This morning I was very pleased to see a Barred Yellow on the vanes of my small Heath Trap-the first one in 16 years of trapping. This is my first new macro for the garden list this year. Also new for the year were Red-barred Tortrix and Lozotaenia forsterana. After looking in the trap where there were only 20 moths of 16 species, I headed down to Reculver where the Icterine Warbler was singing well near the Bishopstone Lane car park. It only gave brief views while I was there but this was a Kent tick for my bird list.

Barred Yellow

Lozotaenia forsterana

This morning there were 31 moths of 23 species in my trap with The Fan-foot, July Highflyer, Wax Moth, and Lesser Yellow Underwing all new for the year. Yesterday afternoon I caught up with the Bonaparte's Gull at Oare Marshes for the 3rd year running. It is in very nice adult plumage now but was a too distant for a decent photograph.

July Highflyer

 Bonaparte's Gull

Saturday morning produced the best catch of the year in terms of numbers with 50 moths of 27 species. New for the year were Dark Arches, Yellow Shell, Mottled Beauty, Eudonia mercurella, Crambus perlela, Udea olivalis, Bramble Shoot Moth and my 5th ever Pine Carpet. Numbers were down slightly this morning with 38 moths od 26 species with Crambus pascuella new for the garden list-the first new species of the year.

Crambus pascuella

Pine Carpet

I had the best moth catch of the year this morning with 28 moths of 21 species-nothing special but better than of late. New for the year were: the Bud Moth, my second ever record of Blotched Emerald-the first was in 2009, my first Bordered Straw since 2009 and my first Cream-bordered Green Pea since 2010. Struggled again today to find many new birds at Dunge but Scotney Gravel Pits proved most productive with a flight view of the two Spoonbills and my first Corn Buntings of the year. A Tree Sparrow was also seen there.

Blotched Emerald

Bordered Straw

 Cream-bordered Green Pea

 Spoonbills

Made another visit to Westbere Lakes yesterday afternoon, where I only saw 1 Norfolk Hawker, which cruised up and down a short stretch of territory but didn't settle once in an hour. I could only try for flight shots. One hairy Dragonfly also noted.

Norfolk Hawker

Moth numbers still low. New for the year in the last couple of nights were: Scarce Footman, Smoky Wainscot and Celypha striana.

Scarce Footman

 Celypha striana

New moths for the year Saturday morning were Treble Brown-spot, Double Square-spot and The Uncertain. Saturday afternoon I spent at Lullingstone CP where it was overcast and a bit drizzly. I did have fleeting views of 3 Dark Green Fritillaries but none posed for the camera. However, there were also a few Marbled White Butterflies and Grass Rivulets were fairly common there.

Marbled White

Grass Rivulet

New for the year moths since my last post have been: The Flame, Straw Dot, Garden Grass Veneer, Lesser Wax Moth and the Codling Moth. Today we again struggled to find anything at Dunge. As well as a lack of birds there also seemed to be a dearth of insects. About 6 Hobbies were seen around the reserve plus a couple of Peregrines and the usual Marsh Harriers and a couple of Little Egrets. A Cuckoo was still calling around the ARC Pit. I was driven to photographing moth caterpillars, which I have identified as follows:

The Lackey

 Fox Moth

 Garden Tiger

New moth species for the year for the last couple of days were: Heart & Club, Foxglove Pug and Privet Hawk-moth. This morning I visited Hothfields Heathlands where there were a few Keeled Skimmers and Four-spotted Chasers at the main bog. Also noted were 1 Broad-bodied Chaser and 2 Azure Damselflies.

 Keeled Skimmer

Twenty-one moths of 14 species this morning with Small Clouded Brindle new for the year and only my 4th record in 16 years. I paid a brief visit to Westbere today but didn't find any Norfolk Hawkers. There were 2 Scarce Chasers and what I think is a newly emerged female Black-tailed Skimmer.

Scarce Chaser

 Black-tailed Skimmer

Getting a few more moths now. Over the last couple of days Brown Rustic, Plum Tortrix and Crambus lathoniellus have been new for the year. However, I was particularly pleased to get a Pretty Chalk Carpet in the trap this morning-only my 2nd ever record and in much better condition than the first in 2009. A Birch Shieldbug also appeared the other day.

Pretty Chalk Carpet

 Birch Shieldbug

Sixteen moths of ten species this morning still isn't good for June. However there was my 3rd ever Pebble Prominent and a Small Magpie was also new for the year. Yesterday I spent a very windy day at Dunge. We struggled to find much at all to report. We saw around 6 Hobbies on the RSPB Reserve and a few of Med Gulls at the patch, A Hairy Dragonfly was seen near the Willow Trail on the ARC pit.

Hairy Dragonfly

 Pebble Prominent

Not much to report from the moth trap with only Bright-line Brown-eye new for the year in the last couple of days. However, today I did spot a Little Owl perched on Hop Poles in the village and managed a distant snap.

Little Owl

Made the annual vist to east Blean Woods for the Heath Fritillaries this morning and saw about 12 there. There was also a new species of moth for me but only one dragonfly species-Hairy.

Heath Fritillary

 Heath Fritillary

Anania fuscalis

Another cool night (5.5c) resulted in 17 moths of 15 species including the first Large Yellow Underwing of the year. Also new were Marbled Minor (agg.), Mother of Pearl, and Monopis obviella. Yesterday I had the first Humming-bird Hawk Moth in the garden this summer.

Humming-bird Hawk Moth

 

The warmer weather over the last few days has meant a few more moths in the trap. New species for the year include: Buff Ermine, Green Pug, Mottled Rustic, Willow Beauty, Setaceous Hebrew Character, S. ambigualis and N. cynosbatella. At Boughton Allotments I recorded 1 Currant Clearwing at a pheromone lure.

Notocelia cynosbatella

I had the first Heart and Dart on Sunday morning but this morning only 1 Turnip Moth. We've reached the end of May and I've recorded 56 species in the trap which compares to 80 by this time last year. Best of the year so far was the Emperor Moths in Cornwall.

Emperor Moth