Feeling happy today as yesterday I found what I thought was an unusual wasp species at Raw Nook NR. I took some details and photos and did some research…and more research but I was looking at the wrong family…It was…
Late Swifts…
This morning 2 late Swifts flew west over Caldene fields and an Autumnal Rustic moth was also seen in the fields my third record of the species. Autumnal Rustic
First signs of autumn…
This morning I did an hours visible migration watching from the watch point. Whilst it was a nice sunny morning a single passage Sand Martin south and 4 Meadow pipits also south reminded me that autumn is just around the…
Moth night at Raw Nook nr…
On Wednesday my son-in-law and myself did a moth trapping session at Raw Nook nr. This is only the third time I have trapped at the site. The evening was dry, cloudy and about 10c. A few moths were about…
Chasing the beauty…
Yesterday turned out to be rather special…I first walked into Toad holes Beck mainly to check for any new arrived warblers but there were none…However something caught my eye at distance near the small pond. It was a smallish dragonfly…
Stepping out on work day and sightings update…
Saturday saw our group the Low Moor & Oakenshaw conservation group tackling the broken steps that lead down to Toad Holes Beck. It was a lovely hot sunny morning but thankfully the area was in the shade and in all…
A new moth species discovered but more importantly…
Today in the warm sunshine it was an idea day to do some moth survey work at the large patch of heather at Caldene fields where last year I found Aristotelia-ericinella a heathland species. This heather is spreading and is almost becoming…
Survey work reveals some interesting finds…
I have recently been conducting survey work at Raw Nook nr concentrating mainly on insects i.e. moths, hoverflies and other general insect orders. I am trying to build up a more comprehensive species lists for the insects that breed and…
A new Bee species found…
This morning as well as looking for any possible new migrants that may have come in overnight I was interested in finding any spring Hoverflies to add to my species list for our area. I focused on the many of…
Cormorants and Harlequin Ladybirds…
During the month of October there has been a significant increase in Cormorants moving through our area. To date 32 have been recorded including a 5 this morning. In that party 2 were 1st winter birds. On a different note…
