I seem to have become a bit obsessed with reptiles recently and to encourage even more for these scaley beasts onto the moor, a reptile hotel has been created on the sunny, south facing bank next to the lizard lounging area. Tentatively named the House of the Rising Sun it’s hoped that common lizards, grass snakes, and possibly even slow worms (which as far as I’m aware haven’t been recorded on the moor) will make use of this hotel during the winter.
Turfs were removed from the bank and lots of stones and rocks were piled up on the bare earth. Reptiles like hibernating in old rubble heaps and stone walls so this seemed a good starting point for the hotel. Some thin plastic pipes were put throughout the rock heap to increase the number of hiding places and grass cuttings and wood chips were spread amongst the pile as it was being built up. The wood chips should retain some moisture to create the damp conditions favoured by hibernating reptiles and should also make it a good habitat for insects so the reptiles have lots of snacks available if they get a bit peckish. To increase the moisture retaining capacity of certain parts of the hotel even more, a few bits of old carpet were put in. These areas of higher moisture will hopefully be attractive to newts, lots of newts have been seen in the area recently so hopefully they’ll be lured in to over-winter in the House of the Rising Sun. The whole elaborate mound was then covered back over with the turfs to create a safe, cosy retreat. Gaps between the turfs will allow easy access into the rock pile beneath.
More logs, rocks and pipes were also added to the lounging area, so with luck when next spring comes around there should be lots of lizards out basking in the sunshine. With luck the hotel and surrounding area will also provide a good breeding site for the lizards.
One of the most common crickets in the country is the Roesel’s bush cricket and we have loads of them on Otmoor. This female (identified by her long sword-like ovipositor) watched me as I built up the hotel. These crickets have a distinctive light coloured U-shaped mark on just behind the head.
Sticking with the insects, you might have seen one of these golden winged creatures...
... it’s a noon fly, widespread and common between late April and late October, particularly in cattle-rearing areas. It is a large black fly with orange colouration on the base of its wings, on the feet and the face. Adults are most often seen on cow dung, basking in open ground and fences or visiting flowers to feed upon nectar. Their eggs are laid in cow dung and their larvae are carnivorous, feeding on other fly larvae within the dung.
In terms of recent bird sightings, species of note have included; golden plover, siskin, snipe, hobby, wheatear, whinchat, stonechat, pintail, kingfisher, peregrine and ringed plover.