Yeovil end of year summary

One last update for 2017 for the Yeovil ST52 17  square. The following table shows my targets for the square (set in January, these were on the safe-side and I mostly made all of them), the actual result (which gives 634 as the final tally) and my targets for 2018. So if I can attain most of the targets I should actually get to 1000 for the square in 2018. We shall see!

Secondly I hope that a few more people will give the challenge a go next year. Its not about topping the table (ask a Rochdale fan - longest non-winning streak in the football league, 107 years and counting!) but it really does challenge you to look harder and to try and understand more about wildlife. This year I added 522 species to my total UK Pan Species List of which 94 came from this square. (that is, nearly a fifth of all my total UK lifers for the year came from one very ordinary 1km square - amazing!)

Finally I plan to continue with this square, which is near where I work, next year. I also plan to do a different square nearer to where I live but plan to post details about that square later.

Happy New Year to all who took part

Group	2017 target	2017 result	2018 target
Lichens	5	14	30
Fungi	50	42	110
Bryrophytes	10	5	20
Plants	150	226	250
Molluscs	10	10	30
Annelid worms	5	3	10
Arachnids	10	13	30
Myriapods	0	2	10
Crustacea	5	2	10
Odonata	9	12	12
Orthoptera	10	5	10
Hemiptera	10	18	40
Hymenoptera	30	27	40
Coleoptera	50	25	50
Diptera	50	33	50
Butterflies	10	17	17
Moths	70	103	200
Other insects	2	3	10
Fish	1	1	1
Amphibia	3	3	3
Birds	61	61	61
Mammals	10	9	9
Totals	566	634	1003

Skye - Slimy Velvet

There's a whole week left of the year, so I'm just going to keep on and see how far I get. I'm working throughout, even on xmas day itself but will have my usual couple of random days off before the year is up. 

These stunners have suddenly started appearing on logs and fallen branches, seems quite incongruous after seeing nothing but micro-fungi, candlesnuff, crusts and the odd bit of Yellow Brain for the past few weeks. Then BANG these big beauties appear, seemingly out of nowhere and in late December too!

Flammulina velutipes - Velvet Shank

I didn't have a clue as to what they were (not very good with macro fungi...) but I had help from a reader of my blog who named them for me. Turns out they're common up here, common everywhere really, I just haven't noticed them before.

So, that's 1001 for the Challenge with hopefully a few more to come too.

1000 for Skye!

Well, I took my own sweet time but have finally managed to arrive at the thousand species mark. Phew! In the end it came down to two moths that I'd somehow neglected to add to the list (realised that just yesterday) and the 1000th species being a freshwater snail that I found today, hiding amongst a water-weed sample that I'd brought indoors to inspect for micro-algae. It's a pretty grim pic, but please may I present to you Species 1000.... Jenkin's Spire Shell!!!!

Potamopyrgus antipodarum aka Jenkin's Spire Shell

Here's the breakdown as per PSL categories, with the totals alongside the numbers I projected at the start of the year. As can be seen, I was pretty close on some but a long way off the mark with others!

Algae - 45 species (25 predicted) 33 lifers!
Slime Moulds - 2 species (2 predicted) 1 lifer

Protists - 1 species (5 predicted) 1 lifer, it being my very first protist

Lichens - 55 species (60 predicted) 16 lifers

Fungi - 96 species (50 predicted) 37 lifers
Bryophytes - 55 species (60 predicted) 22 lifers

Vascular plants - 273 species (140 predicted) 19 lifers
Sponges - 1 species (2 predicted)
Cnidarians - 3 species (5 predicted)

Molluscs - 40 species (50 predicted) 8 lifers
Bryozoans - 8 species (8 predicted) 2 lifers
Annelids - 9 species (15 predicted) 4 lifers
Platyhelminths - 6 species (7 predicted) 2 lifers
Arachnids - 26 species (20 predicted) 4 lifers
Myriapods - 12 species (15 predicted) 2 lifers

Crustaceans - 10 species (20 predicted) 1 lifer

Springtails - 4 species (4 predicted) 1 lifer
Bristletails - 1 species (1 predicted)

Odonata - 1 species (3 predicted)

Orthoptera - 1 species (4 predicted)

Hemiptera - 22 species (45 predicted) 11 lifers

Hymenoptera - 12 species (40 predicted) 10 lifers

Coleoptera - 37 species (70 predicted) 19 lifers
Diptera - 62 species (60 predicted) 32 lifers
Butterflies - 5 species (6 predicted)
Moths - 93 species (140 predicted - assuming use of a light-trap, which I didn't have) 12 lifers
Other Insects - eg Lacewings 1, Stoneflies 3, Caddisflies 1 = 5 species (20 predicted) 4 lifers
Echinoderms - 1 species (4 predicted)
Tunicates - 0 species (4 predicted)
Fish - 7 species (10 predicted) 2 lifers

