8c to 18c in 2 hours

The Weird weather continues, when I arrived at Lletty Brongu woods it was 8c [1000hrs] with a cold north-westerly wind, but within 2 hours the wind dropped and temperatures rose to 18c in the sunny weather. This meant that the woods sun-traps and glades were full of hoverflies. I recorded a high count of 19 species for the time of year. Epistrophe eligans was the pick as I haven't photographed one before. Other goodies included Platycheirus ambiguus, Dasysyrphus albostriatus, a very early Cheilosia illustrata (feeding on Garlic Mustard), 18 Rhingia campestris, male Neoascia meticulosa, Helophilus pendulus and Chalcosyrphus nemorum.

The sewage beds held a mixed flock of hirundines including 45 Barn Swallow, 40 House Martin and 2 Sand Martin. Other summer visitors were 8 Blackcap and 2 each of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. 5 species of bee were seen with Clarke's Mining Bee being the best. The first Orange Tip butterflies of the year were out (1m,3f) as well as Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies. New blooms for the year included Garlic Mustard, Field Mouse-ear, Bluebell, Cuckoo Flower, Green Field Speedwell and surprisingly Cow Parsley (normally mid May).

Elsewhere 4 Red Kites were seen at different places and there was a male Redstart near Llangynwyd Farm. Also 25 Violet Oil-beetle were making their way cross the fields towards Cwm Nant Gwyn Woods. The only downside for today was that there were no Pied Flycatcher at any of their usual haunts.

 Epistrophe eligans

 Chalcosyrphus nemorum

 Cheilosia illustrata -later seen feeding on Garlic Mustard

 Helophilus pendulus

 Eristalis nemorum

 Violet Oil-beetle

This photo shows the flat groove at the back of the thorax, a feature which Black Oil-beetle lacks.

Caerau Park moorland

A quick walk here after the Rugby and before dark was somewhat rewarding with 1pr Whinchat, 2pr Stonechat, male Willow Warbler, 6pr Meadow Pipit, 1pr Tree Pipit and 2pr Linnet. There was also a mix of silent pipits that prove difficult to ID (see below). No hoverflies and just one Buff-tailed Bumblebee as there was a chill in the air.

Whinchat and Stonechat males together.

With Tree and Meadow Pipit displaying alongside each other, there was also a small flock of mixed pipits feeding, I think the flock contained both species. The one above has a strong supercillium (continuing behind the eye) with a dark eye-stripe and the sub-moustachial stripe that is quite wide and the flank streaking is fine and the bill is also thicker and stubbier. Whereas the one below which is a Meadow Pipit is more heavily streaked on the breast and flanks, the bill is thinner and longer, it also has a weak supercillium (stops above the eye) with  no dark stripe through the eye and a thin sub-moustachial stripe.

This catchment bog area stays wet all year as the area is shaped like a bowl, and is the beginning of the stream that runs past the Park Estate  down to the River Llynfi. I have recorded Jack Snipe, Common Snipe and Dunlin here in the past, but now it looks like ideal habitat for the rare hoverfly Anasimyia lunulata so I'll be visiting it regularly in May and June.

Looking from Foel Fawr over the moorland Bog, with Foel-y-Dyffryn in the background. My house is less than 500mts from this area.

Hoverfly round up [2016-2018]

The Hoverfly Recording scheme has uploaded the records for 2017 to its mapping program. It can only narrow down the search to a two year period for some reason I can't work out yet. But the good news is that between 2016-2017 the northern Llynfi Valley 10km square [SS89] has had the highest number of recorded species in that time period - 113 for the UK. Then follows two Peterborough squares at 112 & 105 and then the southern Llynfi Valley square [SS88] at 98. Overall life species of 115 sees SS89 moving up to 6th from 12th overall in Wales and 2nd in Glamorgan, the top square being 130 in Angelsey and the top Glamorgan square being 123 in the Gower [Portenyon/Oxwich area].

So if I'm going to match that this year I'm going to have to pull my finger out as I've only recorded 12 species so far this year and no sign yet of the two spring species missing from our list - Melangyna quadrimaculata and Cheilosia nebulosa, but not for the want of trying.

Spring at last and summer visitors start arrivng

With clear skies and no wind I had a full t-shirt day in the 22c temperatures. I visited Darren Woods, Lletty Woods and Top Llangynwyd clear-fell.

Darren Woods held a male Wood Warbler, 2 Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap. Lletty Woods had 3 Willow Warbler and Blackcap, while the Clear-fell had a mini-fall of 15 Willow Warblers. Also present was a singing male Lesser Redpoll.

The first butterflies of the year were also recorded with totals being 5 Brimstone, 2 Comma, Peacock and 2 Green-veined White. Also recorded another Adela Cuprella moth.

7 species of hoverfly were seen including first for the year of Melanostoma scalare, Meliscaeva auricollis, Eristalis tenax and Helophilus pendulus. Other sightings included Gwynne's-mining Bee, Honey Bee, Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Common Carder Bee, Large Bee-fly (7), Grey Squirrel and 14-spot Ladybird.

New blooms for the year include Wood-sorrel, Blackthorn, Barren Strawberry, Ground Ivy and Ramsons.

 Peacock

 Comma

 Melanostoma scalare

 14-spot Ladybird

 Willow Warbler

Lesser Redpoll

Sewage works

Still no summer visitors (birds) singing or hirundines over the sewage works. But new flower blossoms in Early Dog Violet and Ivy-leaved Speedwell. Hoverfly numbers remain low in 25 Platycheirus albimanus, 15 Eristalis pertinax and a male Cheilosia pagana. First bees of the year in 5 each of Honey Bee and Clarke's Mining Bee plus a Buff-tailed Bumblebee. Only other insect family present was a single moth in what looks like an early Cauchus rufimitrella but I'm open to suggestions as" Adela's "are the only longhorn moths in April generally.

 Early Dog Violet

 Wood Anemone

 Cauchas rufimitrella ??? [female "Adela cuprella" per Glamorgan moth recorder]

Eristalis pertinax

And we're off and weekly roundup

No wind today and temperatures pushing a balmy 14c, with clear skies. So a visit to Lletty Brongu sewage works woods produced quite a few spring flowers blooming including Lesser Celandine, Wood Anemone, Marsh Marigold, Groundsel, Primrose, Dandelion, Meadow Buttercup and Wood Spurge. Sallow is also now starting to blossom (18 days later than last year). All these flowers meant there was enough food base for hoverflies to start feeding, I recorded five species in 5 Platycheirus albimanus, 12 Eristalis pertinax and singles of Melangyna lasiophthalma (m), Eristalis intricaria (f) and Cheilosia pagana (f) and even managed a few photos.

Round up of birds over the last week included 4 Greylag Goose flying north over My Ty-Talwyn, 4 Sand Martin over Maesteg Rugby Ground, Goshawk and Red Kite almost daily now. 2 male Mallard at the sewage works. 2 Rookery have been built - the usual one at the Ranch, Garth (5 nests) and a new one found by Sid near the Railway Inn, Llangynwyd (6 nests). None of the woodland summer visitors like Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap have arrived yet, but Mynydd Ty-Talwyn had 8 Linnet and 2 Goldfinch returning. With all the wintering species having moved on.

I went to a family funeral in London the weekend and East Morden Crematorium, near Epsom, Surrey surprisingly held 25+ Rose-ringed Parakeet and on the journey back I had 20+ Red Kite between Windsor (J6) and Hungerford (J14) along the M4 motorway.

 Eristalis pertinax

 Melangyna lasiophthalma

Red Kite