With a couple of days of warm temperatures and sunshine finally coinciding with a weekend, it was difficult to decide where to go. I'm not overly keen on the heat, and moreso when I'm trying to carry my birding gear around, as I tend to tire rapidly in those circumstances. June can be a bit of a non-event bird-wise, with Spring migration almost entirely fizzled out and Autumnal movement still to get underway coupled with adult birds preoccupied with providing for youngsters or still on eggs, and lush green vegetation everywhere hampering clear views of what birds are around. I didn't want to stay in all weekend though, so I decided to visit Caird Park to see what insect life I could find around the area earmarked for a large Sport Centre development.
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| Episyrphus balteatus |
I headed out without binoculars around 1450, and only a camera with a macro lens on it for taking photos of any finds. Birds would be noted but were not the priority. There was still a strong wind blowing so I needed to find areas sheltered from the westerlies. On the walk to Caird park I did manage to see a few species of bird, with Herring Gull, Blackbird and Jackdaw spotted within a few minutes of starting my walk. House Sparrow, Feral Pigeon and Goldfinch as well as House Martin were all seen around Mains Loan. Once across the Kingsway I started searching almost immediately with a thick hedge providing a nice wind-break. Swallows swept low over the football pitches hoovering up the low flying insects.
There seemed to be plenty of metallic green flies (Dolichopus popularis?) around the hedge. I spotted a Scorpion-Fly but frustratingly failed to get a photo. A few other species of flies were spotted, including a small orange coloured fly (Xyphosia miliaria?) that I've seen before elsewhere. I wandered down slowly towards the stadium stopping at various points to look and photograph whatever I could find. A spider (Phylloneta impressa?) was found among the branches of a small bush. The first Soldier Beetle of the day, a black one (possibly Rhagnycha elongata), was found resting on a Buttercup. A micro-moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella) posed on a stem of grass, with wings opened rather uncharacteristically. This was another species I knew I'd seen elsewhere. A small Hoverfly species was next and an odd looking small fly was on another leaf. A 'White' butterfly skipped past behind me but wouldn't stop to allow a photo.
The exo-skeletal remains of a small insect were found fastened by strands of web on yet another leaf. Another unidentified small fly was the next find. A Blackcap was heard singing from the trees by the road at the stadium, and a Buzzard flew across the cycle track and into trees near the road, before returning a minute or so later. Another micro-moth of the same species was seen among the grass and what appeared to be the same species of spider as found earlier was photographed near the back entrance to the stadium. An Ant wandered down the section of stone wall but proved to fast for a photo. A more interesting looking Spider (Arancella opisthographa?) was found on the end of another leaf. This one had a green abdomen and orange-y front.
A Silver Ground Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe montanata) was flushed as I wandered along the edge of the fence surrounding the stadium. Unfortunately the wind was able to affect things here, so insects proved to be few and far between. A Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) hid among the hedge surrounding the stadium, and a Bumble Bee (Bombus pratorum) was photographed. A rather shiny black fly and another small hoverfly were seen. Having made it round to the main entrance to the stadium, I continued up the track by the fence stopping to spy a group of Long Tailed Tits in the trees. There were flies of a few species in the few dappled areas of sunlight but unsurprisingly there was less to see in this cooler area.
I headed up to the trees running parallel with the Kingsway and slowly walked along the overgrown area bordering the football pitches. As well as flies, there were a few Silver Ground Carpet moths, and a darker patterned moth that I failed to photograph which I suspect was a Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata). An Ichneumon species hunted low among the vegetation. I managed to get a photo of another Scorpion-Fly and photographed another Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) on a buttercup. A green Saw-Fly species (Tenthredo mesomela?) was an unexpected find. There were plenty of Nettle-Tap (Anthophila fabriciana) moths around and a second Ichneumon-like insect (Tenthredo livida?) was seen, this one with white sections on its antennae.
