WHITLINGHAM: Delayed June WeBS count

Late June 2023

I had to delay June's WeBS count as there had been triathlons using the Great Broad. The wasn't anything particularly notable in terms of birds - 113 Greylag Geese, 57 Mute Swans (plus some cygnets in the conservation area bay) and 47 Egyptian Geese. A couple of Common Terns were also still present. In terms of invertebrates I saw my first patch Umbellifer Longhorn Beetle (Phytoecia cylindrica) and nice crab spider (Misumena vatia) and the smut on Greater Pond Sedge that has been very prevalent this year, Farysia thuemeni.

NORTH NORFOLK: Sheringham Park invertebrates

Early June 2023

One of the places we like to visit in spring is Sheringham Park when the rhododendron collection is in flower. Fortunately there are lots of native plants there too and it is a great place to see invertebrates. On this visit I saw several new or interesting things including the safly Macrophya blanda, the bug Rhabdomiris striatellus, the spider Micaria micans and some weevils, Phyllobius oblongus.

CENTRAL NORFOLK: Spiders, hoverflies and moths at Buxton Heath

Late August 2022

An hour spent at Buxton Heath is seldom wasted. I spent a bit of time watching ants running up Oak trunks in the hope of seeing a rare aphid, Stompaphis quercus, but had no luck (I did find a couple of bugs though). As the hot weather had parched the heath I then headed to the mire, where the course of the stream was very obvious!

 

I managed to find some interesting bits and pieces. I was probably most happy with a Didea fasciata hoverfly, a fairly common species but one I'd not seen before, along with a Helophanus spider. There are two similar species, but I have a soft spot for the Salticidae (jumping spiders) and had wanted to see one of these tiny yellow palped species for a while. I found it completely by chance whilst checking heather for Heather Ladybird, a long-term target that I once again failed to find.

 

Other finds included a Wasp Spider (now common in Norfolk but I'd not seen one at Buxton before),  Buff Birch Case-bearer (Coleophora milvipennis), Wood Grass-veneer (Crambus silvella) and a gall on Fen Bedstraw caused by Dasineura galiicola.

NORWICH: July Psyllids and Aphids

Early July 2022

Some close scrutiny of various trees resulted in some new species on my daily walks to and from work. Firstly Alder, where I managed to find the psyllid Baopelma foersteri, a slightly yellowier version of the common Psylla alni. On Ash I had recorded Psyllopsis fraxini as an agg from both the galls and an adult, but I took the time to check an adult male and confirmed it was definitely that species. I also found a green psyllid on Ash, which as expected turned out to be Psyllopsis fraxinicola. The British Spiders Twitter account had mentioned that it was a good time of year to look for the tiny spiders and eggsacs of Paidiscura pallens and Theridion varians. I already find lots of the former, but with a bit of hunting I managed to find the latter as well at Wensum Park. A brood of Egyptian Geese and a Grey Wagtail were also seen in Wensum Park.

 

Elsewhere in the city new aphids included Knotgrass Aphid Aphis polygonata, Mullein Aphid Aphis verbasci and Lupin Aphid Macrosiphum albifrons.

NORTH NORFOLK: A day out in Wells

Early June 2022

Having barely been to the coast in the past few years, I was back for the second time in a week, this time at Wells. I could probably spend several happy days (at least!) recording wildlife amongst all of the different habitats here, but had to make due with a walk up and down the quayside and the nearest part of the dune system. Still plenty of time for some some interesting finds, including some species new to me. The highlight though was a Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth found nectaring on Viper's Bugloss. I've seen one before, but they are such amazing moths.

Attulus saltator - a tiny and well camouflaged jumping spider, found amongst Marram whilst looking unsuccessfully for Marram Pseudoscorpions.

Broad-bordered Bee Hawk Moth

Clanoptilus barnevillei - a rare relative of the Malachite Beetle

Coccidula rufa, an inconspicuous ladybird

Cuneopalpus cyanops, a barkfly found on Pine

Gibbaranea gibbosa, a rather large and unusually shaped spider, found on pine

Marram Thatcher, Demetrias monostigma, a small dune-specialist ground beetle

Pine Jelly Fungus, Exidia saccharina

Podagrica fuscicornis - one of two similar flea beetles found on Mallow sp in coastal habitats. They can be separated by leg colour.

Sea Lavender rust fungus

WEST NORFOLK: Snettisham C.P. - Great Reed Warbler & interesting inverts

Late May 2022 

I had planned to spend a day in west Norfolk around Whitsun to look for the scarce hoverfly Microdon devius (in turn because I hadn't got round to it last year!), but with showers forecast and having not seen a new bird for several years I decided to change plans and head instead to Snettisham C.P. where a long-staying Great Reed Warbler was in residence. Arriving at the car park I almost instantly heard Turtle Doves calling, which was a nice start to the visit. I cut across an area of scrub, noting some aphids and the psyllid Cacopsylla hippophaes on the Sea Buckthorn. 

After quite a long walk along the embankment I reached the place where the Great Reed Warbler was singing from. There was only one other birder present, and the bird showed brilliantly perched near the top of the reeds as it belted out its song. Cutting back down onto the country park I noticed the aphid Brachycaudus tragopogonis on Goatsbeard.

Next I checked out the edges of some brackish pools, noting Saltmarsh Rush, Sea Club Rush and False Fox Sedge.

I spent lunchtime along the seaward side of the dunes. I spent some time looking at patches of Marram hoping to find the Marram Pseudoscorpion, and Stork's-bill for another one of my target species, Dalman's Leatherbug. I found neither, but did see plenty of bugs Trapezonotus sp (based on habitat T. arenarius), the beetle Phylan gibbus, spider Xerolycosa miniata and Fallen's Leatherbug.

I finished my visit by checking Viper's Bugloss plants for larvae of a case-bearing moth, but ended up finding an adult of a different species, Bugloss Bent-wing, Tinagma ocnerostomella.

YARE VALLEY: Wheatfen galls and invertebrates

Late July 2021

Wheatfen would be up there in my top 10 favourite places to spend a relaxing few hours wandering around seeing what I can find, and I spent a morning there in late July, finding various obscure species including several new galls, an ichneumon and a Polymerus nigrita, a bug associated with Goosegrass.

Swollen seeds of Meadow-rue - a gall caused by Ametrodiplosis thalictricola

Golden-haired Robberfly

A pouch gall on rose caused by Dasineura rosae

Gambrus carnifax

Green Colonel soldierfly

Polymerus nigrita

The egg sac of a small spider, Theridiosoma gemmosum