Dave McCormick

[Dave McCormick]

Yesterday saw a brown-house moth resting on a building as I was going to college to do the training course I was sent on. On way home in Mountstewart, Co Down, not far from my house I saw a speckled wood and Small Tortoiseshell in bright sunshine flying around a woodland edge.

Also later that night a common pug and a buff ermine came to lighted bathroom window. Finally I asked Ulster Wildlife Trust for permission to look around a bog not far from my house as they own it. I was pleased by very positive feedback saying I could even get volunteers to come with me if they could. I am also going to set out moth traps there overnight on Saturday night, just been told to watch out for an angry bull nearby and have to do this at weekend before the exmoor ponies are put in the bog to stop it overgrowing. I am hoping to find signs of Marsh Fritillary here as they have existed in a small colonly in the past, but may have disappeared since last search (hopefully not). Post more with images later.

[Dave McCormick]

Update on Inishargy Bog, I have got the permission now, going on saturday. Was told to look out for wall brown, stoats, irish hare and signs of Marsh Fritillary (one of the only remaining sites in Ards Pennisula for Marsh Fritillary) and I think this is where a vagrent was recorded coming from as in 1980s one Marsh Fritillary was reported in Mountstewart Estate, 3 or 4 miles away, but there was another colony of Marsh Fritillary at the time about 4 miles in the other direction, but I know the fritillary wasn't present in Mountstewart as they have never been recorded except this singe individual.

I am getting a tour of the bog as well. I'll post images when I get home of the bog in 2008. Here is a link to some info about it: http://www.ulsterwildlifetrust.org/natu ... shargy+Bog

I have seen all the birds of prey (Buzzard, Kestral and Sparrow Hawk) there or nearby before. WOuldn't mind seeing a stoat as I have only seen one before, this was at a lake near where I live, I photographed it chasing a rat along the lake side at dusk. Didn't realise at the time what I photographed. Also be great to see a hare as I have not seen one before.

Last night I found a map winged swift male in my bathroom, must have came through the window at some point. Seems numbers are booming of map-winged swift as they were big in 2008 (I recorded a few hundred over a week or so) and same this year, and it has been 2 years since they were seen, given they overwinter twice before becoming adults.

[Dave McCormick]

Images of Iishargy Bog, going later today, just have to remember how to get to it as the normal route has cattle in it and have to take a back way to it

Wet area with lots of reeds and yellow flag Iris (this part has been enriched since years ago, I was told the reed wasn't present in early 1990's)

Inishargy - Yellow Flag Iris and Wet area

Wet area:

Inishargy - Wet Patch

A few more images:

Inishargy - Trees/Bushes

Inishargy

Inishargy - Bushes

[Dave McCormick]

Well I never got to the bog, was told that parts of the land are owned by different people and couldn't find a right way onto the bog so had to cancel my plans. I emailed the guy who told me about the land and see what he says now. Saw two speckled woods in the area.

[Dave McCormick]

Meadow Browns are starting to get up in numbers, ad reports of a lot of them being reported where I live. I still haven't seen any ringlets yet, I thought I did, but turns out I dreamed I saw them!

Saw two fighting male speckled woods today as I was walking in town. Over past week here I have saw 1 single dotted wave, 1 riband wave, 9 cinnibar moth and 2 tortrix (same species) I forget name of and a Garden Grass Veneer. Yesterday observed 4 female Buff Ermine along house doorsteps, getting flighty, one was well worn and dying.

Going tonight to set out moth traps at Mountstewart Lake, actually recording the trapping (using 15W actinic over white sheet and a 15W energy saving bulb that gives of 30% UVA and 10% UVB rays as well as normal light) so I'll post more on that tomorrow.

Noticed yesterday my cabbages and brocolli is being munched by cats, at first I thought they were of small white caterpillars (one is) but they are actually a lot of cabbage moth caterpillars...well I did release 6 adults in the area this year (ones I reared from cats on cabbages there last year) so I am rearing these.

