Seth Gibson
My total:
6821
Year I started recording:
1986
Last updated on:
22nd September, 2023
About me:
Madcap naturalist into a bit of everything. Wherever I look I think 'there's things I've never seen before on that tree trunk, under that rock, beneath those waves, inside that carcass...' Lapsed twitcher, currently phasing in and out of botany and entomology, wondering whether/where to specialise.
Age:
51
My bogey species:
Bog Orchid, Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly, Natterjack Toad, Rustic Bunting, Polecat and Mole.
My most wanted:
MARINE - Leatherback Turtle, White-faced Storm Petrel, Orca, Skate, Mediterranean Moray Eel, Columbus Crab.
FRESHWATER - Freshwater Jellyfish, Triops, Beaver Beetle Platypsyllus castoris
TERRESTRIAL - Timberman, Norwegian Mugwort, Arran Brown. Finding Britain's first saddlebags dragonfly in West Cornwall would be awesome. And a Great Black-headed Gull as my dream self-find.
My grippers:
I found Coleophora calycotomella (2 colonies) new to Britain in 2004, the first was just metres away from a colony of the critically endangered Coleophora wockeella, the second destroyed by housing. In Britain it is still only known from the original site. Death's Head Hawk and Crimson Speckled (both self-found by day) probably my most gripping macroleps. Shown the hothouse woodlouse Anchiphiloscia pilosa known from just one indoor site and the pill mill Adenomeris gibbosa. The tachinid Dexia vacua, so rare it was considered extinct in western Europe. Land Caddis (larva) self-found in Worcs. Birdwise, I've twitched several species that have only turned up once or twice in Britain, faves being Yellow-throated Vireo, Long-billed Murrelet, Naumann's and Red-throated Thrushes. Self-found Scops Owl (1am at Porthgwarra) and Black-browed Albatross (sat on the sea off Orkney) also rather pleasing. In 2016 I was boat crew on Scillies, resulting in 30+ Wilson's Petrels across numerous pelagics. Alpine Rock-cress, Iceland-purslane, Least Adder's Tongue, New Forest Bladderwort, Spiked Rampion, Scilly Pigmyweed, Marshall's Eyebright and Dwarf Pansy all très cool plants. Stinking Goosefoot truly does. I self-found Mitella ovalis growing wild on Skye, it was subsequently added to the British list (2017). I then found the fungus Phyllosticta crinodendrin, also new to Britain (2018), on Skye and added Marionfyfea adventor to the Scottish list. Self-found many Hyperia galba inside Comb Jellies, plus Pennella filosa (an ectoparasite of Ocean Sunfish), two 80lb Porbeagles (tagged) and many Portuguese Men o' War, all in Scillonian waters. Many Scilly Shrews, 3 Scottish Wildcats, a Beluga, a Northern Bottlenose Whale, an adult male Walrus and a Bearded Seal are mammal highlights (last four were twitched). Dicranopalpus ramosus, caudatus and larvatus in the space of 5 days a new personal best! Yellow-tailed Scorpions were very pleasing to see and handle. Plus a Black Panther in Cornwall, seen but not on my list.
Latest addition:
Sept: Diptera - a few soldierflies/hoverflies, Hydrellia fusca (Ephydridae). Hymenoptera - Nematus septentrionalis (sawfly). Plants - Inland Club-rush, Euphrasia micrantha (latter conf. BSBI Ref). Cyphoderia ampulla (Protist - testate amoeba).
History
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- 8 years 6 months