On this day 16 May 2020

I had not planed to go to Stainburn Forest but to another place close by, but it was still closed due to corvid 19. I had thought Stainburn would be to busy especially it been a Saturday, not to bad but by the time I got back to the car park it was rammed!

Having been a few times now I know how to keep away from the main paths through the forest, I was so pleased I stayed as I got quite a few new species I had not recorded before, especially two new Cranefly and the star of the day was a Green Tiger Beetle.

Tipula varipennis Cranefly (new tick)

I think the woodpeckers have been at this tree.

Tadpoles

Cuckoo Flower  and Hoverfly 

could be   Platychierus albimanus

(new tick)

Cotton-grass - Eriophorum angustifolium

 Cottongrass is a member of the sedge family and so not technically a grass at all. It thrives in the harshest of environments where it can take advantage of the lack of competition. After fertilisation in early summer, the small, unremarkable green and brown flowers develop distinctive white seed-heads that resemble tufts of cotton. Combined with its ecological suitability to bogs, these characteristics give rise to the plant's alternative name, bog cotton

Small Copper Butterfly (New tick)

Hoverfly - Sericomyia silentis*

Coltsfoot (new tick)

 A common and creeping perennial of bare, damp or disturbed ground, Colt's-foot can be found on waste ground, field edges and roadside verges. Sun-yellow, daisy-like, composite flower heads (made up to lots of tiny flowers) appear as early as February, and well before the hoof-shaped leaves (hence the common name). Colt's-foot continues to brighten up rough ground until April.

Dandelion (new tick)

Dandelion and Solitary Bees

 With not to many flowers flowering at the moment ,Dandelions were in great demand for food especially for Butterflies and Solitary Bees.

7 Spot Ladybird

Jumping spider  (Salticus cingulatus ) (New tick)

Rowan Trees (New tick)

Green Weevil (New tick)

 There are a few different species of Green Weevil, looking much the same and living in the same habitat.

Water boatmen

Water striders

 Green tiger beetle

( Cicindela campestris)

 A ferocious and agile predator, the Green tiger beetle hunts spiders, ants and caterpillars on heaths, grasslands and sand dunes. It is one of our fastest insects and a dazzling metallic green colour.

The Green tiger beetle is a common ground beetle of heathland, moorland, sandy grassland and sand dunes. Often seen in bright, sunny conditions during the spring and summer, the Green tiger beetle is a fast, agile hunter, running across the ground to catch its invertebrate prey, including spiders, caterpillars and ants. It is well-equipped to tackle its prey, with a ferocious set of jaws and long legs that give it an impressive turn of speed (it is one of our fastest insects). When disturbed, it will often fly a short distance before running away.

 The Green tiger beetle is a large, metallic-green beetle, with purple-bronze legs and eyes, and large, creamy spots on the wing cases. There are four rarer species of tiger beetle, which are either much smaller or purple-grey with creamy spots (LINK)

I Know it says they are a large beetle but I found them quite small and would be easily missed if you did not Know what you were looking for, in the bottom photo there are two. Them having a scrap drew my attention, otherwise I think I would have missed them.

Prionocera sp. Cranefly (new tick)

Because the forest is so vast, I find it hard to get a good photo of the birds living there.

This is more likely to be a Meadow pipit or it could be a Tree pipit, you need to see it's leg colour as I found out later.

Orange tip (new tick)

Brown Wall

Green veined white 

Owl pellet 

Lady's-mantle (Alchemilla)

 There are also quite a few types of Lady's-mantle (Alchemilla), this one is quite small and grows close to the ground, need to do a bit more research.

 Not that you can see them but there are two Swifts in this photo! nice new tick for Stainburn this year.

Swifts.

As you can see the car park was rather full by the time I got back, a good three hours spent out.

Other birds seen today.
Carrion Crow
Robin
Bullfinch
Chiffchaff
Blue tit
Great tit
Wren
Gull


While walking through the grass disturbed up to two
Voles or Mice.