Kentish Nature Walks #50 - The Ranscombe Loop 23rd July 2022

Another day, another Ranscombe walk.  We started at 9am from the Albatross Avenue end and once over the bridge Helen and I cut down through the big main clearing where Migrant, Brown and Southern Hawkers were doing what they do best and Common and Ruddy Darters also stuck to the sunny edge. A single Nemphora metallica was nowhere near any Scabious and I suspect it was all still in the shade and it wanted some breakfast and headed for the Creeping Thistle instead.

Common Darter

Empis livida

Nemphora metallica

There were a few more Hoverflies around this morning with several each of Volucella zonaria and inanis and plenty of Cheilosia along with a smart Chrysotoxum festivum on the Ragwort.

Volucella zonaria

Volucella zonaria 

Volucella inanis

Meadow and Field Grasshoppers were stridulating merrily and a Red Admiral sunbathed on an Oak trunk before we got down to the wheat fields.  

Lords & Ladies 

Meadow Grasshopper

Meadow Grasshopper - a pair

 Red Admiral 

The Fallow Deer were not in the field any more which was now just a six inch high stubble but just beyond Birch Wood Corner we found them in the margin of the field below.  It looked like the whole herd was still together but you could clearly see that several had started to remove that baby soft velvet from their antlers as blood was evident even from a distance.  The only one fully in the open was the buck that I felt was in charge of the group on Thursday and he was sitting out in the field enjoying the view and the sunshine and the attention of about 15 Magpies!

Fallow Deer

Nettle Leaved Bellflowers were amongst the many new species for Helen and Wild Parsnip at the top of Kitchen Field was anew to the site for me and was popular with the Wasps and Hovers along with a fine Gasteruption jaculator. 

Fleabane

there were some great stands of Teasels

Wild Liquorice going to seed

Wild Parsnip

Gasteruption jaculator

Because of the route we had taken we had to double back into The Valley to get to the meadow on Mill Hill.  The route took us through the trees where a Tit flock contained all five species along with a couple of very vocal Nuthatches.  Bullfinches called and a large Purple Emperor came out of the Oak canopy and glided out of view which was a nice if brief bonus.

Corn Mint

Hawkweed (left) and Bristly (right) Oxtongues

The sound of Hoverflies in the trees was amazing but you had to stop and actively listen for them to realise that they were creating a wall of sound at different frequencies.  Those closest to us were Syrphus ribesii and when the males battled the pitch when up a notch or too to an almost inaudible whine.

The Valley was dry and made up mostly of Composites now and up above somewhere we could hear two Peregrines although I could not find them. The Mill Hill triangle was as good as Thursday and I got better views of the Red Bartsia Bees amongst the other expected species. Bombus hypnorum was new for the week and there were a couple of Bombus vestalis on the Marjoram too.

Clustered Bellflower

Helophilus pendulus and Red Soldier Beetle

Large Skipper

The path through the trees once again produced Hogweed heads heaving with Ectemnius Wasps and Cheilosia Hoverflies.  Gymnosoma rotundatum was seen again and this seems to be another of those fly species that I can pick up and id in flight now. The small Gasteruption assectator was seen again along with a single lively Variimorda villosa added interest.

Ectemnius sp

Gymnosoma rotundatum

Silver Washed Fritillary drifted through and Helen found the striking bug, Corizus hyoscyami which I do not think I have recorded here before and a couple of hunting Hornets were observed - my first of the year.

Corizus hyoscyami

Brimstone

Lunch was taken in the shade and a cool breeze overlooking Brockles Field with Migrant Hawkers patrolling the edges and a Buzzard swooping energetically down across the field after something we could not see.  Marbled Whites danced with the Browns and as we neared the end a monster fly landed on the path causing me to have a ‘quick! Look at that!’ moment. It was a female Hornet Robber Fly in all its sinister, spiky legged, ginger glory and not just one but three were seen along the same stretch affording magnificent views.  I am not sure that Helen believed me when I said that it was a fly to start with!  I do not think that I have ever seen more than one at any site before so this was a real treat.

Hornet robberfly- Asilus crabroniformis

Marbled Whites

The next field was full of Migrant Hawkers around the margins and Small Heath, Comma, Small Tort and Peacock were all added.  The path into the wood that had been flattened on my last week was now a Hawker corridor with over 20 Migrants and two Browns frenetically patrolling.  The temperature in this little sheltered patch was noticeably higher and as we walked up through the trees towards the Mausoleum we kept encountering pockets of these aerial masters and my tally by the time we reached the top was just about 70. 

