As part of the madness that is PSL, yesterday I took part in Graeme Lyons' daft idea of a 24 hour megablitz event. Despite some fairly crappy weather (I never even swung my net once. Not once!) I managed to record 462 species. Then I realised I'd misread my own handwriting and skipped from 240 straight to 247 (my 0 in 240 looked like a 6, what can I say..) so the revised tally for the 24 hour period is 456. I also managed to record Flid Vole, whatever that is. I still have loads of dead stuff to key through so the tally will eventually rise, though Graeme's Rules state that any ID work needs to be completed on the day so they won't make it onto the tally even when I do identify them.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before all that I added 30 species from my last update on 30th May. Lifers were a couple of Cantharis soldier beetles, three flies (a Doli, a feverfly and a leaf-mining larva), an exciting Psyllid and Spear Thistle Lacebug which was noted whilst strimming. I always carry pots now, no matter where I may be.
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| Dolichopus popularis. I'd be popularis too with a genital package as large as that |
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| Craspedolepta nebulosa - a Psyllid new to Scotland!!! |
Excited with my 'new to Scotland' psyllid I contacted the local recorder who went out and also found it on Rosebay Willowherb. He told his hemiptera chap who said it's all over the place now, just that the maps haven't been updated in a while. Buggerit.
Back to 10th June, the Big Day. I won't list all the new additions coz it'll be a long, long list. Essentially I added plenty of plants, a few moths, a few beetles, Noctule Bat, Blue Jellyfish, a coupla flies and other assorted oddities. Managed a grand total of ELEVEN lifers which was very pleasing.
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| 10th June at 0000hrs - time to start.... |
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| Species Number 2 (0003hrs) - Pale-shouldered Brocade - Lifer! |
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| Dawn at 0430 with a rainbow overhead |
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| Flid Vole, if the rain-splattered scrawl in my notebook is to be believed |
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| Number 456 of the day: Map-winged Swift on the wall at 2354hrs. |
All of that puts me up to 698 species, a tidy jump. Hoping to be 3/4 of the way there by month's end.
Wow, amazing and very well done Seth an impressive score. Well done on the Flid Vole too, very nice.
ReplyDeleteVery decent return on 24 hrs I'd say, especially your lifer tally. I'll keep my eye out for too!
ReplyDeleteExcellent work Seth - I haven't got the stamina for anything like a 24 hour bash but a real help towards the 1K by the looks of things
ReplyDeleteCheers chaps, I'm gonna do it again in July but on a day where the sun is shining and the tide is really low. Target species will be Dunnock, I'm NOT missing that one again, lol.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I messaged Christian via FB and hopefully he'll be back in action sometime soon.
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