Hoverfly Spotter Apr 26 Sightings – part 2

Hoverflies, Adwick Washlands, Moth trapping in my Garden, Critters down the River.

It has been a week of firsts, as you will see shortly.

It also an exciting time of year spring, as every corner you turn on a nature walk, you are likely to find something that delights, either something that has just blossomed, flowered, dropped in, flown past, hovers or just sits there waiting for you to spot it. That was very much the case with a trip down the river, even though it was only a week since my last visit. Looking up can even sometimes deliver something very special.

Then there are trips revisiting an old haunt and so for the first time this year, a visit to Adwick Washlands. A time of year when you hope migrants have flown in overnight from countries afar. Some very cool birds were spotted this week which I can’t wait to share, including one flagged by the BTO as a rarity for South Yorkshire.

Putting the moth trap out is always a special any time of year, as the next morning it’s a little bit like Christmas, you never know when you open up the trap what might be inside. But the first time is always special as it dawns a new season of moth trapping, with the promise of many Christmas days to come throughout the year. The question being will the trap be empty or full of moths to identify, and will those moths be regulars or newbies?

Bet you are wondering what all these sightings might be, well wonder no more as all will be revealed.

Moth trapping in my Garden

I can’t remember the last time I put the moth trap out as early as this in the year. It is a heath trap and does not have a rain guard, so I only tend to put it out if there is zero chance of rain between 8pm and 10am. But the weather seemed perfect, so I put it out, hoping it might trap something I could identify the next morning. I wasn’t hopeful as sitting by the trap until 10pm attracted very little. The only moth attracted to the white sheet under the heath trap was a plume moth, which got away when I tried to pot it. No moths seen, no moths caught. Whilst I was putting the trap out my bat detector detected a moth catcher flying around - a Common Pipistrelle. Surely, I caught something?!

I must stress I trap ethically; no moths are killed or damaged in the process and all are released back into the wild. Any species caught are put in pots and once identified put in the fridge until the evening. The cold temperature of the fridge puts them into a state of torpor, a state of reduced body temperature and metabolic rate so as to conserve energy. They do this naturally in the wild when it’s cold. Later that evening they are removed from the fridge, allowed to warm up before being released back into hedges/shrubbery at dusk, giving them a chance to hide away from predators until they are ready to move on.

I got up early next morning to ensure there were no moths visible on the sheet, to prevent any easy snacks for birds as dawn breaks, but again the sheet was empty. This did not look promising. Even though we live on the edge of town, there is still a lot of light pollution in the area to compete with my 20w actinic bulb.

But I was pleasantly surprised when I lifted the egg boxes carefully out of the trap, revealing not 1 not 2 but 5 moths. There were 4 macros and 1 micro a total of 5 moths, I consider that a success for my first trap. Two of the moths were new to my garden list those being Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria) and a micro Common Brindled Brown (Agonopterix heracliana) and then there was a Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi), Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) and Clouded Drab (Orthisia incerta).

Every moth I trap I love to learn what they are, where they come from and why they are there – I love to delve into the guidebooks to better understand why they might be here. 

Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) – common, one generation per year Mar-May emerging after wintering as a pupa in an underground cocoon, feeds on Sallow catkins and Blackthorn. Larva Apr-Jun will feed on the leaves of a range of broadleaved trees.

Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) – common, one generation per year Mar-Jun, feed on Sallow catkins and flies very late at night, overwintering as a pupa in an underground cocoon. Larva feed on a variety of trees, bushes and herbaceous plants.

Clouded Drab (Orthisia incerta) - common, one generation per year Mar-May, , feeds on Sallow catkins and Blackthorn, overwintering as a pupa in an underground cocoon. Larva feed on a variety of broadleaved trees, including Oak, Birch, Hazel and Hawthorn.

Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria) – common, southern species to the top edge of the North Yorkshire moors, localised in Scotland. Common, one generation per year Mar-late May emerging after wintering as a pupa in an underground cocoon.

Common Brindled Brown (Agonopterix heracliana) – common single-brooded, can be found all year round. Strongly associated with Cow Parsley where the larva are often found, Ivy Blossom and over ripe Blackberries are where adults are known to feed at night.

References: 

Waring.P & Townsend M 2017: Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland 3rd edition. Bloombury Wildlife Guides.

Sterling P and Parsons M: Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland 2012, British Wildlife Publishing

Critters down the River

It’s so nice to have a local patch to find wildlife so I can immerse myself for an hour or two seeing what I can spot. I obviously am easily distracted by hoverflies, but if it’s a little cool or too hot, wet, or windy other sightings tend to make my list.

