Entomophthora muscae fungi

On september 9th this year Paul Parson's and myself went to dunraven in ogmore for a morning stroll when i came across this dead fly (which looks like a phaonia tuguriorum) on a tree leaf. After recently reading about fungi it dawned on me that the fly that we found probably died from this type of fungi which is called entomophthora muscae. This is a pathogenic fungus which causes fatal diseases in many species of flies. Outbreaks of this fungi tend to occur in spring and autumn. Once infected the flies die in 5 - 7 days, when it is critically ill it tends to crawl to a high point and straighten their hind legs and open their wings. This behaviour ensures that the fungal spores are spread as widely as possible. Some three hours later conidiophores start to develop and a new shower of conidia is initiated.

Drysiog.

                                 Yellow stagshorn

                                  Drysiog stream.

More from Kenfig today.

                                   CF+CG

                                   Greenfinch

                                   Reed bunting

                                  Magpies.
                                  Fair bit of vismig with Skylark 30+, Meadow pipit 40+,
                                  Starling 100+, Fieldfare 4, Great spotted woodpecker
                                  and Snipe.

Knnr

Nice few hours down Kenfig.. A first for me cetti warblers so happy there...
No Bittern plenty of others species.. highlight was the warbler.. but its so easy just to forget everything and just enjoy beauty of kenfig..   Thanks Lads

                                                                         Blue tit...

                                                                   Long tailed Tit

                                                   Mute swans enjoying the sun

After the rain.

                                Cwrtymynws waterfall.

Llangynwyd upper

First fieldfare of the winter approx 180-200 birds flying around waun y gilfach also 1 red kite, mynydd ty talwyn - 1 jacksnipe flew up from boggy grass next to layby above cwm nant gwyn and a single wheatear on motorbike scramble track

These fieldfare were part of the small group in the village

Pwll yr lwrch

Very quiet up the pwll today 2 mistle thrushes a couple of song thrush and black birds, 6 buzzard on the slopes with 1 kestrel and 3 ravens in the sky, a couple of bullfinch feeding on the rowan.

 Collard dove in garden

 Kestrel

 Raven with bone

Mynydd bach.

                                   Juv Carrion crow

                                      Juv Carrion crow

                                    Peregrine

                                    Red kite.
                                    Also Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Jay,
                                    Green woodpecker, Firecrest (heard), Redpoll pr
                                    Bullfinch 5 and a Swallow heading south.

Cwrtymynws

                               No Ring ouzels yet, just one Redwing.

Harlequin Lady Birds

These Harlequin Lady birds were found in garden today 

 Harmonia axyridis species of ladybird (conspicua)

(succinea)

 This lady bird  is an alien species to the uk which first appeared in the uk in 2004. There are numerous colour and pattern forms (above) but it is generally larger than our native species approx 8mm long with a dome shape. There are 3 main forms of harlequin species succinea - spectabilis and conspicua. Also i thought i had a freshly hattched lady bird because of the colour and lack of spots but after looking it up it looked like a rhyzobius litura species.

Herald moth

Herald moth in my garden today

Kenfig pool.

                                     Gulls n' Swans

                                     Magpie

                                     Dunlin

                                     Dunlin.
                                     On the east shore one Snipe, a wigeon pair and a
                                     small flock of Teal. The west pool bushes were very
                                     quiet with just 4 Goldcrest, a Chiffchaff and 2 flyover
                                     Fieldfare.

pwll yr lwrch

A few small flocks of redwing (biggest 26) flying between the cemetery and cwrt y mwnws farm, along with song thrush blackbird's and a dozen mistle thrush, a few bullfinch also competing for the berries on the rowan trees, highlight were 3 snipe on the slopes nanty side. Green woodpecker and greater spotted and 25 linnets were also in the grounds of the cemetery, with 1 kestrel hunting along the lower slopes.

 mistle thrush

 redwing

snipe

Redwing

Approx 100 redwing heading west above pen y fai late morning

Crumlyn burrows today. PP, CG.

                                    Ringed plover

                                    Sanderling.
                                    Also 65 Curlew, 50 Oystercatcher, 34 Dunlin, 1 Knot,
                                    2 Wheatear inc one Greenland race bird, kestrel pair and
                                    2 imm Med gull.

Garden Slug

I noticed this huge slug in my garden that had a large hole in it's side so i decided to look it up

Could this be the Red slug (arion rufus) or the Black slug (arion ater)

The colour of the black slug is generally black, but the colour can vary. The general trend is for a darker pigmentation the further north the species is found. The classification of brown coloured and rust coloured "black slugs" is some what disputed. The brown variation is sometimes considered  to be a seperate species (arion rufus) the red slug, Young specimen's of black slug do have a brown colour which is later lost if and when the slug changes colour to the mature state.

The hole in the side is called a pneumostome a breathing hole on the right side of it's mantle.

Long billed dowitcher.

                                Martyn and I went up to Rhaslas pond, Merthyr today
                                to see this American vagrant, a great find by Mike Hogan.

llangynwyd moth light last night.

                                    Red green carpet

                                   Merveille du jour

                                   Red line quaker

                                  Nicophorus investigator

                                  Two for Paul....

Mynydd ty Talwyn - Kenfig rivermouth

Mynydd ty Talwyn 

2 wheatear along the road

Wheatear

Kenfig Rivermouth

A couple of sand martin passing through with a slow passage of swallow and house martins. 2 water rail, 1 heard and 1 seen (flew up from flooded footpath), just a couple of chiffchaff, 2 sparrow hawks, 1 kestrel, a couple of pipits and skylarks over, comma, red admiral and small white on the wing, southern and migrant hawker,s, also with plenty of common darters

 Comma

Red Admiral

Sawfly? macrophya annulata not sure on this one any idea Martyn?

Rush veneer moth

Common field Grasshopper (chorthippus brunneus)

Phalangium opilio (harvestman) spider

Meadow Grasshopper (chorthippus parallelus)

Diamond back moth

Southern Hawker

Common Darter

Angle shades moth

Dock Bug (coreus marginatus)