Matts Holistic Devon list 2010 (1 Viewer)

[Matt Prince]

Thanks Andrew, though to be honest its hanging around with people who really do know their stuff thats piling on the tally - as per the mothing in the last post.

A couple of months back I came up with some sort of provisional targets I'd like to hit 200 on the bird front, and I've sailed past the 350 flora and 1250 total should be acheivable... Maybe 1500... who knows I'll see where it fetches up

 

[Matt Prince]

Saturday 26th June

A visit to Stover to look for red eyed damselfly didn't work to well, the whole pond area was strangely devoid of lilly pads, in face the dragonfly life was surprisingly pedestrian for once. There was a few plant ticks though, despite the smothering Rhodedendron cover.

Moving onto Newbridge as we had heard from John Randall that it was as good a place as any to try and catch up with one of Devons most rapidly declining species - High Brown Fritillary. It soon became apparent that our timing wasn't good though, with the hot weather the whole world, or at least the burberry sporting part of it, had descended on the river and parking was getting pretty stupid. We managed to squeeze into a spot over the bridge and it didn't take long before we glimpsed our first frit blatting across the bracken. It took a lot longer to catch one sat though. Eventually finding one with a rather damaged wing, but a High Brown none the less, and still full of spirt, fighting with a much bigger Silver Washed in circling aerial dogfight for a good ten minutes.

Moving onwards (detouring to the chippy) we revisited Sharpitor and Leather Tor, hoping but failing to find beech fern, and I managed to fall over amongst the clitter field, albeit escaping with a tiny cut and a bashed leg. We did manage to find lots more fir clubmoss, and a patch of very dried up Wilson's Filmy Fern.

Returning back through Exeter we headed out to the East Devon Commons and as Nicola predicted, found several Silver Studded Blues roosting in the heather.

Sites : Stover, Newbridge, Sharpitor, Leather Tor, East Devon Commons

Species : Branched Burr-reed, Water Forget-me-not, Marsh Bedstraw, Common Spike Rush, Rose Bay Willowherb,
Broad-leaved Helleborine, High Brown Fritillary, Silver Washed Fritillary,
Wilson's Filmy Fern, Green Ribbed Sedge
Silver-studded Blue


Butter 33; Flora 384;
GT 1012

 

[Matt Prince]

Sunday 27th June

Today we decided to take a jaunt out to Slapton and then come back for the football match. The idea was to look for grasshoppers and crickets as we have seen many before here.

The initial attempt to look for strapwort was less than promising with Nicola pointing out an unassuming looking set of leaves on the shore line of the Ley and me pulling various faces - hopefully it will get bigger and we'll come back later.

By the time we arrived on the beach it was already baking hot and the place was full of sun worshippers in states of undress. With our wide brimmed hats, long sleeved shirts, long trousers and an assortment of optics and cameras we certainly stood out like sore thumbs. Heads down I soon found out that catching groppers for id was nowhere near as easy as I remembered it, and the crickets would invariably emit a single chirp and then drop into dense vegation disappearing totally.. Still we meandered along the shore line, head down intent on our prey until.. I looked up to see a man walking along the beach away from me. He was stark naked. I took a bit of a double take and noticed he was heading towards a couple of ladies who were mostly obscured by the slope of the beach. I wondered how these ladies would respond, they stood up - oh... no.... they were also naked. Looking around... everyone was naked.. apart from us. Doh!

Keeping our heads down we made a swift exit.

We settled for our modest total and there was then a rush back to see the match. That was so worth while. Not.

Afterwards a wander along the canal finally revealed a few lilly pads and of course, Red Eyed Damselfly, plus lots of fish which I'm struggling to identify.

Finally one very unwelcome visitor. Harlequin ladybird.

