Roving volunteers at Upton Warren

Yesterday the rovers were putting in some new fox proof, stock proof fencing, ready in time for the bird breeding season; a pair of avocets have already arrived! The fence will stop foxes getting in to disturb birds, and we're also confident our lovely Dexter cows won't be able to bash through either.

Contrary to what you might expect, we've been having some lovely bright days on work parties recently, with temperatures picking up and the days getting longer. Thanks to everyone for your continued effort.

Naomi, Volunteer Coordinator

Upton Warren visit

I've hi-jacked the blog from the volunteers this afternoon to report on a visit to Upton Warren this morning.  

It was a dreary morning at The Moors for our visit but there were plenty of birds around; we even caught sight of two roe deer moving through the long reeds (pity I didn't have my camera ready).  Alan Shepherd recollected how he had seen harvest mice around The North Moors pool.  

The reserve is more saturated than I have ever seen it.  

This week the Upton Warren volunteers have been coppicing and removing scrub from the edges of the reedbed around the main Moors pool. Without their work the reedbed would diminish in size.  Bitterns should benefit from this too.  

 

Some of the trees next to the reedbed have also been coppiced or felled to encourage the growth of scrub in the right place.  Scrub has a tendency to grow in the wrong place, smothering open habitats such as reedbeds, marsh and meadow.  This felling work should allow light in to encourage it to grow where we want it to.   

Andy, Conservation Officer - Central Reserves

Bittern-ly cold!

Here's the Bittern taken at the Moors (Upton Warren) on Monday.



It’s great to see one in the open like this but also sad when you think they are only so visible due to the need to search for food in this weather.

Stuart, Upton Warren

Moth News!

It was a cold evening at the end of August for our last trapping session of 2010 - as is usual in late summer the number of moths trapped falls away. We none the less trapped 132 moths of about 36 species using six 125mv, one 15w actinic skinner and sugaring a few trees. Some records are still to come in and some species to be confirmed.

Three moths were new for the site: willow ermine Yponomeuta rorrella, Ypsolopha parenthesella and frosted orange Gortyna flavago. Good moths for the site included crescent Celaena leucostigma, pale eggar Trichlura crateagi, and bullrush wainscot Nonagria typhae.

I mentioned last time that as part of the wider Lepodoptera project we have been monitoring butterflies and that the area in the Education Reserve around the Upton (Rabbit) 'Warren' was turning out to be particularly interesting. A day time visit to the area in mid August turned up a previously unknown breeding colony of brown argus butterflies breeding on dove's-foot crane's bill G.molle. A very good find. A photograph of a male and female brown argus taken by JHR Ridley is attached.

Regards
John, Upton Warren

Photos: Pale eggar, bullrush wainscot, brown argus

Mothing at Upton Warren

We caught more moths at Upton Warren at the end of July - & got some very pretty photos.

In summary nearly 800 moths trapped of about 120 species using seven 125mv and one 15w actinic skinner. Some records are still to come in and some species to be confirmed. Eleven moths so far were new for the site: 642 Batia unitella: 758 Recurvaria leucatella: 765 Teleiodes vulgella: 796 Aroga velocella: 1155 Epinotia brunnichana: 1637 Oak Eggar Lasiocampa quercus: 1754 The Phoenix Eulithis prunata: 1874 Dingy Shell Euchoeca nebulata: 1997 Sallow Kitten Furcula furcula: 2049 Buff Footman Eilema depressa: 2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua janthe.

The area in the Education Reserve around the Upton (Rabbit) 'Warren' is turning out to be particularly interesting. This is where 796 Aroga velocella was collected which we think has only previously been recorded in Worcestershire from Hartlebury Common: It is a moorland and heathland species. Its larva feed in a silken gallery at the BASE: the end nearest the body of a leg, hair or other appendage.');" onmouseout="return nd();">base of sheeps' sorrel (Rumex acetosella). We have looked at this area in the daytime and collected further micros which are new for the reserve they are 1273 Dichrorampha petiverella: 776 Teleiopsis diffinis and 1219 Lathronympha strigana.

As part of the wider Lepodoptera project I have been monitoring butterflies and am happy to report this year we were blessed with good numbers of White-letter Hairstreaks on the Wych Elms along the Salwarp on the reserve.

Regards

John, Upton Warren

Photos: oak eggar, sallow kitten, white letter hairstreak

An escapee at Upton Warren...

Attached is an image that was on the Flashes last weekend.

Nobody could identify it so I sent the image to Brian Stretch (Worcester Birding) who came up with the following -

'It's a Speckled Teal, a South American species. There are 4 sub-species so will try and pinpoint which one, but which ever it is it will almost certainly be an escape'.

He did get back to me...

'It's resident in the Andes from Peru and Bolivia south to Chile and Argentina and is also known as 'Sharp-winged Teal''.

