25 Monday Nov 2019
One of the advantages of all the recent wet weather is that it aids the development of slime moulds.
I found this lovely stuff on some small dead bramble twigs during today’s walk along the south Wales coastal path.
It may be Mucilago crustacea but I can’t be sure about that identification.
24 Sunday Nov 2019
Posted in autumn, nature, wildflowers
Now that most insects have morphed in to their over-wintering pupae or are hibernating somewhere warm and dark, my eye naturally turns to whatever else I can find in the natural world around me and one of those things is the wildflower. You might think they, also, have faded away but, depending on the weather, there are usually flowers to be found all year round. If you don’t believe me, try following #wildflowerhour on social media, every Sunday night from 8 to 9pm, to see what folks have managed to find for the weekly #winter10 challenge. Here are my finds from this week’s local walks …
23 Saturday Nov 2019
Tags
bramble leaf mines, British leaf mines, British moths, Golden pigmy moth, leaf mines on brambles, leaf-mining moth, Stigmella aurella, stigmella species
Before the heavy rain came in yesterday I managed a quick local walk, part of which was to look at maple trees for the leaf mines of a tiny moth called Stigmella aceris, which has slowly been expanding its range in south Wales. I didn’t find any on the few trees I looked at, though I will continue to look and will report back here if I do manage to find any.
I decided to switch my focus on to another of the Stigmella moth species, Stigmella aurella, the Golden pigmy moth, which lives its larval life in mines burrowed in bramble leaves. Though you might never see the adult moth, you will undoubtedly be able to find its leaf mines as they are common and widespread throughout most of Britain, and I easily found several examples during my local meander. Now to find the maple-leaf-burrowing variety!
22 Friday Nov 2019
This morning’s stomp along the Ely embankment produced my first Redshank sightings there of the autumn / winter.
And they’re late – in 2017 I saw them first on 22 October and last year it was the 30th. Of course, other Redshanks may already have arrived in Cardiff Bay and I simply haven’t seen them.
This morning I saw three and, even better news, one of the birds was ‘Peter’, a ringed bird I’ve also seen in previous years (and blogged about here, and his life story is here). Welcome back, my Redshank friends!
21 Thursday Nov 2019
A freezing easterly wind was blasting anyone and anything foolish enough to be out and about today, which, of course, included me. At least I had the luxury of several layers of clothing, plus woolly hat, scarf and gloves.
For the Tufted ducks at Cosmeston, it was a case of lying low, in the lee of any vegetation that provided shelter, and trying to sleep, though with one eye open in case some kind person should toss them some seed.
*Note to self: Buy bird seed to take along on future winter walks.
20 Wednesday Nov 2019
I don’t know which species of insect created these tracks under the bark on a fallen tree but I imagine it was some kind of beetle. I also don’t know if this damage caused the tree to fall, though it seems unlikely as this was quite superficial. Whatever the circumstances, the marks were lovely to behold.
19 Tuesday Nov 2019
Tags
autumn insects, bees, British insects, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, hoverflies, ivy flowers, moth larva, Red Admiral, wasp
It may be late autumn, with shortening days, chill winds and cooling nights but, when the sun comes out as it did yesterday, the insects also come out to warm themselves and feed. During my walk around Cosmeston I spotted a late Red admiral butterfly and then, further on, where ivy was still flowering, a host of flying mini-beasties: hoverflies, various bees and wasps. And, near them, tucked away further down on a bramble leaf, even a caterpillar, probably a moth larva though I’m not sure which species.
16 Saturday Nov 2019
Posted in autumn, nature, plants, wildflowers
As I made my way down the zigzag path to Cardiff Bay this morning, I was surprised to find not one but three Meadow crane’s-bill (Geranium pratense) plants still flowering. And, though its leaves usually turn ‘a rich red-brown’ in the autumn, these were still looking green and lush. Perhaps they don’t change until the frosts come – although it’s now late autumn, our weather has been very wet but mostly quite mild this year.
My Flora Britannica says that one of this plant’s vernacular names is Jingling Johnny, though it gives no reason for the name. Plantlife’s website includes that same name but also several others: Blue basins, Gipsy, Grace of God and Loving Andrews. Such a variety of vernacular names just shows how common this plant once was: with the industrialisation of agriculture, sadly it is now much less so.
15 Friday Nov 2019
This Firecrest has been spotted by a few birders in St Mary’s Well Bay since late October but, twice previously, I’d failed to spot it when I’d walked back to Penarth from Sully. As that’s one of my favourite local walks, I went that way again today … and, this time, success! I only managed this one blurry photo before the tiny bird headed up in to the treetops in the company of two equally tiny Goldcrests and I lost sight of it. I will keep trying for more sightings though, whenever I walk this way again.
12 Tuesday Nov 2019
On 3 November a Snow bunting was found at Porthcawl on the south Wales coast. Yesterday a Snow bunting, almost certainly the same bird, was found at Barry, another seaside town but about 25 miles further east and much closer to where I live. So, first thing this morning I caught the train to Barry to try and see my first ever Snow bunting.
Not long after I arrived at the spot where it was last seen, I met up with a birding friend, Graham, who was also looking for the bird. It had obviously moved off but where? Graham headed one way, I headed another, and not long afterwards I spotted Graham waving to me from the other end of the lake. He’d found it!
We spent the next 30 minutes watching as it scurried along the edge of a tarmac path, around some bollards, across a roundabout, up and down the long concrete steps leading to the old harbour, on to rocks on the shore, and then back up to the path again.
It appeared fearless and quite tame, approaching to within a couple of feet of where we stood or sat, though the reality is that, because Snow buntings breed in the Arctic, this little bird might have had no previous exposure to humans or an urban environment and simply didn’t realise it should be afraid of (some) humans and wary of cars, bikes or dogs.
Fortunately, it was finding plenty of food so, although these birds are quite rare in south Wales, there’s no reason why it couldn’t survive its Welsh adventure and either make its way to join other over-wintering Snow buntings on England’s east coast or spend the winter alone and head back to the Arctic next spring. It was a great privilege to spend time with this lovely creature today and I certainly hope it manages to live long and prosper!
earthstar 
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