A Wonderful Wildlife Week

Every now and then there is a week that is day after day of natural history. 


This last week was just such a one. There was an event planned for every day and the weather was kind.

Great Crested Grebe on her nest

Monday The monthly BTO Wetland Bird Survey was due, and as usual we deferred it for a day to avoid the busy weekend at Tamar Lakes. It is April so the winter visitors had gone and there was only a chance of spring or summer visitors being present. We did hear a single Sedge Warbler staking out his territory and spotted a Great Crested Grebe sitting on a newly constructed nest. There was also one or two Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and a lone Swallow.

Peacock butterfly

After lunch the weather was warm and sunny with hardly any wind. It was the ideal time to walk our newly registered UKBMS butterfly transect. This starts at the Bush Inn at Crosstown in Morwenstow, descends to the Tidna Valley and follows the river to the coast then up the cliff before heading inland along a green lane to Crosstown Green. It was a good decision with butterflies of four species – Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Peacock.

Sunset over the south end of Lundy

Tuesday We had an early start, leaving Bideford quay at 9am for Lundy. The sea was like a mill pond but we saw no cetaceans and few birds. The island was alive with spring birds though – Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps. I spotted a Sparrowhawk at Quarter Wall Pond after a long meeting inside. The return trip was spectacular with a brilliant orange sunset over the island as we returned at 7pm.

Piscicola geometra

Wednesday The first Riverfly survey of the year on the Torridge near Bradford Mill and the first since the July 2015 was planned. In August and September last year, the river was in spate and two metres higher than normal. In the event, the river was slightly higher and faster than normal, but it turned up plenty of invertebrates. It was interesting to record the difference in abundance of the eight indicator species. Stoneflies were particularly abundant with a few extremely large specimens almost ready to become flying insects. The normal Perlodidae were joined by two specimens of Taeniopterygidae. Another unusual species, not part of the survey set, was a fish leech, Piscicola geometra.

Planting Marram Grass

Thursday This was a Bude Valley Volunteers working party day. Following the “planting” of retired Christmas Trees after 12^th night in January at Widemouth Bay the plan was to supplement this with the planting of Marram Grass. The trees were already doing their job of accumulating sand around themselves. We were allowed to dig up randomly selected Marram plants and transplant them between two rows of the trees. The expectation is that the Marram will further stabilise the sand allowing and embryo dune to form.

 This will in future plug a gap where the dunes had “blown out” and reduce the chance of sand blowing onto the adjacent coast road.

Picnic at Dexbeer Bridge

Friday The culmination of a busy week – to walk the whole length of Bude Aqueduct. Four of us started from Lower Tamar Lake and walked the whole 5 miles to Vealand Reserve where we then followed the permissive path for a final 700 yards. The weather was again kind allowing us to have our first picnic of the year at Dexbeer Bridge on Councillors Shadrick's memorial table. We shared the area with a pair of Willow tits – confirmed as they responded strongly with identical calls to those Willow Tit lure. We recorded a total of 34 species of birds on our walk including all 5 tits – Great, Blue, Coal, Long-tailed, Marsh and Willow and 4 finches – Gold, Green, Chaff and Bull. We also noted 4 spring plants – Wood Anenome, Wood Sorrel, Cuckoo flower and Lesser Periwinkle together with all 3 mammals so far seen on this walk – Roe Deer, Grey Squirrel and Rabbit.

The only let down was Friday night's Garden Moth Survey which due to the cold and wet attracted not a single moth.

Orchids and Tortoises

Bee Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid

Every year we count Bee Orchids Ophrys apifera in an unimproved meadow in Bude.  The field is mowed once a year but despite becoming overgrown with rank grasses, it continues to be quite species rich and diverse.

We counted over 30 Bee Orchids and there were also over 80 Southern Marsh Orchids as well as Yellow Rattle, Vetches, Fleabane, Bird’s-foot Trefoil and many other flowering plants.

5-spot Burnet moth

I was supposed to be concentrating on Orchids but could not fail to notice the Sedge Warbler singing for the whole time of the survey.

Walking head down with notebook, pencil and camera in hand I also recorded all the invertebrates that I kept seeing.  This included butterflies and moths – Common Blue, Meadow Brown, 6-spot Burnet and Silver Y Moths.  The Burnet was particularly well represented with adult, larva (caterpillar) and many cocoons on the stems of long grasses.

