The majority of land managed by the RSPB at Lake Vyrnwy is run as an Organic Farm by the RSPB Farm team. This week saw the 76th Annual Sheep Sale take place at the farm on Friday. In the past 3 weeks the farmers have had a hectic time rounding up the sheep from the moors and selecting those for the sale, along with setting up the shed with a little help from a few willing volunteers. The auctioneers, Morris Marshall & Pool of Welshpool, come to the farm to sell the many Ewes and Lambs (1400 in total this year) and it is believed to be the only place in the UK where this type of auction takes place (auction on farm rather than at a market).
Build up to the sale
My rivalry with Adam took a nice turn for the better (for me anyway!) when I took a drive around the lake on Saturday (20th). Between the dam and tower I found a small group of ducks which to my amazement consisted of a Common Scoter (99th of the summer), a Pintail, 6 Wigeon and a few Mallard. That might not sound that amazing but they were my first Pintail and Wigeon of the summer and only the 3rd record of Pintail for the reserve! These birds were later seen from the Lakeside Hide along with 26 Teal and 5 Little Grebe. So Pintail and Wigeon take me to 107 species since the start of April and surpasses Adams list. However, if it wasn’t for Adam keeping a list I may not have tried as hard to find new species along with many other species such as dragonflies and butterflies, so thanks goes to Adam.
Pintail from Lakeside Hide
Other wildlife highlights have been; the first Common Darter of the summer (16th), a Hobby below the Hotel (19th), and the Otter was seen fishing below the dam for at least 20 minutes at 8am on the 16th. A male Redstart along the Green Trail (feeding around Jupiter) and a Wheatear along the rocky southern shoreline were lingering summer migrants (21st).
Male Redstart along Green Trail
Wheatear along southern shoreline
Marcolepidoptera of the Week
In the past week the weather has been idea for moths, humid mild nights, which has meant several new moths for the year being caught including: Oak Hook-tip, Flounced Chestnut, Dusky Thorn and September Thorn. You don’t just get moths in a moth trap with a Wasp, Orange Ladybird and a couple of Hawthorn Shieldbugs caught this week along with many craneflies and midges!!
So moth of the week this time goes to a very intricately patterned ‘French’ moth – Merveille du Jour, which apparently translates as ‘wonder of the day’. Despite the name it is fairly common and widespread in the UK and I imagine is on many moth-ers wish list. The larval foodplant is the immature flowers and leaves of Pedunculate Oak and probably Sessile Oak. The moth itself is well designed to camouflage itself against lichen covered trees.
Merveille du Jour (all photos taken by myself during the past week)
Gavin