Weather stops play

Have hardly been out for the last three days, today is particularly vile with gales, rain and cold. Did manage to see a bit before the latest bout of awful weather. It is meant to improve from tomorrow onwards, but things are way behind. A very unscientific analysis of data compared to 2014 shows 43 species of moth so far (454 in the whole of 2014), whereas beetles and flies are already ahead of my whole of 2014 totals (119/104 and 111/100 respectively). But that's mainly because I can now identify far more of the latter groups, of course. Anyway, here's what I've seen recently:

657	Betulapion simile	Coleoptera	Apionidae
658	Diaphora mendica	Lepidoptera:moths	Muslin Moth
659	Potentilla anserina	Vascular Plants	Silverweed
660	Muscari armeniacum	Vascular Plants	Garden Grape-hyacinth
661	Lamium maculatum	Vascular Plants	Spotted Dead-nettle
662	Cepaea hortensis	Molluscs	White-lipped Snail
663 *	Phorbia fumigata	Diptera	Anthomyiidae
664	Puccinia urticata	Fungi	Nettle Rust
665	Elytrigia repens	Vascular Plants	Common Couch
666	Syrphus torvus	Diptera	Syrphidae
667 *	Melangyna cincta	Diptera	Syrphidae
668	Atomaria basalis	Coleoptera	Cryptohagidae
669	Hypomma bituberculatum	Arachnids	Linyphiidae: Marsh Nob-head spider
670	Myrmica ruginodis	Hymenoptera	Ant
671	Fannia lepida	Diptera	Fanniidae
672 *	Nematus lucidus	Hymenoptera	Symphyta
673	Nomada flava	Hymenoptera	Flavous Nomad Bee
674 *	Hebecnema umbratica	Diptera	Muscidae
675 *	Tephrochlamys tarsalis	Diptera	Heleomyzidae
676 *	Nematus leucotrochus	Hymenoptera	Symphyta

Dalgety Bay - 2/3 of the way

So after a sunny day and two half hour sessions swishing a net at my cypresses I tipped over the month target of 667 with some room to spare. Most species were expected and even long overdue, but there was a nice new anthomyiid fly for Fife. Well, I say nice ... it looks a lot like a lot of the other ones. It's nothing spectacular range-wise as it seems this just fills in a gap in the middle. See more here.

I did a quick scan of the fly families I would need to record to make 200 this year and it will stretch me a bit, which is as intended. I've recorded 3 more spp of anthomyiid already than I did in the whole of last year!

Anyway, here's the lovely nettle-lover Nedyus quadromaculatus

N.quadromaculatus

Numbers:

660		diptera	Anthomyia procellaris	A flower fly
661		diptera	Melanostoma mellinum	A hoverfly
662		diptera	Meliscaeva auricollis	A hoverfly
663		diptera	Mycophaga testacea	A flower fly
664	*	diptera	Paradelia intersecta	A flower fly
665		diptera	Parasyrphus punctulatus	A hoverfly
666		diptera	Syrphus ribesii	A hoverfly
667		hymenoptera	Bombus lapidarius	Large Red-tailed Bumblebee
668		bird	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasant
669		coleoptera	Nedyus quadrimaculatus	A weevil
670		hemiptera	Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale	Hawthorn Shieldbug
671		lep-moth	Chloroclysta siterata	Red-green Carpet
672		fungus	Coprinus plicatilis	A mushroom

It's a fly thing....

There may be a theme developing here.

649 *	Hydrellia griseola	Diptera	Ephydridae
650	Syntormon pallipes	Diptera	Dolichopodidae
651	Rhamphomyia sulcata	Diptera	Empididae
652	Epistrophe eligans	Diptera	Syrphidae
653 *	Pegomya bicolor	Diptera	Anthomyiidae
654	Mesembrina meridiana	Diptera	Muscidae
655 *	Ormosia hederae	Diptera	Limoniidae
656 *	Agromyza nigrociliata	Diptera	Agromyzidae

300 up at Eype

With the recent improvement in the weather numbers of species have finally started to take off at Eype. (I expect this square to be significantly better than Thorne over the whole year - but it has been very slow getting started!) Anyway now on 308 for the year.
Lots of posts of photos of diptera recently so thought I would add another.
Mesembrina meridiana taken at Thorne earlier today.

