Picture This!

Bombus lucorum Hawthornthwaite Fell. Pete Woodruff.

I'm walking along the grit track on Hawthornthwaite Fell and finding lots of White-tailed Bumblebee on Thistle. 

Bombus lapidarius Hawthornthwaite Fell.  Pete Woodruff.

But hang on, this one has a red tail, and for about five seconds I'm thinking, bloody hell have I found my first Bilberry Bumblebee....Well no, 'cos this is a Red-tailed Bumblebee, known to be essentially a lowland species, with a few records in upland areas, and possibly none on moorland. Well....looks like I found something of a scarcity in them thar'ills.

Emperor Male Lancaster Canal. Pete Woodruff.

Moving on, and just a few paces up the track there's this dragonfly patrolling Cam Brook, conspicuous in its large size and predominantly all-blue abdomen, it had to be Emperor Dragonfly, apparently having deserted its still water and canal habitats, and is regarded as absent in the uplands....But not today!

Sightings have been quite sparse here this year, and I struggled to find just one male Stonechat on Hawthornthwaite this time, with my only confirmed breeding record being that of six birds seen 27 May including two young. Up to 24 Sand Martin are still active at the small colony, 5 Meadow Pipit, and a Green-veined White noted.

Though the weather didn't contribute, it was a disappointing search along Cam Brook, with five seen here 11 July, just one Golden-ringed Dragonfly and a Brown Hawker seen, also 3 Grey Wagtail on the brook, and up to 8 Sand Martin were still attending four nest holes at the small established colony here.

On Grisedale Brook, 5 Golden-ringed Dragonfly was the total count between Grisedale Bridge and Holme Wood, with a Buzzard 'mewing', and a Raven calling 'korrp-korrp' overhead.

Small Skipper Grisedale Bridge. Pete Woodruff.

Butterflies at Grisedale Bridge, 8 Meadow Brown, 6 Small Heath, and a Small Skipper.

Thanks to Steve Graham for the excellent header image of the Beautiful Demoiselle he saw whilst visiting the deep south recently. I think you would struggle to find one in our recording area in Lancashire, with only one of three recorded in the county, all in unsuitable breeding habitat, including 19 years ago at Middleton NR in 2003. 

Stonechat Records April-June 2022.

Staying home and keeping cool for a couple of days during the heat wave, and since the cooldown no opportunities for any freedom, has given me the opportunity to collate a selection of the second quarter of this years Stonechat records - 100+in total April-June - collected in the main from FBC sightings page. 

The records have shown a surprising number of lowland birds, with the Lancashire Bird Report 2020 claiming Stonechats to be fairly widespread in coastal areas. 

9 April Rossall School possibly late passage?

20 April Blackpool Airport male

20 April St Annes Old Links pair

25 April Blea Tarn 2 birds  

26 May Conder Green male *

12 June Winmarleigh Moss breeding record, adults seen carrying food

17 June Heysham Head female *

25 June St Annes NR 3 birds

25 June Starr Hills 2 birds

25 June Clougha 2 birds

* Stonechats at Conder Green and Heysham Head in May/June are extraordinary, in particular the Conder Green bird. According to my records, there's never been a Stonechat seen here during the breeding season, and almost certainly never at Heysham Head on 17 June.

April-June Records Pete Woodruff.

My Stonechat'ing days and where I go are much restricted now, so nothing comprehensive here, but....

14 April Birk Bank 2xpairs *

29 April Harrisend pair/4 male *

29 April Hawthornthwaite pair/female *

27 May Hawthornthwaite pair/2 male/2 young

16 June Birk Bank juvenile

30 June Birk Bank female/4 young 

* No evidence, but probably breeding

..................................................................

Lancaster Canal.

Since the recent pollution incident which had serious consequences for wildlife, including dead otters and fish, it was rewarding to find the canal at Garstang appears to be reaching some normality again. It was pleasing to find 4 Brown Hawker and 2 Emperor Dragonfly as evidence that it seems no harm had come to the Odonata of this affected section of the canal.

Garden Butterflies.

It was good to find two firsts for the garden, when a Small Skipper and Meadow Brown put in an appearance recently, also nice to see Holly Blue and Comma. 

I've used the word paucity a couple of times recently to describe my butterfly records recently. I'm claiming no more than 40 have been seen in our butterfly and bee friendly garden since the beginning of summer. This reflects the disaster that might be around the corner, that half of Britain's butterfly species are listed as Threatened or Near Threatened on a new Red List.

Wall Brown. Pete Woodruff.

It's 5 years since I saw my last Wall Brown, it was seen along the coastal path at Cockers Dyke in August 2017.

Tree Wasp.

