Low Moor and Oakenshaw Wildlife

Following on from the discovery by using a pheromone lure of a Lunar Hornet moth Sesia bembeciformis at Low Moor Banks on 28/6 I thought I would buy a lure to see if Raw Nook held the species.

The species breeds in damp woodland with Willows present. So I thought Raw Nook with it’s abundance of Goat Willows would be ideal.

The first day’ attempt proved unsuccessful. But I went the following day and hung the lure (Opposite left ) on a Goat Willow branch by the bench in the meadow.

After about ten minutes my heart skipped a beat as two large wasp like insects came into view.

Brilliant they were Lunar Hornet moths…a new species for the reserve!

I now aim to try the lure in TH Back to see if the species is there too as there are plenty of Goat Willows in the area.

It is thought in the moth world and probably right too that the species maybe more common than we realise as they are wasp mimics and very difficult observe without the use of a lure.

As I now know the species is in Raw Nook. I will therefore not use the lure again at the site as a pheromone lure which contains the scent of the female can disrupt the breeding cycle of the moths

The Blackneck moth is not a common moth in the Bradford area and a friend of mine who also records moth really wanted to see one. So on the 28/6 I took me to Low Moor Banks as I have regularly recorded the moth at this site.

However, he brought with him a Lunar Hornet moth pheromone Lure which hold scent of the female moth.

Therefore before we started to look for the Blackneck moth John suggested we hang the lure on a nearby Goat Willow to see what happens.

Within a about a minute!!! there was a cry from John ” Martyn quick” I ran to the lure and WOW…The lure had attracted a male Lunar Hornet moth…A new species for the site.

However, there was a bit of sadness for me as my camera JAMMED!! So well done to John for taking the photos of the moth.

When our astonishment and excitement had died down we decided to look for the target moth the Blackneck.

I took John to an area I had seen the moth before. And our luck was still with us as straight away I shouted ” I’ve got one John only for John to rely ” I’ve also got one!”

We caught the moths in a net and carefully placed them in a glass container so John could get photos of his long awaited Blackneck moth.

Both moths were released safely back into the area we found them.

So a big thank you to John for bringing the LH moth lure and now another uncommon moth has been added to this excellent urban wildlife site’s species list.

On the 14th of June I was opening the moth trap when a rather large unusual beetle crawled out. Now my knowledge of Coleoptera (beetles) is limited to say the least so I took some photos for later investigate.

I ended up on the Coleoptera Facebook site and a chap from Sweden suggested it might be a Ancistronycha abdominalis. https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/species/ancistronycha-abdominalis

Then Michael Geiser replied: This is indeed Ancistronycha abdominalis! Not a very common species. Nice find!

Then a debate started about the beetle with others from Europe asking Michael Geiser for his advice. I researched Mr Geiser and realised why they were asking him for advice…..He is the Curator at the Natural History Museum and he has now gained even more valuable knowledge …The location of our wonderful urban wildlife haven!

There are very few dragonflies about at Caldene fields and Raw Nook NR at the moment due to the damaged dried up pond. However, I saw 4 Southern Hawker dragonflies emerge and fly off yesterday from my garden pond which was great to see.

Talking of ponds Mark Brookes contacted me to say that yesterday he had seen a terrapin in the pond at TH Beck. Now for those that can remember we had a terrapin in the pond at Raw Nook NR and I just wonder if as the pond dried out it moved to TH Beck….but what about the railway line…Hmm

The Roe deer was sighted again walking early morning on Caldene Avenue…giving a surprise to the lady as she open her blinds!

During spring I have been searching the Silver birch trees of Raw Nook Nr for four mirco moth belonging to the family Eriocrania. So if anyone saw a strange man searching leaves on trees well…it was me. So perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea!

However, these moths are extremely difficult to identify as adult moths therefore the only way of securing a confirmed record is to find the leaf mine and larva.

Therefore it was important for the reserve for me to prove all four uncommon species are breeding on our reserve.

And I am really pleased to confirm I have proven that they are all breeding at Raw Nook Nr and the area above Caldene fields.

The other three moths of the Eriocrania family found were Sangii, semipurpurella and unimaculella

A Common whitethroat was in full song at Caldene fields this morning.