Fleabane Tortoise Beetle

The best sighting was of something totally new to me; a strange orange and black-spotted beetle that looked like a tiny armoured vehicle.  Within half and hour of posting the image on an insect group in Facebook, I had an identification.  It was something that until then I was unaware of as there are no pictures in my insect book – the aptly named Fleabane Tortoise Beetle Cassida murraea

Winter Birds

Lapwings

I had a spare morning yesterday when it was cold but calm and clear.  I thought I might walk the Bude Valley transect on my own. 

 Try as I might to see a Mediterranean Gull amongst the Black-headed Gulls at the Canal Basin, I was unsuccessful. I was rewarded with a good long sighting in the river Neet west of the sighting platform at Peter Truscott's Bridge.

Another Leg

Clouded Yellow

Today we walked from Compass Point Bude to Trevose View Widemouth Bay, adding another section to our South West Coast Path Walk.  We took the opportunity of a circular walk by returning via the Kingfisher Walk and Bude Canal for lunch at the Falcon.

Small Copper

Along the cliff top, we were overtaken by many swallows all flying south - summer is coming to and end.  I recorded a couple of Clouded Yellow butterflies and managed my first photograph  They seem so different when feeding with closed wings pale yellow whereas when flying they are a starling yellow and black..  They do seem to prefer the cliff edges on the coastal fringe.

Peacock

Other butterflies were present, particularly amongst the scrubby thistle patches.  Dodder was also in flower but only in one small area near to Philip's Point, Cornwall Wildlife Trust's smallest reserve.


Along the Kingfisher walk, most butterfly species were represented, but in much fewer numbers than last week.  It was warm and sunny, but fairly breezy and getting later in the year too.

Common Darter

The canal was very quiet, but it was afterall lunchtime.  We were delighted by a close encounter with a Kingfisher which "buzzed" us as it flew across the water.  I have never seen so many Common Darter dragonflies.  We were almost into double figures just west of Rodd's Bridge.  The Bird Hide pond was particularly favoured with three pairs  in tandem ovipositing in the open water.

Butterfly Walk

Bee with orange pollen sac

I determined to repeat last year’s walk along the From the Weir, along the canal to the Boardwalk signed by The Weir as the Kingfisher walk until I reached coast then headed south along the South West Coast Path to beyond the Bay View before heading back to the Weir via their Rabbit walk through farmland.

Small Totroiseshell

In August 2013, on parts of this walk, I was impressed by the numbers and species of butterflies that we recorded.  Being 3 weeks later I was not sure what to expect.  The part of the walk that had attracted most butterflies was where there were brambles in flower.  This year, the brambles had produced blackberries and I was concerned we were too late.  However, my fears were unfounded, as the abundant flowers of Willow Herb Epilobium sp. and Common Fleabane Pulicaria dysenterica were proving just as attractive.

It was interesting to note the bees busily gathering Fleabane pollen.  Their pollen sacs were not the usual bright yellow, but showing a very strong orange.

Small Copper

In the short 20 minutes section of this walk, I counted 29 butterflies of 14 different species.  .  Species List for 2014

Common Blue

Cinnabar caterpillar, Clouded Yellow, Common  Blue, Gatekeeper, Green-veined White, Meadow Brown, Peacock, Red Admiral, Ringlet, Small Copper, Small Heath, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White, Speckled Wood,

This year we missed the Comma and Large White, but added Clouded Yellow, Small Heath and Ringlet,

Further on around the walk in the farmland area I saw further proof that summer was drawing to a close.  Hay had been gathered in and flocks of Carrion Crow, Woodpigeons and Linnets were gleaning the stubble.

Natural History Week June 2014

The observation and pursuit of natural history does occupy much of my time, but occasionally there comes a week crammed full – this is one such.

Ringlet

Sunday 15^th was my monthly Wetland Birds Survey.

Summer surveys don't record many water birds on Tamar Lakes and this month was no exception being dominated by the few breeders that use the lakes – families of Canada Geese, Mallard and Moorhen featuring. Terrestrial breeders were also present – Reed Bunting and Sedge Warblers were very obvious. It was a butterfly day too with a mass emergence of Meadow Brown, some Speckled Wood and a beautiful single Ringlet seen.

Large Skipper

Monday 16^th – CWT meeting

We hosted an evening with friends on the committee of Cornwall Wildlife Trust Tamar Group where we planned the activities for summer and the forthcoming winter season. In advance of the meeting we took our dog around our usual walk and were delighted to see the first Large Skippers of the year. 

