Middle Marsh is now an e-Bird Hotspot

I should have done it ages ago, but yesterday I, at last, got round to suggesting Middle Marsh Nature Reserve as a hotspot on the global bird-sightings database (and website and phone app) that is e-Bird, so it is now possible for anyone with an e-Bird account to enter sightings of birds seen at Middle Marsh, or to view data about sightings  from there, made by other birders.

In case you haven't heard of it before, e-Bird  is an online database which was set up in 2002 by the famous 'Cornell University Lab of Ornithology'. Since then over a billion bird records have been submitted to it by over 2 million people around the world. I've had an e-Bird account since 2018 but until recently didn't use it very much. Since September I have been using my phone to record all of my birding trips on e-Bird and am now going through my old notebooks to enter all my old data from Middle Marsh, the site in North Ormesby, Middlesbrough that was designated as a Local Wildlife Site (LWS) in 2020, under the name Middle Marsh Nature Reserve.

So now I'm going to tell you a bit more about Middle Marsh than (I think) I have told you before.

Middle Marsh is a 'brownfield site' (meaning a site which has previously been developed but which has returned to nature) in east Middlesbrough, immediately south of Middlesbrough Dock and the Riverside Stadium (home to Middlesbrough F.C), and just across the A66 from North Ormesby. I've been going there since 2016 and in that time have seen or heard 68 species of bird, as well as 220 species of flowering plant, 13 butterflies, three dragonflies and various other insects and wildlife.

Middle Marsh in the wider context - the red line is the current boundary of the 
Local Wildlife Site (LWS). The purple lines are around two extra areas
which I'm hoping will be added to the LWS in the future, and the blue line is
Ormesby Beck (photo ⓒ Google Earth 2022)

Historically (going back before the railway was built in the mid 19th century, when North Ormesby was just a few houses) the area would probably have been nearly all saltmarsh, and tidal mud with two streams, Ormesby Beck and Middle Beck, running through it into the River Tees. I've not been able to find any detailed maps from before the railway was built but I think the two becks would have entered the Tees separately. A third beck, Marton West Beck, now joins Ormesby Beck at the south-west corner of the nature reserve and I think probably did in those days too (but I can't be sure). After the railway was built the courses of the three becks were altered so that they all now flow into the Tees at the same point, but the saltmarsh persisted for a little longer, first with the name Great Marsh, and later (by the 1890s and maybe earlier) with the name Middle Marsh. 

The Ordnance Survey Map from 1853, overlaid onto a recent aerial photo, and showing the boundary of Middle Marsh Nature Reserve. The course of Ormesby Beck was slightly different than it is today and Middle Beck was still above ground (ⓒ Google Earth 2022 (aerial photo) and the Ordnance Survey 2022 (map))

The Ordnance Survey Map from 1893, showing the name change for the marsh and the onset of industrial development. At some time after this map was made Middle Beck was culverted from the Trunk Road (A1085) to where it runs into Ormesby Beck. (ⓒ Google Earth 2022 (aerial photo) and the Ordnance Survey 2022 (map))

At some point (or more likely several different points) after the 1890s, the level of the land on both sides of Ormesby Beck was raised by the importation of large amounts of soil and other 'fill' and the area that is now Middle Marsh Nature Reserve (apart from the beck itself) was gradually covered by industry and housing. In the late 20th century, when all the industry on the south side of the beck had ceased, and the A66 road had been built, the area was landscaped and returned to nature, with a pond and thousands of new trees along the beck. At this point the area of grassland and scrub would have been much bigger than it is now, before the Middlehaven Gateway Retail Park and its massive car park were built. What is left now has mostly been left unmanaged from the turn of the millennium until the Local Wildlife Site was declared in late 2020, and it has developed its own character, with a mosaic of woodland, wetland, scrub and grassland.

Since the designation of the LWS several new ponds have been dug (the old one had gradually got filled in over the years), the path along the beck has been reinstated and a hedge planted along two of the roads forming the boundary of part of the site. Also, the tidal barrage on the beck, just downstream of the Navigation Inn, is in the process of being removed by the Environment Agency (who own it) and the beck is now tidal up until at least as far as Shepherdson Way.

