Wexford Natural History Diary July 09

Five Common Lizards

Items to Note:

Painted Lady

Those taking part in the Daubenton's Bat Survey, a quick reminder – the survey commenced last Saturday 1^st August – one visit in the first half of the month and a repeat survey in the second half of the month. For more details please contact: Tina on: info AT batconservationireland.org

Ring Plover chicks

Heritage Week is taking place from Saturday 22^nd of August to Sunday 30^th August. There are numerous events taking place around Ireland and a Full Events guide is available (free) locally from the National Heritage Park, John F Kennedy Park, Wexford Wildfowl Reserve and Libraries around the county. Below are listed the Natural History Events that are taking place in Co. Wexford.

Rest Harrow

Saturday 22^nd August at 11am 'Film – The Man Who Planted Trees' (free) meet at J.F. Kennedy Arboretum – for more details contact J.F.K. on 051-388171.
Saturday 22^nd August at 2pm 'Visit - The Birds of Prey Rescue Centre' (free) meet at Holly House, Milltown, Ballycullane – for more details contact David Charlton on 051-562613.
Sunday 23^rd  August at 11am 'Film – The Man Who Planted Trees' (free) meet at J.F. Kennedy Arboretum – for more details contact J.F.K. on 051-388171.
Sunday 23^rd  August at 1.30pm 'Lecture- Butterflies and Moths of Co. Wexford by Christopher Wilson' (free) meet at J.F. Kennedy Arboretum – for more details contact J.F.K. on 051-388171.
Sunday 23^rd August at 2pm 'Nature Trail' (free) meet at Tintern Abbey Car Park – for more details contact Jim Hurley on 053-9129671.
Sunday 23^rd August at 2pm 'Whale Watch' (free) meet at Hook Lighthouse – for more details contact Padraig Whooley on 023-8838761.
Sunday 23^rd August at 2pm 'Visit The Birds of Prey Rescue Centre' (free) meet at Holly House, Milltown, Ballycullane – for more details contact David Charlton on 051-562613.
Monday 24^th August at 2pm 'Visit The Birds of Prey Rescue Centre' (free) meet at Holly House, Milltown, Ballycullane – for more details contact David Charlton on 051-562613.
Tuesday 25^th August at 2pm 'The Geology and Biodiversity of Ardcavan Beach' (free) meet at Ardcavan Beach – for more details contact Deirdre at Wexford Wildfowl Reserve on 053-9123406.
Wednesday 26^th August at 2.30pm ' Guided Walk Through Arboretum' (free) meet at J.F. Kennedy Arboretum – for more details contact J.F.K. on 051-388171.
Thursday 27^th August at 9.30pm 'Bat and Moth Walk' (free) meet at Wexford Wildfowl Reserve, North Slob – for more details contact Deirdre at Wexford Wildfowl Reserve on 053-9123406.
Saturday 29^th August at 11am 'Film – The Man Who Planted Trees' (free) meet at J.F. Kennedy Arboretum – for more details contact J.F.K. on 051-388171.
Saturday 29^th August at 2pm 'Wildlife Walk for budding Photographic Enthusiasts' (free) meet at Raven Nature Reserve, Curracloe - for more details contact Deirdre at Wexford Wildfowl Reserve on 053-9123406.
Sunday 30^th August at 11am 'Film – The Man Who Planted Trees' (free) meet at J.F. Kennedy Arboretum – for more details contact J.F.K. on 051-388171.
Sunday 30^th August at 12 noon 'Guided Walk' (free) meet at J.F. Kennedy Arboretum – for more details contact J.F.K. on 051-388171.
Sunday 30^th August at 2pm 'Biodiversity on the Farm – a guided wildlife walk' (free) meet at Will Warham's Farm, Jamestown, Oilgate – for more details contact Will Warham on 087-2052266. 

'THE LEPIDOPTERA OF COUNTY WEXFORD" recently published by the Wexford Naturalists' Field Club (WNFC) is available from Wexford Wildfowl Reserve, North Slob, Wexford, and in a number of book shops in Wexford Town –cost - €10. All proceeds go towards the running of the WNFC so do please support by purchasing a copy for yourself, friends and relatives.

