Living in a Zoo - Mammals

 These last few weeks we have seen more mammals that usual.  I wonder if it is dispersal time and we are seeing youngsters seeking their own territories.

The blog was prompted by the sighting of a Stoat on our garden.  We have seen one before usually once year.  My records show one in March 2016 and again in September 2017.  This one appeared this last week on 27th August.  It was doing what they always do, snaking in and out of the stones in our wall; no doubt following the routes that our resident Bank Vole takes. 

Stoat

Bank Voles are resident in our garden wall.  I have records from 2014 up to the present. They appear almost every day traversing the route along the back fence, before emerging from the right hand wall, dashing across the gap and into the other wall.  Here they appear between the stones and head into the undergrowth before returning a few minutes later. 

Bank Vole

I know there are Hedgehogs in the garden, they leave little present of their dropping here and there.  My records show them from 2014 mainly in Summer and Autumn.  I left a part of the lawn to grow and noticed hedgehog sized tracks through the long grass which my trail camera confirmed were hedgehog trails. 

Hedgehog

An unwelcome visitor since this year has been a regular sighting of a Brown Rat.  It appears to follow a route between our fence and hedgerow before heading into next door’s garden.  Our neighbour very kindly puts down food to attract hedgehogs, but the rats have noticed and make regular calls to check for free food.

Brown Rat

We have had the odd sighting of a Red Fox in the field beyond our fence.  Two wonderful sightings were made in July when a young fox visited on the 23^rd and again on the 29^th.  Earlier sightings were of an old mangy fox, this youngster can visit any time.

Red Fox

Since 2015, I have recorded the occasional Grey Squirrels looking longingly at the bird feeds, a newly acquired ground feeder was found in June by a squirrel.  It came day after day to gorge on any peanuts in the feeder but we had to remove it when the rat appeared. 

Grey Squirrel

Bats are quite common around our house.  Once shortly after we moved in 20 years ago, we called on the services of the North Devon Bat Group who recorded over 90 Pipistrelles emerging from our loft.  We do see them on warm nights and assume that they are Pippistrelles but until we found and photographed a dead one on our drive we could never be sure.

Pippistrelle

There are quite a few pet cats about and they catch quite a lot of vertebrates and leave their prey for us to find.  

Common Shrew

Common Shrews are frequently seen as cat kills on our driveway

Although we can’t condone this and do chase cats from our garden, there have been two remarkable sightings that we might not have had otherwise.  Many years ago, I photographed a very blurred picture of what I suspected was a Water ShrewIn July, we came across a cat kill which is undoubtedly the real thing.

Water Shrew

Later on in August, the other extraordinary kill was a Dormouse.  

Hazel Dormouse

It was dead on the road and had obviously been hit by a car, but to be on the road it had probably been caught by a cat and then left there.

House Guest - House Pest?

With apologies to Richard Jones for borrowing the title of his book (ISBN 9781472906236).

I recently stayed in Big St Johns, one of the Lundy properties, while enjoying two week's holiday. Most of the time was spent out of doors, observing and recording nature. There were a couple of days when the weather was not very good when we had short walks and spent more time in doors.

We found durng the current pandemic that you can enjoy nature in your own garden or by venturing only quite locally from home. Bur, how many of us have had a good look around indoors? I'd like to persuade you that you don't necessarily need to go out to observe nature.

The first species I found in Little St Johns was under the box of groceries we had delivered from the Lundy Shop - a Banded Centipede (Lithobius variegatus). We usually manage to see some of these, but I've not often found them indoors. It is easy to determine this species with their diagnostice purple-striped legs. They are predators feeding on other insects, perhaps those detailed below.

Banded Centipede Lithobius variegatus

One of the most frequent species found most mornings when we began making breakfast is the Pill Woodlouse (Armadillidium vulgare) . These were easily the most common and two or three could be found during each day. We don't make much mess, but any crumbs were no doubt being hoovered up by them as they feed on organic matter.

Pill Woodlouse Armadillidium vulgare

Another myriapod we recorded, but only once, was the Common Shiny Woodlouse (Oniscus asellus) with its attractive yellow markings on each segment.

Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus

In the corner of each room you could guarantee to find at least one Cellar Spider (Pholcus phalangioides). Their characteristic very long legs earns them their other name, Daddy Long-legs Spider. These are good guests to have as they prey on other spiders. So tolerate these and you might not see any other spiders in your accommodation.

Cellar Spider with egg sac Pholcus phaliongioides

We must have made some crumbs as we did find a couple of Silverfish, Lepisma saccharina. They feed on sugars and starches as their scientific name suggests. They are fast though and were a little challenging to photograph.