Sites : Slapton Ley, Exeter Canal

Species : Rose Chafer Beetle, Harlequin Ladybird, Red-eyed Damselfly, Grypocoris Stysi (Myrid Bug), Black Horehound, Common Mallow, Great Plantain, Spear Thistle, Marsh Woundwort, Twiggy Mullein, Creeping Yellow Cress, Yellow Horned Poppy, Keeled Garlic, Oxford Ragwort, Great Willowherb




Dragons 20; Beetles 29; Flora 395; Misc 48
GT 1027

 

[Matt Prince]

Friday 2nd July

After a fairly hefty night out on the Thursday the last thing I needed was a late night before the weekend, however we'd been invited out mothing, and there was no way that I was going to miss out on that. A nightjar walk was also going on at the same venue, Ideford Common.

Arriving before dark I had a nose around, mostly identifying plants we had seen before, including immense marsh thistles and a fantastic stand of pendulous sedge. One addition was a Stinkhorn funghus, that was being chowed down upon by a large black slug. After a short time the nightjar watchers assembled, and not long after that a trio of Devon Moth'ers and after a bit of helping out we were good to go. Of course there was the perennial problem, open access land suffers from, vast amounts of dog mess. Not good when you're wandering around by torch light and the place is covered with the stuff. Anyway.. The nightjars were churring throughout the night, providing a back drop to some excellent mothing. Once again, deeply indebted, to members of the Devon Moth Group.

Final finish was 1:45AM and home to bed!

Sites : Ideford Common

Species : Stinkhorn, Clay Triple-lines, Double-Striped Pug, True Lover's Knot, Garden Grass-Veneer, Narrow-winged Pug, Argyresthia Retinella, Scalloped Hooktip, Scoparia Ambigualis, Ebulea Crocealis, Small Seraphim, Alder Moth, Apotomis Betuletana, Pterophorus Pentadactyla (White Plume Moth), Knot Grass, Swallow-tailed Moth, Satin Beauty, Pandemis Cinnamomeana (Tortrix), Strophedra Weirana, Spruce Carpet, The Shark, Tawny-barred Angle, Birch Mocha, Heart and Club, Clouded Buff.

Moths 192; Funghi 46;
GT 1058

 

[Matt Prince]

Saturday 3rd July

This morning started with a definate problem - Gull Billed Tern in the area, and we are booked to be at Knowstone Moor on a plant walk.... Ack. We tried looking for the tern first thing but to no avail, soon as we are on the road to this culm grassland site - bird comes on the pager. C'est la Vie.

Its surprisingly dry underfoot and I try to ignore the constant updates on the tern. This is a chance to learn sedges from an expert. We certainly learn a lot (though how much will stick is another matter). We also bag quite a few new species - including a couple of common grasses I'd failed to get to grips with as a bonus. Its also a confirmation that Nicola's on the right track with the sedges, which is good! All in all we manage to identify eight sedges (three of them new idents) and tip the flora through the 400 species mark..

With nothing on the tern since lunch time, we make the strategic decision to pop into Ashclyst - and ten minutes hanging around the bramble pays off with a couple of White Admirals.

We return to the Exe, there is still no news of the tern, so we divert past Bowling Green and are heading for Exton station - figuring its the best bet at the current state of tide, just as we arrive at Exton we get news on the pager that the bird can be seen distantly from Riversmeet, sure enough looking towards that area we can see people in the distance with scopes, obviously watching the bird somewhere on the vast expanse of mud in front of us.. A full ten minutes of searching later, through hordes of black headed gulls, and finally I spot it sat quietly on the mud! After watching it for a while I'm distracted by bumble bees in the flowers alongside the car-park, so when a birder turns up the tern has moved and I can't find it. Just as he gives up and leaves the car park the bird flies in again giving decent views.

We head back to our hovel, via a couple of plants Nicola had spotted on the way in, Tansy and Musk Mallow, stuff down some food and then head out to Fingle Bridge. A very frustrating time looking for wavy st Johns wort with no luck, has it been lost from the hunters path? Then we hang around till after dark with the bat box. Pips come out to play, but I still can't tell the two species apart, and myotis species hunting low over the water, its a bit of an assumption, but they sound right and act right, so I'm putting the latter down as Daubentons. Too tired to wait for the Serotine's to come out we head for home just after 11.