For the record Thorne now on 351.

Skye - 600

Managed to hit 600 before month end, which was my goal for April. After a couple of nice warm days the weather has turned crap again with cold winds and lots of wet (and occasionally frozen) stuff dominating both days and nights of late. The moth trap filled with rain twice but defied being blown away again after I moved it to a slightly more sheltered spot. But I have snuck out and about a few times, usually with a woolly hat on my head - definitely no swishing of my butterfly or sweep nets just yet! The Glaucous Gull was on the beach again today, looking slightly odd with a small flock of Sand Martins wheeling over the waves just behind it.

This trunk is a fly magnet (when the sun shines....)

Cheilosia pagana from that very tree trunk - note the zygoma, common to all Cheilosia

A stonefly on a...um...stone!

That big plate thing over-reaching the 8th sternite makes it a female Nemoura cinerea

Puccinia tumida on Pignut - I'm seeing quite a bit of this lately

The light trap has only been run twice in the last week, still a handful of Ophion scutellaris and Ophion obscuratus to be found, moths have pretty much dwindled to just a few Noctuid species with Common Quaker, Hebrew Character and Clouded Drab making up the bulk of the catch. Red Chestnut is seemingly almost over, Early Grey too. Did manage this smart fella though

Early Tooth-striped - just had two of these so far

Up at the Sphagnum bog I came across several of these hairy beasties

This is what my beard looks like nowadays - which is why I've started shaving again

Also, it just wouldn't be spring on the croft without these guys!

Scathophaga stercoraria busy making more Scathophaga stercoraria

So that's me up to 604 species and I've still to see a butterfly this year. Cuckoo song can be heard wafting down from the hill above the house, though I've yet to clap eyes on it yet. Corncrake is back on Skye, one was heard a few days back on another part of the island. Will this be the year I have one in the square? Oh - almost forgot, had my 100th bird species for the square earlier this week. Twite, four of them drinking at a puddle just 30ft away. Lovely, it's not often I get to use the expression "flocking Twite" in context :)

Dalgety Bay - no drama

Ticking along with nothing dramatic happening. A lot of greenery is coming up and some very promising patches of Ground Elder are emerging. Most people hate the plant as a pernicious weed but since flies love it I also love it. I spent a happy month a couple of years back visiting a small patch of this on a regular basis.

A nice find was Hydrotaea dentipes. Not because of rarity - it's apparently the most widespread holarctic muscid! It's just a nice fly with some fun features. More about that here

Some expected species are finally creeping on, and about the same time as last year too. Water Carpet was new for my garden, but that's about it.

(How remiss of me! Here's a picture)

Numbers

647	*	diptera	Hydrotaea dentipes	A muscid fly
648		lep-moth	Orthosia cruda	Small Quaker
649		diptera	Scathophaga stercoraria	A fly
650		diptera	Botanophila fugax	A flower fly
651		hymenoptera	Andrena scotica	Chocolate mining bee
652		lep-moth	Lampropteryx suffumata	Water Carpet
653		lep-moth	Earophila badiata	Shoulder Stripe

I take it back

Well, it seems you do get Fannia down here as I caught a Fannia mollissima in the garden today. Quite a few other new flies as well, plus a few new moths and birds, including 6 lifers from the garden. Plus Mick Saunt's piccies of the Pallid Harrier. If I had been standing in my garden at the right time I could have seen it, although to the best of my knowledge it hasn't come into the 1 km square yet.