Silverfish Lepisma saccharina

I observed a solitary wasp continually flying against the window in the bathroom. I manage to persuade it out through the open window, but each morningh, it was back again. Eventually I identified it as Ancistrocerus sp. a Potter Wasp. When I read up on the species I found that they lay eggs in holes in wood then provision each egg with grubs which it paralyses so its developing larvae can feed on them. This wasp was seen one day head first in a redundant window fitting hole. Once it had completed this task it did not reappear. This is the second year I have seen this performance and now look forward to next year's sighting.

A Potter Wasp, Ancistrocerus sp.

The final species was an appearance late in the evening of a Pygmy Shrew (Sorex minutus). An insectivore, the previous listing, particularly of the Woodlice might explain what it was doing there. These are tiny and extremely active zooming around the skirting boards like a clockwork toy. It certainly had plenty of invertebrates to feed its high metabolic life-style. I was not quick enough to grab a picture so have used an early photograph taken outside on Lundy.

A Pygmy Shrew Sorex minutus

Seven species without venturing outside is a lockdown triumph.

Hunting for Hornets

I was fortunate to be invited on a Hornet Hunt by the Lundy Warden when I was over there last week.

Dean Jones, the Warden, had found some empty chrysalis cases on old Willow trees in the Quarries on Lundy.  He identified them as potentially Lunar Hornet Moth (Sesia bembeciformis) cases and ordered the newly released Pheronome for that species.   

Two of the empty chrysalis cases in Willow

Eggs are laid in the bark of Willow trees which hatch, and the larvae burrow deep into the wood.  In early June or July the white grub like caterpillars, and emerge from the chrysalis which are left half in the hole they bored.  The usually takes place around 8:30am early in June so we were probably a month and 5 hours too late. The cycle of mating and egg-laying then repeats.

We had hoped for a quick response to the pheronome order and, within the limitations of thrice-weekly sailings of the island's transport, MS Oldenburg it arrived before I left.  But, only just.  The day before I was due to leave, Dean asked if I was up for a visit with the lure to the site.

Dean and Rosie waiting expectantly

Dean, Rosie the Ranger and I duly set off north from the village to the 1860s quarry workings and to the site of the emergent moths.  Pheronomes are detected by male moths from at least 100 metres distant so we gave it half-an-hour but with no response.

Empty chrysalis extracted from Willow (0.5cm squares)

A few hundred metres south was another stand of Willow, but there were no chrysalises there.  We tried again but still with no success.

Nevertheless, we had tried and we did find at least half-a-dozen emergent cases at the original site but probably had missed the adult moths by a few days.  

Maybe next year when a picture of the spectacular adult might be available.

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Lundy Birds

Mary Atkinson Wild

Two Transects

For the first two weeks in July I was on Lundy.  While I was there I undertook two weekly butterfly transects for UKBMS.  I established this transect in 2019 to cover as diverse a selection of habitats as possible on the island.  

From the pond in Millcombe, the route ascends under trees and shrubs to Millcombe House then loops around the gorse covered slopes of Hangman's Hill and back under the trees to the head of the valley.  From here is follows a level route along the edge of the arable farm fields above the bracken covered sea cliffs to the beginning of the Quarries.

Towards the end of the Lundy Transect near Quarry Cottages

By contrast on Tuesday, I completed week 16 of my local butterfly transect - the Tidna Transet.  It begins and ends conveniently at my local, the Bush Inn and continues for half its length following the Tidna through its wooded valley and emerges at the edge of the Atlantic before climbing flowered covered cliff and returns along a Cornish hedged lane to complete the circuit.

Tidna Valley look inland from the Atlantic Clifftop

Both transects are within 20 miles of each other separated only by the Atlantic Ocean and Bristol Channel and cover broadly similar habitats.

I did my first Lundy transect on the 10th July on a really hot day only affected by a stiff North-west breeze although we were shielded from it by the field walls on the eastern side of the island.  Butterflies were recorded in each of the nine sectors with a total of 71 butterflies of seven species seen.  These were Small and Green-veined White, Red Admiral, Grayling, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Small Heath.  On the second transect on the 15th, the weather was poorer resulting in fewer butterflies and only five species.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Tidna Transect

By contrast, my local transect, on the 21st July was in very hot weather with clear skies and hardly any wind.  Here also, butterflies were recorded in all ten sectors with a total of 155 butterflies of 14 species.  The species recorded were; Large, Small and Green-veined White, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma, Small Pearl-bordered and Silver-washed Fritillaries, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Small Heath.