Sites : Bowling Green, Knowstone Moor, Exton Station, Exeter Outskirts, Fingle Bridge

Species : Gull-Billed Tern, Daubenton's Bat, White Admiral, Greater Bird's Foot Trefoil, Yellow Sedge (subsp Oedocarpa), Spring Sedge, Yorkshire Fog, Bog Pondweed, Slender St Johns Wort, Timothy, False Oat grass, Oval Sedge, Sharp-flowered Rush, Pale Butterwort, Tansy, Musk Mallow, Great Mullein.

Birds 176; Mammals 16; Butters 34; Flora 409
GT 1075

 

[Matt Prince]

Sunday 4th July 2010

Slight problem with my dates on the last half a dozen entries - had the year down as 2006, I know I'm behind on my write up, but that was beyond the pale..

Anyway Sunday was spent down at Braunton Burrows, trying to spend a short day there (never easy to spend a 'short day' at this site) and visiting the southern car park to look for some of the specials known to be around there. The big dip was failing to find any white horehound, but fortunatelty a little wander out into the dunes (well a 4 mile hike and that was with the benefit of an active GPS...) provided lots of other flora including stunning carpets of Marsh Helleborine, possibly my favourite orchid, with its subtle hues. Another stunner albeit of a totally freakazoid nature was a bizarre twisted plant near a style on the main track. Henbane, cool. There wasn't an awful lot of insect activity in blustery winds and occasional rain, though dark green fritillaries were blatting about regardless, and at the end we bumped into a teneral common darter.

Sites : Braunton Burrows

Species : Common Darter, Henbane, Agrimony, Hemp Agrimony, White Campion, Fool's Watercress, Weld (Wild Mignonette), Common Meliot (Introduced), Wild Parsnip, Sea Holly, Marsh Helleborine, Round-headed Club-Rush, Square-stalked St John's-wort, Many-seeded Goosefoot (All-seed), Brookweed.

Dragons 21; Flora 423
GT 1090

 

[Matt Prince]

Saturday 17th July 2010

We started the day at Chudleigh Knighton Ponds looking for Common Emerald Damselfly, it took a while to find one, but in the interim there was good collateral including several common butterflies, Grass Snake, Slow-worm and Wasp Spider. ( Thanks to those that offered to show me their local slow-worms btw). After our last experience at this site we had a serious de-ticking exercise before getting back into the car - I counted almost 20 on one leg before Nicola started to brush the little blighters off.

We'd received word from Dave Hopkins that small red eyed damsel where out on the Exeter canal, but at that point we'd already comitted to checking Smallhanger for a few things. Stopping breifly in a layby to remind ourselves how to get to Smallhanger we checked the roadside vegetation and discovered Burnet Saxifrage and a few hoverflies.

Eventually finding smallhanger we got Chamomile immediately on parking up at Drakelands Corner, however we couldn't find marsh clubmoss (low water levels?) and worst still Nicola managed to twist her ankle badly. Dragonflies were a bit disappointing in the mixed weather and dry conditions, though Grayling butterflies were everywhere.

Next stop was Cadover bridge to look for cornish moneywort - but no joy - perhaps in part because we weren't sure where to look, we weren't exactly sure what the target species looked like and of course hampered by hop alongs loss of mobility. We called it quits and headed for home.

Then out in the evening to Bystock Woods above the ponds, where the Devon Moth group were running a mothing evening. From the start we had Noctules flying around the clearing below the car park, and the mothing was very good with a wide range of species and some specials such as the Annulet and at least one, maybe two, Kent Black Arches. The reserve is a credit to its caretakers, volunteers such as Roger Hamlyn and his family. Once again many thanks to the moth trappers, who run these events and put up with a constant barrage of 'how do you spell that?' and 'whats that one?' (usually willow beauty..).

