Promoting observation, free range exploration, sense of place and citizen science, through the field notes of a naturalist.







Thursday 22 May 2014

Have net will travel


Its The British and its just up the road so convenient for an evening visit of little effort. On this occasion I decided to press into action my sweep net freshly laundered for a new vegetation bashing season.

There is a small watercourse on site that was swollen to a size that required a bit of a leap to clear leaving a fine impression of a walking boot tread in the bank side mud. It was here I met four lads taking advantage of the natural play opportunities provided by this post industrial site that's lettered with Nanny state health and safety disclaimer notices. They engaged in hearty conversation and while one  bashed the heads of a stand of nearby unfurling bracken fronds the others make a reasonable assumption that I was out to catch fish with my net. I would have taken time to explain my real purpose for being there but I couldn't really be bothered after long day in work so I was pleased when an in-flight singing common whitethroat caught my attention so I bid the lads farewell and went in pursuit of a 'whitethroat on top of flowering hawthorn tree' photo.Needless to say the lung busting warbler had no intention of posing for a pic. 

Moving on I deployed the net with increasing gusto stroking through the herbage like an in form KP on a flat wicket. More often than not my efforts were rewarded with little more an a net containing yellow meadow ants. An exception to this was a specimen of a 24 spot ladybird (Subcoccinella 24-punctata). A cuckoo called as I dismantled my gear for ease of transport. 
 


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