[Dave McCormick]

Was out early this morning as I have week free and was searching a meadow not far from my house at about 7am. I found:

1 Male Common Blue (very worn)
11 Meadow Brown
13 Ringlet

Also found 1 pinion streaked snout and 18 Stenoptilia pterodactyla among others. This meadow I was in holds the only population of Common Blue in Mountstewart where I live. Once I found a male common blue way on the dar side of this area, but it was across a forest and a road. Suppose it could have been a vagrent?

Here is a few photos I managed to get (I didn't bring a tripod as I don't know how to use camera on one when butterflies are prone to moving about easily and it takes time to mount a camera on it and they could be gone by the time you do)

Ringlet on Grass

Ringlet sunning itself

Common Blue Male (Worn)

Two Ringlet and a Common Blue Male

Meadow Brown Female

Pinion Streaked Snout

[Dave McCormick]

Just came home and had a look in garden, 4 red admiral, 1 peacock, 2 large white and 1 small tortoiseshell feeding on buddliea and spearmint, going now to look for more about as seems like a good day to find butterflies, hopefully manage a decent shot of something.

[Dave McCormick]

Had a look in my shed today and found young swallows in nest, swallows have nested in the same places in my shed for well over 14 years and even when the roof had to be replaced, the three nests that are there were built in the same place as the older ones that had to be removed with the old roof. I couldn't stay long with the nest I was photographing as the adult came back and did not like me being around the nest and the young wanted fed.

Looking for food:

Feed me!

Two more images:

Swallows in nest

Another young swallow

[Dave McCormick]

29th: Went to South Co Down, Northern Ireland in search of Silver Washed Fritillary. Sadly, never got to the area they were found, so have to wait until next year. Went to Dundrum then Newcastle. Went to a place called Murlough National Nature Reserve, the largest areas of costal sand dunes and heathland in Northern Ireland. Its costal heath, sand dunes, acid grassland, scrub and woodland. Some areas have sea buckthorn introduced and never seen buckthorn before, fell over and touched one, not realising they had thorns, ouch.

As far as I know, at Murlough 20 resident butterfly species and over 260+ known macro moths have been found there (don't know how many micros). Murlough is quite a large area, can take 3-4 hours or more to get around it all.

Strange thing was seeing lots of lichen in the dunes, blanketing areas around the large areas of heather. Another strange sight was seeing various fungus growing in the dunes, far away from trees. There is quite a few young sycamores dotted around the sand dunes which looks out of place. Devils Bit Scabious is plentiful as is burnet rose.

Dundrum costal path (a small inlet which directly infront of it on the other side of the water is Ballykilner, a army barricks with woodland and sand dunes.) Lots of thrift here, it was all over the place. Some pine trees along the edge of the area too. At Dumdrum I saw 3 Green Veined White, 1 Small White, 3 Silver Y and a Speckled Wood. Also found a shell of a a sea urchin. Not long after a quick look here, went to Murlough.

Images of Dundrum costal path:

Dundrum Costal Path 1

Dundrum Costal Path 2

Here is Murlough, when I arrived, first place I went to was an area covered in Devils Bit Scabious looking for marsh fritillary cats. Didn't see any, but it was like looking for a neede in a haystack with the abundance of scabious (must have been hundreds of devils bit scabious plants), I did see 3 small tortoiseshell and two meadow brown here, there was lots of scabious and burnet rose:

Scabious

Small Tortoiseshell

Burnet Rose

Found a green caterpillar on a hawkbit (or is it called hawkweed?), but don't know what it is (might be hard from this photo):

Green Cat

Moving along (walking around a mile) I saw 35 Meadow Brown (with one mating pair), 7 with 2 empty Six-Spot Burnet cocoons (which I took empty ones with me), 9 small copper, 6 common blue (all males), 5 small heath, 1 Brown Silver Line, 5 Silver Y, 1 Red Admiral and one adult six-spot burnet. However I didn't manage many photos of butterflies because of the wind, had monopod with me and it didn't help much and those I did get were not great.

