Common Inkcaps (?) growing in Trap Grounds along canal towpath (Julie Dyson)
Brown honey fungus? 3 Nov 2022
Brown honey fungus-type fungi on dead branch of living willow, by Frog Lane TG 3rd Nov 2022. May be a type of Armillaria? (Julie Dyson)
Bees and butterflies
Clare Weiner has taken some lovely photos on the Trap Grounds during the heatwave.
Robin feeding a fledgling
Clare Weiner photographed this intimate moment on the boardwalk on the last day of May, 2022.
A new Weevil
Sharp-eyed Zhenhuan Zhang spotted this Scarce Fungus Weevil on some rotten wood in the Trap Grounds on 18 May 2022. It has never before been recorded on our site.
A new Bee-Fly: Bombylius discolor
Nicola Devine photographed and identified a Dotted Bee-fly on 12 April: the first recorded sighting on the Trap Grounds. Here, for comparison, is her photo of a Dark-edged Bee-fly, which she has previously recorded on several occasions, dating back to 2017.
First Mallard Ducklings of 2022
Today on an early morning walk we were delighted to see the first Mallard family of this year. Mother Duck was on the stream beside the Board Walk with eleven very tiny ducklings… possibly newly hatched overnight!
Coots making a come-back?
For some reason Coots have been absent from the Trap Grounds ponds for several years. (The last known breeding pair was recorded in 2009.) So Nicola Devine was happy to spot this one apparently gathering nest materials on 8 March.
Goldfinches feeding on Teasel Seeds
On 5th March we watched 2 Goldfinches feeding on the seeds of the teasels. We were quite far away but I managed to catch a photo of this small, athletic bird, upside down on a teasel head. (Clare Weiner)
Mallards sound the alarm: Heron in a Tree!
Clare Weiner writes: This morning around 9.30am we noticed a Heron rising from the reed beds, and then, as we walked down the boardwalk, a group of Mallards who were becoming disturbed. Two kept up a continuous quacking, audible around the TG. From beside the Dragonfly Pond we saw the heron, clearly the object of […]