I think another first for Upton Warren - ok it's an escapee!

Regards

Stuart, Upton Warren

June Moths at Upton Warren

We were out at Upton Warren again on 22 June to survey moths.

In summary there were 391 moths trapped of 90 species using two 125mv and one 15w actinic skinner.

Two moths, a micro coleophora mayrella, and a macro, figure of eighty Tethea ocularis were new for the site. The reed bed specialities included southern, obscure and silky wainscots. Two hawk moths - eyed hawk moth and elephant hawk moth - were trapped, and large nutmeg Apamea anceps was a particularly good find.

John, Upton Warren

(Photos from above: figure of eighty, obscure wainscot, large nutmeg)

Little Ringed Plover

Here's one of two little ringed plovers to successfully fledge at the Flashes - the first for several years.

Stuart, Upton Warren

New moth at Upton Warren

Our moth trapping at Upton Warren two weekends ago produced two new records for the reserve - puss moth and pale pinion. It was a cold miserable night, saved only by good companionship, and a few good moths.

Pat and John, Upton Warren

Duckling at Upton Warren

Not sure about anywhere else but this is the first duckling I've seen this year at Upton (on the sailing pool yesterday afternoon).

Stuart, Upton Warren

Greenshank

Our first greenshank of the year was on the Moors yesterday.

Stuart, Upton Warren

Mowing at Upton Warren

Thanks to Gordon, his friend with machinery and volunteers several areas were mown on Saturday prior to the breeding season. Flashes East (Sewage meadow) now looks 100% better than it did - which will improve the habitat for the birds, wild flowers and insects over the coming months.

Since we have been regularly mowing the area around the main hide we have seen notable increases in wild flowers such as lady's smock, meadow buttercups and vetches as well as knapweed, marsh thistle and other composite-type plants which are highly attractive to butterflies and bumblebees. This provides valuable extra interest during the summer months that are often relatively quiet, bird-wise. Despite a series of summers with poor weather, we continue to see increasing numbers of marbled White, ringlets, meadow browns and skippers in this area, for instance. Such insects are becoming scarcer in the intensively-farmed wider countryside.

This diversity is in contrast to the sewage meadow which, because of inadequate management in the past, mainly consists of tussock-forming coarse grasses with relatively little interest. Hopefully, this will now start to change.

With this in mind I hope we can look forward to mowing of the sewage meadow twice a year (once in spring and again in each autumn).

David, Upton Warren

Bittern

The bittern has been showing well on the North Moors. Its been catching plenty of nice sized fish (for a bittern) that appear to mostly roach.

Maybe it's building up its energy reserves for the flight back to the breeding area?

Stuart, Upton Warren

Moths of Upton Warren

We've just submitted our annual moth count report for Upton Warren to the Trust.

In all we recorded an excellent 2671 moths of 295 species on seven trapping sessions. Of these 103 were new for the reserve and 192 were confirmations. This takes the number of lepidoptera records for the reserve from 348 to 451.

In addition I have been able to report a number of caddis fly's attracted to the light traps to the Trusts Record.

We're hoping to continue our recording at Upton Warren from April.

John, Upton Warren
(photos large emerald, the magpie, elephant hawk moths)

Ne'er the twain shall meet - we hope!

It may be quite chilly but there was plenty at the Moors at Upton Warren on Monday.

The Bittern was showing appropriately enough in front of the Bittern hide for a very short time and the foxes were resting on the frozen pool some 200m from where the image was captured.

Lets hope they never meet!

Stuart, Upton Warren

Bittern at the Moors

I popped in to the Moors on Saturday afternoon hoping to see the Bittern again and I wasn't disappointed!

When I scanned the Bittern's usual resting place on the North Moors the bird was sitting out in the open as per the photo.

After about 20 minutes the Bittern wandered off into the reed bed.

I hope you all have a good Christmas and a happy New Year.

Stuart, Upton Warren

Goosander at Upton Warren

This female goosander was on the Moors yesterday. She flew off mid morning & then returned a little later.

Stuart, Upton Warren

Bittern at the Moors

Here's a couple of bittern snaps taken on Monday at the north moors at Upton Warren. The bitterns are showing well at the moment and before the work party started on Tuesday morning a bittern was showing well in front of the west hide and could be seen later in the morning in the same area.

Stuart, Upton Warren

Barnacle goose

This rare visitor to the Moors at Upton Warren was around last weekend.

Stuart, Upton Warren

Bittern at the Moors

Here's a couple of snaps of the bittern from the Moors at Upton Warren yesterday.

There's one as the bittern was flying to the north Moors where the other two photos were taken.

In one shot the bittern was trying to catch an insect that was bugging it - if you'll excuse the pun!

Stuart, Upton Warren