Meadow Brown Pair

Six-Spot Burnet

Empty Six-Spot Burnet Cocoon

Small Heath

Small Copper

Some places were really windy (around 20mph winds in high places and quite cold in wind, but sun was warm 19-20C when wind died down)

This was in a sort of valley between two hilly sand dunes, best area for seeing things here as it was less windy here and warm, with sea buckthorn and blankets of lichen around heather (can ayone ID it?) also some out of place sycamore here also st Johns wort and willowherb, birds-foot trefoil also was here amonst grasses.

Area that most butterflies were (in a sort of sand dune valley with hills on both sides)

Sand Dunes

Lichen growing between the heather that was everywhere:

Lichen

Other areas in Murlough:

Sand Dunes 2

Sand Dunes 3

Mourne Mountains:

Mourne Mountains 1

Mourne Mountains 2

Was there for about 2 hours or a little more and although I didn't see any grayling I wanted to see, or any Silver Washed Fritillary, had a good day anyway despite wind blowing and not getting good butterfly shots (find it hard getting close to the butterfly, and taking the photo before it flies away) Also managed to get lots of very juicy blackberries of the bramble bushes there.

I noticed many plants here had more seeds than I have usually seen. Someone said that the amount of berries on bushes (this case a lot on hawthorn and loads of blackberries etc...) or seeds wildplants produce, can let you know if the winter is going to be harsh or mild. If the plants produce a lot of seeds, winter will be harsh as they will need more seeds (more chance for at least some of the seeds to make it over the harsh winter and germinate) but less are needed in mild winter as more would survive. He predicted another cold winter.

[Dave McCormick]

30th: Went to BallyMaCormick Point in north Co Down, a costal area where Chamomile Shark moth has been found before, a rare moth in Northern Ireland and saw very little desipte warm sunny day. I did see:

2 Speckled Wood
6 Small Tortoiseshell Chrysilis on a wall of a house near the sea
3 hatched Six-Spot Burnet cocoons
24 unhatched cocoons of Six-Spot Burnet
1 Adult Six Spot Burnet
1 Shaded Broad Bar
3 stigmella aurella mines on brambles

Then went to Orlock Point, another costal area in north Co Down (both managed by National Trust) and saw mostly silver Y moths coming over the sea. Scotland was so clear today, you could see the Scottish coast very clearly and the wheat or barley fields and tubines around the coast. Saw:

11 Silver Y - Possibly more, was watching them coming over the sea

4 Small Tortoieshell (One got attacked by a bird but survived with just a bit of its wing edge missing)

31st: Was looking for Ballyquintin Point in south Ards Penninsula in Co Down, but forgot map and got lost somewhere very close to it (kicked myself to a slightly wrong turn and missed it by a little bit) I saw mostly a few small whites and loads of white ermine and garden tiger caterpillars moving fast across the road. Found an odd sign near the village of Clough, a village not far from the Irish sea. It was on a shed on a small road beside the sea. Not sharks but crocs around the coast here that are the problem! There isn't actually any crocs here which made this sign odd and funny

Warning...Crocs!?!

[Dave McCormick]

Hope everyone had a great christmas, mine wasn't bad. Just thinking how I'll plan next year. I am currently digging over my old wildlife plot in garden which got overrun by buttercups and grass and don't want the same again. Was also given 15 common osier so want to see how I can put them to good use. Have an ambitious plan for the coming year, to record videos each month of my trips into the wild and will put them all together into month by month videos of my year of nature, just have to figure out how I am going to do this. Got a new external 1TB Iomega HD to store and backup all my videos/images as I read through lots of reviews before getting it and couldn't find any real negitavve reviews so seemed a good external disk to get.

Also was sent lots of seeds of Yellow Iris, Yellow Marigold, Birds Foot Trefoil, Dog Rose and some others, so want to make my wildlife area much better, maybe make a small pond in it, if I can do that. Roll on 2011!

