Technological

As part of my role at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust I get to undertake a wide range of survey work.  Sometimes I also get to use some bits of tech to help.  Today I was at Black Firs and Cranberry Bog, an internationally important wetland site on the edge of the county.  Black Firs is open for the public to visit but Cranberry Bog is too fragile, difficult and dangerous to access.

Find out more about the nature reserve here - http://www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/reserves/black-firs-cranberry-bog

As part of the long term restoration work of the nature reserve we're monitoring the hydrology of the site using a series of bore holes and silting wells.  This is where the tech comes in to download the data collected by remote trolls on the site.

Whilst wondering around the nature reserve I came across a rather funky looking hoverfly which appeared to imitate a bumblebee.  Further help from experts back at the office resulted in the ID being  Eristalis intricarius.  Not rare, but not common.  Still funky.  There were also several nice patches of flowering marsh cinquefoil.