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| Micro moth species 1 |
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| Crane Fly species |
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| Common Whitethroat |
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| Ringlet |
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| Bee species |
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| Bumble Bee species 1 |
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| Blackcap |
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| Pond Skater species |
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| Hoverfly species |
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| Nettle Tap moth |
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| Micro moth species 2 |
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| Grasshopper species |
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| Shaded Broad Bar moth |
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| Stock Dove |
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| Ichneumon species |
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| Marmalade Hoverfly |
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| Greenbottle |
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| Micro moth species 3 |
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| Bumble Bee species 2 |
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| Micro moth species (1?) |
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| Micro moth species (2?) |
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| Plume Moth species plus Soldier Beetle |
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| Pond Life |
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| Micro moth species 4 |
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Beetle species
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A little late with this particular post, but better late than never. My rather neglected (by me this year) local patch, Riverside Nature Park was to be the venue for a Bio-Blitz event earlier this month. As I had paid very few visits to the park this year, I decided to pop along to meet up with friends from the Friends of Riverside Nature Park committee, of which I was previously a member, and to help out in the recording of species at the location, mostly birds and insects (I'm useless with plants!). July can be very quiet on the bird front, but there can be a variety of insect species around if the weather is warm enough to tempt them out.
I headed down to the park for around 1120-ish, spotting Woodpigeon as I entered the park. Instead of looking up and sticking to the paths I wandered off into the longer grass to see what I could find. The sun was quite strong and warm, with a bit more wind than ideal, but still not too strong to deter flying insects too much. There were lots of micro moths among the grass, taking flight and landing quickly further on, only to be disturbed again. I found a small black 'money' spider on a fence post, then the first Cranefly (Daddy Long Legs) of the day. One or two species of Bumblebees buzzed around.
Overhead a few Swallows zipped around with Swifts a little higher in the air. A few butterfly species were seen as I headed further away from the path, with at least one of the Whites and the far more numerous Ringlet and Meadow Brown which fill the park at this time of year. My next find was a small Ichneumon species which I have seen around the park before but which has gone unidentified so far. A Common Whitethroat sang from the roadside wires. A couple of carrion Crows flew over, with Herring Gull a few minutes later gliding towards the bay. The next insect find was a not unexpected Green Capsid Bug. At Buzzard Wood, a Chaffinch was seen in the trees. The puddle held a number of Pondskaters. Goldfinches twittered over and into the trees. Next up bird-wise was Black Headed Gull and a small shiny metallic looking fly rested on a stone by the puddle behind the fence in Buzzard Wood.
A young Blackcap foraged among the tangle of bushes as I watched a Hoverfly darting around by the fence. A Nettle-Tap moth was on a leaf. I wandered off through the grass again, spooking a Shaded Broad Bar moth before finding another species of micro moth and the only grasshopper of the day, which tried to hide near the base of the grass it rested on. I spotted a bird approaching at speed and managed a few photos of what turned out to be a Stock Dove. A Pied Wagtail called as it flew in the opposite direction to the dove. Another fly species was found before I headed over to the small marquee-type tent which was 'hosting' the event. I spotted the local moth expert over by his trap and had a quick chat before being distracted by a Song Thrush.
In the tent itself there were a few insects including a small froghopper/leafhopper, a larger Ichneumon, a slim bug and a small moth all resting on the canvas. I chatted to a few folk I knew for a while, enjoying the cool shade inside away from the warm sun. I had another short walk around the area behind the car park where I found yet another macro moth species, along with Marmalade Hoverflies, a Greenbottle and a different micro moth species. An Oystercatcher was surprisingly difficult to spot despite it calling loudly as it flew by. family of Long Tailed Tits called from the bushes and a Starling glided over at speed. Yet another unidentified micro moth was found next.
I decided to join the small group walk being led by Ian Ford, spotting Blue Tit, Blackbird and House Sparrow before we had gone very far. A Robin showed briefly. A noisy flock of Common Gull, Herring Gull, Black Headed Gull and Sandwich Terns overflew from the direction of the bay heading towards the factory roof to the east where they roost at high tide. There were more micro moths seen, along with a spider on its web. A Plume Moth species was found by one of the visitors along with a Soldier Beetle. Another bee species and yet another micro moth were found before I parted company from the group to head for the Lochan and the bay. At the Lochan, Kate Treharne had done a spot of pond dipping which showed a mix of the expected beasts such as Water Boatmen and various other things.
I headed off towards the bay next, a few Carrion Crows and Jackdaws being seen en route. With the tide fully in the bay was quiet, and the vegetation made viewing tricky. I did managed to see Mallards, a Mute Swan and Lesser Black Backed Gulls, as well as the other usual gull species. A Wren showed briefly on one of the "windows" of the hide but shot off into the bushes to a suspected nest site before I managed a photo. I walked back round the path to the car park, seeing a small flock of Goldfinches at the Buddleia trail. Another micro moth was photographed nearby and a Cormorant was spotted out on the river. A pair of Yellowhammer were atop one of the piles in the compost area.
Back at the tent, I had another chat and added my sightings to the lists on the boards. Others had heard Spotted Flycatcher and Sedge Warbler along towards the hide. A Skylark flew over, and I helped to pack things up before heading towards the eastern exit. A Reed Bunting was a late addition to my bird list for the day. The insect list was not quite finished either with a small red rounded beetle being spotted on a plant stem. As I knelt down to get photos I spotted ants around my feet, some of which found their way onto me, quickly being brushed off again. I stopped to photograph a wasp and a fly near the gate before heading up to catch the bus back into town and then home.
Although a lot of my insect photos are so far unidentified (lack of time so far) it was quite a successful day with at least a few new micro moth species for me seen. My own bird list reached 31 species for the day.
Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Cormorant, Goldfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Robin, Sandwich Tern, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer
If anyone can supply IDs for any of the creatures in the photos, please leave a comment. Thanks in advance.