My Blog - Jeff Clarke

Budby Common

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All images unless otherwise stated © Jeff Clarke 2011

Over the Easter Bank Holiday I took the opportunity to visit one of my favourite locations , Budby Common, in North Nottinghamshires Sherwood Forest. In recent years this superb area of heathland has undergone an impressive and effective heathland restoration programme. The judicious use of Longhorn Cattle and rare breed sheep have made decisive impact to bring the heathland back to rude health and the wildife has responded. The heath is jumping with Tree Pipits, while Woodlarks yodel across much of the area.

The invertebrate population is equally interesting and indicative of the sandy substrate on which the heather grows. Common Heath moths were super-abundant in the warm sunshine of Easter 2011 and it was difficult getting close enough for a photograph. Thankfully I found a recently emerged male still in the process of extending his wings. Green Longhorn moths were lekking in the sunshine around some of the birch and oak trees and a tap on a Scot's Pine produced a longhorn beetle Ragia bifasciata. Some of the small Scots Pine's also seemed to be a gathering ground for Sloe Shieldbugs and possibly exaplined my finding of a Tachinid fly Phasia hemiptera, that specialises in parisitzing Shieldbugs.

The very warm conditions of late had promoted the early emergence of some dragonfly and damselfy species and it was no surprise to find a teneral of Large Red Damselfy. As I left the site I couldn't help but turn over a few likely looking logs and underneath I found seveal Shining Fungus Beetles, looking for all the world like pointy abdomened Ladybirds.

I hope to get back there this summer with my moth trap, hopefully to a back drop music of churring Nightjars.