This afternoon I took a walk around the lower terrace of the Common. It was a sunny day with blue skies and a cold breeze. On the bird front it was a case of the usual suspect with the highlight being a Kestrel hunting.hovering over the terrace. Also noted were Carrion Crows, Magpies, Robins, Wrens and Blackbirds.
Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
The days best find however came on a much smaller scale in the form of a Longitarsus dorsalis beetle. This minuscule beetle of only 2-3 mm in length was basking on a fence post that was catching the winter sun. These cracking looking invert has a scattered distribution in Worcestershire (possibly due to under recording) and favours sites where Ragwort is present as its larva feeds on the roots of said plant and the adults its the leaves. There is certainly plenty of Ragwort present on the lower terrace of the common and I for one hope that it isn't all pulled out in future as it is such an important plant in sustaining a number of our invertebrates.
Longitarsus dorsalis beetle
You have the usual suspects, but because you have a totally different landscape, it is nice to see things that I will not see here in Suffolk. The bugs and other wildlife are a pleasure to see,cannot wait for the dragonflies to emerge, I know you will hunt them down for us. Looking forward to the spring, I have had pigeons arrive in the last few days, so, its definitely parky in Eastern Europe and, for the first time, I have sparrows. I am sure you are going to find plenty of gems for us in the coming weeks. Pip pip.
ReplyDeleteThanks Madelaine. I'm glad you enjoy the blog
DeleteThat's a cracking wee Beetle, Jase. PS - wish i could string some words together instead of just listing everything lol
ReplyDeleteCheers Dean. I have always been quite fluent in waffle mate! :-)
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