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

Garden Carpet

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

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

  

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

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

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

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