A very small Soldier Beetle (Malthinus sp.) was spotted on a stalk of grass and photographed. A Party of Woodpigeons fed down on the grass alongside a single Rabbit. I noticed some tiny grey micro-moths (Ocnerostoma piniariella) among the needles on a Pine tree and managed to get a few photos. A black and orange Soldier Beetle (Cantharis nigricans) was the nest find followed shortly after by a minute Moth-Fly species. Another orange fly (Xyphosia miliaria?) was found and then a 2-spot Ladybird (Adalia bipunctata) was chanced upon among the greenery. A Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) frustratingly would not stay in one place long enough to get the camera to focus before I lost sight of it.
A Potato Leafhopper (Eupteryx aurata) was the nest discovery - another species that I wasn't aware of having seen before. What appeared to be the third species of 'normal-sized' Soldier Beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) was next and then a Crane-Fly (Tipula lunata) with a 'club' tail was photographed among the weeds. Another Hoverfly and then a miniscule metallic micro-moth (Micropterix aruncella) was found and photographed. There were one or two Wasps hunting low among the grasses and plants, though never staying still enough for a photo for an ID. A few more Hoverflies and another Ichneumon were found before I decided to head for home having spent an interesting couple of hours hunting for the smaller inhabitants of a park that I only usually search for birds. A Lesser Black Backed Gull was seen from the bus as it detoured along the Kingsway.
The strong wind made things difficult to properly search so a return visit will likely be on the cards sometime relatively soon.
12 species of birds seen - Blackbird, Buzzard, Goldfinch, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Feral Pigeon, Swallow, Woodpigeon.
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| Fly sp. |
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| Phylloneta impressa? |
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| Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha elongata?) |
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| Dolichopus popularis? |
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| Chrysoteuchia culmella |
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| Hoverfly? sp. |
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| ? |
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| Fly sp. |
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| Fly sp. |
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| Doichopus popularis? |
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| Phylloneta impressa? |
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| Arancella opisthographa? |
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| Silver Ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) |
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| Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) |
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| Bumble Bee (Bombus pratorum) |
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| Fly sp. |
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| ? |
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| Fly sp? |
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| Tenthredo mesomela? |
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| Fly sp. |
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| Silver Ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) |
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| Scorpion-Fly (Panorpa sp.) |
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| Nettle-Tap (Antophilia fabriciana) |
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| Tenthredo livida? |
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| Fly sp. |
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| Ocnerostoma piniariella |
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| Soldier Beetle (Cantharis nigricans?) |
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| Hoverfly? sp |
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| Moth Fly (Pericoma sp.) |
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| Xyphosia miliaria? |
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| 2-Spot Ladybird (Adalia bipunctata) |
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| Potato Leafhopper (Eupteryx aurata) |
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| Silver Ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) |
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| Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva?) |
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| Ocnerostoma piniariella |
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| Fly sp. |
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| Crane-Fly (Tipula lunata) |
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| Soldier Beetle (Malthinus sp.) |
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| Micropterix aruncella |
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| Hoverfly sp. |
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| Soldier Beetle (Cantharis nigricans?) |
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| Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha Fulva?) |
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| Ichneumon? sp. |
Insect/Spider IDs are largely provisional at best - Suggestions/Corrections welcome.
Spiders - Phylloneta impressa?, Arancella opisthographa?, Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
Damselflies - Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
Butterfly - White sp.
Moth - Silver Ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata), Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata)?
Micro-Moth - Chrysoteuchia culmella, Ocnerostoma piniariella, Micropterix aruncella, Nettle-Tap (Anthophilia fabriciana)
Soldier Beetle - Rhagonycha fulva?, Rhagonycha elongata?, Cantharis nigricans?, Malthinus sp.
Crane Fly - Tipula lunata, possibly also Tipula oleracea?
Hoverfly - Episyrphus balteatus, also at least 2 other small "metallic" bodied species
Ichneumon/Saw-Fly - Tenthredo mesomela?, Tenthredo livida?
Leafhopper - Potato Leafhopper (Eupteryx aurata)
Moth Fly - Pericoma sp.
Ladybird - 2-spot Ladybird (Adalia bipunctata)
Fly - Xyphosia miliaria?, Dolichopus popularis?, also at least another 3 or 4 unidentified species of various sizes
Bee - Bombus pratorum
Wasp - at least 1 unidentified species
Ant - 1 unidentified species
