New Gate

In preparation for more livestock presumably, we have a new gate on the "Orchid Meadow"

I suppose I should do some tussocking in there while there are tussocks!

Haircut

The reserve has had a haircut. Willows from the roadside have gone, as has the gorse bush from the top of the embankment. Now it's nice and tidy and won't provide a spot for sheltered flowers and invertebrate perches or impede the running around of the dogs that owners allow to crap all over the place.

New species list

New species continue to trickle onto the reserve list along with the regulars and repeats. Fungi did well early on but now with the warmer weather flies and moths are starting to pick up the pace

	Preferred Name	Common Name	Date
1	Coleroa robertiani	A fungus on G.robertanium	01/01/2015
2	Geranium pyrenaicum	Hedgerow Crane's-bill	01/01/2015
3	Exidia glandulosa	Witches' Butter	03/01/2015
4	Phlebia radiata	Wrinkled Crust	03/01/2015
5	Phlebiella pseudotsugae	A corticioid fungus	03/01/2015
6	Plicatura crispa	A fungus	03/01/2015
7	Schizopora paradoxa	Split Porecrust	03/01/2015
8	Polyporus leptocephalus	Blackfoot Polypore	04/01/2015
9	Hyphodontia pallidula	A corticioid fungus	07/01/2015
10	Cladonia coniocraea	A lichen	10/01/2015
11	Peniophora nuda	A corticioid fungus	10/01/2015
12	Teucrium scorodonia	Wood Sage	14/01/2015
13	Septoria arundinacea	A fungus on Phragmites	16/01/2015
14	Eichleriella deglubens	A corticioid fungus	17/01/2015
15	Mercurialis perennis	Dog's Mercury	17/01/2015
16	Primula veris	Cowslip	17/01/2015
17	Glechoma hederacea	Ground-ivy	23/01/2015
18	Pleuridium acuminatum	Taper-leaved Earth-moss	23/01/2015
19	Sistotrema oblongisporum	A corticioid fungus	23/01/2015
20	Tortula truncata	Common Pottia	23/01/2015
21	Gloeocystidiellum porosum	A corticioid fungus	24/01/2015
22	Marchantia polymorpha	A liverwort	24/01/2015
23	Parmelia sulcata	A lichen	29/01/2015
24	Lunularia cruciata	Crescent-cup Liverwort	04/02/2015
25	Trichocera regelationis	A Winter Gnat	04/02/2015
26	Oulema melanopus s.l.	Cereal Leaf Beetle	13/02/2015
27	Leptocera fontinalis	A lesser dungfly	06/03/2015
28	Orchesella cincta	A springtail	09/03/2015
29	Hyaloscypha fuckelii	An ascomycete fungus	10/03/2015
30	Jaapia argillacea	A corticioid fungus	10/03/2015
31	Sialis lutaria	An alderfly	10/03/2015
32	Neobisium carcinoides	Common Neobisid	11/03/2015
33	Copromyza stercoraria	A lesser dung fly	13/03/2015
34	Diplocephalus latifrons	A Lyniphiid spider	16/03/2015
35	Walckenaeria nudipalpis	A Lyniphiid spider	16/03/2015
36	Paradromius linearis	A ground beetle	19/03/2015
37	Exapion (Ulapion) ulicis	Gorse Weevil	20/03/2015
38	Micrambe ulicis	A beetle	20/03/2015
39	Stenocranus minutus	A plant hopper	20/03/2015
40	Platybunus triangularis	A harvestman	25/03/2015
41	Tachina ursina	A Tachinid fly	25/03/2015
42	Lissotriton helveticus	Palmate Newt	27/03/2015
43	Tenuiphantes cristatus	A Linyphiid spider	28/03/2015
44	Halyzia sedecimguttata	Orange Ladybird	01/04/2015
45	Larinioides cornutus	An orb-weaver spider	03/04/2015
46	Crumomyia fimetaria	A Lesser Dungfly	03/04/2015
47	Agonopterix ocellana	Red-letter Flat-body	04/04/2015
48	Trametes ochracea	A fungus	07/04/2015
49	Adalia decempunctata	10-spot Ladybird	08/04/2015
50	Bombylius major	Bee Fly	10/04/2015
51	Rhamphomyia subcinerascens	An Empid fly	10/04/2015
52	Berytinus (Berytinus) minor	A Stilt Bug	10/04/2015
53	Diurnea fagella	March Tubic	12/04/2015
54	Neriene peltata	A Linyphiid spider	14/04/2015
55	Xylocampa areola	Early Grey	23/04/2015
56	Anticlea badiata	Shoulder Stripe	23/04/2015
57	Dilophus febrilis	Fever Fly	04/05/2015
58	Incurvaria masculella	Feathered Bright	07/05/2015
59	Gymnocheta viridis	A Tachinid fly	07/05/2015

Violet

Lots of dog violets are up on the reserve now, with a good many on the embankment (dam side) next to the road. Very pretty they are too.