Although Middle Marsh is actually quite small, as birding sites go, and the number of species encountered on a visit can be quite low (often less than 20), it often includes some really nice birds - for example, Kingfishers, Little Egrets, Sparrowhawks and Kestrels (and, although I haven't seen them myself there, Barn Owl and Peregrine).

Some of the best spots for birds are shown in the map below ( ⓒ Google Maps 2022), and described below that.

The Yellow Bridge - A little footbridge, leading over to the (permanently locked) back of the Chemoxy factory, hidden underneath the A66 flyover and my favourite place to start a walk around the reserve. Despite the noise from the dual carriageway overhead, there are often birds to be seen, and even heard, here, so keep your eyes and ears open (and be quiet as you approach the bridge or everything might fly away before you get there)

Reedbed and ponds - The reedbed and new ponds, and the scrubby woodland around them provide habitat for birds such as Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting and, occasionally in the winter, Snipe.  Goldfinches love feeding in the Alder trees at the northern end of this section. As the ponds develop I am expecting them to become rich in insect life which will provide food for more birds.

Main grassland area - The only records of Barn Owl (seen from a moving car)  and Wheatear so far, have been from this area, and a Kestrel sometimes hunts here. It's also a fantastic spot to look for butterflies and wildflowers in the summer. The new hedge borders it on two sides and will, hopefully, become a good habitat for nesting birds in years to come.

Woodland walk - a stroll along this recently reinstated path, starting by the yellow bridge, can yield several species of small birds including Bullfinch, various tits and Goldcrests in winter - these birds are often in small, mixed-species flocks. It's also worth listening out for the piercing, high-pitched call of a Kingfisher as it flies along the beck, and if you're lucky, in the winter you may see a Woodcock here.

Shepherdson Way Viewpoint - looking west from here over Ormesby Beck is a really good place for seeing lots of small birds, plus waterbirds including Kingfisher and Little Egret. Also it’s a good vantage point for seeing over-flying flocks of geese and other migrants . You might need to bring something to stand on though if you’re less than about 6 feet tall as the wall is quite high.            

Heath Road Bridge - this is the only place I’ve seen Water Rail at Middle Marsh but is also good for Kingfisher, and for hearing Chiff-chaffs and Blackcaps singing (although they can be heard anywhere on the reserve in summer).

Railway Strip - this strip of land on the north side of Cargo Fleet Road, is owned by Middlesbrough Council (despite what the old signs say) and is part of the Nature Reserve. Access is currently at your own risk but it holds some nice dry grassland and scrub and is a good place to see Whitethroat (a summer visiting warbler), and the scarce Dingy Skipper butterfly.

Teesdale Way Section - the beck downstream of The Navi holds the only intertidal mud in the reserve and is the best place to see Grey Wagtail, Kingfisher and waders such as  Redshank and Common Sandpiper. I’ve also seen Little Grebe, Teal and Gadwall here. The path here is part of 2 long distance footpaths - The Teesdale Way and the English Coastal Path

Six Medals Grassland & Navigation-A66 scrub - these two areas, outlined in purple on the map above, are currently not part of the Local Wildlife site but I still include them in the 'recording area' for Middle Marsh Nature Reserve and they hold two of the most reliable spots for hearing Lesser Whitethroats singing in the summer. The Six Medals Grassland (named (by me) after the pub across the road from it) includes some nice damp bits and is one of the places where I have seen Common Snipe in the winter.

If you would like to put your bird records from Middle Marsh on e-Bird (go to https://ebird.org/home) , you will first need to set up an account (it's free) and then make sure that you choose "Middle Marsh NR" as your location. 

Upper Teesdale botany expedition

After a long gap (during which I started a new job and have been super busy) I decided to show you some photos of some rare and not so rare plants that I saw today on a  trip to the upper reaches of the River Tees.

Upper Teesdale, and specifically Cronkley Fell, Widdybank Fell and the banks of the Tees in that area are home to a whole suite of species (many of them Artic/Alpine specialists) that are really rare in the rest of the country and lots more that are uncommon even if more widespread. I'm not going to go into why this is in this blog (mainly because I can't remember). Suffice it to say that it is one of the most special regions of the British Isles for a botanist.

