Wicklow Workbook

May 24, 2013

National Biodiversity Week and some nice surprises

Filed under: Announcements — Tags: "Sam Connolly", adventure, beetles, biodiversity, cockchafer, flowers, insects, Ireland, maybug, nature, observation, spiders, Wicklow, wildlife — Samuel Connolly @ 7:09 pm

I know people might be wondering, “where the hell has he gone without a word about Biodiversity Week?”. Yes, it is late in the day, but unfortunately for me Biodiversity Week coincided with a heavy week of non-biodiversity related chores, and only today am I free to write and enjoy it all. Remember, the week is only designed to get you interested in biodiversity, so if you are already reading this, then it’s a case of “mission accomplished”. Also, a number of people have been in touch and I have yet to respond, so please don’t be offended if you have not heard back yet, your messages are not being ignored, and I am delighted to receive them. First things first, I received a lovely message from Ruth Finnerty to say she had found a Cockchafer beetle in her living room and had been able to identify it using this website, which is terrific news for me, because that’s what the website is for. Thank you, Ruth! Cockchafers are on the wing now in the warmish evenings, and this year they really live up to their alternative name of “Maybug”.

A male Cockchafer beetle, which can be told apart form the female by its cock’s comb-like antennae. They are quite big beetles, and slow-moving and clumsy when walking, or fliying for that matter. Because they usually show up in May, they are traditionally know as “Maybugs”.

According to the famous 19th century French naturalist, Jean-Henri Fabre, people would use the grubs to cure toothaches. If anybody tries this remedy, please let me know the results.

Evening time is the best to see Cockchafers as they blunder into lights and windows. However, there are other remarkable creatures out there. Look on the flowers for some real wonders. In the photo below you can get some idea of how tricky it can be, and how observant you need to be. Can you see the two spiders in the photo below. If you can only see one, then you need to know that the other is much bigger.

The male and female Misumena vatia, or Flower Crab Spider. The female is much larger than her mate, and brilliantly camouflaged, capable of changing colour to some degree, to blend in with backgrounds. The male is actually camouflaged to look like bird dung.

On this occasion I was fortunate enough to see them mate, which involved the male climbing down behind the female’s bulbous abdomen and putting his sperm directly into her reproductive orifice with his palps, the little claw-like, antennae like structures beside his head. He has to be careful because she will eat him if she can. But there are much smaller creatures that are just as interesting, and I urge you to look at your flowers very carefully to see some very important little insects, pollinating beetles to be exact.

A tiny weevil, essential for the pollination of many plant species. These funny little insects are known as Pea Weevils, and they will run away and hide once they feel they have been spotted. This is a potentilla flower, from the same shrub that the spiders above were photographed in.

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May 15, 2013

The Big Bloom

Filed under: Announcements — Tags: apple, blooms, blossoms, botany, cherry, cowslip, daisy, flowers, Ireland, nature, wildflowers, wildlife — Samuel Connolly @ 6:51 pm

Now it’s high spring, so the countryside is a blaze of colour. There’s something a little sad about it too, because the blossoms on the trees last only a few days. But the flowers on the ground will continue to bloom for most of the summer, whith few exceptions. Anyhow, here are some of the beauties:

Apple blossom, which I photographed in a little orchard in my garden. The scent of these flowers could almost define spring. Sadly, after only a few days, they are soon to fall from the trees. Live for the moment!

Although I found a few cherries blooming in January (big mistake!) most are only blooming now, or coming out of bloom, and the occasional breezes of May have carpeted footpaths and lawns in the pink of their blossoms. Cherries are fantastic trees, and they can be found throughout Wicklow. Most are cultivated but there are wild ones too.

Heavy cherry blossoms on a thin tree. Beautiful, especially against a blue sky.

Closer to ground level the combination of sun and rain has caused an explosion of wildflower blooms. The hyper-sanitised gardening which developed in the 1950s and has continued more or less unchanged until modern times treats Dandelions and Daisies as enemies to be destroyed, yet these beautiful little flowers are the very bedrock of the Wicklow ecosystem, as they once were in most of Europe. They support millions of pollinating insects on which the human race depends for its very survival. Ironically, Dandelions are not only edible, but in many countries, such as France, they are served in the best restaurants as food.

A lawn of daisies and a complimentary dandelion.

Some flowers which can be found thriving in Wicklow are currently considered endangered species in many other parts of Europe. While not exactly a common sight, a sharp pair of eyes will find Cowslips along the hedgerows and borders of damp meadows. Bees love them.

The gentle but strong yellow of a Cowslip, a plant which has become very precious as it is in decline in many parts of Ireland.

The gentle but strong yellow of a Cowslip, a plant which has become very precious as it is in decline in many parts of Europe.

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May 8, 2013

Birds at the Beach

Filed under: Announcements — Tags: "Red-throated Diver", Arctic Tern, birds, bridled, Guillemot, Ireland, Irish, Little Tern, Manx Shearwater, naturalist, nature, ornithology, sea, sun, Wicklow, wildlife — Samuel Connolly @ 2:40 am

Today was the fourth warm and spectacularly sunny day provided by a lovely weather system which made for one of the best May long-weekend’s I can remember. Temperatures have been skirting 20 degrees Celsius, and this has also had a remarkably calming affect on the sea. Today I found myself at the beach where Little Terns put on a fantastic display of their hunting agility for the many spectators there. These tiny seabirds were snatching fish, probably Sprat, as close as a metre from shore. Wicklow has officially the third largest breeding colony of Little Terns in the world, located at the Breaches of Kilcoole.

A Little Tern prepares to dive.

But terns were just the tip of the iceberg – early this morning there was a Red-throated Diver, and in the afternoon its place had been taken by Guillemots, which came much closer to shore.

A Red-throated Diver, a common sight along the Wicklow coast.

A very beautiful ‘bridled’ Guillemot. There is quite a degree of pattern variation in this species. Note the water droplets on the head and back, which indicate just how waterproof those feathers must be.

Shortly after taking my photos, in the afternoon, I met another naturalist out taking photos. Paul Smith considers himself a ‘birder’ mainly, and as you can tell from the photo below, he carries the right equipment for ornithology.

Paul Smith keeping his eyes peeled on what proved a remarkable day for birdwatching. He told me he had been out birdwatching for the previous three days, and had the sunburn to prove it.

Paul was spotting birds I didn’t even notice. “Did you see the skua that just flew by?” he asked at one point, and I had definitely not seen it. He kindly sent me two of the bird photos he got while he was down at the beach today, including the skua I had missed.

An Arctic Skua, dark form, flying south just above the calm sea surface. It takes a sharp pair of eyes to spot a bird like this. (Photo by Paul M. Smith)

An Arctic Skua (dark form) flying south just above the calm sea surface. It takes a sharp pair of eyes to spot a bird like this. Skuas are ferocious predators of other birds, and known to injure people who get too close to their nests. They are remarkable predators, more like birds-of-prey than seabirds. (Photo by Paul M. Smith)

Paul also got an incredible shot of a Manx Shearwater before I arrived on the beach. These birds live at sea for most of the year, only coming ashore to breed. They are extremely clumsy on the ground, largely due to their feet being set very far back beneath their bodies, and therefore more suitable for propulsion in water than for walking on land.

Paul’s remarkable shot of a Manx Shearwater skimming the waves. These birds soar mostly, and always just above the waves. A truly magnificent photo by Paul Smith. Wildlife film-maker Colin Stafford-Johnson devoted almost an entire programme of his second Living the Wildlife TV series to these birds, which many people will no doubt remember.

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