A Northern Ireland Rarity!!
As usual, take nothing at face value on this blog. This is Moschatel or 'Town Hall Clock' Adoxa moschatellina (so called because the flowers are arranged like the faces of a town hall clock, funnily enough)
This photo was taken in the south-east of Scotland by Stephen Longster but it is one of Northern Ireland's (and Ireland's) rarest plants - restricted to a few patches of woodland in the Cave Hill area above Belfast so worth a mention.
This photo was taken in the south-east of Scotland by Stephen Longster but it is one of Northern Ireland's (and Ireland's) rarest plants - restricted to a few patches of woodland in the Cave Hill area above Belfast so worth a mention.
Monday 21st June News
No
news from today but yesterday Chris Murphy and James Orr (in a sea canoe)
counted 901
Kittiwake on the nest at Maggy's Leap, Newcastle, Co. Down.
Godfrey McRoberts
had the parvipes Canada Goose and 30 Black-tails in the SW
corner of Lough Beg, Co. Londonderry
Micro on the Wing - Pyrausta cingulata
Yesterday was an exciting day - a Golden Eagle (possibly two) and a
Quail and now news of a rare breeding bird. None of them mega that everyone is waiting for but still good birds nonetheless. After all that excitement it's time to bring this blog back to earth with a couple of rubbish photos of a moth.
More impressive in the flesh (believe me), this is Pyrausta cingulata, all 14mm of it - believed to feed on Wild Thyme Thymus serpyllum. A rare wee fella - there aren't too many records of this species in Northern Ireland but it is hard to spot. To keep today's theme going...........this was found at an undisclosed site.
More impressive in the flesh (believe me), this is Pyrausta cingulata, all 14mm of it - believed to feed on Wild Thyme Thymus serpyllum. A rare wee fella - there aren't too many records of this species in Northern Ireland but it is hard to spot. To keep today's theme going...........this was found at an undisclosed site.
Sunday 20th June News
Shoveler - 1, Conservation Area Harbour Estate, Co. Down
Golden Eagle - 1, sub-adult, mobbed by 2 Buzzard, near Seaforde Butterfly House, flew towards Ballynahinch (Dave Hadrick)
Golden Eagle - 1, sub-adult, Glenwherry, Co. Antrim (possibly the same bird as above)
Hen Harrier -2, Antrim Plateau
Hen Harrier - 1, Slieve Beagh, Co. Monaghan (Neil Harrison)
Buzzard - 15, Antrim Plateau
Quail - 1, near Slievenacloy, Ballycolin Rd, Co. Antrim (Ted Rolston)
Storm Petrel - 1, St Johns Point, Co. Down
Manx Shearwater - 1000, St Johns Point, Co. Down
Ringed Plover, yesterday, Rathlin Island by Mark Killops
Lapwing - 16, RSPB Reserve, Co. Down
Redshank - 21, RSPB Reserve, Co. Down
Greenshank - 1, Quoile Pondage, Co. Down
Black-tailed Godwit- 150, Dargan Bay, Co. Antrim
Bar-tailed Godwit - 32, Kinnegar Shore, Co. Down
Snipe - 1, Herrons Road Harbour Estate
Stock Dove - 1, Ardilea, Co. Down
Stock Dove - 2, Killard Co. Down
Swift - 50, RSPB Reserve, Co. Down
Spotted Flycatcher - 2, Ednavilla Park, Portadown, Co. Armagh
Buzzard - 15 Antrim Hills Co.Antrim
Red Kite - 1 Antrim Hills
Hen Harrier - Pair Antrim Hills
Whinchat - 4 Family Party Antrim Hills
Meadow Pipit - 30 Antrim Hills
Spotted Flycatcher, today, Portadown by Mark Killops
Golden Eagle - 1, sub-adult, mobbed by 2 Buzzard, near Seaforde Butterfly House, flew towards Ballynahinch (Dave Hadrick)