Today I met up with my friend and colleague Chris at a little car park between Middleton-in-Teesdale and Langdon Beck and we started with a walk along the river. Chris had to leave after a couple of hours, after which I walked up to the top of Cronkley fell. Rather than describe every step of the journey and every plant we/I saw, I'll share some of the photos with relevant information in the captions. 

The River Tees at Forest-in-Teesdale

Spring Gentian - one of the most beautiful of Teesdale's special plants,
and often one of the hardest to see as they flower quite early and for a relatively
short period. This picture doesn't really give a good impression of just how tiny
they are - those pale green leaves below the flower belong to the same plant and 
are each smaller than my thumbnail. This is a Schedule 8 species (Wildlife 
& Countryside Act 1981) so even picking a leaf is illegal.

Birds-eye Primrose - another surprisingly small plant.
The leaves are pure white underneath

Marsh Valerian - not so rare as the other two but always nice to see. 
This species is dioecious - meaning that it has male and female plants.
Another, more common, species which does this is Holly.

Early Purple Orchid - as the name implies this is one of
the earliest flowering of our  wild orchids. Most of the others
won't be out for at least a month yet.

Marsh Marigolds (aka Kingcups) were very prominent in
all the dampish grassy habitats near the river.

As you climb up towards Cronkley Fell you start to see lots of low shrubby
plants which look a bit like gorse (before it flowers) but which is actually Juniper

Marsh Thistle was the commonest of the four species of thistle
I saw today - the others being the common Spear and Creeping Thistles
and the more localised Melancholy Thistle. None of them are in flower yet

I was quite pleased with this picture of Field Wood-rush,
taken on my phone (all my pics today were). This is quite a common
species and you may even have it in your lawn. Although it looks
grass-like, it has long hairs projecting from the edges of the leaves and
(as the name suggests), is in the Rush Family

A rubbish picture I know but I couldn't resist including the only carnivorous
plant we saw today - Common Butterwort.The leaves are sticky to catch small
insects that land on them. They are subsequently digested by the plant.

This species, which grows along stream sides (usually in woodland -
 but not in this case) has, I believe the biggest 'name length to plant size' ratio
of any British plant. It's called Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage
(Chrysosplenium oppositifolium)  and it is tiny and fairly insignificant looking😃

Miscellaneous Nature News - March 2022

I'll use the 'Nature Diary' format again in this post but I've got a lot of photos so hopefully it'll be a case of pictures being better than a thousand words.

Thursday 3rd March 2022

I had a nice walk at Middle Marsh in the morning. A Kingfisher flying down the beck might well be the last one until autumn now. In the afternoon I was working at Berwick Hills Nature Reserve (just upstream on Ormesby Beck) and heard a Water Rail calling (and sounding like a pig being killed) from a small patch of reeds surrounded by brambles

This escaped Budgie at Middle Marsh (3rd March 2022) was a bit of a surprise.
Sadly he (or she) might not survive very long in our climate

Lords-and-Ladies (aka Cuckoo-pint and at least 15 other
'folk' names, many of them obscene in origin) is popping up
in several spots along the beck at Middle Marsh 

Sunday 6th March 

The 'Able Crane' was demolished today. This huge structure next to Middlesbrough Dock has been host to a nesting pair of Peregrines for the last few years. Despite protests by birders and other local people, the destruction of this landmark went ahead as planned. The first explosion, at lunchtime, was not successful but the second attempt, just after 9pm brought it down. 

Although the birds wouldn't have laid any eggs yet, they were already showing an interest in the crane again, and were agitatedly flying around it as the explosives were being prepared. [There was some concern that the birds might desert the area altogether, or might even have been killed or injured by the explosions (if for example, they were roosting on it when it came down), so it was with a sense of relief that, nearly a fortnight later, on the 18th of March, I watched two Peregrines flying around together slowly, by the dock, in a manner which made me think that they might have found an alternative nest site.]

One good thing that did happen today, although I didn't witness it and I only heard about it afterwards, was that a Barn Owl was seen hunting in the main meadow area at Middle Marsh at 8.30 in the evening. This was the first record of this species for the site (that I know of).