627	Numenius arquata	Birds	Curlew	21/04/2018
628	Syrphus vitripennis	Diptera	Syrphidae	21/04/2018
629	Perapion hydrolapathi	Coleoptera	Apionidae	21/04/2018
630	Rhamphomyia subcinerascens	Diptera	Empididae	21/04/2018
631	Syrphus ribesii	Diptera	Syrphidae	21/04/2018
632	Phaonia errans	Diptera	Muscidae	21/04/2018
633 *	Cheilosia urbana	Diptera	Syrphidae	21/04/2018
634	Motacilla flava	Birds	Yellow Wagtail	22/04/2018
635	Sylvia communis	Birds	Whitethroat	22/04/2018
636	Anthobium atrocephalum	Coleoptera	Staph.	21/04/2018
637	Nomada ruficornis	Hymenoptera	Fork-jawed Nomad Bee	22/04/2018
638	Calliphora vomitoria	Diptera	Calliphoridae	22/04/2018
639	Elachista rufocinerea	Lepidoptera:moths	Red-brindled Dwarf	22/04/2018
640	Pheosia tremula	Lepidoptera:moths	Swallow Prominent	22/04/2018
641	Limnephilus marmoratus	RSO	Caddis Fly	22/04/2018
642	Cryptomyzus ribis	Hemipteroids	Aphid gall on red currant	23/04/2018
643 *	Nomada panzeri	Hymenoptera	Panzer's Nomad Bee	23/04/2018
644	Ribes sanguineum	Vascular Plants	Flowering Currant	23/04/2018
645 *	Azelia nebulosa	Diptera	Muscidae	23/04/2018
646 *	Phytomyza ranunculi	Diptera	Agromyzidae	23/04/2018
647 *	Lophosceles cinereiventris	Diptera	Muscidae	24/04/2018
648 *	Fannia mollissima	Diptera	Fanniidae	24/04/2018

Dalgety Bay - Fannia by gaslight

A very busy weekend with family activities, off-square naturebothering and grass cutting, but I did manage to squeeze in enough time to stay on track. A lovely Streamer was new for me (Satellite added same day)

Streamer

Fannia mollissima is a very common fly here at this time of year. At least it was last year. Its abdominal shape is distinctive, though not absolutely unique.

Fannia mollissima

In January I grabbed a couple of teaspoonfuls of putrified grass clippings from my garden rubbish bin. It was heaving with larvae. A lot of Fannia were present. I checked the jar in the garage which had now started buzzing. Inside I found about 10 Fannia scalaris. The male here with its curious leg "processes". Apart from one other fly I already took from this collection there were a couple of smaller ones I didn't do.

I found some Few-flowered Garlic, which was new to me - an amazingly large patch of it in flower which I had somehow contrived to not notice before, and also some Green Alkanet - another common species I'd never run into. So all in all still on target for 667 by month end, and with the weather distinctly better no reason why not (famous last words...)

(edit note: my Cream-spot Ladybirds were redetermined to Orange Ladybird by someone who knows better. New species to me, so a nice surprise and a reminder to double check things you think are obvious!)

Numbers

633		diptera	Syrphus torvus	A hoverfly
634		flowering plant	Ligusticum scoticum	Scottish Lovage
635		diptera	Helina evecta	A muscid fly
636		hymenoptera	Bombus hortorum	Garden Bumblee
637		diptera	Fannia mollissima	A lesser house fly
638		diptera	Sepsis punctum	A sepsid fly
639		lep-moth	Eupsilia transversa	Satellite
640	*	lep-moth	Anticlea derivata	Streamer
641	*	flowering plant	Pentaglottis sempervirens	Green Alkanet
642	*	flowering plant	Allium paradoxum	Few-flowered Garlic
643		mammal	Capreolus capreolus	Roe Deer
644		bird	Phylloscopus trochila	Willow Warbler
645	*	diptera	Fannia scalaris	A lesser house fly
646		flowering plant	Cochlearia danica	Danish Scurvy-grass

Spring clean your conservatory!

I cleaned out part of our small conservatory yesterday to enable our tomato plants to be put in place, both for their fruit and for the shade they provide when the sun shines in the summer. Lurking in the dusty corners were Steatoda nobilis and Scotophaeus blackwalli, whilst Steatoda bipunctata made an appearance this morning, three nice additions to the year list. A close range flyover Red Kite was also good value, plus there are a few signs that the mothing is starting to pick up, with a Streamer and 2 Nut-tree Tussocks amongst a few new for the year.