Bee fly!

Dam top starting to look a bit more 3-D

An interesting week away from the keyboard. The numbers kept ticking along as the summer birds started to arrive - Swallow, Blackcap, Willow Warbler are all in. Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies put in an appearance and a couple of Bee flies were found (highlight of the week for sure)

I did a bit more work with flies and spiders, with the Linyphiid spider Neriene peltata being added to the reserve list - a male swept from the orchid meadow. Ticks continue to abound so I'm wearing wellies and getting checked over in the evening. Hoverflies also started to come good with a couple of Cheilosia (pagana and grossa) showing up and taking us to five species in April. A Syrphus which escaped was probably torvus but I'll never know.

Micromoth Diurnea fagella

Coprinellus micaceus

Bee fly Bombylius major

Invertebrate diary April, week 2

10/04/2015
Sunny day

(morning)

Misc
   1 fly (muscid?) from sunny tree trunk in car park
   1 early bee on car park willow, but nothing else

(lunch)
Misc
   Sallow - Scathophagia stercoraria; Buff-t B-b; Rhamphomyia sp.; Small Tortoiseshell
   Filter beds - Bombylius major on Dandelion
   Car window - bug Berytinus minor
   Flew onto hand - small variegated beetle

08/04/2015
Sunny day,

(morning)

Pitfalls
   2 beetles, filter bed PT
   1 ad.m.Microneta viaria, woods PT

(Lunchtime)
Sallow catkins
   1 Early Bumble-bee
   2 Buff-tailed B-B (min)
   1 Eristalis tenax f.
   1 Eristalis pertinax (other Eristalis seen at distance but not ID'd)
   1 Empid, genus Rhamphomyia

Misc
   Carabid crossing road near car
 (Evening)
Misc
   1 water beetle in bucket in paddock
   1 small beetle beaten from small pathside pine  
   1 Harmonia quadripunctata (Cream-streaked Ladybird)beaten from small pathside pine  

Simple pleasures

7-spot Ladybirds starting to appear all over the place, including Cullaloe

Had to rescue this little one from a bucket (did I rescue it or did it want to be there?). Must have got in somehow so maybe it could have also got out.

Also a bit of weekend fun was to be had creeping about in the night, but more of that later.

And just because it's so pretty, though not from Cullaloe, here's an Easter bonus of Notiophilus biguttatus - a ground beetle. From Mossmorran.

Springtail Dicyrtomina saundersi - 3rd for Scotland

Of course it's already recorded at Dumbarnie Links - a familiar square on any NBN map! The final character that sorts this one out is the little orthogonal (crossish) pattern at the rear end

Invertebrate Diary, April, Week 1

06/04/2015
Sunny day, lunchtme visit
   1 Eristalis pertinax beside the path near the cottage (usual place!)
   1 Tachina ursina, same location
   1 small ground beetle, caught flying at same location

05/04/2015
Lamping, 9pm
   2 Hebrew Character on sallow
   3 Common Quaker on sallow
   1 Chestnut on sallow
   1 Common Earwig on top of post with dead frog
   (also many mating toads on the path and even the main road)


04/04/2015
Beating (all gorse)
   1 Metellina mengei beaten from Gorse
   1 beetle unidentified
Lamping, 10pm
   1 Hebrew Character on sallow
   1 Common Quaker on sallow
   4 Agonopterix heracliana scattered along path

   Several Metellina mengei on various trees

Sweeping
   1 imm. Larinioides cornutus swept from paddock
   1 Tetragnatha extensa with attached larva from paddock


03/04/2015
Pitfall
   1 mature male Microneta viaria from woods
   3 mature male Dicymbium nigrum spiders

02/04/2015
Sweeping
   1 imm. Larinioides cornutus swept from top of dam.
   1 Sepsid fly swept from above daffodils beside path but not identifiable to species
   2 Scathophagia stercoraria from beside the path
   1 Crumomyia fimetaria from woods pitfall


Pitfall
   Filter beds - springtails only
   Other traps not checked

01/04/2015
A quickie tour in the evening before sundown


Pitfall traps
   1 globular springtail (Dicyrtomina saundersi ) from woods - 3rd for Scotland
   1 Sciarid fly from beneath rotten upright 'stump'