The 'Able Crane', post-demolition, on the 7th of March 2022

One of the two Peregrines that I saw at Middlesbrough Dock on the 18th of March

Thursday 10th March

The first Chiff-chaff of the year was singing at Middle Marsh today. Although some do over-winter in the UK, I haven't seen or heard any around here this winter and so it seems likely that this was a newly arrived migrant.

Friday 11th March

At least 3 clumps of Hemlock Water-dropwort, one of our most poisonous plants, are coming up at Middle Marsh - thankfully they are in an inaccessible place on the other side of the beck so there is very little chance of anyone accidentally eating it.

While walking along the beck I heard a distinctive 'plop' sound as something disappeared into the water. I never saw what it was but I did see a line of bubbles going upstream and I think there is a good chance that it was a Water Vole as rats are usually quite easy to see when they are swimming.

I also saw two Moorhens having a fairly vicious fight, watched by two others. I am guessing that the two fighting were males being watched by their mates but as both sexes look identical I can't say that for certain.

Saturday 19th March

Today was a red-letter day for the new ponds at Middle Marsh - we saw our first aquatic animals - some water-boatmen (or possibly back-swimmers - they are very similar), a pond-skater and two Smooth Newts. I hadn't really been expecting anything to colonise quite so soon so I was really excited. Since then we have seen newts in three of the ponds (at least five in one of them) and on Thursday the 24th, during the celebration which marked the end of the first phase of Green Shoots, a large frog was also seen.

Some miscellaneous nature pics

A pair of Bullfinches (female on left) at the feeding-station,
Middle Marsh, 17th of March 2022 

The pond at Commercial Street in Middlehaven, Middlesbrough. Last
year this was well used by waterfowl and gulls, but most exciting was a
pair of Little Ringed Plovers which successfully raised chicks here.
Unfortunately this site is threatened with development as is much of the
land in this part of Middlesbrough

On the 18th of March I put the moth trap out for the first time this year.
I caught one single moth - this Dotted Border. This photo was taken
the next day, after I released it and it was resting high up on the
wall of my house

Above and below - An immature Iceland Gull on Albert Park lake, Middlesbrough, Monday 21st March.
Similar in size to a Herring Gull and bigger than the Black-headed Gulls that were round it, but unlike
either of those species it has no black in its plumage at all, at any age. It's an uncommon but regular bird in
winter on the British coast, and this is only the fourth one recorded in Middlesbrough, so it has caused 
a bit of a local twitch.

News from Middle Marsh - Ponds, signs of Spring, a new hedge and the dreaded Giant Hogweed

My new year's resolution of writing at least one blog post a week for the whole year, has gone the way of most such resolutions, and it has now been three weeks since my last post.

In that time we've had several days of heavy rain and the new ponds have filled up quite a bit (although there are still a couple that are pretty much dry).

Pond 4 on the 18th of Jan (above) and on the 21st of February (below)

Pond 8 on the 18th of Jan (above) and on the 21st of February (below)

I haven't seen a Kingfisher at Middle Marsh since the one on the 31st of January, so I am wondering if maybe they have gone back to the streams they breed on already and we won't see them again until the autumn. Common Kingfishers (our species) nest in tunnels dug into riverbanks and as there are no river banks at Middle Marsh that aren't covered in water regularly, they will never be able to breed here.

I've started to see signs of spring in the form of Hawthorn leaves appearing and a lot of woodland plants starting to put up their shoots along the beck-sides, although not much is flowering yet. I have been pleased to see a few plants  of Cuckoo-pint (aka Lords-and-Ladies, Arum maculatum) - I saw the first of these here last year but I didn't refind it and as it was just where the woodland path is, I thought it might have been a victim of the work we did to restore the path. The new plants are in different places, and all right next to the beck channel.

Young Hawthorn leaves, Middle Marsh, 25th Feb 2022

Brooklime (Veronica beccabunga) Middle Marsh, 25th Feb 2022

Seedlings of Ivy-leaved Speedwell (Veronica hederifolia)
Middle Marsh, 25th Feb 2022

Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna) and Stinging Nettle
(Urtica dioica), Middle Marsh, 25th Feb 2022

Pignut (Conopodium majus) leaves, Middle Marsh,
25th Feb 2022.