Comma

Green Veined White

Migrant Hawkers

Helophilus pendulus

Myathropa florea

Common Darter

There were no Silver Washed Frits in the woodland clearing but a White Admiral did a couple of circuits of us before departing. By the time we reached the top it was scorching once again and we were pleased to soon be back amongst the majestic Sweet Chestnuts with their twisted spiralling trunks. It was a pleasant walk back downhill to the cars taking in the warm smell of the Bracken and dappled light sneaking through the Chestnut canopy.  There were no butterflies around the Master Oak and perhaps the season for this tree is over this year.  The Tutsan was starting to fruit and I introduced Helen to Mrs Ent who was still staring aloofly off into the woods.

Tutsan

Tutsan

A couple of Oak Eggars and male Gypsy Moths hurtled by and two more Silver Washed Frits did likewise. There was now a gang of Migrant Hawkers patrolling the clearing before the bridge over the railway and the day total was just about the hundred mark which given the fact I saw four on Thursday is amazing especially when you consider the almost complete lack of water on the site or even anywhere nearby.

Eristalis intricaria

The walk was finished up with a fine human – insect interaction as we both held up a finger for a territorial Volucella pellucens to investigate and cool us down with the down draft from those precision blurring wings.

Volucella pellucens - not playing the game

Kentish Nature Walks #49 - The Ranscombe Loop 21st July 2022

A fairly lazy start to the walk today and Mark and I set off from the main Ranscombe carpark in already humid and sticky conditions.  Surprisingly there were still some flowers on the first bank and there were several Andrena hattorfiana on the Field Scabious to get the day off to a good start as they accumulated the luscious pink pollen.

Andrena hattorfiana

Andrena hattorfiana

Nemophora metallica - just the one seen 

The top meadow was once again full of flower but still lacking in insect diversity. A couple of smart little Grapholita moths and the first slow flying orange orb that was a Gymnosoma rotundatum.  All three Whites, Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and Common Blues danced around but where were the Six Spot Burnets?

Grapholita compositella 

Longhoes was now largely dry and crispy but a fat female Common Lizard scurried across the path and there were more Common Blues and quite a number of Brown Argus and some of the biggest Field Grasshoppers I have ever seen.

 Brown Argus

This one confused me but I think it is a dark female Common Blue

Field Grasshopper

The Brambles down in the corner added Southern and the first Migrant Hawkers of the year and Sicus ferrugineus were on the lookout while Araneus diadematus webs were starting to dominate the gaps.  A Purple Hairstreak dashed back up to the canopy.

Araneus diadematus

Last of the Broad Leaved Cudweed

The first Eriothrhix rufomaculata  of the year

Hoary Ragwort

Sicus ferrugineus

Common Toadflax

The walk down into The Valley was quiet but some Meagchile had stuffed leaves in four old holes in a the big fence post and were seen collecting pollen from the Greater Burdock where Terellia tussilaginis waggled wings and watched the world through green eyes.

Meagchile ligneseca

Meagchile ligneseca

Terellia tussilaginis 

Comma, Essex Skipper (a new one for Mark), Ringlet and Small Tortoiseshell joined the butterfly list as we walked through the field now largely gone to seed. The stand of Wild Oats was particularly impressive now shining silvery fawn in and ready to drop its amazing seeds. To think that evolution has designed these ingenious seeds in such a way that as they dry the two ‘spider leg’ appendages quite literally screw the seed head into the ground.

Comma

Essex Skipper

Essex Skipper

Large White

Wild Oats

There were quite a few Bombus lapidarius on this path including yellow banded males along with a few Bombus pascuorum and plenty of Honey Bees but there were once again almost no Hoverflies at all in attendance.

Bombus lapidarius 

Cheilosia soror

Feel I should know this one!

I took us up to the Mill Wood meadow where there were more Clustered Bellflowers in bloom. They seemed to vary somewhat in lilac intensity.  Marbled Whites were still on the wing and at long last a couple of Six Spot Burnets.  Brimstone and superbly fresh Small Copper were seen and I remembered to look at the Red Bartsia and promptly found Melitta tricincta in attendance – a new one for the site for me. A Shaded Broad Bar was trying not to be noticed and there were a couple of Lucerne Bugs on the Marjoram.

Clustered Bellflower

Clustered Bellflower

Shaded Broad Bar

Six Spot Burnet

Brimstone

Small Copper

Small Copper

Lucerne Bug - Adelphocoris lineolatus 

Marbled White

Marbled White

Melitta tricincta

Rutpela maculata

Hemp Agrimony

Being hidden from the worst of the heat that the week has thrown at us, the Mill Wood rides were still hosting freshly flowering Marjoram, Upright Hedge Parley, Hogweed, Ragwort and Nettle-leaved Bellflowers. The Marjoram was alive with Honey Bees and Bumbles that added Bombus pratorum, terrestris and vestalis and both Pyrausta aurata and purpuralis. 

