July Sightings 2019

Snakes

Grass Snakes have been very abundant this month – Duncan reports six at Barnwell pit, others at Empty Common, in East Barnwell nature reserve and swimming across Cherry Hinton lakes. One was also seen in Fulbrooke Road.  Then great excitement in the press when a nine foot Python climbed out of an upstairs window and was awol for 5 days, before recapture.

Python on the loose!

Birds

It is a quiet time for birds, but the Newnham Swifts have done well, with 8 fledged altogether, the last on 31st. The (now empty) LMB building at Addenbrooke’s has at least 50 House Martin nests (Richard). Guy spotted 3 juvenile Green Woodpeckers feeding together on an ant hill at Sheep’s Green. In Newnham, 3 tawny owl chicks have fledged. Peter reports small groups of Long-tailed Tits seen quite often in the apple trees, while at Pinehurst, Jill had good views of a Jay. There were lots of Gulls (mainly Black Headed) and Corvids (Rooks and Jackdaws) on the playing fields of St Bedes (Holly). Rhona had excellent views of a female Sparrowhawk in Jesus Woods, which had just caught a young Moorhen. Kingfishers are always a joy to see and Steve reports one seen in Queens’ ditch.

Butterflies

Butterflies are having a fantastic year.  The Histon Rd cemetery count totals 22 species, including a Marbled White, not previously seen there. There was another in Trumpington, on some Cardoon flowers (Mo). Liza reports the small form of the female Small Blue butterfly Cupido minimus, with total wing span just 16mm, on Trumpington Meadows. There have been huge numbers of Painted Ladies (Mo, Mary, Martin).  A  White-letter Hairstreak was seen on 8th July near Bourn Brook (Jeff S) and Purple Emperor female on Buddleia at roadside 200m N of Cambridge North station on 16th July (Chris H). Interesting to speculate where this came from, as they are found “High in the tree-tops of well-wooded landscapes in central-southern England” – hardly a description of N Cambridge!

Other invertebrates

Dragon and Damselflies are also doing very well. Duncan found a White-Legged Damselfly on Grantchester Meadows – a first for the NatHistCam study area and generally rare in Cambridgeshire, but apparently expanding their range north and east. Then, just outside our area on the Cam at Horningsea, were two more displaying males and a tandem pair of White-legged Damselflies, seen on 16th July (Jeff).  Rhona reports from Jesus College a Southern Hawker, a Migrant Hawker and her first Black-tailed Skimmer.

Lots of other Invertebrate records this month. On cedar tree stump at Cherry Hinton Hall, Rob found a Giant Horntail Urocerus gigas (a sawfly) being predated by a Steatoda spider. Liza found many tiny black bees (5mm) Chelostoma campanularum, which specialise on Campanula plants.  Kevin was delighted to find 2 Hornet Mimic Hoverflies on buddleia and also in Histon Rd was a 6-spot Burnet Moth (Sue Woodsford). Meanwhile, down the road in Chesterton, Bronwyn was invaded by a Hornet Robberfly Asilus crabroniformis….. “It came into the house, there were tiny children all around and everyone too scared to even take a picture of it!!” These fearsome-looking flies are top predators of dung flies and this was less than 1k from the grazing on Stourbridge Common.

Equally scary to arachnophobes, Jill reported a Harvestman, Dicranopalpus ramosus on her bedroom ceiling in Pinehurst. The extra long second pair of legs act as feelers.  Paul noted a soldier fly, Banded General Stratiomys potamida on Coldhams Common. This guy looks rather like a very flat wasp – it was regarded as a rarity in the 19th century, but has increased its distribution in recent years. A second Cambridge record this month was seen in Shaftsbury Rd. Paul also noted a Pale Prominent Moth and an Eyed Ladybird. Rhoda found Social Pear Tree Sawfly larvae Neurotoma saltuum on the Medlar tree in Jesus.  Penny was blessed with visits from Hummingbird Hawk-moths.

Mammals

There were several reports of Water Voles; along Robinson Crusoe island ditch (Guy), at Jesus College (Rhona), in Paradise (Jeff) and Cherry Hinton (Holly), so they are plainly doing well.  The Hares noted in the spring are now all over the fields behind Fulbrooke Road. I continue to release Hedgehogs in Newham, well away from the known Badger hotspots.

Plants

One interesting find was Broad-leaved Helleborine on the CNHS visit to Cherry Hinton Lakes.  The last time it had been reported in the Cherry Hinton area was around 1770 (Jonathan).  This does show the value of the NatHistCam project in getting permission to visit sites in the City that are not usually visited. And finally, the line of Oak Trees along the Baulk track in Newnham, planted and replanted over the past four years, are finally burgeoning (Jill).

Broad-Leaved Helleborine