Sweeping
   Tetragnatha - many
   Sheep tick - 2
   Linyphiid spider - one female, 2-2-2-2, TmIV absent, TmI @ 0.25-0.30, not yet determined
   Owl midge from beside path

Beating unidentified conifer
   Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata (new to reserve)
   2 small green Hemiptera
   A few immature spiders
   Many unidentified small flies

Q1 numbers

So the first quarter has finished and British Summertime is here.Luckily the frost had mostly melted from the car by the time I left the house this morning! A good start, with about 50 more species than last year recorded, and 43 new species added to the reserve catalogue

Taxon Group	Records	Taxa
acarine (Acari)	1	1
amphibian	2	2
bird	62	57
centipede	1	1
conifer	1	1
crustacean	2	2
false scorpion (Pseudoscorpiones)	1	1
fern	1	1
flowering plant	81	68
fungus	47	39
harvestman (Opiliones)	2	2
insect - alderfly (Megaloptera)	1	1
insect - beetle (Coleoptera)	9	8
insect - hymenopteran	1	1
insect - moth	1	1
insect - true bug (Hemiptera)	2	2
insect - true fly (Diptera)	7	7
lichen	5	5
liverwort	16	12
millipede	4	3
mollusc	2	2
moss	74	57
spider (Araneae)	8	8
springtail (Collembola)	1	1
terrestrial mammal	2	2

New species added:

	Preferred Name	Common Name	Date
1	Geranium pyrenaicum	Hedgerow Crane's-bill	01/01/2015
2	Coleroa robertiani	A fungus on G.robertanium	01/01/2015
3	Schizopora paradoxa	Split Porecrust	03/01/2015
4	Plicatura crispa	A fungus	03/01/2015
5	Phlebiella pseudotsugae	A corticioid fungus	03/01/2015
6	Phlebia radiata	Wrinkled Crust	03/01/2015
7	Exidia glandulosa	Witches' Butter	03/01/2015
8	Polyporus leptocephalus	Blackfoot Polypore	04/01/2015
9	Hyphodontia pallidula	A corticioid fungus	07/01/2015
10	Peniophora nuda	A corticioid fungus	10/01/2015
11	Cladonia coniocraea	A lichen	10/01/2015
12	Teucrium scorodonia	Wood Sage	14/01/2015
13	Septoria arundinacea	A fungus on Phragmites	16/01/2015
14	Eichleriella deglubens	A corticioid fungus	17/01/2015
15	Primula veris	Cowslip	17/01/2015
16	Mercurialis perennis	Dog's Mercury	17/01/2015
17	Sistotrema oblongisporum	A corticioid fungus	23/01/2015
18	Pleuridium acuminatum	Taper-leaved Earth-moss	23/01/2015
19	Tortula truncata	Common Pottia	23/01/2015
20	Glechoma hederacea	Ground-ivy	23/01/2015
21	Marchantia polymorpha	A liverwort	24/01/2015
22	Gloeocystidiellum porosum	A corticioid fungus	24/01/2015
23	Parmelia sulcata	A lichen	29/01/2015
24	Lunularia cruciata	Crescent-cup Liverwort	04/02/2015
25	Trichocera regelationis	A Winter Gnat	04/02/2015
26	Oulema melanopus s.l.	Cereal Leaf Beetle	13/02/2015
27	Zygiella x-notata	An orb-weaving spider	05/03/2015
28	Leptocera fontinalis	A lesser dungfly	06/03/2015
29	Orchesella cincta	A springtail	09/03/2015
30	Sialis lutaria	An alderfly	10/03/2015
31	Jaapia argillacea	A corticioid fungus	10/03/2015
32	Hyaloscypha fuckelii	An ascomycete fungus	10/03/2015
33	Neobisium carcinoides	Common Neobisid	11/03/2015
34	Copromyza stercoraria	A lesser dung fly	13/03/2015
35	Walckenaeria nudipalpis	A Lyniphid spider	16/03/2015
36	Diplocephalus latifrons	A Lyniphid spider	16/03/2015
37	Paradromius linearis	A ground beetle	19/03/2015
38	Micrambe ulicis	A beetle	20/03/2015
39	Exapion (Ulapion) ulicis	Gorse Weevil	20/03/2015
40	Stenocranus minutus	A plant hopper	20/03/2015
41	Platybunus triangularis	A harvestman	25/03/2015
42	Lissotriton helveticus	Palmate Newt	27/03/2015
43	Tenuiphantes cristatus	A Linyphiid spider	28/03/2015

Invertebrate Diary, March

Invertebrate diary

30/03/2015
Nothing in traps except springtails and a couple of  Tachypodoiulus niger

