... and a year later

 

I've kept bumping in to large Cheilosia hoverflies at Comrie Community Woodland, but on each previous occasion they evaded capture.

 On the 2nd June I had a wander with the camera on Comrie Community Woodland where I've been trying to build a site species list. I first visited exactly a year previously, after we'd been living here in Perthshire just three weeks. The site was part of Cultybraggan Camp, a British PoW camp in WW11, it has a fascinating, although gruesome history, have a look here - https://www.cultybraggancamp.uk/ We have our (half) allotment on the Camp. The Community Woodland are fields across the road and up the way from the Camp, more information may be found here - https://www.cultybraggancamp.uk/community-woodland On the site is a (very) small reservoir which was, I think, the water supply for the camp. And a small burn flows through much of the site.

The bird list for Comrie Community Woodland is 75 species. There has been consistent monitoring of the birds over recent years, at least. I've managed to see 53 species in my first year, plus Moorhen and Rook, seen from the site. There is a plant list which I haven't seen (I must get hold of a copy), my main focus is invertebrate monitoring, of which some occurred previously, but included mostly just butterflies and the more obvious, larger species. But I've also been recording bryophytes, fungi and a few plants. So far I have a total of 221 species in iRecord for the site. This isn't that many, bearing in mind my list for our tennis court sized garden is 468 species, with a few to add. However, the garden list does include birds and wild plants. The Community Woodland is a really nice site to work on, although light trapping requires a bit of an effort, taking the kit up there and then staying up all night, or getting back to the site very early in the morning. There are many hundreds (or thousands) more species to record.

Anyway, here are some of the species from the wander with the camera. I took one specimen on this occasion which was of a hoverfly NFM (new for me) Cheilosia albitarsis, which is a bit of a tricky ID, and I got no field images (the image above was from a previous visit and the animal proved unidentifiable from photographs). Here's one of the key identification features, front tarsus showing the colour of the five tarsomeres, and, importantly, the shape of tarsomere five.

Cheilosia albitarsis, fore tarsus.

The following images are slightly more, er, populist.

Cantharis nigricans

Cantharis pellucida, the red/orange ventral colouration being the easy ID feature.

Pretty sure this is ok for Chrysopa perla, lacewings not really being my thing

Clouded Buff, a male. It required some dogged pursuit and stalking to finally get this image

Another "different" colour variation of Ctenicera cuprea, in Orkney I never saw anything other than the standard version.

Empis tessellata

Micropterix calthella

Nematinus sp, there are three similar species and I need to see the dorsal surface of the abdomen in order to get a specific identification. It didn't open its wings....

Oedemera virescens I think, the swollen hind femurs make it a male of this species, I'm finding these a wee bit confusing at the moment and should probably take a few specimens.

Xylota segnis Ooops, more carelessness, this is actually Brachypalpoides lentus which was not at all on my radar until I saw a post on FB; I meant to check this one but RM beat me to it and kindly re-identified this.

Panorpa communis a female Common Scorpionfly

Triphragmium ulmariae, NFM this rust on Meadowsweet

Away from the Community Woodland, the best effort of the week was to finally see a Beaver. A brief, but clear view was had on an evening when I wasn't really looking for the beasts, quite unexpected.

Splash!

Mission - to tick Beaver Castor fiber. I'm not sure about fibber, elusivia maybe. A couple more crepuscular attempts have again been so close... but so far.

A visit to a site which is a bit of a drive away and there is a lot of recent activity was a family outing. Parking has unfortunately been restricted so the start involves an unpleasant walk along the main road, however, after dodging the traffic we arrived and began a slow, quiet wander around the site. A creaking tree, sounding like gnawing, was a red herring. Then a few minutes later as we approached a likely spot there was a mighty splash right by us as a large beast went into the water - unseen! Scanning the water surface failed to reveal the submariner surfacing, darn!

The evening was saved by the rest of the party briefly viewing an Otter.

I led a wee walk around the Community Woodland subsequently. Walk is an exaggeration, dawdle more like. Anyway, although the pheromone traps that I'd set previously produced nothing the evening was not without some nice insects.