Tuesday 17^th – Ponds and fields with year 3 of Bude Junior School.

Water Scorpion

72 enthusiastic 8/9 year old in four groups. It was a most hectic and challenging session, but the children were very adept at catching mud! They did catch lots of interesting creatures though ranging from Newts, through Eels, Damselfly larvae, Dragonfly larvae, water louse, freshwater shrimps, chironomid worms, water boatmen and backswimmer and the stars of the show, water scorpions. All were eagerly observed before finally being repatriated into the Bude Tourist Information Centre pond. 

Bee Orchid

Thursday 19^th – Bude Marshes quarterly transect and annual Bee Orchid count.

Although circumstances left us with only 4 on the walk, and we were accompanied by the children from Adventure International in kayaks on the canal and bikes on the multi-use footpath, we managed to record 22 birds species,

The orchid count went well too – despite the vigorous grass growth, the Bee Orchids are maintaining their numbers 33 plants as compared to last year and the Marsh Orchids, previously uncounted were counted as 69 plants. It is obvious the preferred habitat of the latter is on the short sward between footpaths and the dense grassy layer, whereas Bee Orchids are happy in the mixed flower and grass habitat growing in loose groups of 2 or 3 plants.

Friday 20^th – ERCCIS Dragonfly workshop.

Keeled Skimmer

What a fantastic couple of sites. Great Wheal Seton is a post industrial contaminated area with small shallow ponds but is host to Scarce Blue-tail Damselflies – the last remaining site in Cornwall where we were privileged to count around 30 of both sexes.

The old settling pits at Bell Lake Marsh in the Red River Valley have been transformed from overgrown Willow scrub to a shallow marshy area with scrapes and was host to Small Red Damselflies, Keeled Skimmers as well as patrolling Emperors. 13 different species was a very good workshop.

Saturday 21^st – Sandymouth BBS butterfly transect

Hummingbird Hawk Moth

Vixen and 6 cubs

Accompanied by two naturalist friends we were able to count 8 species of Butterfly – 38 in total (Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Common Blue, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Large Skipper, Red Admiral and Painted Lady) 2 moths (5-spot Burnet and Hummingbird Hawk Moth) and a Golden Ringed Dragonfly. They agree that this is a Beautiful Square (op cit). To cap it all, as we finished the transect, we noticed that we were being watched intently by a Vixen about 400 metres away whilst her 6 cubs played!

Sampling at Marsland Water

Sunday 22^nd – Fox Club “Dung Ho!” at Marsland Nature Reserve.

Together with a friend from Cornwall Wildlife Trust, a small group was entertained by his description of what pollutes our waterways. This was followed up by our catch of myriads of invertebrates kick sampled from Marsland Water. We used the excellent wildlife centre courtesy of Devon Wildlife Trust in the idyllic setting of Marsland nature reserve.

Marmalade Hoverfly

Monday 23^rd - Equinoctial walk on Bude Aqueduct from Moreton Bridge to the junction with the Holsworthy branch is about 2½ miles of absolute quiet taking in woody shade and open walks and Bursdon Moor Nature Reserve. We were lucky to not only hear birds but to see them too – including two Treecreepers. The stars of the show had to be the dragonflies and damselflies along with lots of butterflies. We were fortunate to capture a picture of a strikingly decorated, striped hoverfly which we identified later as a Marmalade Hoverfly. 

Read my other blog at budeaqueductwalks.blogspot.com

As I am writing this, over my left shoulder I am watching the wind ripple a field of grasses, docks and sorrel. The weather has been dry and very hot and as the wind stirs the stems of the plants, millions of seeds are blown from their heads into rolling, billowing clouds looking like smoke. They roll slowly over the field, a perfect demonstration of natural seed dispersal. They are now next year's plants in waiting.

Wonderful Warblers

Bird Hide Net

Today, my friend John invited me to Bude Marshes to see him set up the first mist nets of the season. He was there at dawn, but I did not arrive until a much more civilised time of 8:45am.

He had set up two nets; one of 3 x 60 feet in the western reed bed near the Tourist Information Centre, the other 3 x 40 feet in a dogleg in the middle reed bed adjacent to the bird hide. I arrived just as he was about

to check the first net where we found an abandoned piece of chicken. It had obviously been scavenged from a bin as there was a curry coating on it. The unfortunate bird must have hit the net, left its meal and flown away. Probably a crow judging by the size of the mouth full it had given up.

