Spent the morning first checking moth traps then walking out to Thurba Head. A total of 90 species was recorded in the Nitten Field, the highlight being five L-album Wainscots (a recently established species in South Wales). The Lobster Moth is one of my favourite species and is shown below...
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Probably more significant than any of the moths, and totally unexpected at this site, was my first sighting of the Wood Carder Bumble-bee (Bombus hypnorum), possibly the first occurence of this species in our area.
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On Thurba Head, birds included 2 Shag nests, nesting Herring Gulls, 3+ pairs of Fulmar, 2 Chough and several Swifts. This section of coast is the only place in the county were Swifts nest in natural cliff sites, with around 12 pairs present this year.
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If you do venture out onto Thurba careful you don't fall down 'The Eye'. It's surprising how suddenly it appears and it's about 50m straight down give or take a few rocks!
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3 comments:
Congratulations on the Hypnorum. You won the race. The Lobster Moth looks great too.
Apart from extreme jealousy having yet to see the Wood Carder Bee myself if you check out the Carmarthenshire Bird Club sightings page for 6th June John Lloyd is complaining [might be too strong a word for it] about Bombus hypnorum’s arrival in Tree Sparrow nest boxes at Cynghordy. The fact that he has had them making their nests in his Tree Sparrow nest boxes around Llandeilo for some years and that their use of nest boxes has been subject discussion on the BTO nest recorder’s forum.
If the Carmarthenshire ID is correct it would suggest that they passed through West Glamorgan some season’s ago. And their use of Tree Sparrow nest boxes suggests all manner of interesting project ideas to encourage both them and Tree Sparrows on Gower. Does anyone have contact with John Lloyd so we can check it out?
It is either that or perhaps Bombus hypnorum invaded Wales from the Midlands and got to Carmarthenshire by a route north of the |Brecon Beacons. There are still no know B, hypnorum records for Gwent.
Also BWARS [Bees Wasps and Ants Recording Society] needs both the Porthcawl and Nitten Field 2010 records see http://www.bwars.com/bombus_hypnorum_map.htm
Interestingly there are nest boxes up around the Nitten Field, which I'll be taking a closer look at...
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