MVCP Weasel 26th April 2008

This Weasel was between Wetland 9 and the Pillinge, photo by Martin Green.

Lowlife on Cooper's Hill

Green Tiger Beetles are currently abundant on the heath, this one snacking on a myrmica sp. of ant...


I watched this Anoplius viaticus drag her spider victim backwards to hang on a low birch twig while searching for a place to dig a burrow. She returned several times to check on it, but then disappeared for twenty mintues. I lost patience, but when checked an hour later the spider had gone!

A hoverfly (Sryphus sp. I think)...

Pictures by Keith Balmer.

Adders

Some excellent Adder watching weather today. Eight seen, including three 'pairs'. Beds, 13th April 2008 by Steve Blain

Weasel

This Weasel was by my car at Brogborough lake. 5th April 2008, by Steve Blain.

Recent moths in Lower Stondon

A couple of recent moths from Lower Stondon are illustrated below.
first is an Oak Beauty caught in our garden trap on 30th March.
Secondly I found a female of the micro moth Diurnea fagella on a gatepost in the village this afternoon. Interestingly, the female of this species has very short stunted wings - a photo of a male for comparison is underneath. Photos by Andy Banthorpe

Muddy knees in Chicksands Wood

The most interesting things today were to be found at ground level.

A fly blowing bubbles...

A Common Groundhopper (Tetrix undulata)...

A Slender Groundhopper (Tetrix subulata)...

One of many similar-looking ground beetles...

All pictures by Keith Balmer

A sunny Sunday on Cooper's Hill. (30th March)

This spider-hunting wasp (probably Anoplius viaticus) was searching through the heather...

A Small Tortoiseshell was feeding on sap oozing from the stump of a silver birch felled last Tuesday during a work-party...


No Green Tiger beetles were seen on Tuesday, but there were plenty there today...



A Common Lizard was basking beneath heather. Stealth allowed a close approach...



This tiny spider (only a few mms log) was crawling on a conifer trunk...


Pictures posted by Keith Balmer

Comma at Stewartby Lake 1st March 2008

This Comma was sunning itself out of the wind by the Marston corner of Stewartby Lake, photo by Martin Green.

MVCP Photos 10th - 11th February 2008

A few shots taken around the MVCP over the last weekend, photos by Martin Green.

Hellebore

Taken at Swiss Gardens in lieu of Firecrest

Spiders webs

The fields have been carpeted in these spiders webs during the last few days. They are made by one of the money spiders, but virtually every field in the area has many thousands of webs layden over them. There must be litterally millions of spiders making them all?

Dancing insects

These insects were caught nicely in a streak of sunlight at Swiss Gardens this morning.

Grey Squirrel

Grey Squirrel, Stockgrove CP, 2nd Feb 2008 by Steve Blain.

Stonechat

Different bird, but I couldn't resist the setting!

Stonechat - Wood Lane

Repeat from last year??

Juvenile GSW June 2007

Exercise in handheld X10 zoom at ISO1600

Garden Reptile July 2007

One of several sightings

Harlequins looking for warmth

Stabbing on Maulden Heath

There were three of these 6cm long wasps, which I presume to be some type of Ichneumon, working over a pile of conifer logs on Maulden Heath on Sunday afternoon (4th Nov 07). Once a larva was detected within the timber they would raise their abdomen, unsheath the ovipositor (occuring in this picture) and push it into the victim. Two were contending over one location so there clearly must have been something beneath the surface there, obvious to them with their antennae, but not to me with my eyes.

Picture by Keith Balmer

Vapourer moth male (Orgyia antiqua) at The Lodge 11/10/07.

Mallow moth (Larentia clavaria) at The Lodge 8/10/07.

Elephant Hawk Moth

This beast found by John Pope on 26th September. John asks is this is particularly late to find one?

Rainham Water Vole

A Water Vols shot from the Bird Club outing to Rainham Marshes, Essex. September 2007 by Geoff Pickerell.

Emperor in flight

Male Emperor cleaning in flight

Watched a male Emperor flying around the new pool by Marston Thrift carpark yesterday. Whilst in flight it was cleaning its legs by rubbing them together. Photos by Steve Cham

One leg short of a grasshopper...

but that didn't stop this Mottled Grasshopper from ovipositing on Cooper's Hill on 25th August...

Photo by Keith Balmer

Old Warden Ladies

The highlight of this week's butterfly transect at Old Warden Tunnel was three perfect Painted Ladies, which more than doubled my tally for the year...


Pictures by Keith Balmer.

Wood Mouse

I found this Wood Mouse scuttling along the edge of a freshly cut field. I guess he'd just lost his home. Broom, 13th August 2007 by Steve Blain.

Tree-lichen Beauty - A new macro moth for Bedfordshire 11th August 2007

At our National Moth Night event at Barton Hills NR on 11th August 2007 we trapped this Tree-lichen Beauty, Cryphia algae. It is the first record for Bedfordshire, VC30Photo by Andy Banthorpe

National Moth Day/Night 11th August 2007

One of the target species for this years National Moth Day/Night is Chalk Carpet so four of us went looking for it this morning at Totternhoe Quarry. We were successful!
Another species we looked for using a pheromone lure this time was Six-belted Clearwing
Photos by Andy Banthorpe