Stoat still around - rabbit #2

The Stoat has been seen with a second Rabbit - unfortunately one of the albino strain that occasionally pops up in our rabbit population as we sort of take to them but they are are rather easier to spot! He may have a den under our conservatory as he has taken to dragging them under there. I am not sure whether this is just a hiding place or an actual den so we shall see in due course. I shall put the camera trap up in the vicinity to see if I can find out more.

New Species - Minotaur Beetle

My Beetle list is relatively short - they are not always the easiest to identify. This Beetle however is quite distinctive - the male has three horns, two longer ones on each side of the head and a shorter one in the middle. It is the Minotaur Beetle (Typhaeus typhoeus) a Dung Beetle that likes Rabbit and Sheep dung - plenty of that about.

Stoat starts work!

We first saw the Stoat on 11 April and subsequently it was spotted a couple of times so we were hopeful it might set up camp here. Judging by today it has done that as we saw it with a large dead rabbit in its mouth which it first hid under our french windows and then subsequently carried away round the back of the house.

New Species - smut fungus Melanustilospora ari

Like the Barren Strawberry Rust recently recorded this is a fungus I would never have spotted if its existence hadn't been brought to my attention. At a glance it looks very similar to the black spots which occur on quite a few Cuckoo Pint leaves. Why some leaves are pure green and other plants have black spots on their leaves I have no idea but sometimes black spots are not colouration but are a smut fungus infection. The difference is mainly that the the spots are three dimensional and the underside of the leaves show a swelling for each spot.

New Species - Phragmidium fragariae

I was told recently that a rust found on Barren Strawberry had only been recorded eight times in Herefordshire but given the amount of Barren Strawberry about that was probably a lack of it being identified rather than it not being there. I have a lot of Barren Strawberry here and it didn't take me long to find a tiny spot of the rust so that is one more species for the Fungus list!

Wood Sorrel

I won't be keeping a detailed list of flowers by field this year (apart from Orchids and also any new species that might appear) but I will just note the flowering of particular favourites of which Wood Sorrel is one. A delicate white flower and beautiful yellow green leaves but difficult to spot amongst the Wood Anemones that carpet the wooded areas in early Spring. We have three places where I have seen it but there are never very many of them.

Pond 3 attempt 2

The new pond hasn't worked so far. The pond maker left assuming it would fill but each time it gets so far - two or three inches and then gradually leaks away. I have now gone for the option of covering the whole exposed area with a 70/30 mix of Bentonite and earth and now have to wait until it rains - currently not forecast for the next couple of weeks. Fingers crossed.

Major New Species - Stoat

We've seen Weasels several times - mostly scouring the dry stone walls for Bank Voles to eat but a noise on the glass roof revealed itself to be a Stoat which scampered away before a photo could be taken. There's infinite food for a Stoat here in the shape of the countless Rabbits so hopefully it sticks around. Update 19 April - seen again today and I nearly got a photo this time.

First Orchid Rosettes

A group of rosettes a couple of days ago at one place in the East field that is protected and warmed by some long grass and a single rosette in the South Field yesterday are the first rosettes of the year. The count begins.