Water Figwort (Scrophularia auriculata), Middle Marsh, 25th Feb 2022. 
Although I've seen this in several previous years, it has always been just
one plant. This year it is appearing in several different places

Water-Cress (Nasturtium officinale agg.), Middle Marsh, 25th Feb 2022.
NOTE - THIS IS NOT SAFE TO EAT HERE AS THE WATER IS NOT CLEAN AND
THERE ARE RATS IN THE AREA!!!

A young shoot of Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris),
Middle Marsh, 25th Feb 2022.

As well as the more desirable plant species,  large numbers of Giant Hogweed seedlings are also appearing in some parts of the beck channel. This is one of the three invasive alien plant species (the other two being Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed) that are a particular problem along Ormesby Beck in Middle Marsh. As well as growing to an immense height (flower stalks can be more than 3 metres tall) and shading out many native species, Giant Hogweed sap can cause a nasty burn when it gets on human skin (which can happen even if you just brush against it) which is then exposed to sunlight. The species is usually biennial, meaning that in the first year after germinating, the plant doesn't flower but instead puts lots of stored energy into a large underground root. The above-ground parts die back in winter and then in the second year it grows very tall very quickly and produces very large flower heads which can produce thousands of seeds.

Last year, we used herbicide on several patches of this plant but in the areas which we didn't reach, large numbers of seedlings and many second year plants are now growing. I have been experimenting with digging up the roots of the second-year plants but it is hard work. I thought the seedlings might be easier, and indeed they are, but there are a lot more of them and even very small ones with leaves smaller than a 10p piece already have tap-roots several centimetres long. I fear we might have to continue with the chemical approach sadly.

A young seedling of Giant Hogweed (Heracleum
mantegazzianum), next to a 10p piece

Middle Marsh has started to get some attention in the local area - largely thanks to several Facebook posts about the site by the Mayor of Middlesbrough, Andy Preston, who was influential in getting the site removed from the threat of development, and declared as a Local Wildlife Site, and then finding funding to do work such as digging the ponds and making the paths. Andy visited the reserve on a very wet day a week or so ago and a group of us were able to spend an hour or so showing him round and telling him about the work we had done and about what still needed doing.

Yesterday we had our first 'big' public event for the nature reserve - a hedge-planting day, organised by the brilliant Annemarie and Ian from Tees Valley Wildlife Trust and attended by several volunteers from the local community and further afield. We were able to plant most of the 210 metres of hedge that we had planned. Although the majority of the trees (which were planted as very small, bare-root 'whips') were Hawthorn, we also planted a mix of other species, including Field Maple, Spindle, Dog-rose, Dogwood, Hazel and Holly. We will plant the rest of the trees at our next session on Saturday the 19th of Marsh, along with some larger trees (including Rowans) which will be 'standards', planted every 10 metres or so and allowed to grow to full height. In time the hedge will hopefully become an important habitat for birds, small mammals and many insects, as well as being a buffer shielding the rest of the site from some of the noise and disturbance created by the busy A66 road.

Staff and volunteers planting the first few trees in the new hedgerow 
at Middle Marsh, Saturday 26th of Feb 2022. The cardboard tree guards
will eventually disintegrate and rot down into the soil

Nature Diary 31st Jan - 6th Feb 2022

Red-breasted Mergansers on Middlesbrough Dock, Middlehaven.
An original painting by Emma Price, February 2022 (© Emma Price 2022)

I'm going to carry on doing these in the 'Nature Diary' format for a while because I like it. If you have any comments about this (e.g. that you don't like it) please let me know in the comments.

Mon 31st Jan The Kingfisher was perched just down from the Yellow Bridge when I arrived at Middle Marsh this afternoon. When I say 'the' Kingfisher, I have no way of knowing that it is the same one, although it seems likely, especially given the fact that all the ones I have photographed in this spot so far this year, have been females (with the orange on the lower mandible of the beak). The dock basin had much fewer birds on it than usual, with one male Red-breasted Merganser, and 1 each of Herring Gull and Black-headed Gull (still in its winter plumage i.e. with no black head and only a little smudge of dark feathers on each cheek).

