After the wind calmed down yesterday afternoon I put on my wellies for a walk and there had clearly been some arrival of birds as the wintering Redwings and Meadow Pipits had left, but there was suddenly more here. By the school field a Skylark appeared flying low North and then wandering down a lane, I looked up to see a crow bothering a Short-eared Owl high in the sky. What a bonus bird! Never seen an owl in the square in 10 years, and that's 2 species in the last couple of weeks.
Dissected the tortrix moth from the trap at the weekend and discovered it was indeed a female Acleris ferrugana (not a surprise as notana hadn't been recorded since 1898).
So, along with the ID help of my comrades, that makes another 5 species for the list:
251 - Bonfire Moss
252 - Skylark
253 - Short-eared Owl
254 - Cartodere bifasciata (beetle)
255 - Acleris ferrugana (moth)
Took a photo of this fungusy-type-thing under a buttercup leaf the other day. Is it anything in particular you think?
Hiya Mark, first off that's an incredibly neat gen det mate! Secondly, I don't know what ails your buttercup but have a look at Entyloma microsporum which is kind of similar and worth looking out for. I guess Scops Owl will be the next in your square, probably in about 2 weeks time :D
ReplyDeleteCheers Seth. The old school moth-dissectors stand aghast when I tell them that after photo'ing them through the microscope I generally wash them down the plughole. "But you should make a permanent slide for reference purposes" they say. And I say "Get with-it grandad. This is the 21st century you know. Now let's go to a rave and smoke some crack...."
ReplyDeleteI shall check out your suggested fungi and then go out with a torch to look for Scops. Happy Days!