Silver-washed Fritillary - Tidna Transect

With a few exceptions, both transects resulted in very similar species.  It was a little early for Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood is rare on Lundy and the Fritillaries have never been recorded.

A Lundy Grayling

I am jealous of the sighting of the Grayling though.  I have not yet seen one here on the mainland, but continue to be hopeful.

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Mary Atkinson Wild

"mock Tudor, half-timbered building"

After a week of poor weather, we were rewarding by another mini-heatwave.  I took the last opportunity to complete week 12 of the UKMBS butterfly survery yesterday (23rd June).  It was the hottest day of the year with a temperature of 26C.

But, half of the transect is along a delightful stream running through a maturely wooded valley.  

Tidna Valley main part of the transect

The temperature in the shade of the trees was much more reasonable.  Having seen a Meadow Brown on the first of the ten sections, I dared to anticipate a full house (https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2530752943335211299/3755956790555006431 ) that is, recording butterflies on every one of the ten sections.  Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood were common under the trees particulalry where the canopy is open allowing brambles to flourish and produce flowers attractive to all insects.

It was in one of these sunlit open areas that a New For Year (NFY) Silver-washed Fritillary appeared on section three.

Silver-washed Fritillary

Where the route emerges from the tree cover, at section six, it is more open with steep sided slopes covered in Gorse either side of a more open scrubby pathway.  It is here that the Large Blue Butterfly became extinct in Cornwall in 1979.  Despite efforts to reintroduce it, the ecology is still not yet suitable.  However Skippers and Small Heaths did appear here as well as Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries in season.  And it is here where another two more NFY appeared, a Small Skipper and a Ringlet.

Small Skipper

Ringlet

The best was yet to come.  Further along this valley, within sight of the Atlantic Ocean I spotted a large, dirty white flying insect.  I could not be sure if it was moth or butterfly, but the blurred, dirty white was similar to the colour moths present as they flap their wings.  However as it came nearer, it was apparent that it was a large black and white butterfly.  I could see that the black and white were in distinct panes not unlike a mock Tudor, half-timbered building - it was a Marbled White.  So, not only NFY, but also new to this site and an uncommon species in North Cornwall VC2.

Marbled White

I couldn't beat that, but did manage to complete the "full house" with a least one butterfly in each of the ten sections.  It was not the highest number seen so far this year, but 64 butterflies of ten species with four NFY and one new for the site was very satisfying.

A Loveliness of Ladybirds

Most days when taking my daily execise, walking around our local lanes, I see a 7-spot Ladybird or even two or three.  They are bright and visible so catch the eye. This last week or so, I have been amazed at one patch of nettles on my regular daily walk.

The ordinary looking nettle patch

It looks no different from all the other patches of nettles that I look at as I walk by.  So what does make it special?  The sheer abundance of Ladybirds that can be counted there.

On the 5th, I counted five 7-spot Ladbybirds in a shaded waterside patch, but along the lane between Tonacombe and Stanbury Cross in this particular nettle patch there were 34.  They were not closely grouped, but spread about, one on an occassional nettle.On the 8th there was only one seen elsewhere but here there were 15 albeit on a damp, grey drizzly day.

Socially distanced Ladybirds

Once the sun came out and the temperature lifted a little, back they were sunning on the nettle patch - 54 on the 11th and 47 on the 13th.

7-spot Ladybird

On the 11th there was a 7-spot larva and a lone 10-spot Ladybird and on the 13th anothere larva, this time of a Harlequin Ladybird.  Todya, 16th there were and amazing 71 ladybirds.

10-spot Ladybird

Harlequin Ladbybird larva

Seen en masse Ladybirds certainly live up to their collective noun - a true loveliness.

Stranger in the night

Over the last week or so, we have been finding small, cylindrical, black droppings which look to me to be hedgehog droppings.  The picuture below shows three examples.

Hedgehog droppings

During lockdown, I decided to leave a few square metres of lawn uncut to see what grows and hopefully bring more biodiversity to the garden.  I inspect this fairly often to see what might be pushing through and noticed there were well-used pathways in the growing grasses.

Hedgehog trail

These two pieces of evidence made me decide to put out my trail camera, a Spypoint IR-8.  The following morning amongst the recordings of grasses moving in the breeze was the clip shown below.

Yes, a full-grown hedgehog going about its business and probably sleeping in the hedge bottom during the day. Now to set up a better camera position to see if I can capture some more images.