Possible Polecat

Thursday night produced Shoulder Stripe, Early Thorn, 3 Small Quakers, 2 Common Quakers, 6 Hebrew Characters and Early Grey.  A paltry total but better than the next few nights.  There was also a Red Chestnut, but the same distinctively worn individual that I'd trapped on Monday and Tuesday nights (and I trapped it again on Sunday night).

Shoulder Stripe, North Elmham, 14th April

Non-avian highlight on Friday was a Chinese Water Deer at Choseley in my lunch break.  The moth trap was dire with just Common Quaker and 2 Hebrew Characters.

Birding the patch on Saturday produced little non-avian animal/invert interest so I resorted to photographing some fungi in the hope that I might be able to identify some of it, not that I often succeed in that.  For some reason I thought this bracket fungus was going to be more interesting than Turkeytail, but in the end I think it might just be that.  (Update: thanks again to James for commenting - apparently I need to see the underside, but could be Turkeytail or Yellowing Curtain Crust).

possible Turkeytail, Bittering, 16th April

This one hanging off a Birch didn't look like anything I remembered seeing before.  I think it's Yellow Brain, though there is at least one other similar species.  (Update: James agrees - either this or Tremella aurantia - need to see what it's feeding on as they have different host fungi, but on this example that might be tricky - the branch overhangs water so I can't get any nearer or a different angle).

probable Yellow Brain, Bittering, 16th April

Not sure about the next, probably one of the Waxcaps?  (Update: James says no, which I'm quite relieved about in a way as I've identified Waxcaps before and didn't think this was like them.  Looking at the books later I thought some of the Waxcaps looked similar while the other similar-lloking fungi weren't grassland species.  Anyway James is the man and he suggests Galerina sp.  Yep, I can see that now.)

possible Waxcap sp., Bittering, 16th April

I think the next one is Jelly Ear.  It was on a fallen branch at the base of a Copper Beech tree.  (Update: yes... James says I'm right.  Hoorah!)

Jelly Ear, Bittering, 16th April

There were no moths at all on Saturday night despite the trap being out all night.  Sunday wasn't much better with 2 Hebrew Characters.  Earlier on Sunday evening I had a look round Lolly Moor in the hope that some moths might be flying in the evening sunshine.  They weren't.  Some more fungi though including this Bracket fungus that I can't put a name to.  Doesn't help that I can't remember what tree it was on.  (Update: thanks again to James who says Blushing Bracket... and that the tree was therefore probably Willow).

Blushing Bracket, Lolly Moor, 17th April

On Sunday morning I noticed a dead animal on the B1145 just east of Billingford.  It seemed to resemble a Polecat, though it might have been a lookalike Ferret.  Polecats are very difficult to separate from some Ferrets (which are basically domesticated Polecats I think).  I returned later in the day in the hope of taking photos but there was no sign of it any more.

Wood Mouse and Woodlouse (and a nice beetle and some moths)

The Wood Mouse was running in and out of the shed for ages on Saturday again, in the rain.  Seems to like the rain.

Wood Mouse, North Elmham, 9th April

Not much on Saturday night (3 March Moths, 2 Small Quakers, Common Quaker, Clouded Drab and 2 Hebrew Characters) but Sunday night was better with Red Chestnut new for the year.

Red Chestnut, North Elmham, 10th April

Some better totals of a couple of the commoner species too: March Moth, Shoulder Stripe, 8 Small Quakers, 5 Common Quakers, Clouded Drab, 14 Hebrew Characters, 3 Early Greys and Chestnut.

Early Thorn was new for the year at home on Monday night.  Also 3 March Moths, Shoulder Stripe, Double-striped Pug, Oak Beauty, Red Chestnut, 5 Common Quakers, 2 Clouded Drabs, 9 Hebrew Characters, 2 Early Greys and Chestnut.

Early Thorn, North Elmham, 11th April

Fewer moths on Tuesday night, though another common moth new for the year at home: Engrailed.  Also March Moth, Red Chestnut, 5 Hebrew Characters and Early Grey.  I think the Red Chestnut was the same individual as I trapped on Monday night as it was distinctively worn, but Sunday's looked different.

