Another good bug bash at Porth Hellick!

This Heterotoma planicornis was at Porth Hellick and was a bug I always wanted to see

  This morning I made my ways to Porth Hellick after my first taxi at 07.30 and noted an increase in Willow and Sedge Warbler. The only waders on the pool included 2 Common and 1 Green Sandpiper. A quick look at Lower Moors and there were over 20 Willow and Sedge Warbler but as the water level was so high after the heavy fall, there was nothing of note on the pool. Later in the afternoon at Porth Hellick there were now 3 Green and 2 Common Sandpiper and a single Redshank with 8 Greenshank.

At Lower Moors there were over 20 Sedge Warbler with lesser numbers at Porth Hellick

There were also over 20 Willow Warbler at Lower Moors with also lesser numbers at Porth Hellick

But only 2 Chiffchaff at the latter site

Common Sandpiper at Porth hellick

In the morning there were only 2 Common sandpiper and single Green sandpiper. By the afternoon there were 3 Green and 2 Common sandpiper and 1 Redshank with 8 Greenshank

Last week there were 6 Mediterrian Gull at Porthlow

This Heterotoma planicornis is a bug I've always wanted to see and I took the pic of this nymph just outside my digs on the Garrison before it disappeared. 

A few days later, Jo went and found an adult of the Heterotoma planicornis on our favorite Sallow by the Sussex Hide at Porth Hellick

Female Nursery-web Spider caring her egg sac below

Cyphon padi Beetle

Gorse Shieldbug

  The evening of the 28th was calm and Jo and I spent an hour just after dark in our usual area of Porth hellick between the two hides. Good numbers of moths were feeding and again we saw many new species that we had not seen before including a few that still need to be identified. We also heard 2 Dunlin and single Green and Common Sandpiper overhead at 22.30 on wards.

The nymph of a  Hemerobius stigma Lacewing 

Adult Hemerobius stigma Lacewing

Chysoperla carnea Lacewing 

Bark Louse on the tip of a pine needle

Gall Midge

Springtail

The Psallus betuleti is larger than other plant bugs

It turned out to be a good night for moths feeding on a single large Sallow. Migrants included a single White-speck and up to 5 Dark Swordgrass. There were over 10 Common Rustic actively feeding however the highlight was observing a Magpie Moth laying eggs.

White-speck

There were 5 Dark Swordgrass altogether

Brown-vained Wainscott

 

Riband Wave

Common Wave

Agonopterix umbellana

Agonopterix yeatiana

Acleris emargana

Garden Rose Tortrix

Pinon-streaked Snout Upper pic is of the usual pale form while the below pic is the first time in seeing a dark form.

And a female Magpie Moth laying eggs under a Sallow leaf

 

Pablo having a closer look at the hole Jo is making. Jo making sure the sand hoppers are jumping all over the shop for the ducklings to get stuck into. Now six weeks old!

1st Scymnus suturalis ladybird for Scilly

Great find by Jo Turner with this tiny ladybird, SEYMNUS SUTURALIS, first record for Scilly,at Carreg Dhu Gardens three days ago.

  Three days ago, Just as Jo and I were putting the 4 ducklings that we are rearing at the moment, into the Star Castle Pond, a large dragonfly came in and circled the pond, almost touching the water and flew out SW. There were also other folk with us and I shouted that was black and yellow. Everyone agreed and Jo identified it as a GOLD-RINGED DRAGONFLY. Only the second record for Scilly after a single on Tresco in 1996! We hung around for a while hoping it might return but no sign after an hour. Yesterday, a Emperor Dragonfly also visited the garden pond.
  In the last ten days, Jo and I, and sometimes joined by other folk, have been out and about in the dark searching for insects at various sites on the island. As a result it has paid off and we've observed lots of new species that were never seen before.

There are less than ten records on Scilly of the Oak Nycteoline and this individual was trapped in Bobby 'Dazzlers' Dawson garden in Hugh Town, 23 7 19

Last week at Porth Hellick we found these shieldbug eggs including from top Gorse and Common Green Shieldbug

This is the nymph of the latter species

With the crazy eyes we had Eristalinus sepulchrallis at Standing Stones Field with others at Rose Hill

Male Kite-tailed Robberfly at Sunnyside

We had 3 Badister bullatus Beetle on Elms next to the house on the Garrison

A half an hour wander around the Star Castle Gardens produced mainly spiders and moths including this Harvestmen (Leiobunum rotundum) was getting stuck into a feast 

While this individual was taking a Leafhopper for a ride around the garden

Cucumber Spider

Metelliana merianae Spider

Eudonia mercurella Moth

Moth sp?

Smoky Wainscot

Male Bee Moth

Lesser broad-borded Yellowunderwing 

Common Footman

Yellowshell

  On the evening of the 23/7/19, three of us spent two hours in Carreg Dhu Gardens and Jo turned up a mega! She found a SCYMNUS SUTURALIS and at 1.5-2 mm, this tiny ladybird was a first for Scilly! We also saw some great species and all the images below were all new for us all except the earwig and orb spider

A cracker of a fly Euleia heraclsei with it's crazy wings

We only had 2 Negro Ant in the garden

Micromus variegatus A small lacewing

Possible Campopleginae or Ichneumoninae Wasp

Common Earwig nymph feeding on a Psyche casta Moth larva 

This amazing structure is the egg-sac of the Pirate Spider

Possible Dicranopalpus ramosus Harvestmen

Enoplognatha Spider, possibly E.ovata 

Note the parasitic larva feeding on this Orb Spider

Endotricha flammealis Moth

Moth sp

And here are the ducklings taken a month ago at Rose Hill when they were only two days old