Hedgehogs and hedgerows in the early autumn

Birds

Bird movement was much more noticeable this month.

The departure of most of the local Swallows and House Martins took place by mid-month with small numbers passing through until the end of the month.

Two of the three new species for the year recorded were summer migrants passing through. A female Whinchat on the 2nd also a juvenile on the 9th and the bird of the month a Marsh Harrier on the 21st. Five migrating Wheatears were seen on the18th searching freshly ploughed soil for invertebrates.

Two species arriving to over winter were three Teal on the 18th and two Stonechats on the 24th and three on the 26th. A Hobby on the 4th, a Spotted Flycatcher on the 14th and a very late Turtle Dove on the 30th are probably the last sightings of these resident summer migrants. Small flocks of Skylark and Meadow Pipit recorded may be local birds or could be migrants passing through.

Buzzards and Red Kites are so regular that they are hardly worth mentioning but three Buzzards and three Red Kites together on the 19th was notable. The recording of five species of raptor on one day, the 25th, is not a frequent occurrence: Red Kite, Kestrel, Buzzard, Little Owl and Tawny Owl.

There was a third new species for the year a Marsh Tit on the 22nd, a resident species which is very similar to the Willow Tit. The Willow Tit was not recognised as being resident in the UK until 1900; until then Marsh and Willow Tits were thought to be a single species. The best way to separate them is by their calls.

Butterflies

Butterfly numbers were helped by the warm settled weather mid-month. On the 14th in excess of 50 Small Tortoiseshell as well as 5 Red Admiral, 5 Comma, 5 Peacock and 10 “Whites” were seen feeding on Michaelmas Daisy. There were numerous sightings of Speckled Wood along avenues of trees, hedge rows and gardens. Males of this species battle each other with a spiralling flight to defend transient sunny spots amongst the vegetation.

The most widespread British blue butterfly species and the only one recorded in Old Weston, the Common Blue, can be seen on the wing from May until September. Males are blue but the females are brown.

September is a bit of a transition period for moths. The summer species are coming to an end and the autumn species haven’t really got going. The warm settled period which was good for butterflies was not so good for moths because of the clear cold nights. Some species of moth can be recorded year round such as the Angle Shades, a common, widespread species.

A common summer species the Light Emerald is one of a few species which are green, an unusual colour for moths.

An alternative way to record moth species, other than light traps, is to find the distinctive caterpillar workings in leaves. The caterpillars eat the green part of the leaf from between the upper and lower epidermis which produces diagnostic tracks. The adult moths are some of the smallest species recorded, consequently their caterpillars are very small and able to utilize this way of feeding. Unfortunately these micro-moths do not have English names.

The caterpillar can be seen in the mine at the end of the black line which is the faeces left from eating the green material. The above example also shows what is termed a Green Island. When searching for mines it can be quite difficult with green mines in green leaves.The trails are not always black and may occur with or without a white margin. The green islands are very noticeable when the remainder of the leaf has changed colour. Not all green islands or mines are produced by moth caterpillars. Many organisms have evolved to utilize this resource.

For many species of moth, locating leaf mines is the only way to record their presence in an area. Over 100 species have been recorded locally from leaf mines.

Slime Moulds

Slime Moulds or Myxomycetes are fascinating organisms, to some people anyway. Usually found in woodland on fallen rotten wood and occasionally on foliage but normally in a damp environment. They have an interesting life cycle: a wind dispersed spore landing in a suitable habitat develops into a microscopic single celled organism which can be of two distinct forms. One form develops two flagella which enables it to swim in the water film on a substrate. The other form has no flagella and behaves like an amoeba creeping over the substrate. Both types of cell can produce the Plasmodium stage. This multi-cellular stage can be colourful and several centimetres in size, very noticeable on dark woodland floors. The plasmodium creeps over the substratum feeding on bacteria, fungal hyphae and other slime moulds, often leaving a distinct slimy trail similar to a snail.

Whilst food supplies remain available the plasmodium will persist. When food becomes scarce the slime mould progresses to the next stage .The mobile plasmodium becomes sedentary and develops spore producing bodies which eventually break open to release spores.

Mammals

On a less obscure note Hedgehogs have been scarce this year. Unfortunately a good way to record numbers of hedgehogs is by the number of corpses on the road and this year there have not been many. The only live hedgehog, apart from some hibernating ones in my compost heap early in the year, was the one photographed on the 8th.

Other mammal sightings included a hunting Stoat on the 21st. The stoat followed a hedge before cutting into it and emerging a few second later carrying a small mammal. Probably the same stoat was seen on the 23rd at the same location. A dead Field Vole on the 12th was the first confirmed record of this common but secretive species for the year.