Friday 28 January 2022

My PSL challenge update

With Mike and Martin Bevan both bringing the blog back to life, I thought I'd better do an update on my PSL challenge, which I set myself a couple of years ago - to get my home monad (1x1km grid square) and its 8 neighbours up to 1000 species.

At the end of 2020 I had managed to get my home monad (ST0996) up to 1067 species and by the end of 2021 it was up to 1248 species. 

For the remaining 8 monads, progress was made but was hampered as I spent some 5 - 6 months in Scotland looking after my parents, sorting out the sale of the family home, etc. 

ST0895  was 360 and at the end of 2021 is 494
ST0886 - 570 up to 595
ST0887 - 218 up to 306
ST0995 - 647 up to 780
ST0997 - 279 up to 357
ST1095 - 303 up to 382
ST1096 - 253 up to 376
ST1097 - 453 up to 575
 
Hopefully I'll get at least one more (ST0995) over 1000 by the end of this year with the remainder all over 500.

Monday 10 January 2022

Cynon Valley Year List

A new year and another list so I thought I would give this blogging another go. Local listing is a great way to get you out and about especially checking your local patches in the valley, rain or shine still gets you out. I always start listing religiously at the beginning of the year and than it seems to fade off as the year go on. On adding up my list for last year I was surprised to see I had beat my previous high count by two birds and my best now stands at hundred and twelve birds for the valley.

On the second of January I started my first day birding local. I went to Dare Valley Country Park first stopping to pick up Tufted Duck but on arriving I was surprised to find my flock had gone from nine to two. It just go to shows you can't take anything for granted. I also did Tirfounder fields and all in all I picked up 42 species. As I got home I had a phone call from Phil to say he had found a Great White Egret,  its a big local rarity and I think a third or fourth for the Valley, a brilliant find by Phil. On arriving I got the news I had missed it by five minutes, it was seen at Peace Park if your local or any non native people to the valley Pwll Waun Cynon Nature Reserve. 

The biggest part of my birding is done when I am out with the dog,  my walk a couple times day consists of a field at the top end of Robertstown . It turns up some good birds over the years, its where I found my first Yellow Browed Warbler. At the field yesterday I managed  to see four species of birds of prey in twenty minutes, I got my first Peregrine of the year, my local female Goshawk for the third time this year. It's a juvenile bird and I have been watching it since last autumn. I have seen it chasing Wood Pigeons but  most day its after the Jackdaws going to roost or leaving the roost at Aberdare park. Two days ago I was over the field and I spotted her flying over, she was taking some big flaps and I was starting to think she was going to do a display flight but with that she shot off west and out of sight. Within minutes a male Sparrowhawk flew towards me really fast and dropping in to stoop. I thought it was hunting but little did I know it was being hunted by the Goshawk chasing it over a wood and out of sight. For a second you think wow, what a sight, a first for me and then the coin drops and you start to think I hope it missed. I had to wait two days before I saw both again and boy was I relieved. I have also noticed that there seems to be a lack of Winter Thrushes and it took me a couple of days to get both, in the past I would have got both on the same day. Last thing big cheer for Martin for keeping the blog going and boys I am sick of buying all the tea. 

Tuesday 10 August 2021

Return to blogging

It's been a long time since any post on the blog - the last from Mike a worthy call to arms. This will be a short post to highlight a recent find with very few records in the UK.

Last weekend I was down Pembrokeshire. First stop was Barafundle Bay. Walking down the steps to the bay I noticed several galls on the leaves of Greater Knapweed, Centaurea scabiosa. On opening one, a small orange grub was in residence, looking very much like a fly larva. 

On getting home I checked with the excellent Bladmineerders website (https://bladmineerders.nl/) and this led me to Loewiola centaureae, a species of Cecidomyiidae fly with only 4 records listed against it on the Aderyn website and only 8 in the UK.



Wednesday 20 January 2021

Into new territory

After doing bits and pieces around the house on Saturday morning, I headed out looking to add to my PSL challenge, this time tackling the monad immediately east of my home monad, looking to add mainly fungi, bryophytes and lichens to the squares list, keeping an eye out for any avian year ticks - in particular the very invisible Fieldfares.