[Dave McCormick]

Trying to improve my photography skills prior to butterfly season really starting so tried with these two moths, a hebrew character and a Grey Shoulder-Knot. Both taken with Canon 500D and Sigma 105mm Macro. Don't like the Grey Shoulder-Knot so much as its a bit centred and was trying to have the moth more on the left of the image but wind was blowing the tree the moth was on. I think I could have also used f/11 instead of f/10. Hebrew Character was easier to photograph due to being on a more mature cherry that didn't blow about so much in wind like the young goat willow I was using to photograph the Grey Shoulder-Knot.

Hebrew Character

Hebrew Character

Tripod: Yes
Flash: No
Timer: Yes
Mode: A-DEP Mode
F-Stop: f11
Exposure Bias: 0 Step
Speed:1/50sec
ISO:ISO-1600
Metering: Pattern
White Balance: Shade

Grey Shoulder-Knot

Grey Shoulder-Knot

Tripod: Yes
Flash: No
Timer: Yes
Mode: A-DEP Mode
F-Stop: f10
Exposure Bias: 0 Step
Speed:1/125sec
ISO:ISO-1600
Metering: Pattern
White Balance: Shade

[Dave McCormick]

I had today free so went to my a woodland that used to be elms but they got diseased and had to be cut down, then oaks and birches where planted instead with a number of grey sallows showing signs of some catkins. I was near a blackthorn hedgerow and mature beech trees with lots of mature oaks nearby. There is a small area of spruce trees but one area leads to alder, ash and aspens and a lot of beech trees. There area is close to a saltmarsh and even though is a hilly area, is quite close to sea level (40ft at the hill bottom and around 150ft at hill top)

17C, clear sky and full sun, felt really like summer rather than spring today. Saw some buff tailed bumblebees on the catkins and saw a small tortoiseshell flying around my garden. Saw my first tree creeper of the year on a mature beech tree in the oak wood and 10+ buzzards. I forgot to charge my camera battery so had no camera, wish I had it there. Also found a twin-spotted quaker on a old beech tree near some mature oak trees. Here are some images of the area I took a few days ago when I was here. One of the best places I have been to for wildlife. Have a list of over 200 macro moths and 100 micros so far and butterflies here include: Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Orange-Tip, Large White, Small White, Green-Veined White, Small Copper, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral, Holly Blue, Painted Lady and even a marsh fritillay (one) was seen here a number of years ago but no others which was strange as the area is surrounded by woodland and I was told Marsh fritillaries don't like crossing woodland, hedgerows or around walls and the only population is 4 miles away south of the largest wooded area here.

[Dave McCormick]

Went to Sait Cooey's Wells today, Celtic holy wells in Portaferry, Co Down, Northern Ireland. It is beside Strangford Lough and has a grassy, flowery hillside with Scot's Pine, Willows and a few Ash trees. There is hawthorn hedge around the area and further down, am extent of bogland with reedbed beside coastal salt-marsh with salt-marsh grasses.

Video I took of area and some of the butterflies there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiRosL_dHEw[/video]

In the video if you see the part near the start with the 3 butterflies fluttering on the left of the image, this is where most butterflies landed due to the sun hitting it. Orange-Tip males were patrolling this area, flighting each other as one passed another. Speckled woods and Red Admiral kept fighting away when they passed close by each other as they sat near each other on bramble. There was a single small copper flying around the whole grassy area and green-veined whites were flying around the edge, near scot's pine trees, some landed high up on the pine trees to rest.

I only got a photo of Small Copper (and not a great one due to grass blade disrupting my view) but I got dirt in my camera when switching lenses and couldn't take any more due to dirt would show up on image. I have not seen an Orange-Tip before today and would have loved a photo of one but wasn't to be.

