Review of 2019 and 2020 - Fish, Amphibians and Reptiles

FISH (OSTEICHTHYES)

Fish must be the largest and best-known taxa that I've barely ever made any effort to see, identify and record, but an unusually clear view of the dyke alongside the meadows for a few weeks in 2020 gave me a rare opportunity to see, photograph and, I think, identify a couple of shoals.


Minnow Phoxinus phoxinus - At least 30 by the meadows on 8th April 2020, the first time I've ever identified this common species.

Minnow, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th April 2020

Chub Squalius cephalus - At least 30 by the meadows on 24th April 2020, the first time I've ever identified this species too.

Chub, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 24th April 2020

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AMPHIBIANS (AMPHIBIA)


Newt sp. Triturus sp. - One in my garden on 30th May 2019 but I wasn't able to examine its underside in order to identify it as it was in the beak of a Blackbird.  I imagine it was most likely a Smooth Newt Triturus vulgaris, a species I have recorded in my garden before.


Common Frog Rana temporaria - I regularly see frogs in the garden, presumably from next door's pond, and they often take an interest in my moth trap.  Recorded between 24th April and 23rd September 2019 and 26th April and 19th September 2020.  There were 4 round the trap on 9th August 2019 and 3 times in 2020 with 5 there on 18th July 2020.  In 2019 they sometimes jumped up on to the top of the moth trap, or even right into it but it wasn't until 2020 when I actually saw one eat a moth.  Elsewhere recorded on 4 occasions at the meadows.

Common Frog, North Elmham, 4th July 2019

Common Frog, North Elmham, 22nd September 2019 - on the moth trap

Common Frog, North Elmham, 18th May 2020

Common Frog, North Elmham, 12th June 2020 - staring at (but this time not eating) a White Ermine

Common Frog, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th September 2020

Common Frog, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd September 2020

Common Toad Bufo bufo - In contrast to the frogs just 5 recorded in my garden in 2019 and 8 in 2020, although I suspect if I had followed up every time I heard something moving through the leaves in the garden while I was emptying the moth trap I would have found a good deal more (and also some more frogs).  Unlike the frogs they show no interest in the moth trap.  Also recorded at the meadows on 3 dates, at Brancaster, Glenmore (Mull), Bintree Wood and Whitwell Street.

Common Toad, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019

Common Toad, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th August 2020

Common Toad, North Elmham, 28th August 2020

Natterjack Toad Bufo calamita - One at Burnham Overy on 12th June 2020.

Natterjack Toad, North Elmham, 12th June 2020

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REPTILES (REPTILIA)

I only managed a single record of a reptile in 2019 and none in the UK in 2020.


Red-eared Slider Trachemys scripta elegans - None in the UK but at least 50 at Llobregat Delta in Spain on 21st-22nd February 2020.

Red-eared Sliders (and a Grey Heron), Llobregat Delta (Spain), 22nd February 2020

Common Lizard Lacerta vivpara - A small individual showed well at Winterton while I was looking for dragonflies on 19th August 2019.

Common Lizard, Winterton, 19th August 2019

Catalonian Wall Lizard Podarcis liolepis - Four seen during a walk up from Monistrol de Montserrat (Spain) when searching (unsuccessfully here) for Wallcreepers.  A new reptile species for me.

Catalonian Wall Lizard, Monistrol de Montserrat (Spain), 23rd Febraury 2020

Copper Ermel, Dowdy Plume, Dune Villas and a leaf cut by a bee

For the third night in the row, 24th August was a good night.  The highlight was my first ever adult Copper Ermel Roeslerstammia erxlebella.

Copper Ermel Roeslerstammia erxlebella, North Elmham, 24th August

New for the year were Small Birch Bell Epinotia ramella, Centre-barred Sallow and Old Lady.

Centre-barred Sallow, North Elmham, 24th August

I was more surprised to see a Rosy Footman, a pristine fresh individual so I suspect a second generation which isn't normal for this species.  Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea was also my first of its second generation this year, although for that species it's the first spring generation that's a relatively new phenonemon.

Four species of migrant moth was good for here:  3 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis, 2 Rush Veneers Nomophila noctuella and Silver Y.

Other micros were Oak Bent-wing Bucculatrix ulmella, Golden Argent Argyresthia goedartella, Wainscot Smudge Ypsolopha scabrella, Small Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, 2 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, 2 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis corylana, Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 7 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 5 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 7 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, 3 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 3 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, 6 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 2 Pale Straw Pearls Udea lutealis, 7 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Ash-bark Knot-horn Euzophera pinguis and Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla.