The 22cm Tree Wasp Dolichovespula sylvestris was munching at the wood on the boardwalk fencing at Birk Bank to digest as paper for nest building. 

Moths.

Four Spotted Footman. Ian Mitchell.

The Four Spotted Footman featured in my header and above, is thanks to Ian who found it in his trap on Monday. It is a sexually dimorphic moth, only females have the spots which gives the species its name. They are more likely to be found in central and southern Europe, though they are resident along the south-west coast of England and parts of Wales, making Ian's individual a scarce immigrant found in the north of England....I've not yet found out what the disfigurement is on the moth. 

I've seen a couple of moths recently, nothing unusual but worth noting. 

Dark Arches. Pete Woodruff.

The Dark Arches came to rest on the pebbledash on our house....

Purple Bar. Pete Woodruff.

And the Purple Bar was hiding in the undergrowth at Grisedale Bridge.

Golden Moments....Part 2.

It was time this week, for another wander around the area and to check around the bog at Birk Bank, where I have found odonata having a lack of variety over the past couple of visits....But mustn't grumble.

Golden Ringed Dragonfly July 13. Pete Woodruff.

I managed to lift this years sightings to five locations to date, when I notched up 5 Golden-ringed Dragonfly, seen as two on the bog at Birk Bank, one of which was seen briefly ovipositing, two over the River Conder at Cragg Wood, and one on Ottergear Bridge. A few minutes after I had found the GRD on the bridge, a Common Hawker flew east - west below the bridge.

Keeled Skimmer 13 July. Pete Woodruff.

Also, 7 Keeled Skimmer all male, five seen on the bog, and two on the west side of Ottergear Bridge, where I was surprised to find them here again as last year. Also on the bog, 2 Large Red Damselfly.

My butterfly counts remain low, though to contradict I did see 18 Meadow Brown, also 6 Large White, 5 Ringlet, 5 Small Skipper, and 3 Small Tortoiseshell.

Birds noted, a Buzzard and Raven were overhead, and a murder of up to 100 Carrion Crow came over the ridge.

The Golden-ringed Dragonfly.

Being unique in its breeding habitat of acidic upland streams and patrolling lengthy sections, the Golden-ringed Dragonfly also feed over nearby areas of moorland, with occasionally wanderings. 

'The species appears to have been lost from parts of North Lancashire. However, due to the often remoteness of its habitat it is not clear whether this might simply be 'an absence of records' rather than 'a record of absence'. It is likely that Golden-ringed Dragonflies are present throughout much of the northern uplands, breeding on the numerous streams, most of which are rarely surveyed'....Ref:The Dragonflies of Lancashire and North Merseyside. Steve White and Philip H. Smith.

Having achieved a total of 18 Golden-ringed Dragonflies in seven days at five sites. Too late this year, but I think maybe next I should make a plan, and change the 'rarely surveyed' to make a contribution to something more positive. 

Golden Moments.

On Monday, I gave Grisedale Brook 2 hours to find 12 Golden-ringed Dragonfly, the result of staking out for 1/4 mile at three positions to Holme Wood. Of these twelve sightings, I eliminated four as duplicate counts, bringing the count to eight.

Also seen in the area, 14 Meadow Brown, 4 Small Heath, 4 Small Tortoiseshell, 3 Ringlet, and a Small Skipper.

Fast forward to Hawthornthwaite, where I found just one female Stonechat, which promptly flew off some distance to disappear from view on the east side of Catshaw. A Painted Lady was nice here, also 4 Large White and 2 Small Heath seemed to continue the paucity of butterfly records for me.

White-tailed Bumblebee. Pete Woodruff.

A few White-tailed Bumblebee seen on Hawthornthwaite are regarded as probably Bombus cryptarum, being the species that occupies upland habitats. In July last year, I found at least 60 here, this visit produced less in number.

A heads-up a couple of weeks ago from AC, had me finding 5 Golden-ringed Dragonfly on Cam Brook, to give me the total of an impressive seventeen sightings on the day.

Human Remains.

There's never any shortage of examples of human remains to be found in the Forest of Bowland.

This person - that's me being polite - leaving his dogs crap in a bag at Grisedale Bridge, obviously has a sick sense of humour, with a university degree in ignorance to go with it.

This litter was left behind in the stream below Hawthornthwaite Fell, by some lout who wouldn't have the care to realise they were leaving their empty cans of lager in an AONB....Sad i'nit!

A late record....On Sunday, a walk along the canal to Deep Cutting, was rewarded by 6 Emperor Dragonfly all male.

Canal Delight & Disaster.

