Stewartby Lake

Just after dawn each morning this week you'll have found me wandering around the eastern side of Stewartby Lake. I've been on a mission to see the Otter that has been reported a couple of times over the last few months by walkers and members of the Sailing Club. So far my journeys have proved fruitless sighting-wise, so I can see that I’m going to have to try arriving just before dawn! I've picked up a number of clues to the Otter's presence, though. This is some Otter spraint that I found on a Willow root next to the water.

But there are also Mink around. This is a Mink scat that I came across. It’s got the fishy smell reminiscent of Otter spraint….but a lot more besides, which makes it none too pleasant odour-wise!

This tree had fallen over the water’s edge. You can just make out the claw marks on the side of the trunk. I reckon that this is one of the points where the Otter leaves the water.

When I made my way round to the base of the tree, my suspicions were confirmed when I found several large scales and fish remains on top of the fallen trunk. It looks like a large fish was consumed here at some point in the not-too-distant past.

Then, this morning, I came across the remains of this fish close to the tree. I hadn’t noticed it before now….which is surprising because it’s not a tiddler! It’s a large carp – I measured it at about half a metre long! I’m pretty sure a Mink wouldn’t be able to catch this and, then, lug it out of the water!

Here are more remains…a member of the Crow family this time. The culprit could be an otter (it was close to the water’s edge), but I wonder if it might have been a fox. Notice how the quills have been bitten through.

Other highlights from the last few days include these two Common Lizards, which I found hibernating under a large piece of rubber.

And this female Muntjac. Although the photo is not very good I was quite pleased to get it because I’d spent some time stalking this individual in order to get the opportunity.

And, last but not least, there are plenty of these around!

Chandos Road, Ampthill

This is my first moth of 2010: a Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii). It was a mild evening on Thursday so I thought I’d get the moth trap out from the garage and give it a go! I was inspired at a social gathering of Bedfordshires moth-trappers a few evenings ago. Seventeen of us joined together at Lower Stondon Baptist Church Hall to put names to faces, swap stories and encourage one another as a new season beckons.

It was great to meet sixteen other people as batty as me, if not more so, and I thought a few pen portraits would be appropriate! The evening was organised by Andy & Melissa Banthorpe, our joint Bedfordshire Macro-Moth Recorders. They have been running a trap at their home in Lower Stondon for a number of years and do a great job collating our records (some 14,000 this year!), running BNHS events, and helping us to ID our specimens. Melissa focuses on identifying the photos that we send her…and Andy does all the needful genitalia dissections – ‘nuff said!

David Manning – our Micro-moth Recorder – has, likewise, been incredibly helpful. I reckon the BNHS ought to present him with an electron microscope for the times when he has to resort to genitalia for identification. Most micro-moths are very…well, micro! Back in 1972 when I was 12 years old and spending my evenings watching Alias Smith And Jones and Kojak, David was just beginning to take an interest in moths: standing under a neighbourhood mercury vapour streetlamp and attempting to entrap any moths fluttering around by waving a net perched atop a 12 feet high pole! This auspicious beginning could only lead to greatness and, eventually, David became the Bedfordshire Micro-moth Recorder in 1986, and has a nationwide reputation today! I think he’s got a moth trap now, too!

Tom and Acelyn Yates do most of their trapping at home in Bedford, or in Reinhold, but they travel all over the UK during the year in their quest for moths. It was the sight of a Garden Tiger moth that first thrilled Acelyn and she reckons that when you’re running a trap, “Every morning is like Christmas”!

Matt Burgess is a more recent convert, having run a moth trap in Upper Cauldicott for some 6 months now. His Dad, Lionel, has got the bug, too…and the inspiration for both of them came from Matt’s little son’s persistent, “What is it?” questions. Lionel shared how he used to think that moths were ‘little brown jobs’ that looked white in the car headlamps, “...but when we see them close up and notice the colours and patterns, the top artists would struggle to compete with that!”

Pete McMullen, who lives in Biggleswade, has been trapping moths in his garden for about 7 years and, like Matt, he started because of the enthusiasm of his son following a Springwatch programme. He started with a bright light trained on a white sheet in the garden and, like me, was amazed to discover what was flying over his garden at night. He’s now seen a very respectable 280 species!