I went down the river in the hope of spotting the Blackthorn Hoverfly (Platycheirus ambiguus) again, as the Blackthorn is now turning (more details here). Then I heard a deep ‘Kronk Kronk’, looked up and there were a pair of Raven (Corvus corax) flying over with their distinctive diamond/wedge-shaped tail clearly visible. This was a first for me so close to home, and I was genuinely tempted to run back to the house just to get them onto the garden list. Clearly a pair passing through, but what an absolute delight. I remember visiting to the Tower of London as a child; to see Ravens not the Crown Jewels and being told it was the only place in England to see them. To have two Ravens fly over my own doorstep felt extraordinary and is probably my wildlife highlight of the year so far.

The river is proving a bit of a hotspot for all kinds of critters so in addition to the sightings last week, I spotted the following: 

Bold denotes new sightings for the year:

Hoverflies – Shiny-Backed Boxer (Platycheirus tarsalis), Many-tufted Boxer (Platycheirus scutatus), Common Tiger (Heliophilus pendulus), Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax), Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax), Hairy-eyed Banded (Syrphus torvus), Lunuled Aphideater ( Eupeodes luniger), Spring Smoothtail (Epistrophe eligans), Blackthorn Hoverfly (Playcherius ambiguus), Chequered (Melanstoma scalare).

Birds: Raven (Corvus corax), Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Blackbird, Robin, Buzzard, Mallard, Moorhen, Chaffinch, Great tit, Blue Tit, Wood Pigeon.

Butterflies -  Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines), Speckled Wood (Parage aegeria), Peacock (Inachis io), Comma (Polygonia c-album), Small White (Pieris rapae), Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), Small Tortoiseshell (Algais urticae).

Bees – Orange Tailed Mining Bee (Andrena haemorrhoa), Red-tailed Bee (Bombus lapidaries), Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum), Flavous Nomad Bee (Nomada flava), Forest Cuckoo Bee (Bombus sylvestris) Tawny Mining Bee (Andrena fulva), Buff-tailed (Bombus terrestris), Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum), Garden (Bombus hortorum), Hairy Footed Flower (Anthrophora plumipes), Panzer’s Nomad Bee (Nomada panzer).

Other critters – the suite of insects had changed since my last visit, there were still many 7-Spot (Coccinella 7-punctata) and Harlequin (Harmonia axyridis) Ladybirds but joining them were Pied Shieldbug (Tritomegas bicolor) my first in the area and GreenShield Bug (Palomena prasina), plenty of Dark-edged Bee flies (Bombylius major) and Box Bug (Gonocerus acuteangulatus).

Adwick Washlands

My final stop for the week was an outing with the Barnsley Naturalists to Adwick Washlands. The weather did not look promising to be honest with showers forecast. However apart from a spit or two at the start of the event we managed to dodge the rain and strong winds, which would come later in the day. 

It was another day of firsts with a record of 53 birds, 1 Brown Hare and a Buff-tailed Bumblebee. It was too cold for anything else, so I was not easily distracted by hoverflies, nor tempted to peer and lean over flowers, but a birding day which did not disappoint.

Among the first highlights was a Brown Hare, followed by a good supporting cast of birds: Avocet, House Martin, Swallow, and both Reed and Sedge Warblers. The real star species of the day, though, were the Cattle Egret and Yellow Wagtail.

I don’t travel the length and breadth of the country chasing birds — I’m no twitcher — but it was genuinely special to see Yellow Wagtails passing through. It had been a few years since I last saw one. Apparently there were around fourteen on the reserve that day, though we only managed to spot two. Their bright yellow plumage is every bit as striking as some of the most exotic birds you might expect to see in a tropical rainforest.

Then there was the Cattle Egret — a bird I’m lucky to see once every couple of years, usually if I happen to be travelling to Norfolk. It’s always a good sign when you come across a line of birdwatchers standing shoulder to shoulder, all with scopes trained in the same direction, and that alone was enough to pique my interest. Spotting a small white egret in a field full of cows, quick check for the yellow bill and pale legs confirmed it as a Cattle Egret. I had to be certain, as only five minutes earlier I’d watched a Little Egret — dark bill and legs — fly through in that very direction. What a wonderful record to get for the year. I will probably see loads later in the year on a planned excursion to Norfolk.

So, another diverse but wonderful week of spotting. Next week is spring flowers and the hope of finding a Ransom Hoverfly along a Waggonway built in 1809, so please drop by next week to see what I found.

Hey! – I like it in here its cosy ……

For those who are following my total species count that's 285 for the year, up 34 from last week.