Engrailed, North Elmham, 12th April

On Wednesday a Cereal Leaf Beetle Oulema melanopus/rufocyanea agg. appeared on my study windowsill.  Lovely beetle!

Cereal Leaf Beetle Oulema melanopus or Oulema rufocyanea, North Elmham, 13th April

Not much in the moth trap last nigtht: Early Thorn, 2 Small Quakers, Twin-spotted Quaker, 5 Hebrew Characters and Early Grey.

Twin-spotted Quaker, North Elmham, 13th April

I had a look round the local patch before work this morning and found 2 Common Oak Purples Dyseriocrania subpurpurella there.  Also this unidentified small larva (sawfly sp.?).

unidentified larva, near Bittering, 14th April

Other things crawling down tree trunks included this Tree Slug.

Tree Slug, near Bittering, 14th April

I'd thought the following Woodlouse might be interesting.  Not when photographing it, but looking it up when I got home.  The information I found on the net suggested that I could rule out the common Porcellio scaber leading me to speculate that it might be either Porcellio spinicornis or Trachelipus rathkei, although neither seemed particularly likely.  Well James has had a look and he advises me that it is in fact Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber after all.  Ah well, I shall have to look a bit harder to find one of the scarcer ones, and buy myself a decent key.

Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber, near Bittering, 14th April

Alderford Common

A relatively warm Friday evening with cloud cover promised for most of the first part of the evening, so a good night to head out somewhere with a light.  Dave is keen to see Small Eggar and we failed to find recently where I'd seen one before at Creaking Gate Lake so he was keen to try his luck at Alderford Common this time, another site the species is known from and where there is plenty of suitable habitat.

We were disapppointed to find that the temperature had plummeted between leaving home and arriving on site - a heavy rain shower had recently passed through and I think it must have cooled things down a bit.  We set up anyway and things got off to a very slow start indeed.  After a while 1-2 moths had flown past the light but nothing had come in and I was starting to wonder if we should cut our losses and head home.  But we stuck it out and suddenly for no apparent reason it got livelier.  In the end it proved a worthwhile trip, although no Small Eggars for Dave.

The best of the macros was a Red Chestnut, followed by Water Carpet.

Red Chestnut, Alderford Common, 8th April

Also 2 March Moths, 3 Shoulder Stripes, 5 Brindled Pugs, Engrailed, 3 Small Quakers, 12 Common Quakers, 9 Clouded Drabs, 5 Twin-spotted Quakers, 2 Hebrew Characters and 2 Early Greys.  Counts are minimums - probably the numbers of the more numerous species were really quite a bit higher.

Shoulder Stripe, Alderford Common, 8th April

Clouded Drab, Alderford Common, 8th April

But as is so often the way it was the micros that provided the most excitement, despite there only being 3 species.  They included Dave's first and my second ever Dawn Flat-body Semioscopis steinkellneriana.

Dawn Flat-body Semioscopis steinkellneriana, Alderford Common, 8th April

Two Caloptilia looked like good candidates for elongella but on dissection provided to be Red Birch Slenders Caloptilia betulicola - a scarcer species and new to both of us.

Red Birch Slender Caloptilia betulicola (male, gen det), Alderford Common, 8th April

Red Birch Slender Caloptilia betulicola (female, gen det), Alderford Common, 8th April

The other micros were at least 4 March Tubics Diurnea fagella.

A few moths at home too: March Tubic Diurnea fagella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 2 March Moths, Shoulder Stripe, Oak Beauty, Small Quaker, Common Quaker and 4 Hebrew Characters.

Oak Beauty, North Elmham, 8th April

A Springtail and Gorse Weevils

Springtails are among the most abundant of all insects, apparently.  A whole order of insects that are all around us and most of us don't even know it.  A couple of nature-people I've mentioned them to hadn't even heard of them and I was no more than vaguely aware of them.  But they say there are around 100,000 in every cubic meter of topsoil!

Anyway, on Thursday evening I came across an online key for mosses and went into the garden to find some moss to try it out with.  I found three species of moss in the garden but the key, or rather my application of it, was a total failure.  In the end I think I managed to identify Bicoloured Bryum Bryum dichotomum from the paving slabs (having fallen off the roof I think) using other online sources but the ones growing in the lawn remain a mystery.