But even that figure pales next to the 900 plus species that Ian Woiwod has had visit his garden!! Ian’s interest in moths started when he was 7 years old. He became a professional entomologist, which then became a bit of a busman’s holiday when he worked with moths! Ian was responsible for the Rothamsted Insect Survey and the reason that his garden list is so impressive is the presence of a Rothamsted trap that has been running for many years. He reckons that the list would be a lot smaller without David Manning’s help!

Charles Baker has also been running various sorts of homemade traps for a number of years at his home in Studham, near Whipsnade. Charles added Raspberry Clearwing to the Bedfordshire list last year when he found the larvae tunnelling in his garden raspberries!

Like myself, Dave Withers hails from Ampthill and has been running a trap for two full seasons. His interest in the different species of moths at Duck End Nature Reserve, where he is the Voluntary Warden, has gradually become an addiction!

Tony Smith is now in his eighties and has been mothing for a number of years, something that led on naturally after he had been involved in the County Butterfly Survey some years ago. Tony lives in northwest Beds and commented, “I’m absolutely amazed at the beauty of these colourful insects.” He doesn’t live in a residential home but told me earlier that, “Every old people’s home ought to have a moth trap”!

Tony Lawrence traps in Eaton Ford in Cambridgeshire, which is in the Beds Vice County (the vice counties are a strange phenomenon that I struggle to grasp!). Tony described himself as ‘a born-again mother’ (that’s moth-er!). His early interest lapsed with work and family but he’s taken it up again in the last 6 or 7 years and declared, “It’s a super hobby!”

Richard Bashford is also based in Eaton Ford and has been interested in moths since his youth (and he is a lot closer to that than a number of us present were!). Ian Woiwod has been an inspiration to him over the years, Richard’s dad having played in Ian’s folk band! Whilst working at the RSPB he got hold of one of the Open University’s ‘cardboard box’ traps which consisted of a cardboard box, two bin liners, a funnel and lamp. He’s now graduated to a Skinner trap….but is catching just the same moths! Richard started moth-trapping regularly again last July, and expressed just how much he’s been enjoying it and how he finds the e-mail group really encouraging.

Hugh Griffiths started trapping moths in July 2008 after his wife bought him a trap. He lives at the north end of Luton just off the A6 and so the streetlights can be a bit of a problem, but it hasn’t stopped him enjoying his hobby.

So there we are. We know that there are at least 25 people running regular moth traps in Bedfordshire…and they all love it. So why don’t you give it a go if you’re not already!

Flying Horse Farm Fields

I managed to see 37 Chinese Water Deer on Saturday morning, including these 5.

Ampthill Park and Cooper's Hill

After several days indoors, and beginning to exhibit signs of 'cabin fever', I thought that it was about time I got out, electing for a gentle stroll over Cooper's Hill and Ampthill Park. A week ago, I drove over to Stotfold in order to witness the extraordinary gathering of 700+ Corn Buntings there which has made the national media. You can see some great photos here. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay long and missed the regular Merlin (who obviously knows when it's on to a good thing!), so I was really encouraged to have a stunning male Merlin fly right over my head in the Park (my 88th bird species there). I also flushed a Woodcock whilst exploring some scrub.

The other highlight was these three Muntjac deer who were browsing together at the southern end of The Darkenings: two males and a female. It's unusual to see three Muntjac together unless it's a pair with a fawn. Twin births are rare, but I did wonder if the males were siblings and continuing to spend their time with their mother. They both look relatively immature to me...I'm not sure how long a fawn will normally remain with the mother, nor when the antlers start to grow, which would help (Muntjac are unusual in breeding at any time in the year which complicates things).

This one shouldn't be difficult to spot in the future with its single antler and torn ear.

And here's the other...he looks well-nigh perfect! And now for something completely different.........

I deliberately walked over the heathland at Cooper's Hill to look for any flies that might be out enjoying the rare sunshine. There were several Calliphorid blowflies on the pine trunks facing the sun.

This one is blowing a bubble, which is surprisingly common in these flies.

Update:Our Beds Mammal Recorder, Richard, had informed me that antlers develop in Muntjac between the ages of 32 and 76 weeks, the pedicles developing from about 20 weeks. They are weaned at about 8 weeks but they seem to stay with the doe for rather longer (not sure exactly how long). You do get doe and buck muntjac staying together for a while, but usually during the mating period. The bucks could be siblings, but they do looke 'different' and this is more likely to be doe and buck with a fawn about to depart.

Ampthill Park

I've only just transferred this photo from the camera to the computer. It was taken a month ago on 8th December when I noticed what I think was a weather-front, a big bank of cloud, approaching and then going over Ampthill Park. It was pretty impressive. You can just see Katherine's Cross on the top of the Greensand Ridge. The photo was taken, late afternoon, just north of The Rezzy.

