Yorkshire, some intruders.

I still haven't worked through the caddis yet but here are some of the other intruders from the Yorkshire week. 

Bembidion quadrimaculatum.

Not sure if I've seen this before, there were lots of Carabids from my time working at Sunderland Poly, and I'm not sure I've got any sort of list of them anywhere. Keyed out in a straightforward way.

Male Tipula pagana.

Acericerus heydenii.

An interesting beast. First found in the UK in 2010, presumed to have arrived naturally on the south coast. The species is apparently now being found in small numbers much further north. A species associated with Sycamore. This could be one of the first records for Yorkshire.

Yorkshire.

Headed south. I didn't really want to go, to be honest, but we had a fab time. The purpose was to attend a birthday do... but it didn't happen as certain key players tested +ve. We learned this on the way down, we went anyway. Picked up lassies in Glasgow, the uninfected were OK to go to a couple of meals. Spoke to others over the garden fence/wall.

The rental cottage was in a good spot, opposite the church and by the pub. I did quite a bit of bat detecting, mostly stuck the Heath trap in the front yard, but also managed a night in a relative's garden. I'm still working on the intruders, quite a few caddis, I've taken samples, learned my lesson after Lewis. I've also got a couple of craneflies, an opilione, a very interesting looking Bembidion and a Heteropteran. So there are a few ticks in the intruders but six new moths! Also picked up Noon Fly on the last afternoon, lots of diptera feeding on Ivy flowers.

Moths:

December Moth.

I'd long wanted to see this species, three on the first night's trapping, brilliant!

Feathered Thorn.

What an excellent species. Not once in the trap, but each time somewhere in the region. This one was on the bench the trap was sitting on.

Red Underwing.

Never expected this, and even so worn, what a fabulous and huge beast! It flew off strongly, high, even in that state. It was in the trap

Also captured on the first evening were Red green Carpet and Epirrita species.

Sprawler (re-identified by SS after I mis-identified as Blair's Shoulder Knot).

Night two, also not in the trap, on the gate and on the trap. Brilliant beastie and apparently not very common, so a good record to boot.

Yellow-line Quaker.

Another NFM, smart little moth.

Next night, trapped in brother-in-law's garden and along with Tawny Owl and Soprano Pipistrelle trapped Spruce Carpet.

Spruce Carpet.

Also:

Chestnut.

Red Green Carpet.

The Epirrita's were something else. Caught quite a few of them and I suspect both November Moth and Autumnal Moth were involved. I have taken a couple of specimens and will try and do the gen det. It's not as easy as the book makes out.

I had two specimens and failed to do much with one, left it in the KOH too long I think. However, I pulled the ALS gen det instructions from the www (see side panel) and followed them re the KOH and timing, used the Aga instead of a 40W lightbulb, and result! November Moth. So I proved one species anyway. I'll see if I can photograph the gen det bits, it is certainly not as straightforward as Waring and Townsend seem to suggest to see the relevant bits.

Female Epirrita.

Female Epirrita, very dark.

Male Epittita, species...?

I'll post pix of the intruders shortly.

The last afternoon there were plenty of Eristalis, mostly tenax on Ivy. Also a good few Syrphus torvus.

Best though was this Noon Fly, Mesembrina meridiana.

Mesembrina meridiana, Noon Fly.

Warbeth.

I struggled to decide where to post these images of Warbeth. I went there to look for debris and perhaps a By-The-Wind-Sailor from the recent blow, perhaps I didn't look well enough, Goose Barnacles and BTWSs have been seen elsewhere this week. I didn't find either unfortunately. The light was lovely and I took a pile of shots with the Pen and the 17mm lens.

Batting, mothing.

Back in mid-September I detected a bat here, a rare occurrence. We then went away, but the local bat crew came and checked it out for me. I have a heterodyne bat detector which I've rarely used and had the bat(s) down as Common Pip. However, opinion was that the signal was stronger and deeper at 55kHz so most likely Soprano Pip. We got back late the same evening as the crew had been here and I was fortunate enough to find the bat again and check it out at 55. That helped me figure out how they'd come to that conclusion. Anyway bad weather then followed and the Soprano Pip disappeared.

Now the bat detector is kept in a handy to grab spot and recently I've taken to using it when I go for a wander outside when the moth lights are on, or even when they're not. Another bat. This time I know how to use the detector a bit better (I went to an online course) I've also linked the detector to the digital sound recorder I bought for nocmig (which to be honest I can't really be bothered with, too much computer time for too little payback, it's noisy here at night, if its not the Greylags, the Rooks and Jackdaws are a rowdy, restless crew.). The recorder works pretty well with the detector, although I have a few wee problems I'd like to resolve, like how do you keep the background noise to a minimum? Anyway, another bat is about the garden and this time it is Common Pip, nice strong, deep signals at 45 - 47kHz, weak and high pitched at 55. 

At this point I would like to post some of the recordings here. But I'm struggling to figure out how to do that. One of the issues is that both the audio software (Audacity) and my video editing software (Videostudio Pro) have a bit of a learning curve, and my resistence to spending time with the tutorials (see above)  means I'm flailing about in the dark (ha-ha) somewhat. I will sort it eventually. In the meantime I might see if I can post on FB.

It's warm and there are lots of insects about. I've been catching some nice moths and beetles. The repositioned Robinson with actinic next to the newly white wall section at the back of the house is scoring highly. The synergetic in the trees is also doing ok. Mid-October in Orkney and catching quite a few moths, that's a bit mad. The last couple of evenings the wall has been covered in the cranefly Limonia nubecolosa, c50 - 100 of them with at least four other species.

