Bioblitz at Kilnsey Park Estate - First half held on Fri 30 May

 - Programme here: https://www.neyedc.org.uk/c2n

The first half went well.  

On the wildlife walk at 6pm we introduced ourselves (see later) and took the short cut across the field from the Village Hall to the Kilnsey Trout farm/Park..  . Initially I invited the group to look at three members of different groups - Three grasses.. Then three lichens.. Then Derek caught insects in his sweep net  and Penny caught moths 

Common Carpet

we learned stories about these creatures 

 We learned how to recognise male Clegs (their eyes are close together with no gap between them as in the female's eyes) Male Clegs are relatively hard to find. It is only the females that suck blood.

Haematopota pluviatilis - The Notch-Horned Cleg 

  

We saw a Spring Cranefly, (This has beautiful green eyes when alive)

Spring Crane Fly Tipula vernalis

 and later a Furry Drone Fly.

Eristalis intricaria, sometimes called the Furry Dronefly, is a European species of hoverfly. It is a furry bee mimic

  

Penny showed us a Spindle tree attacked by spindle moth caterpillars.

Initially the group comprised c. 5 locals who had heard about the event including a primary school aged child, 5 people from the NEYEDC, 5 specialists (lichens, moths, insects, spiders /beetles etc) and a few more.

Some of the group disappeared off to set up Moth Traps

 ready for tomorrow, and to put out night cameras for recording animals that may walk past overnight. 

Setting up a night camera

Pitfall traps and a Malaise trap (like a tent) were set up to catch insects.

We walked as far as the edge of the flush/meadow where some of us may return on Saturday for the guided flower walk. We ticked off three sedges (Pendulous sedge, Hairy Sedge and Carnation Sedge) and two fungi (Turkey tails and Stereum rugosum) and two Rushes (Compact Rush and Hard Rush)  More than three trees (Salix alba)

White Willow - Salix alba 

 and lots of flowers and another three grasses.

We returned to the Village Hall, had cups of tea and snacks we had brought. 

Then Tony gave an introduction to the bat walk he was leading -" I don't know if we will find bats - I don't know what bats we will find - but that is what makes it so exciting." (By now another six to ten people had arrived - )

I left them, setting off at 9.30pm, with six bat detectors amongst them.

I wanted to come home and be refreshed for tomorrow (and write this) 

I had recorded 29 lichens the previous Sunday, and it turned out got the total to 42 by the end of Saturday. Would I be able to get up to 50 By Saturday afternoon in the one monad (1 km square)?

Part 2 to be written up someday soon...