SWSEIC Recording Group at Moffat nature reserves, 19th May 2025
The wildlife recording day at Moffat Community Nature Reserve and Dyke Farm Nature Reserve where well attended with eight recorders coming to help us find things on the day. All together we recorded 291 species.
As usual we started with the mammal and moth traps. Unfortunately, 6 out of the 8 Longworth traps had been completely emptied and disassembled. We think this was most likely the work of Badgers as there was much evidence of badger activity on the site. Nonetheless one of the remaining traps did capture a Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus.
The moth traps did well, catching 38 species in total. Species of particular note where May Highflyer Hydriomena impluviata, Herald Scoliopteryx libatrix and Common Grass-miner Elachista canapennella. In addition, a Fruitlet Mining Tortrix Pammene rhediella was swept from the pond-side vegetation.
Just before we set off in our small groups a male Broad Bodied Chaser Libellula depressa rested next to our base camp. Although widespread in England and Wales, this is a relatively new arrival to the south of Scotland and is still a scarce and unusual find. Alas we couldn’t claim the first record for the species at the site as Harry Urquhart had recorded it at Moffat Community Nature Reserve three days prior! Luckily the species was also recorded at Dyke Farm Nature Reserve which we think is first record for their reserve.
Paul Cobb recorded a number of interesting and rarely recorded galls and mites, including the nest-gall-forming aphids Pachypappa tremulae found on Aspen — quite likely a first for Dumfriesshire. Since the recording day Paul has let us know that he has found them in four additional sites in east Ayrshire so the species is easy to find once you know what to look for! He also recorded the gall mites Eriophyes prunispinosae on Blackthorn. Another noteworthy find was the scarce hoverfly Criorhina berberina a species primarily associated with ancient woodland. It’s not quite a first record for Dumfriesshire but there are only 8 records in our database for the SWSEIC area, so it was still a good find.
Jon Noad and Val Peverett recorded a number of wasps and bees, including the Slender Ant Leptothorax acervorum and Fork-jawed Nomad Bee Nomada ruficornis, neither of which have many local records. Notably Jon also collected a spider-hunting wasp Arachnospila spp. which he has provisionally keyed out as Arachnospila wesmaeli. If this is correct it may be a first record for Scotland!
Faith Hillier found the Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Agapanthia villosoviridescens recorded for the first time in Scotland last year. There have been a few records since then, but this is still a good find being the 5th/6th record for Scotland.
Zoë Gardener and Mark Pollitt recorded dragonlflies and damselflies around the pond, and a few locally uncommon plants including Cowslip Primula veris, Crosswort Cruciata laevipes and Smith’s Pepperwort Lepidium heterophyllum.
Lorraine Hall and Malcolm Haddow did their usual invertebrate searching and found a number of locally rare species including the spiders Kaestneria dorsalis, Diplostyla concolor and Micaria pulicaria agg. – all uncommon locally. They also recorded the thick-headed fly Myopa testacea which could be a first for Dumfries & Galloway and is only the second record in the SWSEIC database. They also found the Bulrush Bug Chilacis typhae in the seedheads of bulrush which may be a first for Dumfries & Galloway.
Thank you to the Moffat Wildlife Club and the site owners for allowing us to survey the sites and a special thank you to our recorders who helped us on the day.
If you are interested in joining our recording group you can do so here.