Golden Eagle - 1, sub-adult, Glenwherry, Co. Antrim (possibly the same bird as above)
Hen Harrier -2, Antrim Plateau
Hen Harrier - 1, Slieve Beagh, Co. Monaghan (Neil Harrison)
Buzzard - 15, Antrim Plateau
Quail - 1, near Slievenacloy, Ballycolin Rd, Co. Antrim (Ted Rolston)
Storm Petrel - 1, St Johns Point, Co. Down
Manx Shearwater - 1000, St Johns Point, Co. Down
Ringed Plover, yesterday, Rathlin Island by Mark Killops
Lapwing - 16, RSPB Reserve, Co. Down
Redshank - 21, RSPB Reserve, Co. Down
Greenshank - 1, Quoile Pondage, Co. Down
Black-tailed Godwit- 150, Dargan Bay, Co. Antrim
Bar-tailed Godwit - 32, Kinnegar Shore, Co. Down
Snipe - 1, Herrons Road Harbour Estate
Stock Dove - 1, Ardilea, Co. Down
Stock Dove - 2, Killard Co. Down
Swift - 50, RSPB Reserve, Co. Down
Spotted Flycatcher - 2, Ednavilla Park, Portadown, Co. Armagh
Buzzard - 15 Antrim Hills Co.Antrim
Red Kite - 1 Antrim Hills
Hen Harrier - Pair Antrim Hills
Whinchat - 4 Family Party Antrim Hills
Meadow Pipit - 30 Antrim Hills
Spotted Flycatcher, today, Portadown by Mark Killops
Saturday 19th June News
"parvipes" type Canada Goose - 1, west
shore of Lough Beg
Pale-bellied Brent - 2, Antrim shore of Belfast Lough, Troopers Lane.
Wigeon - 4, male, west shore of Lough Beg
Wigeon - 1, Dundrum Inner Bay South, Co. Down
Tufted Duck - 10, Oxford Island, Co. Armagh
Tufted Duck - 2, Dundrum Inner Bay South, Co. Down
Pochard - 25, Oxford Island, Co. Armagh
Common Buzzard - 2, Oxford Island, Co. Armagh
Ringed Plover - 1, Ballykinler, Co. Down
Dunlin - 7, Ballykinler, Co. Down
Redshank - 10, Reedy Flat, Co. Armagh
Greenshank - 1, Dundrum Inner Bay South, Co. Down
Bar-tailed Godwit - 1, Green Island, Dundrum Inner Bay North, Co. Down
Sandwich Tern - 3, (ringed), Ballykinler, Co. Down
Common Tern by Danny Boyd, today, Belfast Harbour RSPB
Blackcap - 2, Peatlands Park, Co. Armagh
Blackcap - 2,Oxford Island, Co. Armagh
Sedge Warbler - 3, Reedy Flat, Co. Armagh
Willow Warbler - 10, Peatlands Park, Co. Armagh
Willow Warbler - 6, Oxford Island, Co. Armagh
Spotted Flycatcher and 2 Blackcap at Long Point, Lough Beg
There are now over 1000 wildlife photos on this blog!!!
For the latest UK bird news visit the rarebirdsinbritain blog
For the latest Irish bird news visit irishbirding
Pale-bellied Brent - 2, Antrim shore of Belfast Lough, Troopers Lane.
Wigeon - 4, male, west shore of Lough Beg
Wigeon - 1, Dundrum Inner Bay South, Co. Down
Tufted Duck - 10, Oxford Island, Co. Armagh
Tufted Duck - 2, Dundrum Inner Bay South, Co. Down
Pochard - 25, Oxford Island, Co. Armagh
Common Buzzard - 2, Oxford Island, Co. Armagh
Ringed Plover - 1, Ballykinler, Co. Down
Dunlin - 7, Ballykinler, Co. Down
Redshank - 10, Reedy Flat, Co. Armagh
Greenshank - 1, Dundrum Inner Bay South, Co. Down
Bar-tailed Godwit - 1, Green Island, Dundrum Inner Bay North, Co. Down
Sandwich Tern - 3, (ringed), Ballykinler, Co. Down
Common Tern by Danny Boyd, today, Belfast Harbour RSPB
Blackcap - 2, Peatlands Park, Co. Armagh
Blackcap - 2,Oxford Island, Co. Armagh
Sedge Warbler - 3, Reedy Flat, Co. Armagh
Willow Warbler - 10, Peatlands Park, Co. Armagh
Willow Warbler - 6, Oxford Island, Co. Armagh
Spotted Flycatcher and 2 Blackcap at Long Point, Lough Beg
There are now over 1000 wildlife photos on this blog!!!
