What's next?

After 3 new parish records this week: small red eyed damselfly, white letter hairstreak and the unexpected silver washed fritillary, I began thinking what may well be out there for me to find.
Basically, I appreciate there are plenty of insects and plants as yet undiscovered, especially hoverflies and grasshopper species, so a special effort with those next year, but what about the rest?
Bird wise, with 106 species already recorded within the parish, the list can be both very limited, or extremely broad, depending upon how optimistic I am, but the following are all possible;
Certainly, I would anticipate these to be noted one day:
waxwing, brambling, common tern, peregrine falcon, firecrest, black redstart

Probably be seen within the parish:
lesser spotted woodpecker, yellow legged gull, curlew, pochard, gadwall, shoveler, great grey shrike, reed warbler, nightingale, water pipit, tree pipit, little ringed plover

Feint chance of connecting:
osprey, various waders such as oystercatcher, black tailed godwit, redshank plus hawfinch, water rail, marsh harrier, rough legged buzzard.

In the butterfly department, I suspect it is at the high realms of possibility that white admiral and purple emperor would be found, but with planned development of Millennium Wood and purple emperor being seen 1 mile south of the parish and half a mile to the north east this year, it may not be so much of a pipedream. Otherwise, I think the 29 species recorded is a fairly complete list and very good for a small East Herts parish, .

Moths; the list now exceeds 520 species and I envisage this stretching to around 600 in the next 2 years as I continue to identify each and every micro moth that is trapped or netted. With over 80 micro species added for 2015, I can only imagine another 50 species are highly likely. Macro wise, maybe adding 5 - 10 species per year, but plenty still possible. Secret will be to get out and run traps in a variety of habitats as well as visit these sites for daytime and night time netting, the latter with a head torch. This year has thrown up a fair few totally unexpected moths, such as the previously extinct Dichrorampha sequana, so many things are possible.

Odonata species are more tricky, as selective searching will be required, but certainly red eyed damselfly will be within the parish boundary. Also, likely: emerald damselfly,

Mammals; most voles, excluding water and a selection of shrews are undoubtedly within the parish as I have found skeletal remains in barn owl pellets at several sites locally. However, this does not prove they are all present within the confines of the study area and therefore can't be added to the list. Again, to see these, really just chance encounters and a few early morning forays to check winter snowfall for footprints.

So, all in all, plenty to keep me going well into 2018! Photos here from an early migrant check around Hadham Hall. Here is the largest amount of standing water within the parish so the willows on the banks attract good migrants. 2013: pied flycatcher and redstart both observed within half an hour of each other after a particular heavy easterly.

patrolling emperor

resident grey heron

azure damselfly female

common blue damselfly