More spots

A species I always go looking for when the nights get milder. Can almost always find one after head-torching a few tree trunks

2021 beetle #66, Dromius quadrimaculatus

Already listed, but amazing to see the Triplex aenea out to play on the dead Horse Chestnut and associated fungi

No apparent damage - spore feeders?

A quick tap over the sweep net

Spotty Stenus

Stenus bimaculatus is a beetle I found in the Cullaloe Hills last February, but it was nice to see it show up on the reserve as the 65th beetle species of the year. It's the 11th species of Stenus for the reserve and the 6th this year. I knew it was going to be new because none of the other 10 species are spotty.

It was in the eternally-giving grass pile near the car park. If I had only skimmed the top layer of that pile today, now that it's warmed up. I could probably have half the species re-recorded! It was tempting to take a video of how much movement there was in the tray.

The mega grass pile in all its glory

2021 beetlle #65 - Stenus bimaculatus

Pine Ladybird

Clamped onto a tree trunk in the rain the other day, this Pine Ladybird was new to the reserve list.

Carrion beetles

Mmmmm, tasty. Nothing like a bit of rotten fish to get the juices flowing - in this case about 1cm cubed of 3 week old cod hung over a pitfall trap

2 Nicrophorus vespilloides

6 Oiceoptoma thoracicum 1 Pterostichus niger

Great Diving Beetle at Mossmorran

A brief bottle trap for ten hours during Sunday turned up 2 of the above. Very fine they were too

Violet Ground Beetle

This one not from Cullaloe, but from Bavelaw/Red Moss in the Lothians. A nice beetle, though

Bottle trapping

A quick bottle trapping session in the water found a couple of Water Boatmen, a few diving beetles as yet unidentified, a newt and a shed load of leeches. The newt I quickly released without photo, hopefully not too much the worse for wear. The water boatmen seem to have expired. Maybe they are quite delicate beasts despite their size. I have a couple of the diving beetles for determination and a couple of leeches out of ghoulish curiosity. I hoped they could be identified but this may take more capability than I have access to at the moment. Let's see.

I was amazed to find anything given the water looks like some kind of white ghastly chemical soup

Hydroporus palustris

The diving beetle turned out to be Hydroporus palustris, according to Nature of fife Coleoptera list the "commonest species of vegetated edges of lochs etc." Sounds fair enough

More flies

Weather still not too great but still some flies are out and adding to the lists. Two new Empids yesterday - Empis tessellata and E.stercorea. Another E.tessellata was found in the pines this morning. Downlooker snipeflies are also around all over the place.

Empis tessellata

Downlooker Snipefly

I also found a new ladybird for the reserve yesterday - a Cream Spot

Also this morning the first sight of 6 brand new Mute Swans, though I didn't hava camera which could capture them at the other side of the pond