Looking over Strangford Lough

Total list I saw:

7 Green-Veined White - 5 Males, 2 females
2 Speckled Wood
5 Orange-Tip (All males)
2 Red Admiral
1 Small Copper - first I have seen this year
1 Ancylis badiana

Small Copper

[Dave McCormick]

Just been to the local Glen Burn river near an Alder swamp and was watching local Buzzards. I heard a whoosh as one flew over my head (I have observed them for about 14 years and know each generation of families quite well) and while there I saw 10 orange-tip (all males), 11 Green-Veined White and one male trying to have its way with a female. Then I saw a dark shadow and looked up and a pair of small tortoiseshell came flying past, male chasing the female (possibly in courtship). Total list:

11 Green-Veined White
1 Red Admiral
10 Orange-Tip (All Male)
5 Small Tortoiseshell (one courting pair)
1 Peacock
1 Small White

There was also a number of medium sized micro moths flying about but wasn't able to catch one to ID it. Did have a kestrel past close over my head. There was a number of tadpoles in river, but water was quite low due to lack of rain. Usually floods here but not today. My photos didn't turn out well as OTs wouldn't sit long enough for me to get a decent photo and small tortoiseshells were constantly moving too as were GV whites. Not a bad day though

[Dave McCormick]

Went to my relatives bog today since it was very sunny and warm. When got there first thing that flew past was a single Small Tortoiseshell. There is two main open bog areas that are separated by birch/willow woodland. Each area is about an acre in size and total area is about 10 acres. There is a path that runs along the side of the bogs that separates them from a grassy field and a willow woodland that has badgers living in it. There is scots pine planted along the roadside.

First area I went to has heather, violets, mature grey sallows, meadow sweet, knapweed, dandilion, Thistles, reed grasses, tussock grasses, gorse, brambles among other plants. Saw:

1 Female large red damsel
2 Orange-Tip Males
3 Small Tortoiseshell
4 Common Heath (3 males, 1 female)
9 Speckled Wood (just inside the birch woodland, one courting pair)
2 Large White
8 Orange-Tip eggs on 4 cuckooflowers (each had 2 eggs)
1 Green-Veined White
4 Small Whites

The went through the birch woodland to the second area of bog (fell a few times climbing through the open bog as there was so many lumps of grass and bumps created by heather and thick bog ground) so followed badger trails. In this area much of the heather was dying due to lack of water and there was lots of cotton grass around. Birch trees were encroaching on open bog, so I removed quite a number of young trees and took them home to grow. Saw 3 Small White, 1 Speckled Wood and 2 Common Heath here. I didn't have a drink with me so by this time, carrying a number of young birch trees, camera bag, tripod and notepad and pen, it felt like I had miles to walk even though I wasn't more than a few hundred yards from the gate to the exit.

[Dave McCormick]

I had planned my day today. I was going to go out and do two things. First, see if I could find the Small Heath at the riverbank I had seen a few weeks ago, since they are disappearing from some sites, it was great to have them confirmed here in a new site. I had also planned to visit a mature English Oak (Quercus Robor) and see if I could see the white furry cotton like galls I saw on it and ID them. Day didn't start out this way.

I got up late (11am) didn't sleep well overnight and overslept. I had breakfast and looked out at the sunny day, which seemed good. I check my camera, had battery charged. Took a few sample images...dust and dirt showed up on images! I couldn't bring my camera as I got dust in my Canon 500D and now it needs cleaned, I tried blowing out dust with an air blower and using nylon brush to remove dust, but it wasn't happening, made it worse slightly. Ok, that was fine. I have my 400D as a backup. Have not used it in a while, so it was charged and tested it. It has dust inside it too! It also needs cleaned. SO have to send both to get cleaned tomorrow. So no cameras. I have my video camera, but it can't take photos...minor annoyance.

So I decided to take my 1 year old Australian shepherd dog Jack out with me. He usually barks and jumps, but when out in the fields here, it is calm and very well behaved. My neighbour had just went out for a short walk the direction I had planned. So I had to wait until he came back due to Jack jumping on him and he doesn't like that. He came back 15mins later, so I grabbed my hat, GPS device to get grid references and pen, paper and video camera. Got Jacks leash and took him out.

