Wednesday 29 May 2013

Just the 1st Garden Carpet of the year and a 2nd Yellow-barred Brindle this morning.

Garden Carpet

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Since the last post I've had 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, a worn Yellow-barred Brindle, a Currant Pug and a Bee Moth in the trap. The latter 3 species were new for the year. A visit to Samphire Hoe yesterday produced very little, apart from seeing the Early Spider Orchids.

Yellow-barred Brindle

 Early Spider Orchid

Sunday 26 May 2013

Since my last posting I've only had 1 Clouded Drab and 1 Early Grey in the trap. However, I finally caught up with the Bonaparte's Gull at Oare at high tide this afternoon when it was roosting on the East Flood. It wasn't co-operating very much as it had got itself low down in a hollow and only stood up a couple of times.
I also had a good day for garden birds today. In addition to the first Swifts overhead I also had a Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Spotted Flycatcher. The latter is not an easy to see bird anywhere locally. There were also a couple of Holly Blue Butterflies.

Bonaparte's Gull


  

Tuesday 21 May 2013

Just a Shuttle-shaped Dart and a Clouded Drab again this morning, plus the 1st Cockchafer of the year and my 2nd garden record of Syndemis musculana.

 Cockchafer

 Syndemis musculana

Monday 20 May 2013

Just 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart, which was new for the year, and 1 Clouded Drab this morning. Whilst in Cornwall last week I did manage to see a couple of Choughs. This one was photographed at Church Cove near The Lizard.

Red-billed Chough

Sunday 19 May 2013

I've just spent 2 weeks in Zennor in West Cornwall. I took the moth trap but trapped only 3 moths during the whole time. However, one was new species for me: Water Carpet. I also achieved one small objective for this summer which was to photograph an Adder. Unfortunately it was moving at a rate of knots across a field and coiled up in a basking position. More pictures on my Flickr site in due course.

Water Carpet

Adder

Thursday 2 May 2013

Well we've reached the end of another month and the Moths remain elusive. As stated before, by the end of March last year I recorded 20 species in the garden. This year I reached 12 by the end of April. My first Common Quaker of the year this morning now makes that 13. The only other new species since my last post was a Twenty-plume Moth. The House Martins arrived in Boughton a few days ago.

Common Quaker