I was quite successful in adding over 50 species to the monad's list. Amongst these were a couple of lifers.

First lifer was the micro fungi, Phragmocephala atra. This is a micro fungi of dead Nettle stems, found when checking the Nettels for the much commoner Leptosphaeria acuta. Mark had posted about P. atra on Facebook a couple of years ago, but I couldn't find any at that time. They look like short, dark, stiff hairs erupting from the stem, but when they are fresh they have a "pompom" head, which makes them quite distinctive.

The larger, mammary shaped fungi are L. acuta, with the fine "hairs" P. atra. A couple with "pompom" heads can just be seen. one is to the right of the top most L.acuta.

The second lifer was also a new family for me. Bristletails, Machilidae. Thanks to a recent post on Facebook by Christian Sparrow Owens, providing a photo reference for bristletails, when I spotted one, I felt that I might be able to identify to species level, so grabbed a few pics. A quick perusal of the reference photo's were enough to convince me that I had Dilta chateri. I did, however, post it up on Facebook and Christian agreed the id.



 The key features to look for are the relatively short antennae and the solid dark band across the rear of the "hump". At this time of year this band is paler than during summer months.

This species appears to be restricted to Wales. In fact the NBN atlas has only 14 records for this species and all within south Wales.
 

Sunday 10 January 2021

Who's eating who?

Yesterday was a day focusing mainly on PSLing, looking to get the species lists up in a couple of 1km squares centred on Mynydd Goetre-Coed. I wasn't able t add any birds to the frankly pathetic year total of 51, but did find myself some new bryophites - the moss, Bicolored Bryum, Bryum dicotomun and the Liverwort, Thick-set Earwort, Scapania compacta

I also managed to find my first spider for the year whilst looking under stones, as well as Yellow Meadow Ants. I also found my first caterpillar for the year - looks to be the caterpillar of Dingy Footman.

Whilst wandering over the top of the ridge, I noticed a couple of pellets, about 40mm long, mainly,with largish bones protruding. In one of the pellets, very near the surface was a claw. Quite large at over 10mm long. Any suggestions as to prey, or preditor?


Today is back to birding, with a visit to Nelson Bog and Parc Penallta - both an easy walk from the house, so complying with the current Covid restrictions. 

The first year tick came within minutes of arrival at Nelson Bog as a Green Woodpecker flew over. Making my way to view over the back bog I flushed a Snipe, the second year tick of the day, from a ditch. As expected the back bog held a few Teal and, eventually, a Reed Bunting. At this point I thought I heard Willow Tit, but could only find a couple of Blue Tits. Given both Blue and Great Tits can make calls similar to Willow, I assumed it was the Blue Tits as that was all I could locate. Moving on I passed the main feeding point, lots of Coal, Blue and Great Tits, but no Willow coming for seed. It's been almost 2 years since I recorded a Willow Tit at this site, and the more visits without a sighting the more likely this species has vanished from what was one of it's local strongholds. Further on, however, another Willow Tit call - this time I was certain it was and I quickly located the bird. It showed well for a couple of minutes before flying off. Great to see that at least one is still around, but worrying that it was only one bird.

On to Parc Penallta, where a second Snipe was flushed, before two Water Rail were seen dashing for cover and later a Woodcock was flushed. Making my way up to the pagoda I could hear a flock of finches feeding. Next thing, a flock of around 40 Lesser Redpoll flew past. Further on a second flock of over 60 birds, this time mainly Siskin was found, though there were a couple of Redpoll in the flock. The Lesser Redpoll taking the year list up to 59.

Saturday 2 January 2021

A slow start

Well as expected the birding has gotten off to a slow start. Rather than the 1st January out with the boys picking up75+ species, it was a wander around the local area, with just 30 species logged. Highlights(?) were a couple of fly-by Stock Doves, a fly-over Goosander and a small flock of Siskin. 