The remainder of the macros were 3 Single-dotted Waves, 3 Riband Waves, Flame Carpet, 2 Red Twin-spot Carpets, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 6 Common Carpets, 10 Green Carpets, 2 Wormwood/Currant Pugs, Tawny Speckled Pug, 2 Double-striped Pugs, 3 Treble-bars, 3 Yellow-barred Brindles, 25 Brimstone Moths, 2 Canary-shouldered Thorns, Dusky Thorn, 3 Willow Beauties, 2 Poplar Hawkmoths, 2 Iron Prominents, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Swallow Prominent, 19 Flame Shoulders, 24 Large Yellow Underwings, 4 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 10 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, Small Square-spot, 6 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 5 Square-spot Rustics, 2 Common Wainscots, Copper Underwing, 2 Straw Underwings, Dark Arches, Cloaked Minor, Common Rustic, 9 Flounced Rustics, 2 Burnished Brasses, 2 Spectacles, 30 Straw Dots and 3 Snouts.

Treble-bar (female), North Elmham, 24th August

Green Lacewings consisted of 2 Cunctochrysa albolineata and Dichochrysa flavifrons.  Caddisflies included a Athripsodes albifrons and bugs included a Forest Bug.

Next day I headed up to Burnham Overy for some birding.  Saw some birds but the non-birds were more varied and interesting.  I saw 4 Toads, 2 Natterjacks and 2 Common Toads.  Later on with Andrew B and his colleague we found a Common Lizard.

Common Lizard, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Natterjack, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

There were a lot of plume moths in the dunes.  Some looked like, and one was subsequently confirmed as being, Breckland Plume Crombrugghia distans - at least 10 of these seen.  Others looked rather like Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, but they didn't seem big enough.  I couldn't immediately see what else they could be though, so suspecting that's what they were I retained one just in case.  Good job I did... they were, or at least that one was, Dowdy Plume Stenoptilia zophodactylus, a new moth for me.  At least 6 of these, assuming they were all the same.

 Breckland Plume Crombrugghia distans (male, gen det), Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Dowdy Plume Stenoptilia zophodactylus (male, gen det), Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Other moths were 6 Spindle Ermines Yponomeuta cagnagella, 2+ Beautiful Groundlings Caryocolum marmorea, 6 Yellow-spot Tortrixes Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 10+ Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Hook-tipped Grass-veneer Platytes alpinella, Straw-barred Pearl Pyrausta despicata, 3 Common Carpets and 3 Yellow Belles.

Spindle Ermine Yponomeuta cagnagella, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Butterflies included getting on for 200 Small/Green-veined Whites along the sea wall.  Both species were involved - I identified and counted 55 Small Whites and 23 Green-veined Whites.  Also Small Copper, 3 Brown Arguses, Common Blues, Small Tortroiseshells, Wall Browns, Meadow Browns, Gatekeeper, Small Heaths (most of the non-Whites were in the dunes).  Dragonflies included Migrant Hawker and at least 2 Ruddy Darters.

I was mystified by a green thing flying with a strange up and down motion through the dunes.  It had quite a big very green body and was flying most bizarrely - or at least that was what I first thought.  When it landed I realised that it was in fact a bee carrying a leaf!  Although I was vaguely aware that there was such a thing as a leafcutter bee I'd never seen one carrying a leaf it had cut before.  Turns out, I think, that it was Silvery Leafcutter Bee Megachile leachella, my first leafcutter in the UK.

Silvery Leafcutter Bee Megachile leachella, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Other interesting insects included 2 Dune Villas, a distinctive Bee Fly I was familiar with only through a couple of photos I'd seen on Twitter recently.

Dune Villas Villa modesta, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

These two hoverflies looked so different from one another I'd have imagined they were different species were it not for the fact that they were copulating.  Turns out they were (both) Sphaerophoria scripta.

Sphaerophoria scripta, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Andrew Bloomfield kindly showed me some more spiders.  These included Tegenaria agrestis, Alopecosa barbipes and a Theridion sp.  I think he said he needed to check the ID of the latter and I've not followed up to find out which species it was.  The very limited research I've done (googling) suggests it may be Theridion pictum though if I remember rightly T varians was mentioned.

Alopecosa barbipes, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Theridion sp. (looks like images of Theridion pictum), Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Andy also pointed out some interesting grasshoppers.  First were a couple of Lesser Marsh Grasshoppers one of which was an unusual pink form.  There was also Mottled Grasshopper and Andy found a Long-winged Conehead, apparently not a common sighting here.

Lesser Marsh Grasshopper, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Long-winged Conehead, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Also thanks to Andy for pointing out Tiny Earthstars - a rare fungus that is not found at many other sites.

Tiny Earthstars, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August