For the latest UK bird news visit the rarebirdsinbritain blog
For the latest Irish bird news visit irishbirding
Friday 18th June News
Little to report today (our new motto - only joking):
The only sighting of note was by Phillip McHaffie who saw a Common Buzzard take a Razorbill chick off a cliff on Rathlin Island and return later to have a go at an adult.
Not a rarity but who wouldn't mind seeing that! Not the most pleasant of things but why bother watching Springwatch, go out and see it for yourself (and then report back here!).
The only sighting of note was by Phillip McHaffie who saw a Common Buzzard take a Razorbill chick off a cliff on Rathlin Island and return later to have a go at an adult.
Not a rarity but who wouldn't mind seeing that! Not the most pleasant of things but why bother watching Springwatch, go out and see it for yourself (and then report back here!).
Red-tipped Clearwing , Co. Armagh
This afternoon (17th June) was very
warm and sunny
and I went to Peatlands Park, North Armagh. After seeing plenty of Large
Heaths,
a worn Peacock, 2 or 3 Speckled Woods, and plenty of Common Heath and
Grass Wave Moths at Mullenakill and Derryhubbert Bogs within the Park, I
tried
using pheromone lures for the Red-tipped Clearwing in Annagarriff (or
Derryhubbert) Fen.
After an unsuccessful siting of the
lure at 1 spot
roughly in the middle of the very small fen (which is completely
surrounded by
birch and willow woodland) at around 4 pm I moved it to a slightly more
sheltered spot (though it was not particualrly breezy) about 50 yards
away near
the north end, closest to more mature wood and and tied it to a very
small oak
tree. After spending 2 or 3 minutes in the nearby shady wood I came back
to the
lure and soon saw what appeared to be a Red-tipped Clearwing moth
(Synathedon
formicaeformis) flying close to, but not landing on it; at this stage I
could see the white tips to the antennae. After a short time it
disappeared, but
over the next 15 or 20 minutes it and/or another one appeared around the
same
lure and I got brief views through bincoculars, noting the red band
around the
abdomen. Eventually one landed on a birch tree and I was able to see the
Burgundy coloured patches on the wings. I was left in no doubt that it
was this
species.
This moth was first found (and
photographed) in
Northern Ireland by Robert Thompson at Brackagh Bog NNR near Portadown,
also in
North Armagh, on 6th July 1985; subsequently it was seen in 1990 (on 4
occasions between 11th June and 31st July), 1999, and in both 2008 and
2009,
when pheromone lures attracted a number in both years (I was lucky
enough to get
some Camcorder footage of the species in 2008). There was an unconfirmed
sighting at Mounstewart, Co. Down, in June 2008.
Red-tipped Clearwing by Dave Allen
Interestingly, for those "moth-ers"
using portable
generators - after switching the generator on about 11 pm at Brackagh
last
night, I found it was still going and hence the lamp still on after
about 7 am
this morning, around 8 hours later. This was a surprise as on all other
recent
mornings (this was the 10th nights trapping in the last 13 days) despite
usually
arriving at 7 am or earlier, it had always gone off. It may be due to
filling
the generator very full of petrol and switching it on somewhat later.
This may
sound like good news, but with the price of petrol (I calculate it may take
£4-£5 to run the generator for a night at this rate) it would be useful
to know
roughly the right amount to fill the generator with for it to run out
about
dawn during the brief summer nights, although of course during longer
spring and
autumn nights, 8 hours would not cover the whole night.
IAN RIPPEY 17.6.2010
Moths on the Wing - 18th June
These pictures really don't do these moths justice but they at least give an idea of the size difference. Taken this morning at Murlough NNR, Co. Down.
Small Elephant Hawkmoth Deilephila porcellus
Both pictures: Small Elephant Hawkmoth (left) and Elephant Hawkmoth Deilephila elpenor (right)
Small Elephant Hawkmoth Deilephila porcellus
Both pictures: Small Elephant Hawkmoth (left) and Elephant Hawkmoth Deilephila elpenor (right)
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