Update: Angela, our Meteorology Recorder, thinks that this formation is Stratoculumus Undulatus, which is described as patchy sheets or layers with parallel undulations.

Bedfordshire fields

I’ve always found the countryside a place of healing. After listening to a colleague’s experience of deep sadness this morning I needed to walk in the fresh air for a short while so, on the way home, I stopped off at some of my favourite Bedfordshire fields.

I came across 24 Brown Hares in total, including 12 fairly close to one another. You may have heard of the expression, ‘a Parliament of Rooks’, referring to the occasions when they perch on the ground cawing at one another. But you can also get a Parliament of Hares!

Brown Hares are thought to have been introduced to our shores by the Romans. Chinese Water Deer come from Asia….and we know exactly who they were introduced by: the Duke of Bedford, which I'll come to in a moment. You can tell that this individual is a male by the 'tusk' protruding from under the top lip.

It was the 11th Duke of Bedford who first imported a pair of Chinese Water Deer for his collection at Woburn around the turn of the twentieth century. Both of these died, but individuals from further introductions escaped during the war and established themselves in the local area. I came across 7 here today, with another 7 seen from the car in various places. Last Saturday I went for a walk in Millbrook Plantation and had 21 separate sightings, plus another 5 in the field nearby! On one occasion in February last year, I counted 40 whilst standing at a gateway and panning across the nearby fields!

Brogborough Lake Bittern-fest!

If you had lived in Norfolk years ago and were invited around to a friend’s home for Sunday roast butterbump, you would find yourself devouring a plate of Bittern meat: termed butterbump because of the amount of fat.

Unfortunately, Bitterns are a lot less common nowadays, though our small breeding population are supplemented each year by continental birds escaping the big freeze across the Channel.

This is the time of year to catch up with a Bittern in Bedfordshire, and expectant birders grabbed their bins and ‘scopes and headed for Brogborough Lake at the weekend following a report of 2, and then – amazingly, 3 individuals ‘showing’ well around the reedbed margins of the water.

So, with blue skies and sunshine, and a bit of time owing, I decided to spend an extended lunch hour at the lake, which is just a few miles down the road. It turned out to be a good decision and heralded some fantastic views of this amazing bird….and more besides!

I arrived at Brogborough to find the Lake frozen over, except for 2 relatively small ice-free patches that were filled with birds including Goldeneye, Scaup, and Red-crested Pochard.

Roy Nye had been there for a while and, though he hadn’t yet seen a Bittern, he had watched a Red Fox right out on the ice and making its way around the lake margin

Just after 1pm, I picked up a bittern standing out on the ice at the north end of the Lake. As we watched, it took off to join another Bittern that had flown right over the top of it. The flew together around the back of some islands and landed in a patch of reeds where we watched the pair of them wandering about for several minutes before they eventually went out of view. During this time we had watched the Red Fox on several occasions as it wandered around in front of the reeds and northern islands searching for food.

It wasn’t too long before one of these birds reappeared again on the frozen surface of the lake – a year ‘tick’ for John Temple who had just arrived. Once again, we were fortunate to see another Bittern fly right over the top of this bird and, as we followed it in the ‘scopes, a raptor suddenly dived into view and struck the Bittern. There was an explosion of feathers and the Bittern dropped into a patch of reeds immediately below. The large female Peregrine Falcon, for that is what it was, banked right and unsuccessfully tried to pick up some duck for lunch at the main stretch of open water in front of the watch point.

It was just before 2pm now, and I picked up another bittern - almost certainly the 3rd bittern - slowly skating eastwards. It paused before entering a patch of reeds, but not before briefly flushing a Water Rail!

On the hour, the Red Fox flushed the Bittern that had been hit by the Peregrine Falcon: this bird was obviously having a bad-feather-day! This Bittern then flew to a point in another section of reeds where it spent some time perched on the top of the reeds, obviously keeping an eye on the fox.

There were further sightings of Bitterns skating and flying before I had to make my way home….to get good views of a Bittern makes a trip worthwhile; to get good views of 3 Bitterns in one place in Bedfordshire is special; to get good views of 3 bitterns ‘skating’ and flying, together with a Bittern being attacked by a Peregrine Falcon and flushed by a Red Fox is exciting and unforgettable.

It’s going to be a good year!