Sites : Chudleigh Knighton, Layby off A38, Smallhanger, Cadover Bridge, Bystock Woods

Species : Noctule, Grass Snake, Slow-worm, Small Skipper, Small White, Gatekeeper, Grayling, Emerald Damselfly, Long Winged Conehead, Orange Ladybird, Summer Chaser, Episyrphus balteatus (hoverfly), Scaeva pyrastri (hoverfly), Wasp Spider, Burnet-Saxifrage, Ivy-leaved Bellflower, Vervain, Gypsywort, Chamomile

Moths :- Kent Black Arches, Annulet, c. pinella, Mottled Pug, Amphipoea Sp. (ear moth), Rosy Footman, Pinion streaked snout, The Fanfoot, Common white wave, Oak nycteoline, Yponomeuta evonymella, Buff footman, Dot moth, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, p. purpuralis, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Leopard, Dun-bar, Poplar Grey

Furries 17; RnA 7; Butter 38; Moths 211; Dragons 22; Groppers 6; Beetles 31; Misc. Insects 45; Spiders 22; Flowers 428
GT 1128

 

[Matt Prince]

Sunday 18th July 2010

Reluctantly we made a repeat attempt at cornish moneywort, this time at New Bridge, but to the same net result, nada. However a bolete, a cricket, an umbellifer and a shieldbug were ample consolation.

At this point we had to make the decision of going for the small red eyed and maybe some of the other dragons out to the East, or staying on the moor and trying for some of the hairstreaks, we opted for the latter and moved onto Dunsford Meadow.

At Dunsford we hit the good weather and were soon scoping the tops of the trees, and checking the brambles for insects when a fellow butterfly watcher pointed out that someone was watching hairstreaks further down the meadow. Sure enough a photographer was taking pictures of multiple Purple Hairstreaks at eye level. We spent several hours on site, seeing many other butterflies but not the hoped for white letter hairstreaks, nor sadly did we see high brown fritillaries, once a guaranteed speciality of this site. Come five O'clock we decided to switch to the white letter hairstreak site near Yarner Wood.

Again we were soon scoping trees and picking up hairstreaks, but only purples. Nicola at this point was yanking up Himalayan Balsam which unfortunately was now infesting this riverside site, and thats when the farmer turned up and had words. I'd never realised that this site was actually a footpath through a sheep pasture. To see trees suitable for the White-letter you have to wander quite a way off the path. In the farmer eyes we were trespassing on her land (and I dont' think she liked the fact that Nicola was yanking up the Balsam). We weren't exactly up to no good, but we were undoubtably off the path so we left. We waited by the bridge for a while, but no sign of white letter hairstreak and we could see a huge stand of Himalayan Balsam underneath the bridge, which was a bit sad.

If anyone wants to form a guerilla balsam bashing group let me know, as some landowners really don't give a..

Sites : New Bridge, Dunsford Meadow, Drakeford Bridge

Species : Ruptela maculata (Black and Yellow Longhorn), Purple Hairstreak, Pentatoma Rufipes (Forest Shieldbug), Dark Bush Cricket, leccinum cyaneobasileucum (bolete), Upright Hedge Parsely, Goldenrod


Butters 39; Beetles ; Misc Insects 47; Groppers 7; Flora 430; Funghi 47
GT 1138

 

[Matt Prince]

Ooops missed out the following from the 17th (already included in 18th totals)

17th Julty Bystock woods..
Lesser Cockroach, Ecosma Campoliliana (micro moth), Epinotia Demarniana (micro moth)

 

[GDK]

Hi Matt,

Ive started following your posts here, well done for keeping up the routine.

Dunsford - Are the High Browns now considered gone from there then?

You sneaked last weekends Ivy Leaved Bellflower into the list without any description, I guess at the Marsh Clubmoss site. The Clubmoss likes bare damp peaty runnels and trackways, so the habitat can dry out and become overgrown with heath. Its probably lurking there somewhere.

Why not try some arable headlands flora, seems to be a gap in your list? And now is a good time.