Our second check was to the second net near the Bird hide where we found a Cetti's Warbler, the first that I know that I have seen. Like most Warblers, it is a nondescript little brown job; until you see it in the hand that is. It is a beautifully marked tiny bird. This one had been ringed before and we thought it had been injured. The ring, its leg and breast had a red substance on it. We could not identify it, no oily smell and definitely not blood but some substance that was drying on the bird's plumage. We noted its ring, measured its wing and weighed it before allowing it to fly off quite happily.

Sedge Warbler

The second and last bird was from net one, a Sedge Warbler. This one had made a real effort to become tangled in the net, but John's patient and experienced hands soon freed it easily and safely. Whilst observing this, I was aware off the strident, raucous call of two or three Cetti's Warblers that John pointed out to me. Although he had only rung five birds that morning, others were beginning to arrive in the reed beds. The Sedge Warbler is another beautifully marked tiny bird which after recording gnd ringing, John placed on my hand to allow it to fly away. A new experience for me and one which I appreciated very much.

After helping him to retrieve the nets and pack everything away we left with me silently promising myself that I would repeat the experience at the first opportunity and commit the call of the Cetti's Warbler to memory.

Goodbye Winter migrants – March 2014

Well after the poor weather early this year we have had at last some spring-like weather.

Dark-spotted Sedge

I walked as section of the coastpath in Morwenstow and found invertebrates about – Bloodynose Beetle, and two bees Buff-tailed and Red-tailed.

What I though was a micro-moth turned out to be an adult Caddis-fly – Dark-spotted Sedge Philopotamus montanus.

I also put my moth trap out one night an caught nothing but the following night caught 6 moths of 4 species – Early Thorn, Hebrew Character, Early Grey and Common Quaker.

I keep get glimpses of butterflies, but never close enough to identify and not very many. Being at the 140m contour line a mile from the sea seems to prevent me seeing the butterflies that everyone else is seeing.

I used the trail camera and managed to capture a small video of or our resident Bank Vole although I do get good daytime views and pictures. Other than a grey squirrel at Lower Tamar Lake a couple of day's ago, I have not seen any other mammals.

Last week the quarterly Bude Marsh transect was completed for Spring despite the patchy mist. We did see a mammal there, a rabbit on the west side of the canal. Near Petherick's Mill the mist really thickened up and a passing dog-walker commented on our slender chances of seeing birds in such weather. No sooner had he gone than through a break in the reeds we saw 7 species within a 10metres stretch of water – Grey Heron, Wigeon, Teal, Moorhen, Mallard, Snipe and Goosander. We took great delight in relating this to him when his circuit brought him past us again.

It was good to record two Willow Warblers – early harbingers of spring and during the same week as we saw them last year. Dare I say it – we have said goodby to the Starlings? We saw none on the transect and at hope apart from two that seem to be residents, we have not seen any for a week. We can put our washing back outside again!  And the WeBS survey at Lower Tamar Lake six Swallows were darting in and out of the mist over the water.

Puccinia smyrnia.

Spring flowers are beginning to bloom – Lesser Celandine are everywhere, Primroses are still to be seen and I have seen occasional Creeping Buttercup and Greater Stitchwort in the hedgerows. On the cliffs were Danish Scurvygrass and Violets. Alexanders are beginning to flower everywhere and come complete with a rust Puccinia smyrnia.

Goosanders in the Mist

Rabbit

In an inversion of the usual weather, Morwenstow was in bright sun this morning but down at sea level in Bude it was patchily misty. We very nearly called of the Bude Marsh and Valley Survey quarterly transect but in the end decided to carry on with it.

We started off with all the usual suspects, on the canal and in the trees and shrubs. However at Peter Trustcott's Bridge, we were fortunate to find two Willow Warblers foraging in the bare trees and a Kingfisher.

Across the canal near the 1-mile marker was that rare species of mammal – a rabbit!

Spring flowers were out too – Lesser Celandine, Primroses – lots of “Pussy” Willow in bud and Alexanders starting to flower. Their leaves were host to a rust fungus Puccinia smyrnii.  As were fungi, we spotted quite a few Blushing Brackets Daedaleopsis confragosa as well as a dead Elder sporting Jelly Ear Fungus Auricularia auricula-judae.