I passed an area of Dame's Violet that I find Narrow-Bordered Bee Hawk moth feeding on before (well out if its usual habitats) and nothing there but some flies. So I get into the field nearby and let Jack of leash. He runs into long grass and I go on searching for leps. I had a look for Holly Blues at a holly bush at the hedgerow here, none at the moment. Have not seen any here in a week but this is a good place for finding them.

Got into the next 4 acre grassy field with hawthorn hedgerow beside an ancient bluebell wood with Sycamore, Oak, Ash, Beech and Elm in it (most got disease and had to be cut down about 15 years ago). There is a hill in the middle of the field that has 3 mature oak, 3 mature ash and 3 mature scots pine on it. This is where I found the oak that has the galls. I had a look and they happen to be the appropriately named, Cotton Wool Galls of the species andricus quercusramuli a gall that I have not seen before the first time I saw it here. There was about 20 I could see, but the tree was tall so more could be higher. There was other galls here of various species. Also saw a small white glide past here, blown in the wind.

Went through a gate that was into a path between two forested areas, one having many mature wild cherry trees and scots pine among other trees. While passing near here, I saw hundreds of blackflies, had to keep my mouth shut to avoid eating any. Also saw a number of Anthophora plumipes bees, a fast flying bee, mostly females which are jet black and have the orange pollen brushes. Was a few males (which are mostly rusty brown). Nests are made in the mortar of old walls, and probably used the piggery walls as there is an old, abandoned piggery here and it has two stone walls which have fallen into ruin.

Next walking along a ploughed field, Jack decided to pick up a large rock and kept trying to bury it. He did this for a mile and carried it a mile and a half back home before he dropped it and gave up trying to bury it as he kept failing. When we got to the end of the ploughed field, I wanted to go along the river bank to see if the small heath were there. There was people in putting potato's in nearby field and with my dog with me, decided not a good idea to go there. So I took a detour into an ancient woodland where the river runs through. While there, counted 20+ elm trees. This was important as it was assumed for many years none were left after the disease took out all the known ones. So I reported these to the NI forestry service who own the forest and it would be an important to conserve these trees due to there being very little left in NI.

While here I saw a single Green-Veined white and met up with someone who lives a mile from here. He had is two dogs out and had to restrain my dog. Passed them and didn't see much else, so turned around and headed back, this time went on the other side of the fence to the field getting potato's put in, Jack would be fine here as its on the other side of a fence. No small heath here but I did find another Wych elm on the river bank. Saw a Silver-Y fly up from grass but nothing more here. Turned around and headed back. When I got to the field with the hill of mature trees in the middle. I saw a small white, then caught a glimpse of a large white feeding on bluebells in the wood with cherry trees. While looking there, found a great site, a small copper! Worn but good sight because I have never found many here, most ever I saw here was 3 in one day. There are anything but common around this area.

Then saw a dark object fly up from grass. Looked and it was a very worn Speckled Wood. Nothing else around so came home. Good besides no camera to take photos.

Going on a trip in two weeks to Rostrevor Oak wood at Carlingford Lough where many well known and important entomologists in Ireland went to in the past such as Thomas Greer. Should be a good trip for Lepidoptera and other wildlife. Hope to have my cameras fixed by then.

[Dave McCormick]

Started a butterfly transect today. Doing the transect at a 5 acre fully intact raised bog/fen which is full of wild flowers and trees. There was thousands of water horsetails covering the whole bog except for a patch along the edge. There was also other plants and trees including the very common (around here) Yellow Iris, Meadowsweet, Marsh Cinqfoil, Ragged Robin, Sorrel, Buttercup, Devils-Bit Scabious, Hemlock Water Drop-Wort, Nettles, Docks, Thistles, Alder, Ash, Oak, Grey Sallow, Elder, Scots-Pine (few mature ones) and Birch. There was a little devils-bit scabious at one end and this is not too far from a marsh fritillary colony, so wondering if they could be breeding here or at least found here, but didn't see any.