I think this is my best photo yet of a Kingfisher - Middle Marsh, 31st Jan 2022.
A good way of marking what would have been my Dad's 92nd birthday.
He always loved Kingfishers. (Photo © Colin Conroy 2022)

Tues 1st Feb Work party in the afternoon (as part of my 'day job' with Green Shoots) on Middle Beck in Pallister Park - clearing some of the brambles from one side of the beck to create more suitable feeding habitat for Water Voles. This now rare mammal is still present on a few of Middlesbrough's Becks and Middle Beck seems to have a reasonable population despite the fact that it has been sadly neglected and is used as a dumping ground by many people. Several clumps of Lesser Celandines flowering were a welcome sign of spring despite the continuing cold weather. Stupidly I didn't think of getting a picture.

Weds 2nd Feb A lovely afternoon with some young adults with learning disabilities, from Prior Pursglove College in Guisborough, who came to volunteer at Middle Marsh - carrying on with weaving the willow screen in front of the bird feeders, as well as litter picking and bird-watching. The willow they were using was cut from the willow coppices at Middlesbrough Environment City's headquarters at Nature's World, by the same group, the week before.

Screen-weaving in action. Ian Wilson ((right) from Tees Valley Wildlife Trust
with two students. Photo by college staff, used with permission and consent). 

At the same time, Glen Merryweather took some drone photos of the new ponds and the surrounding reedbed which gives you an idea of where they are and how much reedbed is still left (quite a lot). They also show how much water is already in the deepest ponds. The three patches of water on the left hand side will hopefully become one big pond for at least some of the year (once we get some heavy rain to fill them up).

The new ponds at Middle Marsh, viewed from above.
Drone photos © Glen Merryweather 2022

Sat 5th Feb Refilled the bird-feeders at Middle Marsh (after someone on Facebook told me they were empty - thanks Ronny) and then used some of the leftover lengths of willow (from Wednesday's session) to make a couple of little fences in other parts of the site. I used a slightly different technique involving sticking the pieces of willow into the ground diagonally at about 45 degrees, going alternately in two directions, and weaving them together. Willow will often put down roots when you do this and I am hoping that this will happen here, and we will have a couple of living fences. I will tell you in a few months time if it worked or not.

Middle Marsh was a bit quiet bird-wise although a group of three Teal and a single Redshank on the mud in the lower reaches of Ormesby Beck were nice to see. Middlesbrough Dock was more interesting than usual with about 94 Herring Gulls (a very good count for the dock) scattered between the outer and inner sections. There were also 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, a single Shag, and now 4 immature Mute Swans. The fourth cygnet seems to be spending more time on his own than the other three although I did see them altogether on one occasion.

Sun 6th Feb This morning I visited a bit of lawn in North Ormesby where there were a good number of Bee Orchids flowering last year. It is owned by the Church of England and in a public spot and last year the vicar agreed to leave it uncut, until late summer, except for a strip (about a foot wide) around the edge. This allowed the orchids to flower but made it obvious to passers-by that it had been left deliberately. This year there are at least 20 rosettes (a few more than last year) although dog or dogs unknown have been leaving little 'parcels' there (now removed). Having talked again to Bridget the vicar, we have now agreed to do the same thing again for a second year. As well as the orchids there are several other wildflower species there and the longer we keep this management regime going, the more species will have a chance to colonise and flower over the years.

Middle Marsh and Boro Dock again in the afternoon. Similar birds as yesterday but with now 4 Red-breasted Mergansers on the dock, and the three teal have moved upstream into the main part of Middle Marsh (just below the Yellow Bridge). Also a brief view of a Kingfisher in flight is the first one I've seen since Monday - good to know it's still around.

Many thanks to Emma Price for allowing me to use her beautiful sketches of the Mergansers in Middlesbrough Dock - I think they really bring the birds to life - and to Glen Merryweather for the drone photos.

