Moths and intruders

Finally the mothing has got interesting. Three traps out at the weekend and on Sunday the first interesting moth of the season, Red Chestnut which is new for the site.

Red Chestnut

Also an interesting selection of Clouded Drabs which have caused me some ID issues - 

All Clouded Drabs, that's a bit nuts, and why Noctuids sometimes annoy me...

A few intruders too. Madly I tried to identify a Bristletail. Should be ok, only a few UK species mmm, I need to post this on Intruders FB page, complete swines. I think this might be Petrobus maritimus, but equally it might not be.

Petrobus maritimus maybe.

In this game you need to know when to give up to preserve the sanity. When the maker of the new key suggests the 1954 RES key is a bit hard, and they've seemed to give up on their revised online key, and there are a pile of new species for the UK and not many pictures online at reliable sites it might be time to throw in the towel.

Likewise (not an intruder) but this Philonthus (I think) is proving a tad challenging. Two longish attempts have left me very uncertain. A better microscope is required.

Philonthus sp, if you want to put me out of my misery...

Found outside the village shop whilst queueing, they don't let very many of us in the Coop at a time so we wait outside and unfortunately I noticed this heading my way across the pavement. Unfortunately I had a sample tube in my pocket (it is rare that I don't have one to be fair). And now having killed the beast I feel duty bound to get to an ID, I may need to call up the online support shortly.

Tipula rufina, intruders.

I caught two of this quite smart Tipulid that I'm not sure I've IDed before, common enough though it is. Luckily I had a good idea of what it was before I started to key it, and the CR has confirmed it. It didn't take too long to do, and I let one of the two go.

The warmer weather brought quite a few things out, first hoverflies of the year, Plenty of Eristalis intricarius and a few Eristalis pertinax on the Marsh Marigold flowers down by The Shunan.

 A male Eristalis intricarius.

 A male Eristalis pertinax.

And I finally got to grips with the fish in the burn, one Brown Trout and a lot of Three-spined Stickleback, I need to try to confirm the stickleback, a netting session is required I think, there are plenty to be seen though.

Cercyon melanocephalus

A common thing if you delve about in poo, small though

Delving about in the dead Rook produced this,

Thanatophilus rugosus, a proper big beetle.

Oystercatcher, with a nest somewhere near.

Male Stonechat.

On the patch there were Ruff, Blackwit, possible Whimbrel, slightly unsure, brief call, first Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin and a short distance off patch a Willow Warbler was a nice surprise.

There were a few Emperor Moths about, I dug out the pheromone lure, but forgot it when I walked to Bosquoy, however it had been in my coat pocket briefly and a male could sense that. Recorded three other adults and a pupa, over the weekend, one flyby, one attracted to the lure and one disturbed by the hound.

Star of the moorland walk though was finding an ant nest. ID can be tricky and they wouldn't stay still so I took a worker. They proved to be Myrmica ruginosa. I'm not sure I've seen an ant on Mainland before.

First segement of the antenna gently curved and the two spines long = Myrmica ruginosa.

 Gorse, with a coconut smell.

Primroses out in abundance.

Selfie, trying to ID stuff, new Butterfly Conservation T, pleasingly packaged with no plastic - yes it was (briefly) warm enough for a t-shirt on Saturday.