-fuelling on insects for their journey south.

The strong winds kept the Insects and Butterflies to a minimum but a few Dragonflies braved the blustery conditions with Common Darters Sympetrum striolatum, Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis and Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta.

Female Common Darter

Male Common Darter

Bushes laden with berries included Hawthorns Crataegus monogyna, Dog Rose Rosa canina, Japanese Rose Rosa rugosa, Sea Buckthorn Hippophae rhamnoides, Sloes on Blackthorn Prunus spinosa and Guelder Rose Viburnum opulus. I found a number of Robin’s Pincushion Galls a.k.a. Bedeguar Gall caused by a Gall Wasp Diplolepis rosae which lays its eggs in either the leaves or stem of the Dog Rose.

Robin’s Pincushion Gall

Artwork was varied on the reserve with a bird-themed play area for the kids, a small herb garden decorated with some amusing wildlife illustrations, aquatic creatures beside a pond-dipping pool and a number of wood carvings.

Wildlife illustration in the herb garden

I took quite a shine to a kids toy Rat hand puppet in the RSPB gift shop, John Clegg posed with it on his hand.

Just returned from a hectic 3 week trip to Indonesia visiting Sumatra, Java and Bali. Here’s a few pics of the wildlife I encountered during the journey.

Mating Black–spined Toads Duttaphrynus melanostictus

Buffy Fish–owl Ketupa ketupu

Sumatran Orangutan Pongo abelii

Crab-eating macaque Macaca fascicularis

Large Flying Fox Pteropus vampyrus

 Butterfly Delias belisama

Blue Pansy Junonia orithya

Green Hawk Moth Pergesa acteus

Crimson Marsh Glider Trithemis aurora

Female Dragonfly Trithemis

Insect

Caterpillar

Caterpillar

Tragically there was a huge number of caged wild birds hanging outside peoples homes throughout Sumatra and Java. We visited an bird & animal market in Malang where there were Shrikes, various Owls, White-eyes, Sunbirds, Asian Fairy Bluebirds and even a Banded Pitta. One of the market traders tried to sell me one of his young Macques for a pittance and another boasted about his Tockay Geckos. 

Tokay Gecko Gekko gecko

Scops Owl

Darren at Halewood gave Dave and Adam Bond a barn owl pellet to dissect. They found the remains of three bank voles. Dave comments “Was suprised to see that the one pellet contained three vole skeletons and that the barn owl is said to expel two or three pellets per day – that’s a lot of small mammals being eaten in a day’s work.”

Inspired by “seeing Sabena’s stunning pics on the site a few months back” they took the time to assemble the best skeleton.

In the Wassenaar Dunes he found a Blue-winged grasshopper Oedipoda caerulescens,  which is rare in the Netherlands. Young Adam was thrilled to be able to hold it.

He also took this one of a Sand digger wasp.