my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald

[Hoy]

... I have not watched the news for many years (it,s always bad news) so I don,t know what is happening.

Ian, if you haven't heard I won't tell you But here the authorities have said we should go out  but keep a distance to everybody!

So I and my wife are out walking in remote areas. I think I wouldn't like it if I had to stay home for weeks.

[Robert]

Ian,

My wife and I do not follow the news either. 

We do not have a TV, Commercial Radio (I have ham radio equipment, but this is something very different), newspapers, magazines, etc. Generally there is no news. I found out about the corona virus while visiting my 94-year old mother a few weeks ago. The reports we hear in California are very confusing - from no big deal to 20 million in the U.S.A could die. California has a shutdown too, however I could travel to the mountains if I wanted to. There is lots of snow right now and I need to study, so I stay home with my wife. Not so bad at all. 

[ian mcdonald]

Back on site at last. We are having a long hot spell of weather.  I,ve missed most of the spring season. Fire risk is high. The weather has turned dull with light rain and the forecast is for more rain to come. There are many Southern Marsh Orchids in flower, some with dark red flowers instead of the normal pink colours. Common twayblade is just coming into flower as is common bladderwort. A ditch near the site is full of flowering Water Violet, Hottonia palustris. In winter I found quite a few rosettes of Bee Orchid leaves but I could only find three flowering stems. In a wet wood I noticed a small string-like "fungus" on the trunk of a birch tree, not identified as yet. A search for caterpillars of the Scarce Vapourer only turned up a single Yellow Tail. Some photos. to follow.

[ian mcdonald]

A coiled grass snake under a plastic sheet.



Water violet Hottonia palustris.



One of the tracks.



Tree pipit?



Yellow shell.

[ian mcdonald]

Large heath.



Quaternaria quaternata, a fungus on birch tree.



Willow warbler?



Brown silver line.



Redshank.

[ian mcdonald]

Lackey.



Southern Marsh Orchid.



Bee Orchid.



Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon, Tragapogon pratensis. So called because the sepals cover the petals at mid-day.



Common Heath.

[ian mcdonald]

Stonechat.



Sedge warbler.



Common spotted orchids.

[ian mcdonald]

Birds seen were, chiff chaff, blackcap, sedge warbler, blackbird, buzzard, wren, dunnock, chaffinch, great spotted woodpecker, sparrow hawk, black headed gull, teal, mallard, grey lag geese, lapwing, crow, whitethroat, cettis warbler, cuckoo, song thrush, great tit, blue tit, reed bunting, pheasant, shoveler, tree pipit, magpie, wood pigeon, redshank, coot, tufted duck, little grebe, swift, house martin, marsh harrier, linnet, yellowhammer, common snipe, swallow, reed warbler, water rail and pied wagtail. It was good to hear the snipe calling then watch it flying around and drumming. The tiny fungus is not one I,ve seen before and is a new record for the site.

[Maggi Young]

Seeing some  of  the  filth and  rubbish  being left  at beaches and beauty  spots  by  people  "enjoying" their  "release from lockdown" on the  news- the  contrast  with your mindful watching  and  reporting  on your  patch is very  great - thank you, Ian !

[ian mcdonald]

Maggi, even in this remote place people have been carrying packaging and cans and leaving them for the site staff to clear up. I don,t leave anything but I don,t clear up other peoples rubbish either. I leave it so they can see that it is their mess that is making the place look untidy. Hopefully we will be back to wildlife lovers soon.

[ashley]

It's always a hard call.  In the mountains even small amounts of rubbish are such an eye-sore that I try to gather it but realistically there's only so much you can do

[WSGR]

Stunning bee orchid there!

[ian mcdonald]

Here is a puzzle to solve. I was on the site the other day and walking past a wooden post and rail fence I noticed a red line on the vertical rail. It was intermittent and covered an area 6ft.-7ft. long. Some of the substance seemed to stand proud of the wood. I don,t know if it is animal, vegetable or mineral. I thought it might be a slime mould. It might be the result of a person smearing something on the fence? Answers please.

[WSGR]

I think someone's jumper fabric got caught!

[ian mcdonald]

It,s not fabric. More like toffee.