Wind and Waterbugs

Today was windy - way too windy to provide productive birding. After rather fruitless forays to the Harbour (Peregrine and 9 Mutes Swans west, the latter landing on Broadwater) and the village hides (Water Rail and an interesting mine/gall or fungus - later identified by Robert as a rust fungus Puccinia smyrnii), Robert and I tried our hand at some early season pond-dipping in a ditch on Redwell Marsh. Rewards were three species of water boatmen:

Notonecta glauca
Corixa punctata
Hesperocorixa linnei

and 2 freshwater snails:

Anisus vortex (Whirlpool Ramshorn)
Lymnaea peregra (Wandering Snail)


Notonecta glauca, Redwell Marsh 23rd February

Ditch-dipping, Redwell Marsh, 23rd February

Caddis sp. Redwell Marsh, 23rd February

Alexanders Rust, Puccinia smyrnii, Holme Marsh