Blair's Shoulder-knot
Sunday 29 September 2013
Friday 27 September 2013
Thursday 26 September 2013
Wednesday 25 September 2013
32 moths of 9 species this morning after a mild night. New for the year was Eudonia angustea. Yesterday afternoon made my 5th trip to Oare in an attempt to photograph the Spotted Crake. Very unusually I located it almost at once and it showed well for at least 30 minutes from about 4pm. However, getting a close shot free of the vegetation was almost impossible.
Spotted Crake
Eudonia angustea
Tuesday 24 September 2013
Yesterday morning after a very mild night (15c) there wee 50 moths of 12 species in the trap. However 26 were Light Brown Apple Moths, my highest ever count, and 12 were Lesser Yellow Underwings. This morning after a cooler night (9c) there were just 11 moths of 6 species (3 LBAMs and 1 Lesser YU). Nothing new for the year. Rosy Rustic, Feathered Ranunculus and 2 Lunar Underwings were the most interesting. Where are all the Sallows?
Rosy Rustic
Sunday 22 September 2013
Friday 20 September 2013
With nothing exiting in the moth trap, I spent the morning making my 4th attempt to see the Spotted Crake at Oare Marshes. After I long wait I was distracted and photographed a Lesser Whitethroat not far from the East Hide. It was then that the Crake appeared and I was able to get reasionable but brief views but no pictures that were useable. When it came out into open it decided to run across the open area and disappear further up the ditch.
Lesser Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat
Wednesday 18 September 2013
Not much to report form the last few days. Moth numbers have declined sharply with only 3 moths yesterday: 2 Angle Shades and a Lesser Yellow Underwing. New for the year on Sunday was The Nettle Tap and this morning the 17 moths were represented by 10
Lesser YUs, 4 LYUs, 1 LBAM, 1 Flounced Rustic and the 1st Lunar
Underwing of the year.
Lunar Underwing
Saturday 14 September 2013
A couple more wet nights have produced 31 moths of 13 species yesterday and this morning 41 moths of 14 species. New for the year this morning was the first Feathered Ranunculus of the Autumn. Yesterday I caught up with the Semi-palmated Sandpiper at Dungeness. Here are 2 pictures from yesterday at Dunge.
Egyptian Goose
Small Tortoiseshell
Thursday 12 September 2013
A milder night but it was still raining steadily when I checked the trap this morning. However on the outside of the trap sitting on the plastic funnel was The Vestal, a new species for my garden. In all there were 22 moths of 15 species. None were new for the year but a Small Dusty Wave was the 2nd of the Autumn.
The Vestal
The Vestal
Wednesday 11 September 2013
Cooler and wetter weather the last few days have meant that moth numbers have plummeted from the 103 moths of 34 species last friday morning to 13 moths of just 7 species yesterday. This morning there 26 of 10 species. The only new one for the year in this period was a Rosy Rustic. However, I did find a Rhombic Leatherbug in the house. Only the 2nd one I've ever seen.
Rhombic Leatherbug
Saturday 7 September 2013
Friday 6 September 2013
In terms of numbers last night was one of the best of the year with 103 moths of 34 species. However, there was nothing new for the year. A second Centre-barred Sallow was of the "normal" type, unlike the previous aberrant example. Went to Dunge today where Little Stint, Black Tern, Arctic Skua and Whinchat were all year ticks for me. In addition I also photographed a Great Crested Newt crossing the path to the Hanson Hide, inside which we found a Grey Bush-cricket, a species we'd both been looking for over the last couple of years. There was also a rather anaemic loooking Long-winged Conehead on the Willow Trail.
Centre-barred Sallow
Grey Bush-cricket
Great Crested Newt
Whinchat
Thursday 5 September 2013
Wednesday 4 September 2013
Yesterday there were 66 moths of 20 species. New for the year was Garden Rose Tortrix and new for the garden list was the Common Clothes Moth (Tineola bisselliella)-one I'd prefer not to get too often. This morning there were 68 moths of 26 species with Feathered Gothic new for the year.
Garden Rose Tortrix
Feathered Gothic
Monday 2 September 2013
Yesterday there were 40 moths of 17 species after a cooler night (9c) with the 2nd Old Lady of the week being the most interesting record. This morning after a marginally warmer night (10c) there were 61 moths of 20 species, including the 1st Centre-barred Sallow of the year. We have reached the end of another month and the macros are still well down on the last 2 years with only 135 species, which compares with 142 at the same stage last year and 164 for 2011. The micros are about the same with 91 species so far this year, compared to 93 (2012) and 89 (2011) at the same point in the last 2 years.
Centre-barred Sallow
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