606	Pardosa amentata	Arachnids	Lycosidae	19/04/2018
607	Dicranomyia mitis	Diptera	Cranefly	19/04/2018
608	Anthocoris confusus	Hemipteroids	Anthocoridae	19/04/2018
609	Epuraea melanocephala	Coleoptera	Nitidulidae	19/04/2018
610	Scolopostethus thomsoni	Hemipteroids	Lygaeidae	19/04/2018
611	Anotylus complanatus	Coleoptera	Staph.	19/04/2018
612	Endrosis sarcitrella	Lepidoptera:moths	White-shouldered House Moth	19/04/2018
613	Agonopterix arenella	Lepidoptera:moths	Brindled Flat-body	19/04/2018
614	Anticlea derivata	Lepidoptera:moths	The Streamer	19/04/2018
615	Colocasia coryli	Lepidoptera:moths	Nut-tree Tussock	19/04/2018
616	Gymnoscelis rufifasciata	Lepidoptera:moths	Double-striped Pug	19/04/2018
617	Oenanthe oenanthe	Birds	Northern Wheatear	20/04/2018
618	Steatoda nobilis	Arachnids	Theridiidae	20/04/2018
619	Milvus milvus	Birds	Red Kite	20/04/2018
620	Epuraea aestiva	Coleoptera	Nitidulidae	19/04/2018
621	Nomada goodeniana	Hymenoptera	Gooden's Nomad Bee	20/04/2018
622	Scotophaeus blackwalli	Arachnids	Mouse Spider	20/04/2018
623	Steatoda bipunctata	Arachnids	Theridiidae	21/04/2018
624	Riparia riparia	Birds	Sand Martin	21/04/2018
625	Thlaspi arvense	Vascular Plants	Field Penny-cress	21/04/2018
626	Equisetum arvense	Vascular Plants	Field Horsetail	21/04/2018

Green things...

Pleased to get a Green Tiger Beetle in the garden today but as usual wasn't possible to get very near it. But this tachinid, Gymnocheta viridis, (first seen a couple of days ago) was far more obliging and rather attractive too.

A few other additions:

598	Lipara lucens	Diptera	Chloropidae	19/04/2018
599	Nomada marshamella	Hymenoptera	Marsham's Nomad Bee	19/04/2018
600	Paradromius linearis	Coleoptera	Carabidae	19/04/2018
601	Bembidion mannerheimii	Coleoptera	Carabidae	19/04/2018
602	Sylvia curruca	Birds	Lesser Whitethroat	19/04/2018
603	Pieris brassicae	Lepidoptera:butterflies	Large White	19/04/2018
604	Amara eurynota	Coleoptera	Carabidae	19/04/2018
605	Cicindela campestris	Coleoptera	Green Tiger Beetle	19/04/2018

When I last did this marlarky in 2014 I recorded 104 species of beetle in the whole year, so 112 species already is not to be sneezed at as the main beetle season is only just starting really.

Dalgety Bay - curious winged insect encounter

What is this thing? It seems vaguely familiar. There were a few of them flying around on the shore edge

Another nice find this morning was this group of ladybirds. I'd spent some time looking for them in bark cracks earlier in the year but by chance I ended up in the right place while looking for flies on sunny tree trunks this morning.

Probably my last post before Tim overtakes me! 631 species before the first butterfly. Insane.

Numbers:

629		lep-moth	Alucita hexadactyla	Twenty-plume Moth
630		lep-moth	Diurnea fagella	A micromoth
631		coleoptera	Calvia quattuordecimguttata	Cream-spot Ladybird
632		lep-butterfly	Aglais io	Peacock

Steady increase including a few birds

Nice to get Ring Ouzel, Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwit from the garden today, although it doesn't feel that bird migration is in full swing yet. Moths still very slow although Agonopterix ocellana was new for the garden last night, species 1813 in the garden. Approaching the 600 mark and with a good forecast should continue to make reasonable progress.

