Northamptonshire Biodiversity Records Centre

The home of quality ecological data for Northamptonshire

Look out for Bee Orchids!

Image of Bee orchid flower by Michael Phillips with logos

We’d like to create a buzz about Bee orchids Ophrys apifera for our late spring/early summer Look out for survey.  

This striking insect-like wildflower isn’t a common species but is one of the most widespread of the orchids.  

A perennial herb whose flowers are presented in a way to imitate a female bee feeding on three pink petals, with a scent that copies her pheromones in order to attract male bees for pollination.  Despite this clever mimicry this plant is primarily self-pollinating in the UK and each flower produces thousands of dust-like seeds that are dispersed by air.

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You are submitting a record of Ophrys apifera
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Listen out for Cuckoos!

Cuckoo image with logo's

Submit your records of Northamptonshire’s cuckoos this spring and summer.

Travelling all the way here in spring from Central Africa, cuckoos are an iconic species of the UK countryside with their loud and distinctive call.

Did you know that it is only the male that makes the “cuck-oo” call? This call is both a sign to other males that he is in the area and holding a territory, and to any potential females that may be around. This call can be confused with that of collared doves.

However, the female also makes a call, often described as a bubbling chuckle, which is thought to mimic sparrowhawks and frighten host species off their nests.

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Please provide your email address. This will only be used to contact you if we require further information to verify the record.

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Enter the date in dd/mm/yyyy format or select the date of the record.

You are submitting a record of Cuculus canorus
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Enter the recorder's name, if different

 

Provide an indication of the abundance

 

How certain of this identification are you?

 

Please indicate the sex of the organism, if recorded.

 

Please indicate the life stage of the organism, if recorded.

 

If anyone helped with the identification please enter their name here

Please add any additional information you think may be of interest

Sensitivity

This is the precision that the record will be shown at for public viewing

 *

Please provide the location name. This could be the name of a village, town, parish, nature reserve, wood etc. Do not enter a postal address as the information you provide will be visible to others.

Further details about where the sighting was within the main location, e.g. a road name, footpath, a compartment of a wood, or area of a nature reserve.

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Or simply click on your rough position on the map.


An Unlikely Pairing

Authored by
David James – Northamptonshire Butterfly Recorder
Date
24-08-2023
Image
Photo of Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

Earlier this year I received a couple of butterfly records from a survey carried out near King’s Cliffe in 2022. A Meadow Brown and a Small Tortoiseshell. However, this record really stood out because, amazingly, they were mating. Not mating with members of their own species but mating with each other!

Look out for Hedgehogs!

Hedgehog image with logos

You can help Northamptonshire’s hedgehogs with our new survey.

These charismatic mammals are a much-loved species of our country, but since the millennium, we have lost 30% of them.

By mapping hedgehog sightings from the public, conservationists can gain a better understanding of the species’ population and distribution and can plan how to help them.
 

Personal details
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Please provide your first name

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Please provide your surname

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Please provide your email address. This will only be used to contact you if we require further information to verify the record.

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Enter the date in dd/mm/yyyy format or select the date of the record.

You are submitting a record of Erinaceus europaeus
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Enter the recorder's name, if different

 

Provide an indication of the abundance

 

How certain of this identification are you?

 

Please indicate the sex of the organism, if recorded.

 

Please indicate the life stage of the organism, if recorded.

 

If anyone helped with the identification please enter their name here

Please add any additional information you think may be of interest

Sensitivity

This is the precision that the record will be shown at for public viewing

 *

Please provide the location name. This could be the name of a village, town, parish, nature reserve, wood etc. Do not enter a postal address as the information you provide will be visible to others.

Further details about where the sighting was within the main location, e.g. a road name, footpath, a compartment of a wood, or area of a nature reserve.

 *

Or simply click on your rough position on the map.


Look Out for Beeflies 2022

Authored by
John Showers
Date
02-03-2022
Image
Beefly distribution map 2021

It will soon be time to look out for and report beeflies in Northants. They usually emerge in mid-late March but it is possible that some could be found in late February in mild, sheltered spots. Until 2018, we only had one species in Northants. This was the widespread Dark-edged Beefly, Bombylius major.

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