Wales Chat Survey 2012

The BTO Wales Chat Survey 2012 will run from April to June this year. If anyone would like to help with this survey please log on to the BTO Chat Survey website and view the 1km squares available to be surveyed. http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/chat/about

Whinchat and Stonechat photos kindly provided by Mark Hipkin and Barry Stewart.

This is an on-line survey so you can select a 1km square, obtain the instructions and submit your records all via the BTO website.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries. Thank you.

Alastair Flannagan

BTO RR for West Glamorgan

Tel: 01792 537439

alastair.flannagan@ntlworld.com

Treecreeper at Gnoll CP

Treecreeper

I was fortunate enough to find a confiding Treecreeper in reasonable light today at the Gnoll. Fantastic little birds.

Reynoldston mosses

Several scarce vascular plants have been noted growing in the base-rich flushes running off Cefn Bryn by Reynoldston PO, such as White-beaked Sedge (Rhynchospora alba) and Oblong-leaved Sundew (Drosera intermedia), both last noted in1973. Probably due to the time of year, there was no sign of either on the weekend, but mosses were very much in evidence, including these two noteworthy species, neither of which have previously been recorded in Gower:

Thick-nerved Apple-moss (Philonotis calcarea)

Intermediate Hook-moss (Scorpidium cossonii)

The only other mosses and liverworts noted were:

Bog Groove-moss (Aulacomnium palustre)

Cow-horn Bog-moss (Sphagnum denticulatum)

Delicate Germanderwort (Riccardia multifida)

Greasewort (Aneura pinguis)

Lustrous Bog-moss (Sphagnum subnitens)

Marsh Bryum (Bryum pseudotriquetrum)

Neat Feather-moss (Pseudoscleropodium purum)

Papillose Bog-moss (Sphagnum papillosum)

Pointed Spear-moss (Calliergonella cuspidata)

Springy Turf-moss (Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus)

Yellow Starry Feather-moss (Campylium stellatum)

Wireweed near Mewslade

Gareth Thomas wrote: 'SS 42385 86742 takes you right to the large pool at half-tide where I found  Japanese Wireweed (Sargassum muticum) on Wednesday last. Main features are the feathery fronds with match-head sized flotation capsules throughout. It originated from Japan - probably from imported oyster spats to oyster farms. It is very prevalent on the Irish coast, and also in Scotland. Not aware of it in Gower...' 

Japanese Wireweed (c) G. Thomas

The NBN Gateway shows that Japanese Wireweed was first recorded in our area in 2003 when the CCW Phase 1 intertidal team noted it in Port Talbot Harbour. It was subsequently found at Pwlldu in 2004 again by CCW and then Bracelet Bay in 2008 by Judith Oakley. It seems to widespread, though localised around the Welsh Coast, though not sure about the record from Ynysybwl!

Fall Bay saturday 24th.

Large colonies of Andrena flavipes at the bottom of the cliffs.
This poor individual has been stylopised twice poor thing, glove puppets sticking out between the segments of the abdomen. Stylops are parasites of the order Strepsiptera related to the beetles, only the head of the female sticks out. The males can fly using large hindwings and the females live internally like this sucking the life out of members of the hemiptera and hymenoptera. More here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strepsiptera
As if life wasn't bad enough here's Nomada fucata, a cleptoparasite or cuckoo bee of Andrena flavipes, laying eggs in the nest chamber of the Andrena and whose larvae eat the food.

All the Meloe, Oil Beetles, I saw were proscarabaceus judging by the back of the pronotum which is not channelled. Another group which lives at the expense of the bees:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meloe_violaceus

On a happier note a few male Anthophora pilipes were seen but the females don't seem to be out. They like to nest more in the steeper banks of finer sediment rather than the stonier banks of raised beach.

Sunday at Pwll Du was this cute jumping spider, Heliophanus cupreus as far as I can tell although I'm not a spider officianado.

Gower Ornithological Society talk

Members & Non-members

Fri 23rd March – Around Tealham Moor Talk

MEET 7.15pm, Environment Centre, Pier Street, Swansea

The last meeting of the winter schedule is this evening and ROBIN WILLIAMS will be giving an illustrated talk on TEALHAM MOOR. Many of you will know that Tealham is part of the Somerset Levels which has become an area hugely rich in wild life, not least in birds.

Robin is lucky enough, or wise enough, to live overlooking the Moor and is very familiar with it. Tealham has become famous for its evening flocks of starlings, but it has much, much more to offer than that, and Robin has been taking excellent photographs of the wildlife of the Moor not least of his particular interest of bees and insects. The Levels have also been in the news because Cranes have been in re-introduced there and it is a magnet for Osprey, Marsh and Hen Harrier and Cattle Egret, to name just a few of the wide variety to be found on Robin’s doorstep.

I urge you to come along this evening and enjoy this very interesting evening: you will not be disappointed.

Jeremy Douglas-Jones

GowerBirds@gmail.com
07770 986791
01792 551331

Garden Stuff

Bombus hypnorum

The Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) continues to provide a regular presence in the garden, among the 5 species noted so far only the Buff-tailed and White-tailed are seen more frequently. Early Bumblebee and Red-tailed Bumblebee only noted once (each) so far while Tree Bumblebee has been noted on six days with 2 together on one occasion.

Comma

My first Comma of the year took some rays in the garden today and a female Brimstone flew through but didn't stop - they never do.

Vespula vulgaris

Also this Queen Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) spent a bit of time nectaring in the garden. A common species as the name suggest but other species are more than likely to be found in our area. A good view of the head is crucial to allow positive identification. In this instance the striking anchor pattern on the face and short malar spacing (distance between the bottom of the eye and top of jaw) confirm the species.

Vespula vulgaris

Other areas worth concentrating on are the colour of the base of the antenna and views showing the upper side patterning on the thorax and abdomen.