NORTH-WEST NORFOLK: Thornham NWT Bioblitz

Early November 2022 

This year the NWT and partners have run several bioblitzes in coastal communities. I'd not managed to attend the earlier ones, but did get to one at Thornham. It ran 10-3, so I spent a few hours wandering the parish before looking around a field that is going to be rewilded. The time of year and the weather (it was raining for most of the morning) meant there weren't many insects about, but I managed to record about 150 species (including everything, so birds, plants, galls etc), contributing to a group total of 380 species which I think was very respectable.

Highlights included Conifer Mazegill (Gloeophyllum sepiarum), Orange Cup (Melastiza cornubiensis), a leaf mine in Sea Aster (Calycomyza humeralis), leaf mine of the sawfly Heterarthrus vagans on Alder and the leaf mine of the moth Stigmella viscerella on Elm.

NORTH NORFOLK: Sustead Common bioblitz

2nd July 2022

At the start of July I visited Sustead Common, a small nature reserve near Felbrigg, at the invitation of the Felbeck Trust. This small charity do some excellent work managing several small sites and enhancing them for wildlife. My role was to help with a bioblitz they were holding, which largely meant wandering over the site recording whatever I came across, talking about it to anyone who expressed an interest and stopping occasionally for cake and tea. You can read a bit more about the bioblitz on their blog here: https://www.felbecktrust.org.uk/single-post/sustead-bioblitz-july-2nd-2022. Since that blog entry was written I have received a newsletter with the species tallies - a very respectable 371 species recorded, of which 112 were new to the site.

Despite the relatively small site and having recorded here before, I still saw a few new and/or interesting things. A moth trap had been set overnight and having a look at some of the moths that had been caught I saw my first Gold Swift (I'd been wanting to see one of these for a while, partly because I like the swift moths, but also partly because it was the first regularly occurring macro moth on the Norfolk checklist that I'd not seen if you order them by number. That mantle now passes on to Goat Moth). The other highlight from the moth trap was a Hydropsyche caddisfly, which Rob identified later as Hydropsyche contubernalis.

  

Elsewhere I saw the leafhopper Edwardsiana geometrica on Alder, a Tuberous Polypore, and a Nipplewort plant came held both an occupied mine of Liriomyza puella and the rust fungus Puccinia lapsanae.

 

BRECKLAND: Weeting bioblitz

22nd July 2018

A while back Chris Packham announced that he would be doing a series of bioblitzes around the UK. Looking at the detail I was a little bit sceptical - Chris is a very knowledgeable and passionate naturalist, but it seemed to be trying to cram in too much. The marketing information suggested creating a benchmark for each reserve, but with five reserves a day that's not a great amount of data. The tagline 'reserves are not enough', whilst in itself very true, also seemed rather odd considering most of the sites being visited were nature reserves. Scanning down the list the only Norfolk venue was Weeting Heath and was listed as invite-only, so I didn't give it any more thought.

A few weeks later I was invited to help out. It turned out that although Chris and his team would only be present at each site for a few hours, the idea was that local naturalists did the actual recording and then there would be interviews and footage of some of the more interesting finds. I was asked to help record fungi, although as it happened the weather was so dry there wasn't any, so I just recorded as many miscellaneous species as possible.

The warden at Weeting, James, was an excellent host, and briefed the assembled group about the plan for the day, and also left cake and tea making facilities in his dormitory. I opted to stay near the visitors centre whilst the moth trap was emptied in the hope of seeing some Breckland specialties. As it was I didn't see any new macro moths (I was hoping for Tawny Wave or a late Cream-spot Tiger, but Oblique-striped and Mere Wainscot were the main Breckland species). I did however see quite a few new micros as several were retained for checking, and Oak Eggar is always nice to see.

Heading across the road it didn't take long for me to realise that I hadn't brought enough drink, as the heat was scorching. I began by checking the flowerheads, mostly Ragwort and Yarrow, and soon saw a Brassy Longhorn moth (Nemophora metallica) and several Forester moths.

I was also able to take advantage of the numerous experts present to identify some of the things I didn't recognise. Pip Collyer and Helen Smith were looking at an attractive spider, Neoscona adianta, whilst Nick Owens identified a solitary wasp I'd caught as Oxybelus uniglumis. Steve Lane helped with the beetles, with Gastrophysa polygoni, Galeruca tanaceti and Silpha laevigata all seen.

Returning to the visitors centre I caught up with Joe Harkness and Andy Musgrove & family. After re-hydrating I had a quick look around, seeing the Broad-leaved Helleborines and noting the leaf mines of Bucculatrix frangutella on Buckthorn. Chris Packham arrived at around 17:45, and after introducing himself and getting distracted by a dog, he gave a passionate address about the need to act now to protect and enhance our wildlife, which will culminate in a walk for wildlife in London (click here for more details). He also said that some of the sites visited had never had a bioblitz or wide-scale recording before, so for some sites at least they do indeed now have a benchmark for the future. All in all despite the heat it was an enjoyable day, and many thanks go to James and the NWT staff for their organisation.

