2019 quick summary

Have I got anywhere near 1,000 species, er no. Have I learned a lot over the year, yes. I've got my beetle mojo back and am even prepared to attempt Staphys. Begun to ID Trichoptera with a lot of help but I'm starting to get there. Begun to ID slugs and snails. I've found plenty of new beasts for me, plenty of new beasts for the 1km sq and for my larger "patch" (a 3km area near my home in Orkney).

So what's the total? I still don't know as I battle away with my notebooks and photos getting data in to iRecord (have just completed July 2019). I'm guessing I'm in the 350 - 400 area but that is a guess. I didn't record plants properly during the year, c100 species.

Some totals I do know (ish) - Birds 101, including new species; Long-tailed Duck, White-tailed Eagle, Snow Goose and Jack Snipe, but not incuding Gannet which although qualifying for within my birding patch was a few metres outside the 1km.

 House Sparrow, female

Amphibians - one, Common Frog, not previously recorded here in ten years, three records, including one that I trapped in my trouser leg whilst lying in the grass looking for beetles.

Moths - there's the bulk of the data going in to iRecord, so I'm not sure of the total, but new for the county is Catoptria falsella and there were a good few other species new for the garden.

Having a bit of a disagreement about the ID of this Yponomeuta, anyway, new for the garden in the year, I think it might be rorrella.

Mammals - all present and correct but I failed to see Otter in the 1km. However, a new mammal, Common Pipistrelle, two one October evening seen and "detected" and subsequently recorded by the CR. No bats recorded in the previous ten years despite my regular evening ramblings for moths.

 

Wood Mouse

Not sure of other totals but a new Ichneumonidae for the county - Zela albiditarsus. A new Hemipteran, but I couldn't get it with certainty to species unfortunately. I think a new beetle or two but I can't be sure until all the data has been checked by the CR. A second record of the hoverfly Xanthus comptus for the county and a second record of the weevil parasitoid Pygostolus sticticus.

 Phyllobius pomaceous

A fair start to 2020 with five Carabid species, three woodlice, two snails, two slugs plus some pending id, Winter Moth and four raptor species amongst a fair selection of birds.

Winter Moth

Thorne end of year update

Only seven species added during December - although the final total goes up 10 to 1042 as I found I had 3 insects from earlier in the year which had been overlooked.
Better than last year and hope to improve again this year, although presumably for my own interest as it looks unlikely there is any one else going to give the challenge a go.


Final tally is shown below.

Group	Thorne	Group	Thorne
Slime moulds	1	Hemiptera	39
Lichens	33	Coleoptera	38
Fungi	95	Diptera	54
Bryophytes	41	Hymenoptera	45
Plants	310	Butterflies	21
Molluscs	13	Moths	218
Annelids	5	Insects RSO	6
Arachnids	18	Fish	1
Myriapods	0	Amphibia	3
Crustacea	10	Reptiles	0
Springtails	2	Birds	65
Odonata	9	Mammals	8
Orthoptera	7	Total	1042

Thorne; End November update

A few mosses, fungi and lichen plus a moth and some oak galls takes the species list at Thorne to 1032 as shown below

Group	Thorne	Group	Thorne
Slime moulds	1	Hemiptera	39
Lichens	30	Coleoptera	37
Fungi	95	Diptera	54
Bryophytes	38	Hymenoptera	44
Plants	310	Butterflies	21
Molluscs	12	Moths	218
Annelids	5	Insects RSO	6
Arachnids	18	Fish	1
Myriapods	0	Amphibia	3
Crustacea	10	Reptiles	0
Springtails	2	Birds	64
Odonata	9	Mammals	8
Orthoptera	7	Total	1032

The photo this time is Feathered Thorn taken last week at Thorne

Thorne mid November update

Finally over 1000 and now on 1016 species for the year at Thorne as detailed below

Group	Thorne	Group	Thorne
Slime moulds	1	Hemiptera	39
Lichens	27	Coleoptera	37
Fungi	92	Diptera	54
Bryophytes	32	Hymenoptera	42
Plants	310	Butterflies	21
Molluscs	12	Moths	217
Annelids	5	Insects RSO	6
Arachnids	18	Fish	1
Myriapods	0	Amphibia	3
Crustacea	10	Reptiles	0
Springtails	2	Birds	63
Odonata	9	Mammals	8
Orthoptera	7	Total	1016

Photo this time is of the amazingly patterned Merveille du Jour moth taken at Thorne a couple of weeks back.

