My personal nightmare computer nightmare appears to be over…I think! My PC crashed with all my records but thankfully they are all backed up…however, I now have to re-install them..
A bit of good news though came from Chris who emailed to say a stunning Red Kite had flown from Wyke over the Low Moor area this morning at 10.45 which is excellent news…. Oh and where was I – trying to sort out the ……..computer. Well done Chris
A minimum count of 42 goldfinch including many juveniles were feeding this morning on Thistle seeds in the fields. I believe this count will be increased by the early autumn.
Also the pair of Swallows are now well into their second brood which is excellent news. Two Linnets were disturbed feeding but frustratingly unable to tell whether they were adults or juveniles. However, two juveniles Bullfinches were at Raw Nook NR indicating local breeding.
What a beauty a Red Underwing, only the second ever record fed at the sugaring tree at Caldene Fields last night…
Last night it was agreed with my son-in law and myself would do a bat walk around our area to see if we could find any new bat species for the area. So armed with the bat detector and torches we surveyed Caldene Fields first and immediately found about 4 Common pipistrelle which has a frequency of 45kHz. Now hands up I am not a bat expert and when we got to the pond at Raw Nook NR the bat detector picked a number of frequencies of around 45kHz and these bats were flying low over the pond – so I jumped and thought of Daubenton’s bat. Sadly I was wrong they were all Common pipistrelle.
However, I picked up a single Soprano pipistrelle frequency of 55kHz near to the meadow at Raw Nook NR. Toad Holes beck held a few Common pipistrelle only. So whilst nothing new was found the walk was fun and went some way to helping me understand what species of bats and their status are at our recording area.
Talking of new species I found this caterpillar today at Caldene Fields……It turns out to be a Buff Tip moth caterpillar ( a site first) proving the species breeds in our area – and what is strange I have never one caught in the moth trap!
Also of interest today at Toad Holes Beck was a newly emerged Souther Hawker Dragonfly which means the species is breeding at the site as well as Caldene Fields
The story of at least one pair of Common Buzzards breeding in south Bradford in 2014 starts really in 2012. I had seen a single Common Buzzard in the autumn of 2012 on what I thought was migration over East Bierley and then I started to receive reports from Stuart Trodoff of Buzzards seen over Woodlands cricket club at Oakenshaw.
Then in September 2013 Vic Kolodziejczyk contacted me to say he had seen Buzzards fairly regularly in the Tong area. So clearly something was going on…….
Photo by Vic Kolodziejczyk
Buzzards to my knowledge have never bred in the 5 mile circle of Low Moor so when Vic told me on the 10th of May 2014 that he had seen 2 birds and one was on the nest I was jumping for joy…….
Pair of Buzzards by Vic Kolodziejczyk
Over the next few weeks it was easy for me I just sat back and worried are the pair going to raise young successfully ? But for Vic who did some sterling observation work on the nest despite been stung several times by nettles. And there were plenty of twists and turns especially when Vic contacted me and stated ‘ no sign of adults or activity at the nest site’ ……….
Then on the 14th of July Vic told me some excellent news he had seen a fledging in the nest and also downy white feathers at the sides of the nest……..
Nest with downy feathers by Vic Kolodziejczyk
Many thanks Vic for all your hard work and diligence in recording this first known breeding record for our part of south Bradford….
I received some gave news on 26/7 when inspecting the moth trap. A second record of a Buff Footman. The status of this moth in Yorkshire is described as: Rare and very local resident.
Also the moth was in excellent condition suggesting that it has emerged recently and possibly somewhere local to Low Moor………
Buff Footman at Caldene Fields (showing hardly any signs of wear)
Following a number of years of decline in Small Tortoiseshell numbers both in Low Moor and nationally it appears the species is returning to per decline years.
Today I recorded minimum counts of 4 at Raw Nook NR and a further 29 at Caldene Fields……..
Things have been a bit quiet just lately that was until yesterday… well the story begins the day before. I found in the moth trap what I first thought was a Common Footman but a closer inspection showed it to be a Dingy Footman Eilema griseola which a new moth for Caldene Fields….brilliant and off I went!
The following day I looked in the trap only to find another Dingy Footman, the ‘yellow form’ E. griseola f. stramineola so to say I had never recorded the species before two in two days brought a big smile to my face…..
On the 12/7 I found in the moth trap what I first thought was a Gold Spot moth. However, on closer inspection I thought the moth might be a Lepke’s Gold Spot Plusia putnami gracilis an uncommon moth in this part of Yorkshire . The species are difficult to separate as they are very similar however, I sent a photo to a Moths blog site for their opinion and their reply was,It was not a typical Lepke’s Gold Spot but it could well be one……… So I have submitted my sighting to Yorkshire Moths for consideration so fingers crossed……….
Yorkshire Moth’s definition of a Lepke’s Gold Spot is that it is a Grade 3 Moths which may be much harder to identify or which may be very local in the county. Rare moths
which may be confused with commoner species. Many pugs fall into this category. Records from inexperienced recorders will be queried. A photograph or a voucher specimen is useful.
Did some survey work at Toad Holes Beck this morning mainly to count Ringlet butterflies which are doing extremely well at the moment.
Ringlet
For the first time ever I had a 3 figure count record count of 127…. and I believe the count would have been more if it wasn’t for the very tall thick grass which is very difficult to walk in….. A single Comma was counted and 3 Gatekeepers were at Raw Nook Nr.
A beautiful male Emperor Dragonfly was patrolling the pond at Raw Nook Nr along with 2 Brown Hawkers and 4 Common Darters, 1 pair was egg laying ( Sorry for poor quality of photo!)
Common Darter egg laying in pond