Three female Common Teal, Ormesby Beck, Middle Marsh,
6th Feb 2022 (Photo © Colin Conroy 2022) 

Moths of an Urban Garden #3 - Angle Shades

 

This week's moth - the Angle Shades - is one that you can see in any month of the year in most of the UK, so you might even see one today, resting on a wall or fence. However, it is most common between April and November.

When I saw my first one, shortly after I had started moth-trapping, in Southall (west London), I got really excited because I thought I had caught a Hawk-moth and it took me a while to work out what it actually was. The caterpillars feed on a variety of common plants including Stinging Nettle, Red Valerian, Broad-leaved Dock, Brambles and Oak trees, which probably explains why it is so widespread. Interestingly, and a bit mysteriously considering that grasses don't produce nectar, the adult moths often come to feed at the flowers of Common Reed and other grasses. The most likely explanation for this is that they eat the pollen. Many insects do this and in fact, while researching for this blog I learned a new word - Palynivore -  a herbivorous animal which selectively eats the nutrient-rich pollen of plants. So it is a pollen-eater and therefore the opposite of a 'pollinator' (although it might accidentally pollinate some flowers while it is eating the pollen of others).

The colouration and the unusual shape of the folded wings mean that it is very well camouflaged when it is hiding in dead vegetation during the day-time (although, as I said above, it does sometimes rest out in the open which surely must make it a tempting target for insectivorous birds).

The scientific name is Phlogophora meticulosa,  which, if my attempt at etymology is anything to go by, means "Fearful Flame-bearer". I love the name Angle Shades but I think Fearful Flame-bearer is better.

The individual in the photo above is one that I caught in my garden moth-trap on the 22nd of April 2020  and I let it go after photographing it. 

[P.S. I wrote about the Angle Shades once before in this blog - you can read that post here Two Moths]

Nature Diary 24th-30th Jan 2022

24th Jan  I spent an hour or so in the garden in the afternoon making a bird feeder out of some odds and ends I had lying around (a bit of old fence panel, a garden cane, some scrap plywood and some wire). While I was there a Grey Wagtail flew over several times, calling, although I didn't manage to see it. Also a Collared Dove came down to feed on the ground very close to me and a Blue Tit scolded me loudly from a nearby bush.

My new bird feeder (on the right)

26th Jan Walked around all of Middle Marsh Nature Reserve and then over to Middlesbrough Dock basin this afternoon. The most interesting thing at Middle Marsh was a Little Egret catching a fish in the beck near the Yellow Bridge. The bird-feeders were getting a bit low so I filled them up and put a new one up (a bought one this time) that I filled with black sunflower seeds.

In the dock were two Red-breasted Mergansers and 2 adult Mute Swans, which were joined by 5 more Mute Swans while I was there - a family party of 2 adults and 3 young (but full sized) ones, which swam in under the bridge from the outer section of the dock. The newcomers made straight for the 2 swans that were already there and the adults did a bit of posturing at each other - raising their wings and probably hissing as well (although I was too far away to hear the hissing).

28th Jan Another visit to Middle Marsh and the dock basin today, but in the morning. Sat in what is becoming my usual spot in the reeds for about half an hour but saw/heard nothing very unusual - just Robin, Bullfinch and the 3 common tit species. The feeding station is attracting quite a few birds, and a bit further on, underneath the Shepherdson Way flyover, there was a nice selection of birds in the bushes including eleven Goldfinches and 3 Goldcrests which were showing very nicely although I didn't manage to get a photo.

In the dock basin there were now 6 mergansers (2 male and 4 female) as well as the family party of Mute Swans (without the 2 extra adults this time). The 3 young ones were feeding on the green algae on the wall of the dock and were not keeping very close to their parents -  apparently starting to assert their independence a bit.

3 Mute Swan cygnets, Middlesbrough Dock, 28th Jan 2022

Six Red-breasted Mergansers, Middlesbrough Dock, 28th Jan 2022

A closer view of 3 of the Mergansers - 2 male (right) and 1 female (left) 

Bee Orchid leaf rosette, Middle Marsh 28th Jan 2022

On the way home I called back into Middle Marsh to get this photo of a Bee Orchid rosette (the basal leaves from which (hopefully) a flowering stem will grow later in the year), that I had spotted earlier.