Peacock Moth

Downlooker Snipe-fly Rhagio scolopaceus

Syndemis musculana

Micropterix calthella, a very tiny moth, these on Meadow Buttercup.

(The above photos taken a few days previously, but the ones immediately below taken on the walk.)

Larva of Larch Ladybird, beaten from, er, Larch.

Tipula irrorata, a smaller cranefly

 

We also glimpsed a large cranefly which was probably Tipula maxima, but might have been Pedicia rivosa.

Nursery-web Spider and Common Blue Damselfly were also well seen. I have a few beetles and things to still identify.

Common Blue Damselfly

After the walk I set a couple of light traps and then wandered up to a Beaver dam that is nearby. The walk involved going through  Pine Marten territory, another much desired species which I've not seen (alive anyway). Both species eluded me, again.

The next morning I returned to collect the various traps. It had been a very cold night so I was not anticipating much, in which I was correct!

Two light traps = five moths. Broom-tip x2, Pale-shouldered Brocade x2 and a Buff-tip.

Broom-tip

Pale-shouldered Brocade

Fortunately the  expedition was saved by the discovery of a NFM (new for me) moth as I trudged back up the hill to collect the last of the pheromone traps. The tiny moth fluttered briefly, landed on Pignut and stayed there to feed. Obsidentify was deployed as I didn't recognise the species and it suggested a Metzneria species with a fair bit of confidence. Back at the car a quick glance at the book indicated Knapweed Seedhead Moth. Unsurprising as the site is full of knapweeds.

Knapweed Seedhead Moth Metzneria metzneriella on Pignut

For the walk I had taken along some "insurance", a selection of the moths caught in our garden the previous evening. These were well appreciated. On the right night, e.g. cloudy and warm all of these should be present at the CCW.

Here's a selection - (not all of these got along to the CCW).

Common Marbled Carpet

Common White Wave

Crambus ericella I've had a further look at this one as I was a bit doubtful, C. ericella is a quite uncommon moth. I think this is Crambus lathoniellus

Elephant Hawk-moth

Foxglove Pug

Green Silver-lines

Grey Dagger

Heart and Dart

Lunar Thorn

Pale Prominent

Pammene albuginana I think (specimens currently away being determined)

Peppered Moth

Puss Moth

Scorched Wing

Small Angleshades

I'm thinking this might be Toadflax Pug, a bit early maybe.... See comments below, thanks SS, Foxglove Pug. (The search for Toadflax Pug continues....)

White Ermine

There was a nice Brown Rustic as well but I can't seem to find the photo. 

Unfortunately there was an unwanted prisoner in the Robinson trap as I woke to close the traps a little later than usual, a Blue Tit intruder had munched a few moths. I probably can't use the Robinson trap whilst the Blue Tits are nesting in the garden unless I get up before 4, of course.

New trapsite

I've kindly been allowed to light trap on a nearby site. First go was night of 29th April and here are the images of the catch. I've been using the new LED set up which works very well, so well that I think I will replace the actinic bulb in my Robinson with one of these. When I've tried LEDs before I've been disappointed but these bulbs, despite having to run them from a 12V source and being just 7W are really very effective. Purchased on eBay from atropos2024. I've cobbled together the wiring for a Heath trap, I have put a 3amp fuse in this set up, but it isn't earthed.

LED set up in Heath.

 Here are the images of the catch.

Worn Brindled Pug.

Common Quaker

Early Thorn

Epinotia immundana

Flame Carpet

Great Prominent

Grey Birch

Hebrew Character

May Highflyer

Nut-tree Tussock

Not a moth! Pterostichus nigrita/rhaeticus, dissection required to split these, I released this.

Red-green Carpet, somewhat unco-operative and would not open its wings.

Scalloped Hazel

A common cranefly, Tipula paludosa.

The Ichneumon parasitoid, Ophion variegatus.

Many thanks to N for permission to trap. I also put a pheromone trap with FUN lure on site but this failed to attract anything. 18 moths of 12 species plus three "intruder" species.