NORTH NORFOLK: Holkham bioblitz

23rd July 2017

This weekend there was a bioblitz all along the north Norfolk coast, from Holme to Salthouse. In terms of species recorded it was a success (Holme managed to rack up over 1000 species alone!), but I couldn't help think that the idea of a bioblitz was to concentrate the recording effort on a particular site rather than spread it over 30 miles. Another slight bugbear was that although there were a number of  activities arranged, despite looking regularly I only saw the definitive list when it was tweeted on Saturday morning.

Anyway, Saturday was allocated to rest and then WeBS, so I turned up at Holkham on Sunday morning, hoping for a good catch in the moth traps. It was rather windy, so having seen what the conditions were like I wasn't that hopeful, and this was vindicated when less than 40 species were recorded across three traps. A couple of micro moths were new, along with Pine Carpet apparently.

Clavigesti purdeyi

My plan for the afternoon had been to do some general recording and look for one of my target species, Yellow Bird's-nest. I asked Andy Bloomfield if any of the latter plant was still around, but was told it had all either died off or been eaten, so that was that out. Stewart Wright was also going for a walk and hadn't seen Creeping Lady's Tresses before, so we had a look at leaf-mines before heading into the pines. Stewart also found the 'sputnik' egg sac of the spider Paidiscura pallens.

 Stigmella anomolella in Dog Rose leaf

 Leucoptera malifoliella in a Hawthorn leaf

Spider egg-sac

On the way along we stopped to look at some Ant-lion pits, my first Norfolk ones having seen them previously at Minsmere, but couldn't find any Yellow Figwort. The first spot where I saw Creeping Lady's Tresses last year seemed devoid of plants, but nearby I managed to find about ten flowering spikes of this unobtrusive orchid.

It was now starting to drizzle, but Stewart was keen to look for the rare micro moth Norfolk Owlet, so we headed into the dunes to look for it. The rain got heavier, and although my umbrella kept my head and front dry, my back, bag and legs got soaked. We didn't find any Owlets, not surprising given the weather, but I did find several interesting new invertebrates, notably Dusky Longhorn Beetle, Field Cuckoo Bee and Large Sharp-tailed Bee.

Some of the fungus study group were heading into the reedbed at Cley in the afternoon to look for reedbed fungi, but given that it was still raining I decided to give it a miss. After eating my lunch in the car I headed back towards Norwich, passing the first parts of the traffic chaos that was to delveop as a result of the Holkham Country Fair and Tom Jones concert. As I got closer to Norwich it wasn't raining so I diverted to Buxton Heath to look for Marsh Gentians. I didn't see any in the first 20 minutes before once again it began to rain. I finally took the hint and went home.

SUFFOLK: Minsmere bioblitz

2nd June 2017

This week Minsmere have been holding a Bioblitz, and Cathy & I decided to visit on Friday to do a bit of recording. After some tea and cake in the cafe we started out, first looking at the Ant-lion pits. We were in luck, as Cathy spotted an Ant-lion larva moving over the surface, allowing us to see the odd-shaped body and large jaws.

After noting the Rosemary beetles near the toilet block we headed into the woods to the discovery centre where the bioblitz was being co-ordinated. On the way I spotted a Denticulate Leatherbug and we added a few other bugs and beetles on our way. When we reached the centre we found that it was only manned by a rogue Pheasant that wandered up to visitors and made chicken-like noises, so we re-traced our steps and went onto the reserve.

At the pond we saw a Norfolk Hawker and some Azure damselflies, then had a look at the short grassy area beyond. A Plain Gold moth drew my attention to Bird's-foot, a tiny but very attractive little flower, and alongside it a Common Groundhopper.

We called into North Hide, where we saw lots of Barnacle Geese with goslings, and rather unusually a pair of Bar-headed Geese, also with goslings. Back on the main path we saw my first Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn of the year and a Plum Tortrix moth.

Walking the path to the beach I noticed some Grass Vetchling, a plant I've wanted to see for a while. A Bearded Tit was seen flying low across the reeds, and Sand Martins flew past. At the beach I spotted a couple of micro moths, which Andy Mackay was able to identify them for me as Homoeosoma sinuella and Aethes tesserana. A spell of sunshine brought out some Common Blue butterflies but there was thunder in the distance. On the walk back I noticed Pirri-pirri bur, an invasive non-native plant, but one that I'd not seen before. We managed to avoid the rain until Blythburgh - after that it absolutely hammered down.

BRECKLAND: Brandon CP Bioblitz

30th July 2016

On Friday and Saturday NBIS ran a Bioblitz at Brandon Country Park, just over the border into Suffolk, as part of the second year of the Breaking New Ground project. Bioblitzes are very popular at the moment, and as a result experienced recorders tend to have to pick and choose which ones they can attend. I had been asked if I was free to attend this one, and as Cathy & I like Brandon we had agreed to help do some recording on the Saturday.

