Thursley Common NNR: 30 May

Met up with friends and fellow ecologists Jess Smith and Nick Archibald for a late afternoon wander around Thursley Common. A couple of hours walking around the boardwalk and Shrike Hill in heavily overcast and cool conditions produced 1 Eurasian Curlew in flight over the mire (plus others heard), a flock of 5 Woodlark (Shrike Hill), 1 Common Cuckoo, 1H Tree Pipit, 4 (2m, 2f) Common Stonechat, 1 Linnet, 1m Reed Bunting, and 3 (2m, 1f) Tufted Duck (mire).

Found some Round-leaved Sundew Drosera rotundifolia and lots of Bogbean Menyanthes trifoliata in flower at the mire, along with a superb fresh Four-spotted Chaser Libellula quadrimaculata. Jess had her trusty bat detector with her (Jess doesn't leave home without it nowadays!) and managed to find us 4-5 Soprano Pipistrelles Pipistrellus pygmaeus and a couple of Common Pipistrelles Pipistrellus pipistrellus around the Moat Pond and the west end of the boardwalk. A juvenile Common Starling seen by torch light roosting beside the boardwalk was also noted. A really pleasant few hours in great company.

Four-spotted Chaser Libellula quadrimaculata, Thursley Common NNR, 30 May 2016 (taken with Samsung Note 4, uncropped)

Round-leaved Sundew Drosera rotundifolia, mire, Thursley Common NNR, 30 May 2016 (taken with Samsung Note 4)

Weather: Heavily overcast (8 oktas), windy and cool.

Moth dip at Thursley: 23 May

Made a late afternoon/early evening trip to Thursley Common to try and attract an Emperor Moth using pheromones (many thanks to Keith Kerr for the loan). No Emperor Moth (too cold maybe?) but some nice lowland heathland inverts, plants and birds.

Freshly emerged Four-spotted Chaser

Mangora acalypha - a small orb spider found locally on heaths mainly in south-east England

Pleurota bicostella - a common heathland specialist preferring damp areas. The larvae feed on heather. LOTS of these around today

Brassy Tortrix Eulia ministrana - prefers woodland but we found this one on the open heath

Plenty of Bogbean Menyanthes trifoliata flowering on the mire at the moment - an aquatic species of acid bogs, widespread but
scarce in south-east England now that many of the regions wetlands have been drained

Birds noted include 1m Dartford Warbler, 1 Woodlark, 2(1H) Tree Pipit, 3(1H) Common Cuckoo, 1m Stonechat, 1 Curlew, 2m Reed Bunting, 1 Skylark and 4 (2m, 2f) Tufted Duck. Also a few Common Lizard were seen on the boardwalks.

Thursley NNR: 22 April

A really pleasant day at Thursley Common in Surrey today (I couldn't face the prospect of seeing bugger all at the patch). My main aim was to look for reptiles and early dragonflies, but a cold fresh NE from mid-morning wind was far from ideal and I only managed one species of each - lots of Common Lizards Zootoca vivipara on the wooden boardwalks (both adults and young), and just a single female Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula.

Common Lizard Zootoca vivipara - the boardwalks at Thursley Common are a great place to see them

Common Lizard Zootoca vivipara - note how this one has flattened its body to maximise surface area facing the sun

Today's female Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula. The black legs help separate from Small Red Damselfly Ceriagrion
tenellum. Note the pterostigma is yellowish and not blackish - perhaps because newly emerged?

Some good birds seen today. Summer visitors noted were 2+ Hobby (hunting insects overhead), 2 Eurasian Curlew (presumably a pair on the peat bog), 1(H) Common Whitethroat (bog), 1m Common Redstart (singing around the Moat), 1 Tree Pipit (singing) and 1m Common Cuckoo. 5 Barn Swallow (mainly NW) constituted the only vis mig overhead.