Cheers

 

[Matt Prince]

Hello Gareth,

High browns do still occur at Dunsford, just not in the numbers or frequency they used to, reflecting the sad decline of this species in Devon.

Yes, ILB was at Smallhanger, also at Cadover. I suspect you are right about the Clubmoss!

Arable headlands sounds good, thank you for that.

Cheers,
Matt

 

[Perry Smale]

Matt, re 3rd July post, did you mean Flax-leaved St John's Wort? It's probably too late to get it this year, but last year I got it at Clifford Bridge, up the very steep hill adjacent to where you park for Dunsford Meadow (but this is a strenuous climb). I only found a small clump on the Hunter's Path.

 

[Matt Prince]

Hello Perry - yes, I was hoping to add that genuine rarity to this years list - in any case it was a shame to not find it where Nicola and I saw it many years ago - hopefully still some in the area. Thanks for the alternative site - as you suggest - one for next year.

 

[Matt Prince]

Friday 23rd July 2010

Arriving back in Exeter in the evening decided to take up Gareths suggestion and headed out to look for an 'Arable Headland'. Nicola took us to an Arable field to the South West of Exeter, unfortunately the 'headland' had been mostly cleared, still there were some interesting 'weeds' left which had me pouring over Fitter, Fitter and Blamey. Will try for some more arable weeds later...
Single Yellow Shell in the hedgebanks, then later at home a Copper Underwing.

Sites : Farmland SW of Exeter, Home

Species : Yellow Shell, Copper Underwing, Scentless Mayweed, Common Knotgrass, Fool's Parsley, Field Scabious, Common Toadflax

Moths 215; Flora 435
GT 1145

 

[Matt Prince]

Sunday 23rd July 2010

No entry for Saturday, because I was out of county, not acting my age (nor my shoe size even) at the Warriors Dance Festival in Milton Keynes. Oh..my..word. "I can see the freak in your eyes". Indeed.

Therefore the day started very slowly... and we just about managed to haul ourselves out to hunt for Funghi with the Devon Funghi group who were meeting at Whiddon Scrubs. Getting to this site is hard work, and parking was restricted but we somehow managed to squeeze the cars out of the way and Nicola pulled out a few insects before we'd even gone in. Once inside the damp woodland we were soon scrabbling up slope with the group. An Earth Fan growing out of the steps was new for us, and I was lucky enough to stumble across a lovely Beef Steak Funghus. Hordes of parachute funghi were found, mostly twig parachute (marasmiella ramealis) but also the distinctive collared parachute (marasmius rotula), a stunning Red Cracking Bolete and some interesting slime moulds, only one of which got named. Once again thanks due to the Devon Mycology Massive.

We had to shoot at lunch because we'd been tipped off about a Caspian Gull yesterday (thanks Brian) and not having a clue about the best way of accessing the site we were soon on the phone for directions to Blackhill Quarry near Exmouth (thanks Martin). It was hot and sunny and there were hordes of grayling on site, and fortunately several birders were already on the gull amongst a small herring gull flock and I got put straight on it (thanks Gary). I'd lugged the big gull book with me and ticked through the features for a juvy/1st year bird. The mantle looked darker than the pictures suggested, but otherwise all identification features were as per the book, including an obviously long parallel sided bill.

After that a brief panic as we struggled with the best plan of action.. Dawlish Warren for the roseate tern, mini beasts and plants or another white letter hairstreak twitch. It was low tide, that and the fact that I'm just short of forty butters for Devon this year decided us and we were off to Clennon Valley Torbay where a white letter had been seen in the last couple of days. We met the finder on site, but despite hordes of insects on the creeping thistles, no joy for the hairstreak, despite the place being awash with lycenids (common blue, small copper, brown argus).

Sites : Whiddon Scrubs, Blackhill Quarry, Clennon Valley

Species : Caspian Gull, Southern Hawker, Jersey Tiger, Marsh Cudweed, Thelephora Spiculosa (Earth fan), Beef Steak Fungus, Marasmellia Ramealis, Brown Birch Bolete, Marasmius Rotula, Calocera Cornea (Lesser Stagshorn), Boletus Chrysenteron (Red Cracking Bolete), Colybia Fusipes (Spindleshank), Lycogola Terrestre (Slime Mould).