Bicoloured Bryum Bryum dichotomum (I think), North Elmham, 7th April

However, while looking at the moss I noticed a beetle poke its head out from the moss briefly before disappearing back into it.  In trying to knock it out so that I could see it properly (which I never did) I knocked out a few very tiny insects.  I think one was a (different) Rove Beetle but that scarpered leaving a couple of jumpy things which I identified as Springtails.  Absolutely no idea what species of Springtail.

Springtail, North Elmham, 7th April

Edit 21st April: 
Having obtained a key to Springtail families I've narrowed this down to Isotomidae.  That narrows it down to 112 species!  It looks like various online examples of Isotomurus plumosus and may well be that common species, but for all I know the other 111 might look like this too!  I've also discovered that the latest thinking says that Springtails aren't insects at all but in a class of their own.

Also found a Varied Carpet Beetle in the bathroom, my first this year.  Odd how I always find these in the bathroom, the one upstairs room that doesn't have a carpet.  Maybe I find them because they're busy looking for carpets and the ones in the other rooms are tucked away out of sight in the carpets and breeding.  No obvious sign of damage though, here or in my last house where I saw several every year.

The moth trap didn't deliver very much on Thursday night: 2 Small Quakers, 2 Clouded Drabs and Hebrew Character.

Friday lunchtime was warm(ish) and sunny(ish) so I had a wander round Syderstone Common.  Couldn't find any moths but 1 Brimstone butterfly.  I found a couple of tiny Weevils on Gorse flowers which in the field I thought looked greenish like Phyllobius species.  But on closer inspection later on the one I retained was more black-and-white with only a slight hint of green, and the structure was wrong for Phyllobius.  My first attempts at identifying it didn't get very far but googling "Gorse Weevil" did the job - it was a Gorse Weevil Exapion ulicis, the first time I've seen this (probably very common) species.

Gorse Weevil Exapion ulicis, Syderstone Common, 9th April

Esperia sulphurella (Sulphur Tubic)

Monday night got me a nice moth at last - a Sulphur Tubic Esperia sulphurella.  My second ever and first at home, and a stunning little moth.

Sulphur Tubic Esperia sulphurella, North Elmham, 4th April

Not a great deal else: Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, Brindled Pug, 3 Small Quakers, 4 Common Quakers, Clouded Drab, 8 Hebrew Characters and Early Grey.

Tuesday night was poor: Shoulder Stripe, 6 Hebrew Characters, Small Quaker and Clouded Drab.  Last night was breezy and the worst night for ages with just 4 moths, Twin-spotted Quaker and 3 Hebrew Characters.

A Grass Snake and some fish

A visit to the Broads on Sunday afternoon secured some nice birds but also some other wildlife.  I don't often mention fish, mainly because I don't often see fish well enough to identify them.  At Ormesby Little Broad I saw fish.  I saw a lot of fish.  There were several shoals of fish along the dyke running between the path and the Broad - distinctive-looking fish with red fins.  If I've correctly identified them they were Rudd.  All around the viewing platform there were shoals of other fish - smaller and plainer than the others and this time I identified them as Roach.  I'm not an expert on fish - indeed this was the first time I've ever identified either of these very common species - so please shout if I've got either wrong.

 Rudd, Ormesby Little Broad, 3rd April

Roach, Ormesby Little Broad, 3rd April

Also a Peacock butterfly at Ormesby Little Broad, plus another at Martham Broad.  The last time I remember seeing a Grass Snake was at Bough Beech Reservoir in Kent which means it was 26 years ago - surprisingly I've not managed to see any in Norfolk in all that time.  But at last on Sunday I found a Grass Snake - it was along the footpath round the back of Martham Broad.

Grass Snake, Martham Broad, 3rd April

Sunday night was relatively good for moths but the only one that was new for the year was the very common Double-striped Pug.  The rest were March Moth, Shoulder Stripe, Brindled Pug, Dotted Border, 4 Small Quakers, 2 Common Quakers, 4 Clouded Drabs, Twin-spotted Quaker, 6 Hebrew Characters and Early Grey.

Double-striped Pug, North Elmham, 3rd April

Twin-spotted Quaker, North Elmham, 3rd April

Also my first Empoasca vitis of the year - this is a tiny Leafhopper that seems to be very numerous in my garden.