Amphibians - 1 species (2 predicted)

Reptiles - 0 species (2 predicted)

Birds - 94 species (90 predicted)

Mammals - 10 species (10 predicted)

Others (Nemerteans) - 1 species (1 predicted)

Biggest gains have been algae and plants, largest losses have been seashore stuff and hemiptera, hymenoptera and coleoptera. I find it quite staggering that one solitary Common Frog sums up the entire herp activity that I've encountered this year, just one species of dragonfly seen and absolutely no grasshoppers/crickets whatsoever! The sole orthopteroid encountered was Common Earwig. However, I have had some truly blinding species up here. I'm really not complaining at all, just remarking.

Of the 1000 species recorded up to 19th December, 243 have been lifers. One in every four, roughly. That too I find quite staggering, though in a very pleasing way.

Anyway, the year ain't over yet folks. Ali, you better pull yer finger out or I'll leave you behind before New Years' arrives!

I've resumed blogging again, check out my Skye's the Limit blog for fuller details of recent sightings and shenanigans. It looks likely that I'll be doing this craziness again in 2018, should anybody care to join me............. :)

Dalgety Bay, fife - gnats

A couple of fungus gnats I pulled off their pins (and, sadly, apart) which had been languishing since September. Both came up trumps - Boletina nitida (which I misidentified and was corrected!) and Mycetophila unitotata. Both, it goes without saying, are new to me.

I'll keep on at this site and see whether it can make 2000. I already have a bunch from last year, including another fungus gnat which is probably new to Scotland but was taken in 2016 (Megophthalmidia crassicornis).

Only 9 to go for Seth now. Come on!

Boletina nitida

Mycetophila unitotata

Mycetophila unitotata - ID features!

Numbers:

1016	Boletina nitida	A fungus gnat
1017	Mycetophila uninotata	A fungus gnat

Thats Durham done

Well I reckon that's me finished now. 1047, pretty much as was planned though I should have put a lot more effort in looking for invertebrates.

Only a few addtions, though the Brown Hare I had given up on as it's been a couple of years since I had one here.

1042. Peziza badia (Bay Cup fungus)
1043. Palustriella commutata (Curled Hook-moss)
1044. Lepus europaeus (Brown Hare)
1045. Poecilocampa populi (December Moth)
1046. Erannis defoliaria (Mottled Umber)
1047. Melampsora euphorbiae (Spurge Rust)

I dont think it was much a challenge doing the same square a second time and I didn't have it in me nor possibly the time,  to try and beat the previous attempt.

I still need a challenge however and to move out of my square/comfort zone,  so I think  I'll do something on the lines that Seth suggested and hit the coast. I need to get my overall pan-list up which is sorely lacking things with marina, maritima etc in the vernacular. Want to here a confession? - I have NEVER done any rockpooling, anywhere! After some thought I'm going to try for 2,000 species but all within VC66 and all within 100m  of the high water mark and not venturing more than 100m inland at the Tyne/Wear/Tees estuaries. It could get a bit frustrating not being able to count many of seabirds or cetaceans that are too far out but I've seen most of them I could expect to see so it will not be a big problem. I have no idea whatsoever if it's its possible to get 2,000 or if in fact it will be dead easy but certainly different from what I'm used to.

That's me sorted for 2018


Keith Robson
NZ2549 - VC66 (Waldridge)

Dalgety Bay - Schoenomyza litorella, a muscid fly

A very peculiar member of the Muscidae and a bizarre coincidence. Looking at the Muscidae list of most commonly recorded species I hadn't seen I googled some of the "gaps", once of which was this fly. Friday evening I pull a square of plastazote from the shelf and there it is! Sat there ignominiously bypassed by many others since September

Sehr shoen indeed :)

Number(s)

1015

diptera

Shoenomyza litorella

A muscid fly

Dalgety Bay, Fife - the smallest update

Went vismigging for Waxwings. No Waxwings. Did get a Buzzard finally though!

Had a quick think to see if I could come up with 10 bird species that are still possible. It was shockingly easy!

Long-tailed Duck	winter visitor small numbers
Little Auk	easterlies
GN Diver	winter visitor small numbers
Waxwing	winter visitor small numbers
Crossbill	passage migrant
Peregrine Falcon	resident wader hunter
Reed Bunting	late year passage migrant small numbers
Treecreeper	had in adjacent square
Slav Grebe	winter visitor small numbers
Barnacle Goose	occasional

01/12/2017

1014

Buteo buteo

Common Buzzard