Thorne end of October update

Couldn't quite make it to 1000 by the end of October and finished on 997 species as detailed below.

Group	Thorne	Group	Thorne
Slime moulds	1	Hemiptera	38
Lichens	22	Coleoptera	37
Fungi	91	Diptera	54
Bryophytes	29	Hymenoptera	42
Plants	310	Butterflies	21
Molluscs	12	Moths	210
Annelids	3	Insects RSO	6
Arachnids	18	Fish	1
Myriapods	0	Amphibia	3
Crustacea	10	Reptiles	0
Springtails	2	Birds	63
Odonata	9	Mammals	8
Orthoptera	7	Total	997

Photo wise still getting many new fungi for the site including the strangely named Plums and Custard
shown below

Cullaloe LNR, Fife - early "Best of 2019"

With the year running down and time spent on the reserve dwindling in favour of other pursuits I was meditating on what this year's highlights have been. There have been at least two species new to Scotland, some very scarce species in Scotland and numerous welcome new-for-county records. There is, I realise, a preponderance of flies in this list, but what can you do? Flies and fungi are my strongest suits. I swear I do try to see other things!

End of October total: 1140

NEW FOR SCOTLAND
Asaphomyces tubanticus - a laboulbeniomycete fungus (24/01/2019)
This was found on the elytrae of a Catops beetle and was fortunately ID-able with some reading. Just been featured in British Wildlife, though I haven't yet seen it.

Hydrotaea floccosa - a muscid fly (26/05/2019)
Hydrotaea is a cool genus with all kinds of weird and wonderful modifications to the legs. This makes them both interesting (yes, it does) and easy to identify. Only days before I found 2nd-for-Scotland Hydrotaea meteorica on the 20th.

NEW FOR COUNTY
Melangyna quadrimaculata - a hover fly (26/03/2019)
Long awaited first-for-county this Salix lover finally fell at the end of March.

Protophormia terraenovae - a blow fly (11/04/2019)
One of some nice finds at a roadkill badger corpse. Shame about the badger but nice of it to "take one for the team"

Cheilosia nebulosa - a hoverfly (27/04/2019)
Not something I was really expecting but a welcome addition to the county fauna. I've just noticed on NBN that there aren't other Scottish records for this. At this point I have no idea whether that's legit or not! I feel like it isn't, but it's a good record nonetheless

Lauxania cylindricornis - a lauxaniid fly (05/05/2019)
Tim had this before. When I looked it up I was jealous. Seen a few since though.

Hydrotaea meteorica - a muscid fly (20/05/2019)

Rhogogaster punctulata - a sawfly (22/05/2019)
I wanted to look at more sawflies this year. That was with mixed success but this was a nice one for sure

Brachicoma devia - a flesh fly (15/07/2019)

Zabrachia tenella - Pine Black (29/09/2019)
This pine specialist has only been seen in Scotland three times (highlands) - 1906, 1907 and 1938. It's listed as endangered and range is noted as limited to SE England. I guess this changes things a bit. (edit: subsequent conversations revealed two other dipterists in Scotland who have seen this, but recording is sadly, let's say, "patchy" among many experienced dipterists)

Triplax aenea - a beetle (15/10/2019)
A second record for Scotland. Examining the standing trunk of a horse chestnut that had been culled recently after a chunk of it fell off there were plenty of these under the bark. Initially mis-ID'd as Tetratoma fungorum I twigged as soon as I got them under the microscope.

JUST HAPPY TO SEE
Boettgerilla pallens - Worm Slug (03/03/2019)

Common, I'm told, but I'd wanted to see this for ages and I hadn't.

Thorne mid October update

First week back at work after a holiday is never much fun but thankfully I had The Challenge to take my mind off things. And added quite a few species so Thorne is now on 958 as shown in the table below

Group	Thorne	Group	Thorne
Slime moulds	1	Hemiptera	38
Lichens	22	Coleoptera	37
Fungi	66	Diptera	54
Bryophytes	26	Hymenoptera	42
Plants	310	Butterflies	21
Molluscs	12	Moths	202
Annelids	3	Insects RSO	6
Arachnids	17	Fish	1
Myriapods	0	Amphibia	3
Crustacea	10	Reptiles	0
Springtails	2	Birds	61
Odonata	9	Mammals	8
Orthoptera	7	Total	958

The wet weather seems to have resulted in the best fungi season for several years and the photo this time is of a Pink Waxcap taken at Thorne last week.