A new moth for the county was my quarry first thing, so a trip to Lambley in Northumberland to meet David who had trapped Northumberland's first Frosted Green
Polyploca ridens, last Friday night. This is a moth you would expect to see in southern England. According to Heath & Emmet -
'Occurs in mature oak woodland, chiefly in the southern half of England and Wales where it is sometimes common, but it does not extend much further north than Lincolnshire in the east, and Cumbria'. Well it does now! |
| Allenbanks - awesome |
Next stop off was Allenbanks to see Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler. We parked at the National Trust carpark and after 100 metres along the river we had both target species singing. Getting a decent picture of either was another matter. What's needed is a canopy walk to get on level terms with them. Here's a couple of 'Up the Khyber' shots:
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| Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca |
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| Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix |
Having lugged my camera and tripod up to the tarn, and then down and along to Plankey Mill I was a bit disappointed with the photo opportunties - until I spotted these critters -
Mining Bees. There are some 60 to 80 species in the UK and I would welcome a pinpoint ID on this one if anyone knows. Here's what they do:
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| Find a vegetation free sandy area. |
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| Land and check suitability as a nest site |
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| Head down and start digging |
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| Going |
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| Gone |
After 5 hours at Allenbanks we returned to the carpark to be greeted by the jingling sound that means one thing, well two actually - 99s.
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| Well I never! |
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