I arrived at 1:30pm and there was a good SE wind blowing, it was 15C in shade and 17C by time I left, cloudy at times but sunny mostly so I only saw a single silver-ground carpet, cocks-foot moth, small tortoiseshell (very worn) and a Green-Veined White. I also saw 2 unhatched six-spot burnet cocoons and a 6 Orange-Tip eggs which I thought they would all be hatched by now. Also saw a single small tortoiseshell caterpillar on nettle which seemed odd to see only one and not more.

Here are some images of the area and a marsh cinqfoil plant. It was too windy to get many good images. Rare to see an intact bog like this these days.

[Dave McCormick]

Been forever it seems since I last posted here so time for a new update

Yesterday I went to a place I have went to for past 21 years, it doesn't change all that much for the exception of gorse that is creeping on some areas. It is called the Lead Mines and is where rare minerals were mined but this has long since stopped, it was also a dump at one point and now wild plants, grasses, trees and scrub have covered those areas. There is a large (the larges in Northern Ireland, I think over 600 acres in size) semi natural woodland there and a large lake near a gold course, quite a few flower grassland meadows (One I think is over 5 acres in size). Became a country park a few years ago and was designated a ASSI in 1998 because of the rare minerals here and the diversity of plant life that grows on the spoil heaps left behind from the mining days and dumping days. Had a good day, spent from 12-4:30pm there yesterday, quite sunny and warm (got bad sun burn on back of my neck).

I started at a long "lonan" (lane) that hasn't changed in years. There is a quarry at one area near the top of the lane, which is quite deep. Peregrine falcons nest on the exposed rocky faces as well as ravens. When I have been here the past few years, I usually went to the other side of the area, which is at the woodland side, so have not seen this side since about 2006, it was nice seeing it again.

Lonan Path with cow parsly

After walking for a few minutes, I reached the first area I have not been to since 2006. It had changed a bit. Gorse has crept into the flower grassland and if not controlled, it will take over and be bad for wildlife of the area. Saw 1 Speckled Wood, 1 Large White and a single Ancylis badiana

Gorse Scrub

After looking around here I found lots of English Stonecrop (Sedum anglicum) growing on rocks at the top edge of the quarry. Then walked into a huge grassland meadow that is still the same as it was 21 years ago when I first saw it. Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) grows over large areas of the meadow here and found (for some reason) a single bluebell growing here but none anywhere else. There is hawthorn and snowberry growing along the hedgerow and a mobile phone mast nearby which there was 3 ravens sitting on. Also saw 2 Mother Shipton here which was great to see and 2 Small Heath

Flower Meadow

Mobile Phone Mast

Trees and Hedgrow

Next, I went back the way I came and followed a path into a short grassland area with wildflowers and some gorse. I then saw a butterfly. I really wished I had a photo of it as it was unusual, but flew too fast to catch. It was the shape and size of a large white but was light brown (like a small heath) on its upperside with no other markings. Didn't see its underside, so unsure what it was. Couldn't have been a large heath as they don't exist here with no cotton grass, so no idea what it was. Managed to see a Small Heath here and got a photo, not great though. Not had much luck photographing these so far.

Small Heath

After coming here, I moved back into the large meadow and up a path at the far side of it and ended up at an area of short grassland with hawthorn/dog rose hedgerow. Plants here included field speedwell (Veronica persica), lots of Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor), Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris), various grasses and some other plants. Saw 5 small heath and first Large Red Damselfly of the year. Managed to get another photo of a small heath sunning itself sideways, again, not to easy to get.

Small Heath Sunning Itself

Yellow Rattle

It was now about 1:30pm, so after stopping for a rest, heard some long-tailed tits and saw them in the hawthorn nearby where I was sitting, continued higher up (now at 400ft above sea level) and walked over a stone wall and found a 2 acre or so flower meadow. Here I saw my first Common Blue of the year, a male, only got a slightly blurred photo though. Also saw 11 Small Heath as well. One seemed more willing, so took a few photos of it, slowly getting closer each time to see how far I could get to it before it flew away. Took 4 photos then it bolted. Came out alright.

