Northamptonshire Biodiversity Records Centre

The home of quality ecological data for Northamptonshire

Look out for Molehills!

Molehill image with logos

Molehills are a familiar sight in the UK, their appearance is often overlooked but provides us with an important way of recording the presence of moles, as they’re very rarely seen above ground.

The mole Talpa europaea will spend most of its' life tunnelling below the surface.  It helpfully aerates the soil and improves drainage while on the hunt for invertebrates to feed on, including some that are considered to be pests. This activity provides a vital role for soil health and the wider ecosystem.  Its presence is only really noticed when loose soil is pushed up to the surface creating the easily recognisable little mounds of fresh earth.

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You are submitting a record of Talpa europaea
 

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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?

Occurrence attribute occAttr:105 not found.Occurrence attribute occAttr:106 not found.
 

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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