Birds 177; Dragons 23; Moths 216; Flora 436; Funghi 55, MiscFlora 14
GT 1158

(I've grouped moss, lichens, liverworts, algae and slimemoulds under MiscFlora)

 

[Matt Prince]

I'm taking the Caspian Gull of the list...Ironically I also need YL Gull!

For now its going down as neither.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=176966

Birds 176..
GT 1157...

 

[Matt Prince]

Friday 30th July 2010

I took the afternoon off to ensure I could get from Swindon to Braunton Burrows in plenty of time for the last of the free evening walks by John and Mary Breeds (previously we had missed one due to sheer weight of traffic). As it was we had plenty of time in hand and stopped off at the Tiverton Canal for a quick nose around. Once more plenty of hard to identify fish, though this time a couple of easy to identify, tiger-striped predators turned up, Perch. Also here in profusion was Yellow Loosestrife and Mugwort.
Moving onwards to Braunton Burrows, through horrific traffic, we arrived on site with plenty of time for a quick plant twitch before the walk started. Nicola remembered where she had had Water Germander and we both scoured a small area for this small labiate. Nicola sat down and used her binoculars whilst I tried to tune out the abundant self heal and Water Mint. Nicola spotted a single plant and directed me in - whereupon we found it was all over the place, as if often the way.
Back at the car park we met up with a small group of other naturalists, and soon John and Mary arrived and we were off across the burrow towards the sea.
A fire on the dunes, which the air sea rescue helicopter was tending to, was a bit of a distraction (and very sad as it turns out some idiots had managed to torch the bee orchid site) however it was still an enjoyable evening walk, out to the shore line for the strand line vegetation and then back in through the dunes and scrub again. John and Mary know this area very well, as would be expected, and they picked out many new species, and had much interesting information about the history and management of the site.

Sites : Tiverton Canal, Braunton Burrows

Species : Perch, Lime Speck Pug, Hare's-foot clover, Carline Thistle, Strawberry Clover, Red Bartsia, Water Mint, Water Germander, Hoary Ragwort, Parsley Water Dropwort,
Autumn Gentian, Jointed Rush, Seablite, Sweet Briar

Fish 15; Moths 217; Flora 450;
GT 1173

 

[Matt Prince]

Saturday 31st July 2010

Today we had planned to be out of the County twitching dragonflies, but the weather hadn't looked good for the East of the country, and had looked good for Devon.. Hmmm. Getting up onto the moor the temperature was struggling to breach 15 C, it was overcast, drizzling and windy. No choice but to look for plants and get what we can. (I guess I could have revisited the blackhill gull in the flat light, and roseate terns were being reported from the Warren, but we were up on the moor now). Nicola found me Lesser Skullcap on the edge of Moretown Bog, and I identified the abundant Redshank (plant). The main moor was covered in White Beak-Sedge.
With a few chinks in the cloud promising some sun we headed towards Smallhanger, but detoured around Burrator Reservoir as I'd seen pictures of the blasted Cornish Moneywort on boulders beneath a wall near here. A quick circumnavigation and we were soon in an are that looked good for this plant and sure enough Nicola had found it within a minute of getting out of the car, in fact we had gone the wrong way around the reservoir because within a hundred yards we then found the motherlode of the stuff, all over a low boulder.
Cutting through the outskirts of Plymouth, a small calamint type labiate on the roadside turned out to be Wild Basil.
Arriving at Smallhanger, it was a bit warmer and there was intermittent sun, still a bit windy though. Stopping at one pond to pot a moth flapping about on the water surface I almost trod on a newly emerged Common Hawker. Which just sat quietly, gradually gaining colour prior to its maiden flight. Leaving that in peace we had a fruitless search for the (probably abundant) fairy shrimp, fortunately Black Darter was easier with several stunning males and a few females. Then in the big pit, all over the sides, hordes of the Marsh Clubmoss at last
Such a shame that this whole site is soon to be trashed.