Other species logged were 2 Woodlark (pair, with a male watched singing, in display flight and feeding on the fire breaks), 1m Yellowhammer (bog), 4(3m) Stonechat, Red Kite E, 2 Common Buzzard, several Linnet (a couple seen but mainly heard), 2 Tufted Duck (pair on the bog), 2+ Kestrel, 1(H) Dartford Warbler, 1(H) Siskin, Coal Tit (H), 2 Greylag Goose N, 1 Grey Heron (Moat) and a Canada/Barnacle Goose hybrid with a Canada Goose on the Moat pond.

Also, lots of Devil's Matchstick Cladonia floerkeana lichen growing on the sandy soil amongst the heather.

Devil's Matchstick Cladonia floerkeana

Oaken Wood, Surrey: 25 May

Spent the day with Pete Alfrey, Helen Cavilla and Rachel Walls searching for Wood Whites Leptidea sinapis at Oaken Wood - a small part of Chiddingfold Forest in Surrey managed by Butterfly Conservation for this rare species. A thorough search for several hours found no sign of any Wood Whites (bugger knows where these things were hanging out today?) but we still had an excellent invert-filled day.

Lepidoptera: 1m Nemophora degeerella, 1 Olethreutes arcuella, shed-loads of Speckled Yellows Pseudopanthera macularia, 1 Mother Shipton Callistege mi, 1 Four-dotted Footman Cybosia mesomella, 1 Peacock Moth Macaria notata, 1 The Cinnabar Tyria jacobaeae, 1 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis, 1 Brown Silver-line Petrophora chlorosata, 2 (larva) The Lackey Malacosoma neustria, Green Hairstreak Callophrys rubi, 2 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta, 1 Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni, and several Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria.

Odonata: 1m Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo, 1m Downy Emerald Cordulia aenea, and lots of Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula.

Male Nemophora degeerella - a fairly common but beautiful longhorn moth

Olethreutes arcuella

Speckled Yellow Pseudopanthera macularia - flying in force today, i.e. absolutely ******* everywhere!

Four-dotted Footman Cybosia mesomella

Peacock Moth Macaria notata

The Lackey Malacosoma neustria

Downy Emerald Cordulia aenea - note the dark frons (marked with yellow on Brilliant Emerald Somatochlora metallica).
Good identification article here.

Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula

Avifauna noted includes 5 Nightingale (1 seen), 1m Yellowhammer, 4 Common Buzzard, 1H Willow Warbler, 1 Common Cuckoo that refused to show itself and a female Mallard on eggs (one of us also suppressed a family flock of Marsh Tits, but enough said about that!). 1 very brief Adder and 2 Common Frog were also logged.

Lepidoptera walk at 'The Fragment', REGUA, Brazil: 18 March

Another post from REGUA. Today, Helen, Rachel, Andrew 'Hhhi' Proudfoot, Pete and I teamed up with REGUA's Research Co-ordinator Jorge Bizarro for a butterfly walk along the Onofre Cunha Trail. This trail runs through an area of good quality flat lowland Atlantic Forest, a very rare habitat indeed in the Atlantic Forest nowadays, located a couple of kilometres outside of the main part of the Reserve, and known at REGUA as simply 'The Fragment'.

Jorge's knowledge of Neotropical butterflies and their lifecycles is second to none, and he found many interesting species for us during the morning, both as adults and caterpillars. For anyone visiting REGUA I highly recommend a butterfly walk with him.

Highlights include a first for Rio de Janeiro state - a Little Banner Nica flavilla flavilla - a widespread Neotropical metalmark (Riodinidae) found from Mexico south to Bolivia, and apparently rather scarce in the south-east corner of the continent, and a second for Rio de Janeiro state - a Shining Groundstreak Calycopis demonassa (Jorge photographed the first for the state only yesterday on the Forest Trail), and a new species of butterfly for REGUA.

Little Banner Nica flavilla flavilla at Onofre Cunha today - a new butterfly for REGUA and Rio de Janeiro state!

A terrible out of focus photo of today's Shining Groundstreak Calycopis demonassa, grabbed before it flew off. This is the second
record for Rio de Janeiro state, after one on the Forest Trail yesterday also found by Jorge!

Another highlight was a very fresh White Witch Moth Thysania agrippina discovered resting characteristically side-on on the side of tree. This huge Noctuid has the largest wing-span of any moth or insect in the world, with a record wing-span of 280 mm! In flight they're even more bonkers!

