Some catching up to do

A few days in Morocco, then work, then snow, then chest infection has meant very few additions for me over the past couple of weeks. Just about recovered now so got to get back to it. Moth trap should be back on tomorrow. 101 Reeves's Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi 102 Blushing Bracket Daedaleopsis confragosa 103 Herring Gull Larus argentatus 104 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major

Wood Mouse, 100 in TL0894

The first Wood Mouse for some time on our fat ball feeder late this evening brought up the ton. The photo taken with flash at some distance and drastically lightened.

100 Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus

Springtail fun in TL0894

Managed a quick poke about in the garden this lunchtime and got good enough photos of this minibeast to successfully key it out.

97 Tomocerus minor

Also:
98 Water Avens Geum rivale
99 Wavy Bittercress Cardamine flexuosa

94 for TL0894

Good day today. Would have liked to have made 100 by the end of the weekend and if fungi and mosses weren't so tricky to ID I might have done. Enjoying the snails more than I expected.

A. schalleriana at the moth trap in the evening was an unexpected garden tick. c.615th lep for the garden.
Edit: I'll have this checked so down as TBC for the time being

Quite pleased with the micro-moth larva. Took a few teasel heads and this was in the second one I checked (and the only occupied one of the batch as it turned out). To distinguish the larva from E. marginana it is necessary to check for a comb in between the anal prolegs. Absent in this case, confirming the ID. E. gentianaeana also occupies the head alone , whereas there can be multiple occupants in the case of marginana.

82 Hemlock Conium maculatum
83 Lesser Redpoll Carduelis cabaret
84 Treecreeper Certhia familiaris
85 Goldcrest Regulus regulus
86 Wild Privet Ligustrum vulgare
87 White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
88 Lesser Burdock Arctium minus
89 Teasel Dipsacus fullonum
90 Two-toothed Door Snail Clausilia bidentata
91 Girdled Snail Hygromia cinctella
92 Common Duckweed Lemna minor
93 Acleris schalleriana TBC
94 Endothenia gentianaeana

I don't have any fancy microscopes or camera equipment. That ropey last shot is taken with a Canon SX50 bridge camera down an inverted pair of binoculars but at least it shows the diagnostic feature.

TL0894 up to 81

Nowhere near the progress I'd like to have made today. Mosses look damn hard but I have something that looks like Andy's Wall Screw-moss. Must check properly.

The actinic provided the first moth of the year last night plus a few diptera I haven't the courage to look at and I got lucky with a distinctive beetle under a log in the garden. Not all coleoptera will be so obliging I'm sure.

Thanks to Skev for inadvertently drawing my attention to an earlier error I made with a spider.

70 The Chestnut Conistra vaccinii
71 Stock Dove Columba oenas
72 Song Thrush Turdus philomelos
73 Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla
74 Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula
75 Compost Worm Eisenia veneta
76 Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
77 Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus
78 Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
79 'Traveller's Joy' Clematis vitalba
80 Calathus melanocephalus
81 Common Earwig Forficula auricularia

Inverts in TL0894

Another brief stroll around the garden with a headtorch and a camera.

Please shout if any of the photos show a mis-id.

61 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber
62 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus
63 Budapest Slug Tandonia budapestensis
64 Walnut Orb-Weaver Spider Nuctenea umbratica
65 Amaurobius similis
66 Missing Sector Spider Zygiella x-notata
67 Deroceras panormitanum (another slug)
68 Common Earthworm Lumbricus terrestris

 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber

Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus

Amaurobius similis

Walnut Orb-Weaver Spider Nuctenea umbratica

Deroceras panormitanum

TL0894 on 58

Well, finished day one on 56 species, most of these birds but also added a few plants I'm familiar with and the odd invert. Best was a flock of Mandarin, which are by no means guaranteed in the square in any year.

Mammals were disappointing with no sign of the daily Bank Voles on our feeders and despite an evening walk I couldn't even rustle up a rabbit. That did turn up another goodie in the form of a few Snipe flying about at dusk.

A quick check of the fields west of the river this morning turned up Grey Squirrel and Red Fox so at least the mammals are starting to tick up now. Still no sign of our voles though.

Plants are going to be a real challenge. I find I don't know my White Willow from my Crack Willow and a lush plant in a stream already has me stumped - perhaps an Oenanthe species. Is the large tight flat rosette-like thistle Cirsium vulgare?

My list will be recorded here: http://thenaturalstone.blogspot.co.uk/

Brian's square, Elton, Cambs/Northants

My square; TL0894. My garden sits near the edge. The rest is a mix of arable, pasture and water meadow (currently a lake!), with the River Nene running down the middle. There are a few trees, including a maturing plantation of mixed natives and a poplar stand. Some good hedgerows with a fair bit of Elm. A short section of the fast-flowing Billing Brook could be useful. Much of it is publicly accessible but I'll be relying heavily on the garden as well I expect.