WILDLIFE RECORDS: Do please continue to submit those wildlife sightings of interest - This months wildlife summary are your records. They have either been communicated to Wexford Wildfowl Reserve on 053-9123406 or received 'On Line' on http://www.wexfordnaturalists.com. Again, many thanks for all of you who have passed on those sightings. Records can also be sent to the Records Officer: Simon Collins, Records Officer W.N.F.C., c/o Wexford Wildfowl Reserve, North Slob, Wexford. So 'please keep them coming'.

General News and Views:

The Painted Lady eruption: Remember that amazing eruption of Painted Lady butterflies from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, (reported in the May Wexford Natural History Diary) and that occurred here in Ireland in early June? Well when there's that many butterflies of a particular species in the locality what should one expect? Yes, basically a repeat showing of a vast number of Painted Lady Butterflies as and when they have had time to reproduce. Of course those Painted Ladies that did arrive, had to find a mate, lay their eggs on a suitable food plant, in this case thistle species, and the natural stages of the insect then need to take place (i.e. egg, caterpillar and chrysalis) with the new, fresh adult, emerging from the chrysalis. This process, providing weather conditions are right, can take place in as little as a month. These butterflies breed in predominantly 'warm and arid habitats', so we just might not get as many butterflies as would have been possible if we had had a 'good summer'. Never the less, do watch out for the potential of another 'huge' showing of these beautiful fast flying pale orange and black butterflies – and if you do see them, try and get an estimate of numbers 'in particular localities' in order that we can have a record of this event. Counts and records please to Mr Simon Collins, The Records Officer, Wexford Naturalists' Field Club, c/o Wexford Wildfowl Reserve, North Slob, Wexford. Tel: 053-9123129.

Bird Ring Recoveries: are largely dependent on members of the public posting back rings found on dead birds to the various addresses noted on the ring. In Ireland and Britain, bird ringing is organised and collated by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) based at The Nunnery, Nunnery Place, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU, UK. Bird rings found should be posted to the BTO with details of the date, location and condition of where the bird was found, or you can report any rings online at this address http://www.bto.org/ringing/index.htm  It is also 'Important to Note' the number of the ring and the finding details of the bird for your own benefit (and in case there is a query such as the ring being lost in transit). When a ring is returned to the BTO the finder (as well as the person who ringed the bird), will be provided with a history of the bird ringed – what species it was, where and when it was ringed, its age at ringing etc – all this information adds to the knowledge of our bird populations, their movements, migrations and longevity. Very interestingly, it has been noticed that the number of rings returning to the BTO has 'plummeted'. In the 1950s, the ringing scheme had a return rate of rings of around 4 per cent. However, in 2006, the most recent year on record, only about 1 per cent of rings were returned. This drastic fall has been put down to people not spending as much time in the countryside or on remote beaches, an increasing reluctance to post letters, and simply being more squeamish than they were 50 years ago. Mark Grantham, a research ecologist at the BTO said "People are terrified of touching something that's dead…... ". So an alteration in pastime habits and our 'delicate' sensibilities has also to be calculated into our changing scientific knowledge patterns.

El Niño: Meteorologists are saying that the unpredictable warming of the Pacific Ocean is intensifying.  A new El Niño has begun and with it there will be increased droughts in Africa, Australia and India, more rain in South America and increased extremes of cold and warm in our Islands. This may mean that 2010 will be one of the hottest years on record. The 1997/98 El Niño year, with ongoing climate change, produced the world's hottest year in 1998 and with it, caused huge droughts and forest fires through South-east Asia. The two to seven year cyclical phenomenon of El Niño is a major contributor to our global weather systems – watch this space and we will keep you informed of this fascinating occurrence as it unfolds (further details can be obtained from http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/new-el-ni241o-threatens-world-with-weather-woe-1766555.html).