29/03/2015
Grass cuttings -

   1 Ero sp., imm f. (first of genus on reserve)
   1 Clubiona sp. imm. m. (C.reclusa only recorded species on reserve)
   1 Pardosa sp. imm. f.
   1 Microneta viaria, f. (previously recorded)
   1 Tenuiphantes cristatus, m. (new to reserve)
   1 Linyphid sp., imm. m.

   also: Anthobium unicolor, Tachypodoiulus niger, Nebria brevicollis

   Pitfall under 2nd log in woodland re-sited due to seeing no activity

25/03/2015
Filter Beds pitfall -
   1 Phorid
Orchid meadow pitfall
   1 harvestman
   2 spiders
   1 beetle larva
Woods pitfall - unchecked
1 large, hairy fly taken from path, assumed hover, but not

24/03/2015 - frosty
Filter Beds pitfall (a.m.) -
   2 x Nanogona polydesmoides,
   springtails,
   4 x spider sp.(1 lyniphid m, 1 f),
   1 small hymenopterid
Orchid meadow pitfall (a.m.) - not checked
Woods pitfall (a.m.) - empty
Willow catkins unproductive, some smaller flies basking on south facing trunks

23/03/2015
Filter Beds pitfall (a.m.) - empty
Orchid meadow pitfall (a.m.) - empty
Woods small pitfall (a.m.) - Anthobium unicolor, 1 small rove beetle, 1 globular springtail - damaged
Willow catkins car park (a.m.) - small fly netted
Willow catkins car park (lunch) - Melangyna lasiophthalma. male
(Woods small pitfall decommissioned, larger pot placed under another log)

21/03/2015
Orchid meadow, sweep netting p.m. - Two sheep ticks
Embankment sweep netting p.m. - Plant hopper Stenocranus minutus (2nd for Scotland)


20/03/2015

Released:
Spider Tetragnatha extensa (probably)
Common Flowerbug (Anthocoris nemorum)
Ground beetle Nebria brevicollis (probably)
Large broad-nosed 'weevil:': 5
Small brown beetle: 10 (Micrambe ulicis)

Retained
Large broad-nosed 'weevil:' 3 - same species
Small weevil: 1 - putative Exapion ulicis
Small beetle: 1 - ID abandoned
Small brown beetle: 2 Micrambe ulicis

Spider Metellina mengei adult female from grass cuttings beside the road

Spring

Lovely willow catkins at Cullaloe starting to attract flies, including the first two hovers. Sadly I don't know exactly which yet! One Eristalis, which evaded identification and one of the Syrphinae which is giving me trouble. Catikns are lovely though. Bumble bees are also buzzing around in the sunshine.

Birdy Boost

The first Chiffchaff(s) of the year singing their hearts out at cullaloe this morning. One of my favourite days of the year which for me marks 'turning the corner' into spring. Last year this happened on the 12th of March, so a little bit later this year. Additionally in the last couple of days some common birds that were mysteriously unticked have shown up - Curlew, Pied Wagtail and Reed bunting. Still waiting for Little Grebe.

Kretzschmaria deusta

I photographed this species of fungus growing on a long-dead tree (but not so long-dead that I don't rememebr it falling!) yesterday. Checking back on last year's records it was recorded last year on the 20th of March, and was in a slightly more advanced state at that time. It's fruiting at almost exactly the same time.

A lot of other things are behind though, with cold evenings maybe the reason. By this time last year I had seen my first hoverfly and bumble bee.

Picture is horrible, but it was dark!

Diary

Cold morning in a high pressure area and had to scrape ice off the window before driving to Cullaloe. For the second time one of the pitall traps has produced an aquatic larva - most unexpected. This time I think it looks dragonfly-ish, whereas I'm almost sure the previous one was a beetle of some sort.

Anyway, the weather was nice. Birds were singing - Dunnock, Song Thrush, Chaffinch, Yellowhammer amongst them. A nice pair of Bullfinch paused briefly in front of me for a decent look. Colt's-foot flowers are emerging around the embankment and filter beds and last night Pink-footed Geese were making the most of the weather to head north over Fife. If spring isn't quite in the air at 2 degrees, then at least signs of it are.

Soon we'll be over this awkward period when winter species have been recorded and the spring push hasn't yet begun.

The beetle from the other day turned out to be Nebria brevicollis ... or N.salina ... or brevicollis ... I can't decide. Thinking salina was going to be less likely I expected it was a dark brevicollis but now I see it has some inland distribution and I'm not sure. Coloration is right for salina and I can't see the setae that would definitively make it brevicollis either.

