Signs of spring... well almost

I am plugging away with the mothtrap, but for little reward. So far this year I have managed to record three species - Winter Moth, Mottled Umber and Spring Usher. There are several species I would hope to find but the weather which swings between cold and windy is causing some frustration.

Trying to stay positive, Spring Usher is a sign of spring, and is appearing a little early this year. It is also one of my favourite moths. Here is one from last nights trap.

Spring Usher

Snails pace

I am plugging away at the 1000for1ksq challenge. In a patch not blessed with much birdlife, it is slow going for starters. With my AIDGAP snail key arriving today, I decided to look for snails under rocks along the Rough Road, a damp and stony road leading from All Stretton to the Jinlye.

This tactic worked remarkably well, and I found two small snails. I assume they were of the same species but potted both anyway. I then spent this evening with the key identifying the snails, much to the bemusement of my long-suffering and patient wife.

I had succes though, and both species were identified and confirmed. The first is actually a common species, which for most people is not too much of a challenge. But for me, who has never really looked at snails, it is a journey of new discoveries! This is the Rounded Snail (Discus rotundatus), a very distinctive small snail with dense ribbing on the shell and bands of red. This species is a fungi and detritus feeder, performing an essential function for ecosystems.

Rounded Snail (Discus rotundatus)

The other snail was a different species, and harder to identify. However, I did get there and pinned it down as Shiny Glass Snail (Zonitoides nitidus). This species has a waxy, rather than glossy shell, with low straie, a milky patch around the umbilicus and it over 5mm, helping to identify this species.

Shiny Glass Snail (Zonitoides nitidus)

Shiny Glass Snail (Zonitoides nitidus)

The yew tree

It has been a quiet winter for winter thrushes. After hearing streams of them over the garden on nights in the autumn, they have been in short supply and I had so far drawn a blank in 2015. I was pleased therefore that on a walk around Novers Hill today I flushed a number of Blackbirds from the base of  Yew tree. After the Blackbirds a few Redwings flew out, with their distinctive high pitch call.

Yew (Taxus baccata)

Yew is the only native conifer I am likely to find in my 1km square, in fact it is quite a distinctive tree of the Long Mynd with several ancient Yews adorning the ridges where other trees have disappeared. A look underneath this tree showed why the thrushes were so interested.

Yew (Taxus baccata) berries

The crop of berries was providing a real bounty and it was no surprise to find that when I walked past the Yew that the Redwings had returned. They were joined by a small group of Mistle Thrushes chasing each other round this old tree.

Burnt cakes

Weird and wonderful fungi have been a particular source of interest this year. Having noticed some strange and unfamiliar fungi close to Reservoir Cottage a few weeks ago, I returned to them early in my challenge to have a closer look.

This group of fungi turned out to be Jew's-ear (or for the more politically correct, Jelly-ear). This curious looking gelatinous fungi is in fact a common and widespread species found on deciduous trees. The appearance of a large floppy ear is the derivation of the name of this species.

Jew's-ear (Auricularia auricula-judaea)

Today, whilst on my lunchtime walk along Batch Valley, I found these hard black growths on an old Ash tree. These are also a fungi, and again one with a charismatic name. Whilst often listed as Cramp Balls, I prefer the name of King Alfred's Cakes due to their resemblance to burnt buns. Whilst I was looking up these fungi I came across a bush craft website describing how this hard fungi can be cut open and used as tinder for a fire, something to try if I get stuck in the snow in Batch Valley, perhaps.

Cramp Balls (Daldinia concentrica)

Arctic Fox

This morning started with a hard frost, but beautiful sunshine. We decided on a walk up Caer Caradoc to take advantage of the beautiful winter scenery. As we walked across the valley the fog began to come, until all we could see below us was fog with top of Caradoc and the Lawley poking through. The wind picked up and the fog came, by the time we were at the top of Caradoc we were surrounded by fog.

Yet, despite the subzero temperatures and fog freezing water droplets in my beard and on my clothes, we found life. Granted, it was moving slowly, but the unmistakable larva of a Fox Moth was on the path.

Fox Moth larva

Caradoc is outside of my 1km square, but as I walked back into it I picked a few new bird species to take me up to 25 for the year. A slow start but a steady one.

1000 for 1km square

I have set myself a challenge this year to see 1000 species in the 1km square centred on Batch Valley, SO4595. This is something that I have thought about for a long time, spurred on by the exploits described in the 1000 for 1ksq blog.

The rules are simple, I will record all the species I find, apart from obvious escapes and introduced species (eg garden plants and pet cats). Everything has to be identified to species level to count.

I am not sure that I have completely thought this through. My identification skills are pretty basic, restricted to birds, moths, butterflies, obvious insect and few flowering plants. I have very little literature, no microscope, no particular desire to kill or dissect anything and not a huge amount of time. These skills will not improve unless I push myself though, so I am determined to give this a fair go.

The year started off pretty well. The first species I recorded was a Kingfisher along the Batch opposite the house, a quality bird to start. Not everything will be as easy to identify!

New trap, new moth

Just before Christmas I treated myself to a new moth trap, a Robinson MV. This is the Rolls Royce of moth traps, as opposed to my actinic which is an Austin Metro by comparison.

It took me until New Years Eve to set the trap for the first time, but a promising night meant that I had to give it a go and I was not to be disappointed. There were six moths on the trap of five species, not a huge hall but a good selection.

Highlight was a Ypsolopha ustella, a new moth for me and for the garden. This is the only one of the family that flies through the winter, and its rather uniform appearance helps to distinguish it.

Ypsolopha ustella

The rest of the species were macro moths, with two species I had not seen since last winter. These were a very early Spring Usher and  Pale Brindled Beauty.

Pale Brindled Beauty

Spring Usher

There were also two Mottled Umbers and a Winter Moth, a good start to the year.