White Witch Moth Thysania agrippina today

Other butterflies seen include Smooth-banded Sister Adelpha cytherea, Hemon Hairstreak Theritas hemon, and several Many-banded Daggerwing Marpesia chiron marius. Many thanks to Jorge for his help with the identifications.

Smooth-banded Sister Adelpha cytherea

Hemon Hairstreak Theritas hemon - a fairly common species at REGUA

The Fragment is also an excellent site for odonata. We didn't look specifically for them today but still managed to photograph a few Argia lilacina (apparently scarce at the Fragment) and a superb male Band-winged Dragonlet Erythrodiplax umbrata (many thanks to Tom Kompier for the identifications).

Male Band-winged Dragonlet Erythrodiplax umbrata

Female Argia lilacina

Birds took a back seat this morning, but without even trying I managed to see 1 Southern Caracara, 2m and 1f White-flanked Antwren, 1 Plain-winged Woodcreeper, 1 Streaked Xenops, 2m Flame-crested Tanager, 1 Fawn-breasted Tanager, 1m and 1f Blue Dacnis, 1m Yellow-backed Tanager and 1f Violaceous Euphonia along the trail.

This morning before the walk, 3 Scaly-headed Parrot flew over the conservation centre, and I spent some time photographing more moths at the moth wall, as well as this tiny, and unusually co-operative, young Tropical House Gecko Hemidactylus mabouia that even rested on my hand while I snapped it with the macro.

This Tropical House Gecko Hemidactylus mabouia resting on my finger, has no doubt also been enjoying the recent moth trapping

A few bugs at REGUA: 6 October

Spent a very enjoyable morning walking the first kilometer of the Waterfall Trail photographing some cool bugs with Rachel, Sue and Nicholas. Highlights were a superb Brazilian Crab Spider Epicadus heterogaster in the orchid garden (these things mimic white flowers in order to ambush pollinating insects), a male Long-tailed Bromeliad Guard Leptagrion perlongum - a member of the Coenagrionidae family or Narrow-winged Damselflies, and the second record for REGUA (many thanks to Tom Kompier for help with identification), and several species of tortoise beetle (Cassidinae). Bird highlights along the Waterfall Trail include 1-2m Temminck's Seedeater (a long overdue lifer) and 1m Sooty Grassquit feeding on seeding bamboo, 1 White-eyed Foliage-gleaner, and a Yellow-green Grosbeak.

Brazilian Crab Spider Epicadus heterogaster, Waterfall Trail

Brazilian Crab Spider Epicadus heterogaster, Waterfall Trail

Male Long-tailed Bromeliad Guard Leptagrion perlongum, Waterfall Trail - the second record for REGUA

Male Long-tailed Bromeliad Guard Leptagrion perlongum, Waterfall Trail

At the REGUA conservation center the MV light had attracted two hawkmoths: a Xylophanes chiron nechus and a Manduca diffissa petuniae.

Xylophanes chiron

Manduca diffissa petuniae

A few moor migrants

A few migrants moving through at the patch this morning, with 3 Yellow Wagtail (2W, 1 around the livestock), 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 2 Common Whitethroat, 9 Blackcap (3H), 12 Chiffchaff (5H), 1 Sand Martin S, 27 Barn Swallow (some S, some lingering) and 1 Common Buzzard (E then W). Also, 1+ Hobby Still, 1+ Sparrowhawk, 2+ Kestrel, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Kingfisher (H along Bonehead Ditch), 1 Pied Wagtail over (H), 6 Skylark, 1f Reed Bunting, 1 Grey Heron, lots of Starling feeding around the livestock still, 32 Goldfinch, 1f Mallard with a few chicks on the Colne, and 1f Common Pheasant flushed from the one of the iris channels that was really unhappy with my presence - late breeder?