(after looking at this site I have decided that it is the more common and more expected brevicollis. link)

This site has some nice ground beetle plates:
http://claude.schott.free.fr/Carabidae/Carabus/Carabidae-liste-planches.html

Lunchtime roundup

This morning I dropped in and set up a few pitfall traps in a rather amateur and haphazard way. At lunchtime I was amazed to see that I had captured a ground beetle which I will attempt to key out later.

A wee bit of log rolling turned up a few White-legged Snake-millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger) and as a thought while looking at the pond I gave some Pine needle litter a bit of a shake and produced a whopping and excitingly-patterned springtail (whopping and excitingly-patterned for a springtail, that is) - Orchesella cincta. Not a bad trip.

Caught and released millipede

My amateur-hour yoghurt pot pitfall trap

Hazel progression

Oncopsis flavicollis

First spider, impending sheep

Took the sweep net out for a run yesterday without much expectation, but I ended up sweeping two species of spiders from an area of long grass. The first was Tetragnatha extensa, which is a spider I've seen in that area during summer. There was also a little one of this species, which I am only tentatively identifying on its shape and habit of extending the legs. The second species, and just short of species identification, was an immature male Amaurobius species, so down to two species (fenestralis/similis) which I think can't be separated before maturity.

Also shown up in the paddock in recent times is a water container, presumably for sheep which are expected to arrive sometime soon

5 weeks, 22 new species (revised - 23 with Wood Sage!)

22 new species have been discovered on the reserve so far this year - about 4 a week. It will be interesting to see how things go when the invertebrates start to get serious. No doubt I won't be able to keep up! Already this year there have been fungi which have gone unsolved, but that's all part of the fun.

	Preferred Name	Common Name	Date
23	Trichocera regelationis	A Winter Gnat	04/02/2015
22	Lunularia cruciata	Crescent-cup Liverwort	04/02/2015
21	Parmelia sulcata	A lichen	29/01/2015
20	Gloeocystidiellum porosum	A corticioid fungus	24/01/2015
19	Marchantia polymorpha	A liverwort	24/01/2015
18	Glechoma hederacea	Ground-ivy	23/01/2015
17	Pleuridium acuminatum	Taper-leaved Earth-moss	23/01/2015
16	Sistotrema oblongisporum	A corticioid fungus	23/01/2015
15	Mercurialis perennis	Dog's Mercury	17/01/2015
14	Primula veris	Cowslip	17/01/2015
13	Septoria arundinacea	A fungus on Phragmites	16/01/2015
12	Teucrium scorodonia	Wood Sage	14/01/2015
11	Cladonia coniocraea	A lichen	10/01/2015
10	Peniophora nuda	A corticioid fungus	10/01/2015
9	Hyphodontia pallidula	A corticioid fungus	07/01/2015
8	Polyporus leptocephalus	Blackfoot Polypore	04/01/2015
7	Exidia glandulosa	Witches' Butter	03/01/2015
6	Phlebia radiata	Wrinkled Crust	03/01/2015
5	Phlebiella pseudotsugae	A corticioid fungus	03/01/2015
4	Plicatura crispa	A fungus	03/01/2015
3	Schizopora paradoxa	Split Porecrust	03/01/2015
2	Coleroa robertiani	A fungus on G.robertanium	01/01/2015
1	Geranium pyrenaicum	Hedgerow Crane's-bill	01/01/2015

Bryo bits bonus

A quick tour at lunchtime on a beautiful day turned up some nice rewards. First up a pass over a ditch for some known species produced liverworts Diplophyllum albicans and Calypogeia arguta that I knew were there, before rolling a log to uncover a nice Brown Centipede in the woodland. Also picked up a millipede which I probably have previously recorded, but not this year. I also uncovered Plagiothecium undulatum in a place I didn't spot it before.

Diplophyllum abicans

Plagiothecium undulatum

Quick look at the water showed it was pretty but unproductive, before I dropped into a small corner that is building a reputation for providing surprises. It certainly did this time with a new liverwort. How did I not notice before Lunularia cruciata! With this area having Pellia endivifolia and Conocephalum conicum, I probably just assumed that green patch was one of those.

Lunularia cruciata

Pellia endivifolia

A small swarm of flies (Nematocera. Winter gnats?) were dancing in the dappled sunlight under the pines and I managed to catch one in my collecting box by sweeping up through them and shutting the lid quickly. Hopefully this will produce an identification.

Dancing flies in the winter sun

Cold

Looking forward to this weather breaking and finally getting some movement. It's a bit chilly!

Didymodon insulanus, filter beds