Having made my plans, I scrounged a lift to Galgate and walked the canal towpath back to Lancaster. At my usual dawdle and search speed, the walk took me 4 hours to get back to the city centre, then took me another 1.5 hours to get home on a bus ride which should have taken just 10 minutes. Roadworks causing traffic chaos....but never mind all that.

Delight On The Canal.

I had only been on the path 15 minutes north of Galgate, when I saw up to a three figure estimate of House Martin in the skies above, hawking and thinking about the start of their journey south. Swallow were over, feeding and occasionally scooping water from the canal. I counted 10 Moorhen along the way, including two nests with young seen. Other notes, 8 Blackbird, 2 Blackcap, 2 Wren, a Chiffchaff, and a Cormorant seen fishing then took off and flew west.

There was a disappointing paucity of butterflies, pick of the bunch was a Large Skipper, with a Ringlet, Large White, 4 Meadow Brown, and a Silver Y moth.

Large Skipper. Pete Woodruff.

The only Odonata seen, came as 4 Emperor Dragonfly including an obliging male, to be seen more often than not patrolling.

View Full Screen

Along this 4 mile stretch of the Lancaster Canal, the Blue-tailed Damselfly probably numbered a few hundred if I'd have really tried. 

Blue-tailed Damselfly f.rufescens Pete Woodruff

Disaster On The Canal.

On Saturday 11 June, I was witness to the results of a serious pollution incident on the Lancaster Canal at Garstang, which caused the water in the canal to become black with a sickening stench. 

Making enquiries to the authorities, I received a comprehensive response giving some details about the incident. In terms of actions to manage the impact of this significant pollution event which has sadly effected wildlife along this length of the canal through Garstang, aeration equipment was deployed to improve oxygen levels within the water. This action is continuing until the water chemistry is back to its normal level, and I'm told the results to date appear to be promising.

The result of this incident caused many fish and other aquatic life to perish, and worse still, I was informed with photographic evidence seen, of two Otters dead. In my enquiries, I was told of no evidence found on the effect of Odonata caused by the incident, and to add something much more positive to all this, it was pleasing that I found 2 Banded Demoiselle just beyond the affected area last Saturday 2 July. 

I'm told the source of this pollution incident has been identified. I hope a case for prosecution is being built, and let's hope it's a successful one with a hefty price to pay for this act of wildlife crime and environmental damage. 

Conder Pool.

Can't think of a better Conder Pool update from the ever reliable Howard Stockdale, than his footage of the recently hatched Little Ringed Plover chicks. 

View Full Screen

More Therapeutic Wanderings.

As I made my way to Birk Bank to check out the bog for dragonflies on Thursday, I was muttering to myself, this is a mistake I'm making. The plan was then to do a circuit, Ottergear Bridge-Cragg Wood-Littledale Road-Rigg Lane. But the weather was unsettled, not a day for a dragonfly hunt, and I soon found myself sheltering from a downpour under a tree, and by now feeling pretty miserable.... 

But things bucked up, the rain passed and in fact it turned out to be a good day. The dragons took too the wing, and over the next hour, I eventually had 6 Keeled Skimmer sightings all male, 2 Four-spotted Chaser, 2 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, and a Common Lizard. There was a ramp-up in excitement when I saw a family of 5 Stonechat, the first breeding record found at this precise location in 30 years Stonechat'ing on Clougha. 

Now I was off on the planned circuit to find along the way, 8 Mistle Thrush were milling around as I left the bog, as were a flock of 10 Meadow Pipit seen later. Others of note, Song Thrush, Willow Warbler, 4 Wren, 2 Blackbird, and a Great Tit.

When I arrived at Cragg Wood, I was quite chuffed to see a Golden-ringed Dragonfly flying across the ford on the River Conder. I heard Garden Warbler and one of 2 Blackcap seen in the area, also a single House Martin seen to enter a nest at Cragg Cottage, also 3 Chiffchaff heard on the circuit. Butterflies seen, up to 12 Meadow Brown, a Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell....Therapeutic wanderings, including excellent dragonfly results, and a brilliant Stonechat record.

Saturday 2 July.

Checking the canal at Garstang to follow-up an incident there three weeks ago - a little more on that in a future post - I found 2 Banded Demoiselle, several Blue-tailed Damselfly, a Kingfisher, and an interesting moth.

Ermine Moth. Pete Woodruff.

A moth of the family Yponomeutidae, of which there are several very similar, some of which require DNA analysis for positive ID. They are commonly known as small ermines, this one I can't go beyond calling an Ermine Moth.

Avocet Conder Pool 2 July. Ian Mitchell.

Not connected with any subjects in the post, but I'm grateful to Ian Mitchell for his header image of the Common Tern at Conder Pool, from where Ian informs me of 8 Avocet young seen yesterday, including two marked birds.