Alexander rust fungus Puccinia smyrnii 

We were almost at the end of our walk near Petherick's Mill when a passer-by walking his dog jokingly referred to our ability to see birds in the thickening mist. As he move on, we all focussed through a break in the Typha where a small pool was visible and were able vastly to increase our species count. In a 20m stretch were, Snipe, Mallard, Moorhen, Grey Heron, Wigeon, Teal and a Goosander.


Goosander

Well worth turning out for and a sight not to be missed.

January 2014

I don’t expect to see  much at all this time of year, certainly not any but road killed animals.  But on the same day, the 9^th of January, I saw a Stoat and a Squirrel, separately.  My walk on the Aqueduct in late December produced another two Squirrels.
 


Pintailed Duck - The Weir

The Goosander is still at the Weir and has been joined by a Pintailed Duck.

However, there is also a large number of Goosander of both sexes on Lower Tamar Lake.

I have been out an about seeing lots of birds whilst doing my regular surveys.  Highlights are - Peregrines on the Aqueduct and at Upper Tamar Lake, and large flocks yesterday, 19^th January of Lapwing and Golden Plover there.

I walked the Canal last week and saw two separate sightings of Kingfishers at the locks east of Rodd’s Bridge and another near the Bird Hide.

Early in January I found an old nest in the hedge near Stanbury Cross which contained 2 old eggs, one broken but the other whole which appear to be Yellowhammer.  I have photographed them, but can’t keep them as I would be breaking the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

There seem to be lots of Bullfinches about – has anyone else noticed?

The only invertebrates seen are 7-spot ladybirds -  one on the Yellowhammer nest, and another today. I had to take down an Ash tree a couple of years ago which left me with half a metre diameter trunk sections which I could not easily chop up.  I have them strategically placed in the garden to provide under log habitats.  One has become the home of the invasive Australian flatworm Australoplana sanguinea.  I had four of them under their log in my garden yesterday.  The sighting of the month must go to a Brimstone Butterfly seen near Burdon Nature Reserve on the Bude Aqueduct in December.

Winter Heliotrope - Morwenstow

There are lots of Winter Heliotrope in flower smelling of vanilla and marzipan.  Snowdrops are out and the occasional Primrose

[transcript of a report given to Cornwall Wildlife Trust Tamar Group on 20 January 2014]

December 2013

I didn’t expect to repeat last month’s report with sighting on the way home, but again, starting where I left off – when I left the meeting last month, we saw a rabbit in Poughill - And when we did the point transect at Maer Lake, we saw two more.

A dead badger near Cleave recently was being cleared up by a Magpie

 

Main sighting  of the month was the female Goosander on the Canal and at the Weir.  We saw it fly 

Female Goosander - The Weir Bude

in near Peter Truscott bridge and walked after it.  However, we stopped a 100 metres south to count Canada Geese and Lapwing when an excited woman asked if we were interested in birds as she had just seen a Goosander.  She just wanted to tell someone.  Another woman and dog passed us and put the bird up so we did not get a close look then.  However, it had flown only as far as the lake at The Weir where we were able to have many views of it.

Another good sighting was of  two male Bullfinches together in my garden and lots of Buzzards sitting on posts around about.  I don’t know if it is time of year or because there is less vegetation about that we are able to see so much

Male Bullfinches - Morwenstow

At Maer Lake there was a huge flock of about 400 Golden Plover and a good sized flock of Curlew seen both here and on the Canal.

At the recent Marsh transect we saw 30 species of birds, this is a similar number to last December (34) but there were 5 species we had not seen in that area before – Curlew, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Stonechat and Wigeon.  We now have a list of 52 species seen on the marshes and additional 5 seen on Maer Lake and one on the Whalesborough circuit – totalling 58 species of birds

Just today Emma Buck reports seeing the Goosander, a Pintail near Peter Truscott Bridge and a female Redstart on the streets behind the Carriers Inn in Bude.

Nothing seen of invertebrates although locally people have been surprised to see a Peacock Butterfly in December.  Look out for spawn though there is often early spawn in Cornwall.

 

As usual, Red Campion are to be seen, they are usually seen every month of the year. 

Yarrow was the only plant we have seen in bloom when we did the Canal Transect last week.

I was going to report that I had not seen an early Primrose yet, but yesterday, on Sunday I saw two in Morwenstow Churchyard and today a wild strawberry in flower and Three-cornered Leek at Woodford.

 

[transcript of a report given to Cornwall Wildlife Trust Tamar Group on 16 December 2013]