574	Chaetocnema hortensis	Coleoptera	Chrysomelidae	16/04/2018
575	Eupithecia abbreviata	Lepidoptera:moths	Brindled Pug	16/04/2018
576	Selenia dentaria	Lepidoptera:moths	Early Thorn	16/04/2018
577	Orthosia gracilis	Lepidoptera:moths	Powdered Quaker	16/04/2018
578	Ceutorhynchus pallidactylus	Coleoptera	Curculionidae	16/04/2018
579	Polyploca ridens	Lepidoptera:moths	Frosted Green	17/04/2018
580	Agonopterix ocellana	Lepidoptera:moths	Red-letter Flat-body	17/04/2018
581	Badister bullatus	Coleoptera	Carabidae	17/04/2018
582	Turdus torquatus	Birds	Ring Ouzel	18/04/2018
583	Numenius phaeopus	Birds	Whimbrel	18/04/2018
584	Bembidion tetracolum	Coleoptera	Carabidae	18/04/2018
585	Anthomyia procellaris	Diptera	Anthomyiidae	18/04/2018
586	Liocoris tripustulatus	Hemipteroids	Mirid Bug	18/04/2018
587	Gymnocheta viridis	Diptera	Tachinidae	18/04/2018
588	Limosa lapponica	Birds	Bar-tailed Godwit	18/04/2018
589	Alopecurus pratensis	Vascular Plants	Meadow Foxtail	18/04/2018
590	Polygonia c-album	Lepidoptera:butterflies	The Comma	18/04/2018
591	Eristalis pertinax	Diptera	Syrphidae	18/04/2018
592	Stenodema calcarata	Hemipteroids	Miridae	18/04/2018
593	Fumaria officinalis	Vascular Plants	Common Fumitory	18/04/2018
594	Vicia tetrasperma	Vascular Plants	Smooth Tare	18/04/2018
595	Zyginidia scutellaris	Hemipteroids	Leafhopper	18/04/2018
596	Kleidocerys resedae	Hemipteroids	Lygaeidae, Birch Catkin Bug	18/04/2018
597	Bibio lanigerus	Diptera	Bibionidae	18/04/2018

300 up at Thorne

A gloriously hot and sunny day really boosted insect activity.
With 4 new butterflies and both Bee Flies plus a few other species today the Thorne year list is now on 304.
As I only recorded 285 species by the end of April last year I am pleased with the progress being made.

Photo below of  Dark-edged Bee Fly

Dalgety Bay - Daily Digest

More signs of spring. A lunchtime stroll revealed a lot of Bibio johannis on the coastal path. This morning there were at least three Blackcaps singing. Yesterday I heard a very nice blackbird song that briefly had me thinking about Golden Orioles. That would be nice. Or a Garganey (which I've seen here befoer). Or a nice couple of avocets...

Some species that were around yesterday:

Bibio johannis, male

Cornu aspersum

Red-breasted Flycatcher ... I wish! (from Turkey)

Nicrophors humator - a burying beetle

Pale Pinion moth

Species added to NT1683 list

623		diptera	Bibio johannis	A Bibionid fly
624		diptera	Egle rhinotmeta	A flower fly
625		lep-moth	Lithophane socia	Pale Pinion
626		coleoptera	Nicrophorus humator	A burying beetle
627		flowering plant	Aegopodium podagraria	Ground Elder
628		bird	Sylvia atricapilla	Blackcap

Dalgety Bay - Wot, no lugworms?

A double-digit day yesterday was a reminder of how generous the first flush of spring can be. Of course it's grey and damp today and a winter-plumaged RT Diver served as a reminder that we're not there yet. The Dunlin seem to have gone but Redshanks are still around.

This nice Alchemilla xanthochlora had formed under my nose (like many other things, probably) and is said in the county "Flora" to be common in grassy places.

I've set myself a target of 667 by month end, and after yesterday that's less than 3.5 spp/day - much slower than the current rate for April of 4.06 spp/day (I have a spreadsheet still set up from last year so I only have to read it off. Perils/benefits of working on a computer all day!)

One thing I don't think I;ve mentioned yet is the reason there won't be any lugworms on this year's list...

Beautiful Bay, but ...

Oh dear!

This is from the time when the Bay was an airfield and clock dials with radium were dumped in the bay at the end of the WWII. Hot particles have been found and SEPA/MOD are currently undergoing works to remedy this (how exactly I'm not sure). As yet, no new species or superheros with the powers of molluscs/marine worms are known to have emerged as a result.

STORY

Numbers:

617		flowering plant	Arabidopsis thaliana	Thale Cress
618		flowering plant	Veronica persica	Common Field-Speedwell
619		flowering plant	Alchemilla xanthochlora	Intermediate Lady's-mantle
620		lichen	Porpidia macrocarpa	A lichen
621		lep-moth	Orthosia cruda	Small Quaker
622		coleoptera	Phaedon tumidulus	A Leaf Beetle