Bog-trotting. 1. Fen Bog and Tranmire Bog

It has taken me a while to write this but this is the first instalment of a series on Yorkshire bogs, which we are visiting to recce for an upcoming Bog Bush-cricket acoustic survey. Fen Bog and Tranmire Bog are small sites near each other, so we decided to start with them. Fen Bog is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and YWT nature reserve on Newtondale, a glacial valley where the Yorkshire Moors Railway runs from Pickering to Whitby. We walk along the wet footpath on the east of the valley, recording the diverse flora of the site, mostly species new to me, typical of wet heath, bog and mire habitats, and we keep our eyes open for bush-cricket nymphs. Siskins and Lesser Redpolls fly over calling and sing from the birches. We see no Bog Bush-crickets on site, despite the habitat looking spot on for them. We'll see what the acoustic survey reveals.

Latticed Heath moth.

Small Heath.

There are 18 m of peat stored under the wet valley bottom, still growing thanks to sphagnum moss.

Sphagnum inundatum, well saturated, one of the several species in the bog. Sphagnum mosses grow when wet, absorbing and fixing carbon dioxide from the air into their tissues. Due to the acidic conditions in the bog, dead tissues under the growing mosses don't decompose, rather accumulate, compact and eventually becomes peat stored under the bog. Maintaining bogs and mires wet, removing any artificial drainage and stopping peat extractions is crucial for the recovery of active bogs and for reducing atmospheric CO2.

Common Spotted Orchid.

Common Lousewort.

Bog Pondweed.

On the wetter flushes by the path, the reddish rosettes of Round-leaved Sundew.

There are large areas of Bog Myrtle on the valley bottom.

A Large Red Damselfly near the beck.

Lesser Redpoll singing.

Yellowhammer at the car park.

After lunch at a very well located bench overlooking the valley, and having seen the steam train across Fen Bog, it is time for the second site of the day, Tranmire Bog, a small bog right next to the Wheeldale Roman road as it crosses Wheeldale beck. To drive there we have to take a long detour via Goathlandbut as a bonus, we find a Grouse pair and a chick just by the side of the road. I take some photos from the car, these are a lifer for me!

Male Red Grouse.

Tranmire Bog is known for its dragonflies, with Golden-ringed Dragonfly in Rutmoor Bec, and Keeled Skimmer, Black Darter and Common Hawker present. It is located within the North Yorks Moor National Park. A Bog Bush-cricket record of an adult female in 2017 prompted us to visit this site, my first visit.

A General view of Tranmire Bog area.

Rutmoor Beck.

The small but stunning Tranmire bog, the bog covered on Bog Bean, with a drift of Cotton grass in the distance.

Green Tiger Beetle.

Bean Bog.

Adder shed skin. We find several pieces of skin across the side of the bog.

Sphagnum moss.

 More information

YWT site for Fen Bog.

Special Area of Conservation designation. JNCC site.

Yorkshire Dragonfly Group Tranmire bog site.

A first visit to Fen Bog

A trip to Fen Bog with fellow naturalist Robert Jaques. Fen Bog is a place I had wanted to visit for a while: a peaty bog area on a flat-bottom valley, with the Yorkshire North Moors steam railway line bordering the reserve. The steam train passed a couple of times while we were there (top). The nature reserve is flanked by upland streams. Continuing with the spell of warm, sunny weather, it was a perfect day for dragonflies and butterflies, including a light cooling northerly breeze which keeping biting insects at bay.

Butterflies

On the high slopes by the car park several Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries (top) fed on the flowering heather. Common Blues, Small Heath, Ringlet and Large Skippers were also on the wing, and later at the bottom of the site we caught with a Dark green Fritillary feeding on the Marsh Thistles. No signs of the Large Heath, which is recorded on the site too. Both Fritillaries were new for me in the UK.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary.

Large Skipper.

Dark Green Fritillary.

Common Blue on Bird's foot trefoil

Dragonflies

Fen Bog is known by its upland and moorland specialist dragonflies, with a total of 13 sp. On the path towards the bottom of the site we came across the first Keeled Skimmer, a female who sat on the ground several times.

Female Keeled Skimmer.

It was on the mire area, on a pool, a male Golden-ringed Dragonfly fed and patrolled the area. A second male came often to the pool, and both chased and occasionally fought for the prime position over the pond. After a while the resident male sat on a reed stem, and then occasionally sat again in various places in the same area. At one point 4 individuals chased high over the pool, with rustling of wings as they clashed. It was great to watch the dragonflies while sitting on the side of the pool. 

My best try at a flight shot.

 On the way back we were lucky with male Keeled Skimmers. This is a rare species in Yorkshire only present in a few sites, mostly found around Fylingdales Moor.

Male Keeled Skimmer.

Large Red Damselfly.

Plants
The heather was blooming and the site is not as wet as it would have been some rain in the last few weeks, but there were still boggy areas holding sundews, bog asphodels and other bog specialist plants.

Round leaves sundew. Note the captured fly under the topmost stem. A live fly was flying about, possibly attracted by the captured one?

Round-leaved sundew about to flower

Bog Asphodel

A view of Fen Bog from the path.

  Others

An Adder sunbathing on a sunny patch under trees. 

Sericomyia silentis, the Bog Hoverfly.

Bog hoverfly on orchid.

We came across three dead rabbits in various stages of decomposition around the reserve. Turning over this one revealed a pair of...

Banded Sexton beetles, Nicrophorus investigator, which promptly scurried under the corpse.

Birds 
Not a lot to report on the bird front. A curlew called and few over. A few Whitethroats were on full song, but not much else.

Singing Whitethroat.