Empoasca vitis, North Elmham, 3rd April

I need to get a key or something to be able to identify Green Lacewings, but I suspect they are nearly all Chrysoperla carnea.  About 4 in the trap which were, I think, the first this year.

 Green Lacewing, North Elmham, 3rd April

A Tufted Button, some Frogs and a Stonefly

Not much excitement in the moth trap in the last few days of March:

• Friday 25th: 2 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, March Moth, Common Quaker, 9 Hebrew Characters and 3 Early Greys;
• Saturday 26th: March Moth, Dotted Border and 4 Hebrew Characters;
• Easter Sunday 27th: just Small Quaker and 3 Hebrew Characters;
• Monday 28th: 3 Small Quakers, Clouded Drab, 7 Hebrew Characters and Chestnut;
• Tuesday 29th: 3 Hebrew Characters and Early Grey; 
• Wednesday 30th: March Moth, 4 Small Quakers, Common Quaker, 8 Hebrew Characters and Early Grey;
• Thursday 31st: just 6 Hebrew Characters.

Clouded Drab, North Elmham, 28th March

Things started warming up a bit in April.  Highlight on 1st was another Tufted Button Acleris cristana - my third this year and third ever.  All 3 have been very differently marked individuals.  I thought this one was going to be hastiana as the tufts weren't very large, but not sure these markings are found on hastiana (at least I haven't come across any photos showing these markings).  I checked its genitalia just to be sure and it was indeed cristana

Tufted Button Acleris cristana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 1st April

A surge in Clouded Drabs was a surprise as it's not been a great year for them so far, though they didn't quite outnumber what's currently by far the commonest moth here: Hebrew Character.  The night's totals were Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, March Moth, Shoulder Stripe, 8 Clouded Drabs, 9 Hebrew Characters and Chestnut.

I've described the avian highlights of a visit to Sculthorpe Moor in my birding diary but there were plenty of non-avian delights too.  A Bank Vole made a few brief appearances at Woodland Hide and along the dyke was a host of spawning frogs.  I did a quick count and totalled 80 Common Frogs, but as many weren't in view for a lot of the time I should imagine the real number must have been well into triple figures.

Bank Vole, Sculthorpe Moor, 2nd April

Common Frogs, Sculthorpe Moor, 2nd April

Nearby and on the boardwalk was a lone Common Toad and beside it were several Scarlet Elfcup fungi - looking much larger than I'd seen them before, presumably just because they were later in development and more opened-out (at least I'm assuming it was Scarlet Elfcup - please correct me if I'm wrong).

Scarlet Elfcups, Sculthorpe Moor, 2nd April

A Peacock butterfly took advantage of the sunshine and a small insect along the river caught my attention as it flew across the path and landed on the fence.  It was a Stonefly - not a true fly but a whole group of insects in their own right, at the same level as Dragonflies or Butterflies/Moths, but much lesser known.  I've not paid much attention to them in the past and only identified one for the first time last year, in Scotland.  This one was a different species, and my first of any species in Norfolk, but I'm not sure if I've been able to fully identify it.  I've narrowed it down to the family Nemouridae of which there are 11 species in Britain and Ireland, and from a combination of external appearance of other individuals online and occurrence in Norfolk going on the NBN Gateway data, I think it has to be Nemoura cinerea.  Not sure that's a safe ID though - online photos may not be representative and these are really best identified with reference to their genitalia (but I don't know how).

Stonefly sp., possibly Nemoura cinerea, Sculthorpe Moor, 2nd April

As we headed back to the centre 2 Stoats ran ahead of us and disappeared beneath the boardwalk just in front.  We waited a bit but they didn't come out even when someone, and then we, walked over the spot where they had vanished.

This spider at Bittering is one of the Araniella species but although it resembles online images of Araniella opisthographa best, the info I can find implies that's not good enough for a firm ID.

Araniella sp., Bittering, 2nd April

Wood Anemone, Rawhall Lane, 2nd April

That evening's moth trap produced 2 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, 3 Shoulder Stripes, Brindled Pug, 2 Small Quakers, 3 Common Quakers, Clouded Drab, 9 Hebrew Characters and 3 Early Greys.