Sites : Moretown Bog, Burrator Reservoir, Plymouth, Smallhanger

Species : Common Hawker, Black Darter, Lesser Skullcap, White Beak-Sedge, Redshank (the plant), Cornish Moneywort, Broad-leaved Willowherb, Wild Basil, Marsh Clubmoss, Corn-mint

Dragons 25; Flora 458 ;
GT 1183

 

[Matt Prince]

Spent today (Sunday 1st August) out of the country chasing exotic dragonflys...

I haven't had a chance to go back and look at the gull at Blackhill quarry, and doesn't look like I'm going to anytime soon, so I'll just have to accept the balance of opinion from those with much more experience in these species than myself...

Sites : Blackhill Quarry

Species : Yellow Legged Gull

Birds 177
GT 1184

 

[Matt Prince]

Saturday 7th August 2010

Started with a visit to Dawlish Warren, hoping for some of the terns that had been seen recently, alas on arrival there were certainly feeding seabirds but they were too distant for me. Turning out attentions inwards and downwards no sign of the autumn lady's tresses yet, but we did have some other flowers instead, including the stunning little pink beauty Lesser Centaury
I went out to the hide on my lonesome to look for terns, but alas, only a large flock of Sandwich on the mud, nothing smaller with them at all, fortunately on returning back towards greenland lake the main feeding flock had moved in a lot closer, and I could see Commic terns with long wings, long head projection and dark primary wedges - Common Tern. Sadly nothing else with them.
Meeting back up with Nicola she showed me a cou[le of plants she had found including Distant Sedge, and we decided to head on over to an area near Candy Tiles where we have seen the rare Penny Royale before. It took us a while to find it but eventually Nicola's persistence paid off, despite the dry conditions on site.
We headed for home for a quick bite to eat and then out into deepest devon for a mothing evening at West Week Farm. These Devon Moth meetings are always good, but this one courtesy of very genial hosts surpassed itself. An effort to find the place but well worth it. Micro's abounded this night, fortunately Barry 'micro' Henwood was on hand to seperate the miniscule bird dropping mimics into long latin names. Plenty of hornets in the traps to keep all on their toes not to mention a fair sized horse fly identified by Rob Wolton. There were a decent cross section of Macros as well, and a panorpa (scorpion fly) that showed signs of being a new species for me (germanica) but alas the photo's are not as sharp as I hoped..
A very pleasant bonus (aside from hot drinks laid on by our genial hosts!) were the bats which included Serotine swooping into a small clearing. Didn't get back home till three but again, worth it.

Sites : Dawlish Warren, Candy Tiles, West Week Farm

Species : Serotine Bat, Common Tern, Oak Eggar, Eristalis Horticola (Hover fly), Myathropa Florea (Hover fly), T. bromius (horsefly), Stone Parsley, Common Club Rush, Lesser Centaury, Distant Sedge, Asparagus, Common Cord Grass, Greater Sea Spurrey, Common Glasswort, Common Skullcap, Fat Hen, Hoary Willowherb, Pennyroyal, Common Hemp-nettle
Moths: Early Thorn, Agriphila Tristella, Small Pheonix, Dipleurina Lacustrata, Ptycholoma Lecheana, Rhopobota Naevana, H. Rhomboidella, Pandemis Corylana, 20 plume moth, Cydia Splendana, Argyresthia Goedartella, Eana incana, Bordered Bueaty, Agonopterix Aranella, Ypsolopha Parenthesella, Dark Marbled Carpet, 6 striped rustic, dingy footman, small wainscot, common rustic, beautiful hook tip, sharp angled carpet, chinese character, ypsolopha ustella, carcina quercana, spilonata ocellana, phycita roborella, red twin-spot carpet

Furries 18; Birds 178; Moths 246; Hovers 10; Flowers 471;
GT 1231