Fungi Nuthatch

Wet morning but still enjoyable

Wednesday at the feeders

Autumn Edition

Hello All

As promised the Autumn Newsletter has been emailed to members today. Please check your inbox and your junk mail/spam box.

autumn 2019 newsletter is now available

The latest edition will be emailed to members shortly and will be available online at cromwellbottom.wordpress.com soon, where all the newsletters are stored.

Printed copies area available in the cabin.  If anyone would like to contribute to the winter edition, please get in touch.

Newsletter team (lyn, val, jane)

Cool photograph from Dave Brotherton - thanks Dave!  

Halifax Scientific Society Pond Dipping Session 14.9.19

Excuse me for not putting the whole post on which can be seen on Calderdale-wildlife. (Tab at the top.)

With much appreciation for the management of the reserve and the excellent facilities provided at the cabin.

Saturday morning visit love the new set up

Pinkies

Over the reserve at 0725 > SE and 44 no.

Moth Night - Aug. 24th (UPDATED)

It was a mild, calm night turning quite chilly for the last couple of hours. There were eight attending including a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable young chap called Edward accompanied by his dad.

I counted 51 species on the night but Barry may have others.

UPDATE: Highlight for myself was the Gelechiid - Elm Groundling (Carpatolechia fugitivella). A typically plain species which needed it's bits dissecting.

 

This smart looking Grey Poplar Bell (Epinotia nisella) is of the form decorana which is new to all of us I suspect.

This Marbled Piercer (Cydia splendana) had me going for a while before it took  up a more relaxed posture a revealed it's true identity.

A female Dusky Thorn which was a photo lifer for me and looks laden with eggs in that plump abdomen.

One of a few Rosy Rustics that turned up late in to the night (morning).

A rather tatty Mouse Moth which is stated to be common but it's the first one I've ever seen so maybe not so common in our neck of the woods.

THE FULL LIST (ALL ADULTS)

Ypsolopha parenthesella

Argyresthia goedartella

White-shouldered House Moth

Brown House Moth

Carpatolechia fugivitella

Mompha raschkiella x 2

Blastobasis adustella

Light Brown Apple Moth

Apotomis betuletana

Celypha lacunana

Ancylis badiana

Epinotia nisella x 1

Cydia splendana x 1

Mother of Pearl

Agriphila tristella

Crambus pascuella x 1

Water Veneer x c10

Small China Mark

Pebble Hook-tip x 1

Riband Wave

Blood-vein x 3

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet x 1

Yellow Shell

July Highflier x 1

Chevron x 1

Small Phoenix

Clouded Border

Canary-shouldered Thorn

Dusky Thorn x 1

Mottled Beauty

Iron Prominent x 2

Lesser Swallow Prominent x 1

Pale Prominent x 1

Straw Dot

Buff Footman

Copper Underwing agg. x 3

Rosy Rustic x 4

Flounced Rusic x 4 (Not Confused as thought)

Sallow

Angle-striped Sallow x 2

Smoky Wainscot

Flame Shoulder x 1

Large Yellow Underwing  one or two :-)

Lesser Yellow Underwing

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Square Spot Rustic

Setaceous Hebrew Character.

There maybe omissions (or spelling mistakes :-)

Moth Night

This Saturday, August 24th from 8.30pm onwards - Bring a torch!

Weather is looking good for it with the promise of a hot day beforehand.

Cromwell Skylarks

Moth Night 10th Aug

Yes - trapping session, this Saturday night - I think 8.30pm onwards arrivals may be in order now.

Bring a torch.

Red Underwings

After finishing my Terrapin capture duties I set off home only to see these two roosting Red Underwings about 10 + 15 feet high up on Crowther Bridge as viewed from the towpath. I gave one a nudge with a stick to see if it would flash it's brilliant red underwings but it just took of and landed in almost the same spot. Super moths and a first for myself.

Nest Box Success 2019

In spring this year I was fortunate to spend a few weeks of my usual volunteering days on Thursday's helping Steve Downing open up our nest boxes on the reserve and, where appropriate, ring the chicks. Steve is a licensed ringer and we are fortunate that he is willing to spend time on our reserve doing this valuable work. To be ringed, the chicks have to be fairly close to fledging so the period that they are available for ringing in each nest is quite short and this required multiple visits to each nest box. Even with these we still managed to miss the ringing window for some of the boxes. 

We managed to find a total of 52 nest boxes. The summary of our findings is:

1) We ringed a total of 99 blue tit chicks in 12 nest boxes.

2) We ringed a total of 27 great tit chicks in 5 boxes.

3) 8 further nest boxes successfully fledged blue or great tits.

4) The percentage of nest boxes that were successful was 48%.

5) A further 17% of the nest boxes showed signs of attempted breeding.