Brindled Ochre.

NFY have been the above Brindled Ochre and Acleris hyemana (which escaped so no photo). 

Acleris sparsana - here's looking at you, kid.

Blastobasis adustella.

Red Green Carpet.

I think I've only ever caught Red Green Carpet here once before, dead chuffed.

Angleshades, still plenty of these.

Large Wainscot, probably a female.

Large Wainscot, perhaps a male (not the best image, good of feet).

I thought this last one was something different, I reckoned Common Wainscot. However, a bit of twittering and FBM put me right (thank you all). Common Wainscot, here at this time of year would be an exceptional record. This is also Large Wainscot, perhaps a male, being smaller.

Along with the moths and afore-mentioned craneflies there are a pile of intruders with beetles and molluscs leading the charge.

Arion subfuscus.

Cepaea hortensis.

Deroceras invadens.

Dytiscus semisulcatus.

Necrophorus humator.

Nicrophorus investigator.

At the moment I'm working through the Lewis material and entering the data into iRecord, I'll post about a few things when I'm done i should think.

On the bird front Redwings are at a trickle. Goldcrest, Brambling and Chaffinch have been in the garden and the Ring-necked Duck is still at Loch of Bosquoy, but I continue to fail to see it from the garden.

The Many Days

 The Many Days is a new project. It is currently embrionic and finding its direction. There is a new post today, here - https://themanydays.blogspot.com/

Kiwi fruit.

It is likely that I will move the still under-construction 104 page, and the Ivor Cutler page to The Many Days at some point in the near future so that this blog, and that, maintain clearer perspectives.

Surfie.

 Yesterday and Louise needed a letter posting and I fancied a look at The Shunan. A message on the What's App from AL gvae the gen of a Med Gull at Marwick, so I volunteered for the post run. Met the postie half way down our road which messed up looking at The Shunan, so went straight to Marwick. As forewarned there were a lot of gulls there but eventually I dug out the Med Gull, distantly and awkward to photo, I failed. Amongst the reported 700 Common Gulls were a couple of Kittiwakes and a 1cy Lesser Black-backed Gull, getting late for those here, and they can look more interesting than they are.

Spot the Leeb.

I spent far too long going through the gulls, but that was fortunate as about to leave I checked the phone and AL had also relocated Thursday's Surf Scoter. I'd not expected that to still be around, close inshore just up the road at Skaill Bay.

The light was excellent, the bird was helpful, and I didn't even get wet feet.

Drake Surf Scoter.

Having spent hours searching for and watching very distant Surfies in Kirkwall Bay over recent years, on one occasion going out on a boat to try to get pictures, this was such a great opportunity.

The bird was feeding close inshore just behind the breakers. I could wait until the bird dived then go down the beach into the waves take a few pictures and then retreat. It didn't seem to mind this behaviour and kept feeding. The images are pretty heavily cropped mind.

Red-line Quaker.

Having painted a bit of the back wall white, it all needs painting, however, I had a shuffle around with the moth traps and put the Robinson with the blacklight by the wall and put the synergetic Heath trap where the actinic Heath had been. They're a bit close together really but having had a couple of goes I seem to be getting a result. First try produced a NFS and maybe NFM, Red-line Quaker.

Red-line Quaker.

Small Square-spot.

Also a nice, fresh Small Square-spot, presumably from a second generation. Along with these there were Depressaria radiella and Acleris sparsana.

A second go last night and I caught and managed to photograph the Agonopterix heracliana more successfully than last time. Also in there LYU, Blastobasis adustella and a Silver Y on the wall. The intruders included loads of craneflies on the wall, mostly Limonia nubeculosa, but Rhipidia maculata and Tipula confusa also found. Other intruders have included Dryomyza anilis, twice and Melanostoma scalare twice. I like it when weird stuff gets in the trap, like the slug Arion fasciatus, also a couple of tiny Arions but I've ignored them for now...

Agonopterix heracliana.

Blastobasis adustella.

Silver Y.

Strangely I quite like trapping at this time of year when I don't catch so much, however, the potential for new things is quite high. There's more time to look at the intruders as well and sort through them a bit more carefully. Today I found the rather small Psocopteran, Chilenocaecilius ornatipennis. This is a creature I've caught and written about before https://literateherringthisway.blogspot.com/search?q=+Chilenocaecilius+ornatipennis  but I've not recorded it as an intruder previously.

Chilenocaecilius ornatipennis.

 

Some of the other intruders from these outings:

Arion fasciatus, clear slime and quite small.

Nicrophorus humator and phorid mites.

Limonia nubecolosa with the banded legs.

Female, Melanostoma scalare.

Male Rhipidia maculata with fancy antennae (and a new fancy English name that it doesn't need).

Tipula confusa.

On the bird front the Ring-necked Duck is still on Loch of Bosquoy (but no further wonderful photos) and was joined by a Goosander and a Ruff today. Little Grebes have done their usual thing and appeared on The Shunan where there are varying numbers of duck, of a variety of species. Swallows are becoming intermittent but still plenty of Mepits going through and the usual Skylark movements. No warblers, no surprise. First Chaffinch of the autumn today.

No further definite bat sightings, the odd, maybe, distant blip on the detector, need something better than that.

Windows.

The cultural stuff is probably going to be posted on my new The Many Days site, which I'm still sorting out. No time of late with the painting project in order to get the new conservatory/lean-to up next week (with luck).

Here we are putting the weather proofing on, several coats of it.