Later in the day I made a quick visit to the lawn next to Holy Trinity Church in North Ormesby, which last year had a lovely display of Bee Orchids flowering (as well as other wildflowers), and was pleased to find 14 rosettes. Distressingly though, there was a lot of dog poo on the little strip of grass, which I will need to go back (with a spade) and remove.

29th Jan Today I had a little excursion in the car (as my bike is temporarily out of action) to a site I have not visited before. This was Mandale Meadow - a lovely bit of grassland and woods along Bluebell Beck, right on the western boundary of Middlesbrough, next to the very busy A19 road. I have heard lots about this site over the past few years as it is threatened by plans to build a road through part of it and also some new houses (I'm not sure exactly where the houses will be if they are built). There has been a big campaign to try and prevent the 'spine-road' as it is called, being built, with the council being very keen to do it and the local residents, mostly, strongly opposed to it. There is a lot of wildlife there, particularly a few scarce butterflies, although obviously they won't be around for a few months yet. I did see some interesting plants in the grassland though - mostly skeletal remains of last years plants. I also saw several very fresh-looking mole-hills, so at least one wild mammal is currently active there. I have heard that there are Water Voles on the beck, and deer and foxes in the woods, although I didn't see any signs of these on this visit. I am hoping to make a few more visits in the spring and summer to try and get a good list of all the plant species that occur there.

This sign in the car park at Mandale is part of the campaign to save the Meadows

A view across part of the meadows

Molehills at Mandale Meadow, 29th Jan 2022

Last year's flower/seed heads of an orchid (probably Northern Marsh
Orchid) at Mandal Meadow, 29th Jan 2022

A dead flower-spike of Self-heal - a pretty little purple-flowered
plant that you might have seen in your lawn.
This year's leaves are starting to show in some places

A display board about the wildlife of Bluebell Beck which was
put up several years ago

30th Jan Every year in January, people all over the country take part in the RSPB's annual Big Garden Birdwatch. Last year, apparently, over a million people did it - counting the birds in their garden (or in a local park) for one hour at some point during a particular weekend. I have been doing it in my garden for the past few years (and have written about it in this blog on at least one occasion). This year I actually thought I had missed it but yesterday I realised that it was this weekend and so I decided to do it in my garden in the morning and then go to the new bird-feeding station at Middle Marsh in the afternoon to do one there. The RSPB website says you can do more than one so long as they are in different places and that it is okay to do it in a park so I m hoping that Middle Marsh will count as a park.

The morning count was a bit disappointing, although not very surprising as bird numbers in my garden have been low now for at least the last year. I only saw six birds, of three different species, all in the pigeon/dove family - two each of Collared Dove, Woodpigeon and Feral Pigeon. There were a few gulls flying over and some Starlings on the roof of the house behind ours but I couldn't count them according to the rules.

The afternoon was much more thrilling. Over the course of an hour standing (getting increasingly chilly) behind the half-built screen  in front of the bird-feeders at Middle Marsh I saw 6 Blue Tits, at least 2 Great tits (you have to use the biggest number that you see together, to avoid double counting), 2 Bullfinches, at least 7 Long-tailed Tits, 3 Chaffinches, 1 Blackbird, 2 Robins and a Dunnock. I also counted a Goldfinch which was singing from the top of a tree next to where I was standing, for most of the hour, although I never actually set eyes on it (it still counts though as it was definitely there and was definitely a Goldfinch - the song is very distinctive once you know it).

A Great Tit tackling a black sunflower seed - Middle Marsh, 30th Jan 2022

Two Long-tailed Tits and a Blue Tit eating peanuts - Middle Marsh, 30th Jan 2022

This Robin was singing - but it could be male or female as both sexes
of this species sing, and they look identical - Middle Marsh, 30th Jan 2022

The Dunnock (known to my parents' generation as the Hedge Sparrow
(it's not a sparrow)), is common in gardens and parks but many people
might not know it as it is not very colourful and can be quite shy, feeding
in the leaf litter at the bottom of hedges and in woodland