Hi everyone I would like to thank all the volunteers for there help last week in the organisation, setting up and of course on the day for making it another special Open Day .
Apologies to all those who came expecting the Birds of  Prey display unfortunately it was out of our control and we wish Kevin a speedy recovery from his operation.
I’m sure you will all agree the weather gods were with us and I hope you all enjoyed your day ,we hope to see you all next year  .yours Graham

Pictures from our Open Day 2019

Once again we were blessed with fine warm weather. The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Badger Group, Animal petting, Soft toys, Pencil holders, original paintings, raffle, walking sticks, face painting, bird feeders and animal skeletons, pond dipping, guided walks were all there. (I must have missed something). Yes I have missed the Cabin which provided tea, coffee, soft drinks, cakes, ice creams, chocolates and crisps, all provided by our splendid volunteers.

More pictures HERE

Open Day 2019 this Saturday August 3rd

Our Annual Open Day is here! This Saturday. We know that many of our volunteers bring cakes etc. Whilst we are very grateful for this may we respectfully remind you that we are not allowed to serve fresh cream. Please do not bring sausage rolls. Thank You.
< < < <    Click our poster on the left for full info.

Moth Night Sat 27th

Cancelled
Due to the heavy rain & forecasted continuous through the night - It would be pointless tonight.
Sorry for any inconvenience!

Oh yes it's that time again - Arrivals still from 9.00pm onwards, but we may be able to start the lamp a little earlier now  .... see you there Saturday.

 

Don't forget the Torch!

Moth Night Summary - July 13th

FIRST OF ALL: A big thanks to the Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group for providing such fantastic mothing facilities and habitat creation and management - it is VERY much appreciated!

Another moth-friendly night with mild conditions and it was almost dead calm. Nine showed up for the moths which were a little slow to start with but by the night's end we had a record 80-90 species species. I hope Barry will let us know the final tally.

Obviously there were many stunning moths on show but none more so than a varied collection of superb green moths, notably: July Highflier, V Pug, Common Emerald and Large Emerald.

Perhaps the rarest on the night was this Golden-brown Tubic (Crassa unitella) which looks like being another Calderdale first. As can be often the case with micros emptied from the trap last thing, it's quite worn after sharing a small space with hundreds of other moths, flies and caddisflies. However, the remnants of reddish/brown scales, yellow head, very long palps and declining resting position  points to this species.

The adult flies from late June to August and sometimes comes to light It is associated with wooded areas because the larvae, late September to May, feed on fungus on and under dead bark.

Another new one for myself was this (worn) Hawthorn Cosmet (Blastodacna hellerella), also found in the trap at emptying time.

My favourite photo of the night's moths was this fresh looking Suspected with lovely warm rufous tones.

This tiny Wormwood Pug was a photo lifer for myself, I'm fairly confident with the ID but if anyone knows differently let me know.

This "worn" looking pug deserved closer scrutiny at home and turned out to be a Bordered Pug in very good nick. Another new one for myself.

We had small numbers of Dingy Shears and it was nice to photograph a nice specimen for a change.

This small un-moth-like moth added to our slowly growing list of Footmen, this being a Muslin Footman.

LEAF MINES FOUND:

Parornix anglicella

Stigmella salicis

Stigmella hybneralla

Great Egret from Saturday afternoon

Thanks to John Marsh for the use of his Images

Cromwell Bottom Nature Reserve 2019 Orchid survey

Over the last 2 weeks Jen, Julie, Ian and I have been undertaking a survey of the orchids on the reserve. The areas surveyed were very similar to those that were surveyed last year but a couple of extra areas were added as we knew that these areas also had colonies of orchids. We counted the spikes (flowers) that could be seen. Identification of the species was difficult due to the tendency for plants to hybridise but it looked like virtually all the plants seen were common spotted or hybrids with a small handful of marsh orchids also being present. The total seen in 2019 was 200 compared to 138 counted last year.

Moth Night!

That time again - Arrivals from 9.00pm to 10.00pm this Saturday 13th July, bring a torch!

Big Butterfly Count

A great turn out toady with some 25 people involved throughout the day,,,,,!!!!! And many thanks to all who turned up..

Meadow Brown ....Abundant (100 +)
Ringlet ..................Abundant (100 +)
Small Skipper ,,,,,50  +
Large Skipper ..5
Small Tortoiseshell...2
Common Blue...3
Small Heath .....3
Red Admiral .....1
Painted Lady ...2
Comma ...3
Large White ...3
Green - veined White.....1
Gatekeeper....1

Yellow Shell x 2
Shaded Broad Bar x 1
5 -spot Burnet Moths ....Abundant
Cinnabar ...2

Brown Hawker
Broad Bodied Chaser
Banded Demoiselle
Large Red  Damselfly
Common Blue

Evening Nature and History walk Wednesday July 10th

Andy Eccles will be leading a History and Nature walk at Cromwell Bottom Nature Reserve on Wednesday the 10th of July at 7:00 pm. 

Please meet at the Cabin. Toilets available.

Big Butterfly Count / Walk ,,,Sunday 7th July

This  Sunday 7th July there will be a HXSS walk around Cromwell Bottom ,  meet at the cabin 10.30 - 14.00...If the weather stays good we should see , Painted lady , Red Admiral , Ringlet , Meadow Brown , Small Copper , Comma , Small , large and green Veined Whites , Gatekeeper , Large and Small Skipper and if we are very Lucky Essex Skipper  a good selection of day flying moths and a few Dragonflies. We might even see some rare Clearwing moths..!!!!!