Today's shorter wander was up round Parc Taf Bargoed and the settling beds. This added a further 15 species to the year list. 6 Red Kites was a record site count for me, but these were outshone by a Sibe Chiffy feeding at the lake side. Although it never called during the 20 mins or so I followed it, it was generally browner than a normal chiffy, lacking any green tones to the upperparts plumage. The cold pale grey underparts lacked any yellowish hues. The Super' was quite lengthy. The best of my photo attemps is below.


Whilst the birding might have been slow, I've managed 4 lifers across other taxa. Yesterday was 2 fungi - a single largish mushroom proved to be the Goblet, Pseudoclitocybe cyathiformes. This was follow by a tiny mushroom, Cinnamon Navel, Omphalina pyxidata.

                                              Goblet

                                               Cinnamon Navel

 Todays wander round Parc Taf Bagoed produced a further two lifers and just go to show that no matter how many times you visit a site, there is always something new to uncover. First up was the fern, Maidenhair Fern, Adiantum capillus-veneris. Whilst photographing this I noted a slug not far away. This turns out to be (tentively) a Rusty False-keeled Slug, Arion fasciatus.



Tuesday 29 December 2020

Review of the year (part 3) - the pick of the bunch

 Whilst the birding has been pretty poor this year, my PSL listing has continued apace with my adding some 570 species to my life list - I started the year on 3011 species and I'm currently on 3582, and not expecting to add anything between today (29th) and the start of the New Year.

So what have been the highlights? 

Moths

Making my first forays into moth trapping has been great, and brought quite a few new species - I also seemed to add quite a few new moths away from the trap, sometimes as caterpillars, but sometimes as adults.My top additions this year are all species I've wanted to see for some time and I managed to get at least one in the trap this year.

Top billing has to go to Merveille du Jour, with the runner up spots to Vestal and Chinese Character.


                                             Merveille du Jour, Dichonia aprilina

                                                 Vestal, Rhodometra sacraria

                                                   Chinese Character,  Cilix glaucata

 Beetles

Without doubt my top addition was the Blue Ground Beetle, Carabus, intricatus from Melincwrt, That was, however, a bit of a twitch. My best find was the colourful, and reasonably large, rove beetle Platydracus stercorarius.

                                                Platydracus stercorarius

 

Bugs

Again an easy choice, Spiked Shieldbug, Picromerus bidens has evaded me until this year, so it was nice to come across 2 over the year.


                                              Spiked Shieldbug, Picromerus bidens

 
Remaining insect orders

Two standout finds this year. One I'll leave to the end of this post, the other was part of the bye-catch from the moth trap - a Giant Lacewing, Osmylus fulvicephalus

                                              Giant Lacewing Osmylus fulvicephalus

Other animals

The standout addition was a slug - the Lemon Slug, Malacolimax tenellus. I know, a slug - something many people think are disgusting and most don't give a second glance to, except to try to kill. But this is quite attractive and unlike most slugs when you handle them this doesn't curl up and do nothing - rather this acts more like a snake or slow worm, in quickly trying to get away. This individual was about eye level on a conifer trunk in the middle of a gloomy patch of dense forestry and just stood out.

                                             Lemon Slug, Malacolimax tenellus

 

Plants 

The highlight plant was a twitch, on the back of twitching the Forester Moth (that didn't even make my top three new moths this year) - the Narrow-lipped Helleborine, Epipactis leptochila. My only new orchid of the year.

Of my own finds, my highlight was Heath Groundsel, Senecio sylvaticus found whilst undertaking my BBS.

                                                  Heath Groundsel, Senecio sylvaticus

Fungi

This was close to being my best find of the year, Whilst surveying for Willow Tit, I cam across a mass of Hoof Fungi, Fomes fomentarius. Whilst in itself it's not that spectacular, it was the shear number of fruiting bodies - well into 3 figures - that made this a spectacular find for a species with very few Welsh records.

                                                 Hoof Fungi, Fomes fomentarius

As stated above, the Hoof Fungi was close to the top addition to my life list this year. So what beat it. For that we have to go back to virtually the start of 2020 and the Snow Flea, Boreus hyemalis, found some 800m from home. Just wish I managed to get better photo's of it.


                                               Snow Flea, Boreus hyemalis