The Honeybees Dance: It is well documented that honeybees are able to communicate the presence, distance and direction of flowers that will provide plentiful sources of food by a complex waggle dance upon their return to the hive. However very recent research by Scientists Kevin Abbott and Reuven Dukas of the McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada has found that honeybees also use the waggle dance to warn bees of potential dangerous flowers and situations as well. On average, bees returning from safe flowers performed twenty to thirty times more waggle runs that bees returning from dangerous flowers. This shows that the bees recognise that certain flowers carry a higher risk of being killed or eaten by predators, such spider species that ambush visiting bees. What is more, the bees factor this risk into their waggle dances, tempering their colony mates to steer away from flowers that might be dangerous. This fascinating new discovery has recently been published in the journal 'Animal Behaviour'.

That discarded Plastic Bottle: Next time you visit the beach at Rosslare Back-strand, have a look out for the large 'Blue Sign' depicting some of the discarded items that litter our environment and the timescales taken for the various items shown, to decompose (photograph in the Gallery below). It is actually 'almost' hard to comprehend just how long some of these items are going to be around after they have been 'casually discarded' into our environment. One shocking revelation was just how long a Disposable Nappy took to decay. It is worth the journey just to find out – yes, go and have a look!! One recent quote by the Independent (environment - green-living), which caught my eye and is well worth sharing as it certainly does brings it home: "Plastic bottles take 450 years to decompose. Just think about that – it means that if Henry VIII had used plastic bottles at his last wedding party, then they would still be around now." Don't we live in a disgraceful society?

In the Gallery: is a photograph of a Short-eared Owl pellet and a photograph of the displayed contents of that pellet – note the big difference in size and general shape from the Sparrowhawk pellet displayed in the Gallery in the June Wexford Natural History Diary (http://www.wildside.ie/news.php?art=31&name=June%202009%20Wexford%20Natural%20History%20Diary ) 

And so to the known wildlife highlights of the month:

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Recent Bird Reports in the County:
A Balearic Shearwater was seen in a flock of Manx Shearwaters on the Irish Sea Cetacean Watch on 25th. A Grey Heron was seen taking Common Newt on 13^th (a shout disturbed the bird – it dropped the Newt which appeared no worse for its adventure and returned to the pond – see Gallery). A Corncrake was heard in Gorey on both 20^th and 21^st. A Marsh Harrier was at Tacumshin Lake on 5th. There were 2 Buzzards seen near Screen on 16th and a Buzzard was seen in Gorey on 30th.  A Short-eared Owl was noted at Tacumshin Lake on 4th. A Short-eared Owl was also a regular visitor to Inish Island, Our Lady's Island Lake (see contents of pellet in Gallery). A Little Gull was recorded at Tacumshin Lake on 4^th and a Yellow-legged Gull was noted at Tacumshin Lake on 5th. The Stilt Sandpiper re-appeared briefly at The Cull on 3rd. A Whimbrel was noted flying over Coolcotts on 31st. A Pectoral Sandpiper was at Our Lady's Island Lake on 11th and 12th. There were 3 Knot at Tacumshin in full summer plumage on 12th and 1 at Lady's Island on 15th. 2 Greenshank were noted at Rosslare Backstrand on 28th. 25 Bar-tailed Godwit were noted at Rosslare Backstrand on 28th. A Common Sandpiper was at Lady's Island on 15th and there was at least 1 on North Slob on most days through the month. There were 2 Common Sandpipers present on North Slob on 22^nd and 29^th with 6 noted on 31^st. There were 2 Wood Sandpipers at Tacumshin Lake on 26th. 40 Sanderling were at Carne Beach on 28th. A Nightjar was seen in Raven Nature Reserve on 6th. First autumn Wheatear was seen heading out on 27th from Carnsore Point. 40+ Crossbill noted at Forth Mountain on 9th. 2 Redpoll were regularly noted through the month at Coolcotts.

Other Wildlife News in the County:  
MAMMALS: A Harbour Porpoise was seen at Baginbun Head on 7^th and a Risso's Dolphin was noted  at Greenore Point on 20th. 4 Risso's Dolphin were also noted on the Cetacean Survey on the Irish Sea on 25th (not far out from Tuskar Rock) with 30 Common Dolphin also counted.

SHARK: A Basking Shark was noted at Ballymoney on 26th.

