23 July 2022 - Hollingworth Lake
« Newer | Older »Grey Wagtail, Nuthatch, Linnet, various insects and leafmines
A pleasant walk this morning in hazy sunshine started with a couple of Grey Wagtails on the rocks near the Wine Press. Nearby a Cinnabar larva was feeding on Ragwort. Close to the reserve I came across a Red soldier beetle (there are plenty of these around at the moment), and a few leafmines. A Phyllonorycter viminiella (presumed) mine on a narrow-leaved Willow was noteworthy, and also here were a couple of Stigmella luteella mines on Birch. A little further on there were some Stigmella tityrella mines on Beech.
I walked on and heard a Nuthatch calling near the hide, and after waiting a few minutes, finally latched onto it and snatched some photos, but always from an awkward angle. From the hide, a Grey Heron was perched among the foliage on the spit just opposite, though very little else of note. As I came out of the hide I noticed a Scopariine moth on one of the tree trunks and this turned out to be a nice fresh Eudonia lacustrata. A little further round by the Pavilion wood, I disturbed another small moth which conveniently landed on a moss-covered trunk, and proved to be Eudonia mercurella, another fresh individual.
En route to Shaw Moss via Turnough Farm, I came across some Oak-feeding Phyllonorycter mines, presumed to be quercifoliella, and near the farm, a couple of P. rajella mines on Sycamore. There were lots of Agriphila straminella fluttering up from the grass at the sides of the track and eventually I managed to get close to a decent individual; most seemed washed out or worn. Continuing on my leaf-mine hunt, I found Phyllonorycter sorbi on Rowan, and some more blister mines on Oak, quite close to the edges of the leaves. I didn't photograph these but collected a few and a couple of days later, a nice adult P. harissella had emerged.
I walked to Shaw Moss where there were remarkably few butterflies about, but a couple of White-tailed bumblebees were nectaring on thistle heads. This appears to be a species complex, so it's not 100% possible to fully ID apparently. At the farm there were lots of juv Swallows on the wires, a few Goldfinch and Greenfinch, and a juv. Linnet. Eventually I came back to the Lake bank and just before leaving I found one of the Bee mimic hoverflies, Volucella pelucens, nectaring on Ragwort.
Grey Wagtail, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 2500 (view full size image)
Cinnabar Larva, 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 2000 (view full size image)
Red Soldier Beetle, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 500 (view full size image)
Phyllonorycter Viminiella Mine, 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 1000 (view full size image)
Stigmella Luteella Mine, 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 1250 (view full size image)
Nuthatch, 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 200
Grey Heron, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 500 (view full size image)
Eudonia Lacustrata, 1/80 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 2500 (view full size image)
Eudonia Mercurella
Phyllonorycter Quercifoliella Mine, 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 1600 (view full size image)
Phyllonorycter Rajella Mine, 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 640 (view full size image)
Agriphila Straminella, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 800 (view full size image)
Phyllonorycter Sorbi Mine, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 800 (view full size image)
White-tailed Bumble Bee, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 400 (view full size image)
Juv Linnet, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 200 (view full size image)
Volucella Pellucens, 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 320 (view full size image)