The first event of the day was going through the moth trap, so having said hello we went into the walled garden where Teresa and Tim showed several families the moth catch from the previous night. There were three Pine Hawk Moths and a Poplar Hawk Moth to please the children, along with others including Black Arches, Lesser Swallow Prominent and Scalloped Hook-tip. The most attractive moth in my opinion was a Maiden's Blush showing much more red than the ones I'd seen before.

Next up was a fungus walk led by Tony Leech. Again the participants were families with young children, so Cathy & I headed off into the woods and brought back fungi for them to see, Cathy finding more than I did! One of them was new for me, Entelome hebe. A Brimstone flew past, a Red Longhorn Beetle rested on some nettles and back near the cafe I found some Rosemary Beetles on the lavender.

 Parasola leiocephala

 Rosemary Beetle

After lunch we headed out for a look around the woods and lake area. There were a lot of dragon and damselflies, including Emperor, Brown Hawker, Southern Hawker, Emerald Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and lots of Ruddy Darters. A robber fly has been identified for me as Golden-tabbed Robberfly, a species whose East Anglian distribution is largely restricted to the Brecks. Another highlight was the hoverfly Xanthogramma pedisequum, which had been caught and brought to the table for ID. We stayed until the end when we went round to check the mammal traps, seeing a Bank Vole that somehow escaped out of the back of a trap.

 Ruddy Darter

Golden-tabbed Robberfly

SOUTH NORFOLK: Little Ouse bioblitz

26th June 2016

I had originally intended to go to Catfield Hall Fen with the NNNS on Sunday, but was asked if I could help at a Little Ouse Headwaters Project bioblitz at Blo Norton, so I went there instead. Blo Norton is right on the border between Norfolk and Suffolk, indeed the Little Ouse river forms the county boundary to the south west (the river Waveney has a source close by and forms the border for much of the eastern part). On the way down there was torrential rain, and the day continued to be interrupted by showers, hindering our recording effort.

On the outskirts of Blo Norton I noticed a Turtle Dove, and pulled over to have a better look. Whilst watching the dove a Barn Owl flew past, so a positive start at least. Having signed in at the village hall, which was being used as a base for the day, I headed off with a couple of other naturalists to Betty's Fen, the closest LOHP site. We spent some time in an area of wet woodland before the site opened up into a reedy area. Unfortunately the riverside path was completely flooded, so we had to retrace our steps. A brief spell of sunshine brought out a few insects, but no butterflies.

We decided to continue along Fen Road and try the next path, which runs between Betty's Fen and Blo Norton Fen. This path was boardwalked, so we got along it OK, but at the end it joined the same flooded path, so in the end we turned round to go back. Heavy rain forced us to shelter, and as it continued we had to just accept getting wet. We did record a few insects during the dry spells, and interestingly but sadly saw the fruiting bodies of Ash Dieback. Back at the village hall we had a welcome cup of tea and had a look at some of the moths caught overnight, including my first Sharp-angled Carpet.

With about 45 minutes left before I had to head back to Norwich one of the other naturalists suggested visiting Broomscot Common, which should be drier. This common has a large heathy area, although as luck would have it the path to it was waterlogged. Nevertheless it was a productive stop, seeing Wild Clary, Gorse Shieldbug, Yellow Brain fungus and a range of other species not seen near Blo Norton. In total I recorded around 100 species, including quite a few plants, and visited some new sites, so a productive day.

YARE VALLEY: Wheatfen Bioblitz

15th May 2016

On Sunday Wheatfen hosted a Bioblitz, in conjunction with the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists Society and NBIS. This brought together a host of experienced naturalists and interested wildlife enthusiasts to head out onto the reserve and record as many species as possible. I had agreed to go through the moth trap at the start of the morning, however my role became rather superfluous as the cold weather overnight meant only three moths were present in the trap - 2 Powdered Quakers and 1 Green Carpet.

After this slight setback I went for a walk looking for insects with local volunteer Kevin, Tim Hodge, David Norgate and several others. We begun in the area around the Thatch, where we were shown the larvae of the very rare beetle Galeruca laticollis feeding on Meadow-rue. Five species of ladybirds were present, along with a Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle and several different hoverflies. Two Hobbies flew over, and we saw three Cuckoos including a bubbling female. Stewart Wright showed us several micro moths and case-bearing larvae, which were particularly interesting.

 Cream-spotted Ladybird

 Galeruca beetle larvae

 Coleophora paripenella case

 Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle

A few sunnier spells encouraged more insects to fly, including Orange-tip and Hairy Dragonfly. There were lots of Green Nettle Weevils and early instar Dark Green Bush-crickets in the nettles as we looked for extra species. We were able to point out some other interesting species, including a tiny Owl Midge and a large Noon Fly. A rust on Wild Currant was a new fungus for me. On our way back to the visitors centre we saw Large Red and Blue-tailed Damselflies, and a Black Colonel soldierfly. After handing in our records sheet I headed home, but recording went on into the afternoon - I'll update this post with an overall species total if one gets published.