BUTTERFLIES: Considering the weather there have been good counts of butterflies recorded at various locations throughout the month. Listed here are the high highest counts and the more unusual sightings of various species noted through the month: Small Copper, Speckled Wood, Large White, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Common Blue were noted through the County in small numbers during the month. A Comma was noted at Oilgate on 2^nd with one also seen at Crossabeg on 18^th and 2 at Castlebridge on 27^th. An Essex Skipper was seen on the wing just outside Wexford Town on 12^th with 4 noted at Kerlogue Quarry (new site record) and 10 noted on South Slob on 14^th. There were 3 Essex Skipper at Coolcotts on 23^rd (new site record). 4 Painted Lady were noted on Great Saltee on 9^th with numerous records throughout the county during the month with a maximum counts of 22 noted at Raven Nature Reserve on 3^rd. Red Admirals were plentiful in small numbers through the month with maximum number noted of 7 at Raven Nature Reserve on 3^rd and 8 on 29^th. A maximum count of 56 Green-veined White were noted at Raven Nature Reserve on 29^th. Maximum counts of Small White were 9 recorded at Coolcotts on 23^rd and 9 noted at Our Lady's Island Lake on 30^th. The highest count of Small Heath was 36 noted at Raven Nature Reserve on 9^th. A count of 352 Meadow Brown at Coolcotts on 1^st was by far the largest count for this species in the month. Ringlets were in big numbers throughout the county with high counts of 172 at Coolcotts on 1^st and 213 at Raven Nature Reserve on 9^th. Gatekeeper, a south-east speciality had a maximum count of 53 noted at Raven Nature Reserve on 29^th. Silver-washed Fritillary were recorded at a number of locations around the County with a maximum count of 26 noted at Raven Nature Reserve on 29^th. There were '100s' of Dark Green Fritillary recorded at Ballyteige on 12^th.

MOTHS: Good numbers of moth records were submitted through the month and listed here are high counts of migrant species and records of particular note: A maximum counts of Silver Y (migrant) was 52 noted at Holdmanhill on 4^th; A Humming-bird Hawk-moth (migrant) was at Coolcotts on 1^st and 1 also at Kerlogue on 14^th. A maximum count of 31 Six-spot Burnet was noted at Coolcotts on 23^rd. 3 Yellow Shell were recorded at Coolcotts on 1^st. Large Yellow Underwing were noted at a number of locations in the county with 5, the highest number noted on 23^rd at Coolcotts. The following species were all recorded in small numbers at Coolcotts through the month: Buff Arches, Mottled Beauty, Riband Wave, Light Emerald, Grass Emerald, Garden Carpet, Clouded Bordered Brindle, Small Fan-foot, Clouded Border, Buff Ermine, Grey Dagger, Drinker, Bee Moth, Heart and Dart, Rustic, Burnished Brass, Buff-Tip, Snout, Willow Beauty, Smoky Wainscot, Fan-foot, Bright-Line Brown-Eye, Uncertain, Clouded-Bordered Brindle, July Highflyer, Early Thorn. A Swallow-tailed Moth was noted at Clonard on 23^rd.

DRAGONFLIES: A good number of species of damselfly and dragonfly were recorded through the county during the month with most counts being relatively small in number (certainly in comparison to some recent years). Maximum counts are noted as follows: 7 Beautiful Demoiselle at Eden Vale on 15^th; 5 Azure damselfly  at Raven Nature Reserve on 3^rd; 4 Common Blue Damselfly at Our Lady's Island Lake on 15^th; 3 Blue-tailed Damselfly at Our Lady's Island Lake on 15^th; 1 Large Red Damselfly at Raven Nature Reserve on 3^rd. There were 2 Emperor Dragonfly at Raven Nature Reserve on 3^rd and 2 at Forth Mountain on 29^th;  40+ Common Darters at Jamestown on 27^th; 7 Brown Hawker at Eden Vale on 15^th; 3 Common Hawker at Raven Nature Reserve on 29^th. The prized sighting must be the male Keeled Skimmer noted at Forth Mountain on 29^th.

REPTILE: 10 Lizards was an interesting recorded noted in Raven Nature Reserve on 22^nd (5 of these are shown in The Gallery below).