Juvenile Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris moulting into 1st winter plumage

Lots of good inverts seen. Quite a few Migrant Hawkers Aeshna mixta around, as well several Common Darters Sympetrum striolatum and lots of Banded Demoiselles Calopteryx splendens still. Butterflies noted included 2-3 Brown Argus, 4+ Small Copper, several Common Blue, 2 Speckled Wood, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 3+ Small Heath, lots of Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, Green-veined Whites and Small Whites, and 3+ Silver Ys also seen. Orthoptera seen include 1 Short-winged Conehead Conocephalus dorsalis, 2 Long-winged Conehead Conocephalus discolor and lots of Meadow Grasshoppers Chorthippus parallelus and Field Grasshoppers Chorthippus brunneus.

Male Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta

Male Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum - note the diagnostic yellow stripe on the legs

Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus

Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus. Quite a variation in colour

Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus

Short-winged Conehead Conocephalus dorsalis

Midsummer at the patch

Unsurprisingly quiet at the patch today. A juv. Cuckoo out on Staines Moor was the highlight. Also logged 3 Red Kite over, 3 Common Tern (2 along the Colne, 1 W), c200 Starlings (mainly juveniles) around the cattle, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Pied Wagtail N and 1 Barn Swallow W. At least 2 pairs of Reed Warbler in Butt's Pond are now feeding young (there's 3 territories in the small reedbed here). Watched a pair foraging at close range and feeding a couple of fledglings. Buggers to photograph though - they didn't stay still for a second!

Adult Reed Warbler, Butt's Pond

Juvenile Reed Warbler, Butt's Pond

1f Broad-bodied Chaser Libellula depressa was also at Butt's Pond, quite a few Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens around, mainly along Bonehead Ditch, and Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum are all over the moor at the moment and must number many thousands.

Male Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum

Female Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum

So far it appears to be another poor year for butterflies. Lots of Small Heaths Coenonympha pamphilus around, but otherwise just 1 Large Skipper Ochlodes sylvanus, 1 Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae, 1 Peacock Aglais io and 2 Meadow Browns Maniola jurtina noted. Moths noted today were 1 Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata, a few Cinnabar Tyria jacobaeae and quite a few Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella micro-moths.

Large Skipper Ochlodes sylvanus, Bonehead Ditch

Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella - a grassland specialist, as indicated by the blade of grass

Quite a lot of Water Forget-me-not Myosotis scorpioides growing along Bonehead Ditch. Common, but beautiful!

Gutted most of the pools have dried up. Despite the ridiculous amount of rain we've had over the last year, Staines Moor is very dry. Sadly, no Redshank or Lapwing have bred this year and I was hoping the pools might bring in a Wood Sand this autumn. The moor is desperately in need of some permanent marshy pools with muddy edges!

Stanwell Moor was also very quiet. The best was 1 Hobby hunting, 1 Common Buzzard over west and a Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria.

Odonata in south-east Brazil

153 species of odonata have now been identified at REGUA in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, and we should be updating the REGUA website very soon. I'm a complete notice when it comes to Neotropical species, but I've been trying to put a name to any that I see. Here's a few common species I photographed at REGUA in June and September this year (click to enlarge). Many thanks to Tom Kompier for help with identifying some of the smaller damselflies.

Micrathyria catenata, wetland, 15 September 2012

Carmine Skimmer Orthemis discolor, wetland, 10 September 2012

Claret Pondhawk Erythemis mithroides, wetland, 10 September 2012

Cardinal Redskimmer Rhodopygia cardinalis, wetland, 15 June 2012

Flame-tailed Pondhawk Erythemis peruviana, wetland, 16 June 2012

Pin-tailed Pondhawk Erythemis plebeja, wetland, 18 September 2012

Male Pallid Amberwing Perithemis mooma, wetland, 15 September 2012

Female Pallid Amberwing Perithemis mooma, lodge moth light, 10 September 2012

Male Heteragrion aurantiacum, Stream along Brown Trail, 17 September 2012

Hetaerina hebe, Stream along Brown Trail, 17 September 2012

Male Ischnura capreolus, wetland, 15 September 2012. These things are minute,
measuring just over 2 cm in length, and would often seemingly disappear when
they flew.

Female Ischnura capreolus, wetland, 15 September 2012.