George Hogg

Re my previous post , including this pic for anyone wondering what a plankton net is . The mesh is of course VERY fine !

Hi David , Guid New Year !
They are named Bacillaria paxillifera if you want to search them

Carpenter's Meter , a colony of diatoms I fished from Dunbar old harbour . They change shape and direction by sliding along one another . Among our smallest wildlife but a strong contender for the weirdest !

Turns out there were 3 or 4 when I worked my way through the sample !

Following my hopeful misidentification last month ,finally found my first Water Bear (tardigrade) today .
Discovered in moss from my roof .
A long held ambition to see this iconic creature ,now ticked !

This is Vaginicola tincta . There are two within the tube or lorica which starts out clear but slowly turns brown with age due to the absorption of dissolved iron. Incredible what lives in our wildlife ponds !

I see is also the author of my much loved Observers' Book of Pond Life which I have been using since I was 11 !

Ian ,Any idea if that guide is still in print ?

Many thanks Ian ,confirms id provided on Amateur Microscopy group on facebook . Must say this latest project of identifying all the unseen foundation species in my wildlife pond is absolutely fascinating !

Added 40 or so Purging Buckthorn to the previously planted Alder Buckthorn at Torness today . All for the next time Brimstone butterflies try to colonise Scotland !

Hi Ian , think No1 on that chart may be this one from my wildlife pond

Noticing my bird bath was full of dead leaves ,I took a sample of water to look at the life forms in it . Amazingly there is more activity than in the wildlife pond . This is due to a general lack of predators , so ciliates like the three species shown here can form large populations .

Filmed a Seed Shrimp from my wildlife pond today . Hyperactive wee pin points ,and fascinating to enlarge .

I'm in Scotland Tim.

Microscope is Swift SW380t , which is trinocular and comes with a top camera. Sample was from my garden wildlife pond .
No record of size but certainly not visible to eye . Do you check out 'Amateur Microscopy' faceboook group ? I tend to post my pond finds there .

If you are also into butterflies, Burnmouth is a hot spot for Small Blue

Yes , Had this one at Hunterston. Never had them at Torness ,but find them commonly at Hartlepool power station . The Scottish range of Drinker is very bias towards west due to mild winters in gulf stream

New to microscopy ,you'll need to explain what details please

Not put on irecord yet so not sure ,though I would have had expected to spot the caterpillars before now if it was common

While we were being audited for Biodiversity Benchmark Award at Hunterston today, one of the power station staff showed me this pic taken within the grounds of the power station .
It is a female Drinker moth laying eggs . This brings the estate moth list to 75 species

Thrilled by the discovery of a tardigrade egg in the wildlife pond . Seeing an adult tardigrade is top of my bucket list ,and this discovery suggests that day might not be too far away !

Turns out it is a Rotifer, but still a 'first' to me,so happy days !

Another 100 rockrose plugs planted at Torness to create habitat for Northern Brown Argus butterfly.
Many thanks to Nick of East Lothian Council countryside rangers

Red letter day ,finally saw and photographed a tardigrade after over 60 years of being a naturalist .
I have a good excuse as these animals are minute .
It is the transparent creature ,here feeding ,head uppermost.
Just need to find rotifers and pseudoscorpions to complete my micro bucket list !

Having a decent knowledge of visible pond life ,I am drawn to study the foundations of that ecosystem .
Microscope upgraded.
The smaller you go ,the further back in evolution you travel. Here is some Volvox algae . If I don't get lost in the microcosmos ,I'll show you more soon

Hoping to film my garden Bank Voles but gatecrashed by a Wren !

Naming garden ferns. Would welcome more expert opinions .
Clockwise..shield fern, shaggy shield fern, rock polypody, maidenhair spleenwort, hard shield fern , harts tongue , spinulose wood fern , Irish spleenwort . Autumn fern.
2nd pic. Lady Fern &Crested Buckler Fern

Turns out they are Polycelis tenuis ,a common type of pond flatworm living on diatoms and other miniscule prey in the surface film by night . A favourite food source is the floating husks of flies sucked hollow by pond skaters .By day they are mere stationary buds (pic below)