Nettle-leaved Bellflower

Bombus vestalis

Pyrausta aurata

Pyrausta purpuralis

The Umbellifers were particularly popular with those pesky black and yellow Ectemnius-type Wasps with the alien eyes and oversized heads but I gave up long ago trying to get a positive identification on any of them so now just enjoy watching them!

Ectemnius-type Wasps

I think that this may be Andrena bicolor

Melitta haemorrhoidalis.

Another couple of Gynosoma rotundatum moved between the heads and they are still one of my favourite flies that I encounter here. There were also various Sawflies including Tenthredo vespa and Arge pagana along with plenty of Parasitic wasp-things with a small Gasteruption that I thank is G assectator. 

Gynosoma rotundatum 

Arge pagana

Tenthredo vespa

Tenthredo vespa

Gasteruption assectator

There were a few Lucilia and a Sarc similar to the unidentified one from my garden and Phil kindly had a look a very spiky ‘Bluebottle’ type that I suspected wasn’t and has suggested Epicampocera succincta for an id. It is a species of Tachinid that parasitizes Small and Green Veined Whites – both of which were immediately visible. A Silver Washed Fritillary landed on a random bit of Buddleia and was jostled by the Large Whites.

Cheilosia impressa

Syritta pipiens

Epicampocera succincta

Epicampocera succincta

Green Veined White

Silver Washed Fritillary

Silver Washed Fritillary

Silver Washed Fritillary

Leiobunum rotundum - female

The woods were quite as expected although a persistent calling Chiffchaff on the margin before Brockles had us wondering if we had found a Redstart for a while. It was grey and very humid once out in the open again but it did not stop the field from flickering with Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and Marbled Whites but once again almost every Wild Carrot head or Marjoram clump was insectless.

Marbled White

The next woodland margin added two more very tatty female Silver Washed Frits and a single Carrot head had a Enoplognatha species trying to drag it’s Ectemnius dinner to the underside of the flower. Quite a catch!

Silver Washed Frit

Enoplognatha sp

A Variimorda villosa was also seen here along with a micro Paragus Hoverfly and another glowing male Brimstone. Just into the next meadow a Migrant Hawker at last gave itself up  and briefly perched, confirming my earlier suspicions but although there were plenty of butterflies across the field there were still no Chalkhill Blues amongst the Commons and Brown Argus.

Migrant Hawker

Paragus sp

Variimorda villosa 

My track back into the woods had been trashed by woodland work machinery gaining access to where we could hear the sound of chainsaws so there were no flowers to check in one of my favourite spots.  The path back up the hill added a final Silver Washed Frit in the clearing where they would not stop the other day but she actually came and fed on the Thistle I had previously staked out. While standing there a large Tit flock barrelled through with probably forty of so birds including both Coal and several Marsh Tits.  The latter, as usual were almost silent.  Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Chiffchaff were also caught with them.

Silver Washed Frit

The slog up through the Bracken to the Darnley Mausoleum was actually touch going in the claggy air but a White Admiral, male Bombus lucorum and some Cinnabar cats made it worthwhile.

Bombus lucorum

I introduced Mark to some of my favourite Chestnut trees before checking out the Master Oak but it was too grey and not a butterfly moved so we quickly moved on and the at Five Ways dropped back down towards the farmland where Speckled Wood was at last seen and a Dingy Footman did its best Pumpkin seed impression on a leaf.

Ant Damsel Bug numph

Dingy Footman

Green Shieldbug 

Apolygus lucorum

The Wheat field at the end was being harvested and after being distracted by the mighty machine I noticed a row of dark branches in the middle of the golden carpet.  They moved and I suddenly realised that they were all Fallow Deer. The next twenty minutes was one of those captivating natural history encounters that will forever be there for recall as we watched them sedately following the lead stag across the field.  There were seventeen animals of which a two were does and several were younger bucks but most were in full velvet regalia in a bewildering array of configurations.

With a haze of harvester dust

Fallow Deer

At times you could only see the line of disembodied antlers moving before heads rose for a look around.  They were completely unphased by the Harvester and truck working their way around the periphery of the huge field and were also aware of us standing at the path side watching the show.

The last twenty minutes of the walk were something of a blur with just a fine male Common Darter of note as I think we spent the whole time talking about wondrous Fallow Deer experience.

Dark Bush Cricket

Common Darter