Small Heath 1

Small Heath 2

Small Heath 3

Small Heath 4

However, one side had a large area of gorse that was burned and earlier that morning before I came here, firefighters had to put out the blaze but it was quite bad. There was also some broom growing around here.

2 Acre Flower Meadow

Burned Gorse

After walking around here, seeing what was about, I found an exit beside the burned gorse and walked into another larger grassland flower meadow. I walked onto a quite big mound of rocks with moss and grasses growing on them. Little did I know until I removed a rock from the top, I was standing on a quite big, Black Garden Ant (Lasius niger) nest, I sure have a nack for finding ant nests without knowing about it! so before I got ants all over me, managed a few photos of the area and one of a young Field Grasshopper.

Flower Meadow 3

Flower Meadow 3 - 2

Young Field Grasshopper

After looking around and trying to find a way out that wasn't the way I came in, I realized I had to go through the burned gorse, so went through them. Lots of bracken growing here. Saw another large red damselfly, 7 Small Heath and a female Speckled Wood Kept going past a few areas:

Farm with Pond and Horses (always been horses up here that are used to keep the meadows from overgrowing):

Farm

Walked through a path with gorse, birch and rocks and saw a female Speckled Wood and 2 Small Heath here.

Dirt Path

By now it was after 3pm and I was 440ft above sea level and feeling a bit tired from walking up hills and rocky areas, so was trying to find the large meadow I have been looking for, which was 200ft below me. See more in next post.

[Dave McCormick]

I started walking downwards towards the large meadow I wanted to visit (I visited here every year and seen all sorts, more than in other areas) and there was one area I also wanted to visit, which gets really boggy and has a large population of Orange-Tips in it, but couldn't remember where it was. Anyway, I started walking and almost walked on a fox! Didn't notice it until it got up and walked in front of me. There was bamboo canes dotted about the rocky slopes here but unsure why, a few had signs with "A+B" or "A-B+C" (I think it may have been a dirt bike trail since people are allowed to ride bikes here but only at certain times and routes)

Rocky hill

I then was looking around and saw several Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris) with pink and purple-blue forms growing side-by-side, the first time I have seen the pink form before.

Common Milkwort (Pink Form)

Then I found where I wanted to be, a hundred feet below where I was, here:

Rocky Scrub Woodland

So I walked down the steep slopes and found a burnt out car (sad to say it wasn't the only bit of mangled car remains here) and found the large meadow, but to get to it, I had to walk over the twisted remains of a bonnet and front of a burnt out car buried in the sandy bank. I was at another flower grassland meadow.

In distance you can see a hill with gorse and a chimney, these were part of the old mine that is disused, at times you can see red deer here that come out of the woodland nearby:

Flower Meadow (Mine in distance)

Last area meadow

Last area meadow 2

When I got in here, I saw more. 1 Small Copper, 1 Silver-Ground Carpet, 1 dead Brindled Pug, 1 Common Blue (male), a mating pair of Common Blue, 1 Speckled Wood, 1 Small White, 1 Large White, 2 Cocks-foot moth, 2 Large Red Damselflies, a [b]Four-Spotted Chaser Dragonfly[/b] and a Variable Damselfly.

Got a good couple of photos of the mating common blue. They did the "lovers waltz" walking side ways around the plantian head as they, mated:

Common Blue Pair

Common Blue Pair Again

Before leaving here to head home, I found 4 Common Spotted Orchid hybrids Dactylorhiza fuchsii x purpurella (D. x venusta) and got a few photos.

Common Spotted Orchid

Common Spotted Orchid 2

Left at 4:30pm and overall walked near 10 miles. On way home, just before leaving here, saw a male Orange-Tip. Woke up this morning feeling a bit cramped and sore with a sunburned back of my head, but worth it though.