Wainstalls

 Red Admiral

Shiben Valley Survey

Shibden Valley Survey

Yesterday I commenced a  Botanical Walk Over of the Area around Shibden Estate and onward to the base of the Upper Valley. As I was carrying quite a bit of equipment i was not as mobile as I would like . However Records will now start to populate the recording platform  Yesterdays Leps Siting a Pair of Orange Tip Butterflies  and 29th May 26 Painted Lady. Historic Records are yet to be merged with Bird , Moth and other Entomology still to be addressed. Please circulate details to widen participation  and use the Link to Add your  sightings. All those participating will receive a PDF Report  including a report on the Local History Of Shibden Valley

https://irecord.org.uk/join/shibden-valley-survey--group-feet    Link To Survey

Shibden Valley Survey  ( Link To Survey) Please message me if you have any difficulty in setting up i- record - which will provide you with a Simple Recording Form to enter sitings.

i-Record

Shibden Valley Survey  ( Link To Survey)

Aims 

1. The Aim of the survey is to provide a comprehensive list of Biodiversity in the Valley encompassing all Taxa  ( Insects Hoverflies  Bees Butterflies and Moths Beetles etc) , Birds ,  Trees and Plants 

2. To widen participation You can enter a record onto the Valley Location using i-record . and a simple recording Form on the Project Link

3. Currently ,  all records being amassed can be viewed on the i-record platform to help assess the Health of the Valley

Upper Valley 

Focuing on the Source of Shibden Brook at Ford Hill onward Down the Valley to Stump Cross and Shiibden lake

Shibden Estate

Areas around and in the Shibden estate

Lower Valley

Onward to Brookfoot via Sunnyvale with particular attention to areas around Red beck etc. Red  Beck takes a meadering course onward from Walter Clough at Sunnyvale onward to Brookfoot where it will join the canal and River Calder, and may include some of the interesting entomology found in around Sunnyvale , The Magna Via ( Dark Lane)  and Beacon Hill

 

Cold Edge

Painted Lady feeding on clover. The white tips of the antennae are visible.

Shibden Valley

Large White 2

Cold Edge

Common Heath (?)

Also: Painted Lady 2

Shibden Valley

Mother Shipton moth 1.  Another Cinnabar

Shibden Valley

Cinnabar

Star of Bethlehem. Its flowers open fully only in the sun.

Ringstone Edge

Painted Lady 1

Shibden Valley Survey

 To ALL on Group

I am currently recording a  comphrehensive Record  Set   in Shiden Valley , Split into three parts Upper Shibden Valley , Shibden Hall and Surrounds , and Lower Valley up to and including Brookfoot notably around accesible land around Shibden Brook , Henshall Woods in the Upper Valley and through Sunnyvale via Red Brook onward to Brookfoot

This will include All Taxa Butterflies & Moths, , Wild Flowers Ferns , Records of any Bird Sitings .

Historical Records will shortly be updated and can be both Contributed and Viewed on the Following Link on i-record . 

https://irecord.org.uk/join/shibden-valley-survey--group-feet

It is anticipated that over the next 3 years the survey will support nature and conservation in the Shibden Valley 

The i-record app can be used on a Mobile to submt accuate GPS record of finds or if you use  i-record you can use the Map to geo locate your refence and enter your find

In 1962 HSS under took a brief survey and its now time to create a modern and accesible record  which you can help create and participate   i'll  post a few snippets here of that Survey which found Moonwort . The survey shhould extensively also address Invertebrates such Hoverflies Caddisflies BWARS ,and Other specialist species 

If you register on the Group you'll receive updates of any activities , Botanical training or Moth Trapping etc supporting the project

Ringstone Edge

Orange Tip 2 males

Colden

Small Tortoiseshell 1

Also: Painted Lady 1

Shibden Valley

Holly Blue 1 

Shibden Valley

Orange Tip: 2 males 

Whiteholme

1 of 2 Peacocks

New Bank

Orange Tip male

BAITINGS:  Peacock 1

Lee Mount - 9th April

 A couple of special moths this morning after a warmer than average day yesterday and overnight. New ones for this site and the best night yet this year.

Brindled Beauty

Lunar Marbled Brown

Also

1 Hebrew Character

9 Common Quaker

3 Small Quaker

2 Clouded Drab

1 Oak Nycteoline

1 Acleris literana (only 2nd record for here)

1 Brindled Pug 

1 Early Thorn 

Acleris literana

Early Thorn

Weather turned dull and cold today and tonight so don't expect anything much in the morning !

Lee Mount - slow going - January and February !

Cool, cold or wet nights continue and few returns from the moth trap which has been on at times throughout given reasonable conditions. 

Nothing in January

1st Feb  - 3 x Pale Brindled Beauty included one melanistic. 

9th Feb - 4 x Pale Brindled Beauty

22nd Feb - 1 x March Moth

25th February was as good as it got so far with 2 x March Moths, 1 x Oak Beauty and 2 xTortricodes alternella

Oak Beauty

Hardcastle Crags 17th jan 2026

Chestnut

Pale Brindled Beauty

Spring Usher

Spring Usher (dark form)

The first outing of the year and the first time trapping in January at the Crags.===

Chestnut x 2 ( first in)

Pale Brindled Beauty x 12 

Spring Usher x 6 (3 different forms)
 

Lee Mount - 29th Nov

Had a surprise early evening with what I suspect is the flightless female Winter Moth.?

I've tried looking for these in winter evenings on tree trunks and failed to find any even though males were present. 

This one was on the window frame where there were 2 males earlier this week.

Winter Moth - female

Lee Mount - 28th November

 A very nice surprise in the trap this morning even though I shut the trap down last night owing to the strength of the wind. Just the one moth in the trap, a new one for here..

December Moth