Nothing very interesting this morning in the trap. However, I had a very good day at Dunge today. We started at the ARC pit where 3 or 4 Black Terns were present, with the juv. White-winged Black Tern that's been reported over the last couple of days. A Green Sandpiper and Little Stint were there while a Sparrowhawk and a few Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs were seen on the Willow Trail. We then tried for the Pied Flycatcher reported in the trapping area. No luck with that but there were 3 Spotted Flycatchers. After lunch there were another 4 Black Terns at the patch and an Arctic Skua headed west. Back on the reserve there were 2 Black Terns and 2 Common Sandpipers on Burrows. Finally late afternoon I caught up with the Whinchat on the reserve approach road.

Spotted Flycatcher

 White-winged Black Tern?

Rain and cooler nights have meant lower catches over the last few nights with only Orange Swift and D.acuminitana being new for the year since my last post

Orange Swift

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I only run a 6W actinic trap so don't expect big numbers, but yesterday and today I passed a 100 moths in the trap for the first time this year and probably for the last couple of years as well. Yesterday there were 44 species with another 40 this morning. New for the year were:Treble-bar, Yellow-barred brindle, Summer Fruit Tortrix, Cochylis atricapitana, Bucculatrix thoracella, and Bryotropha domestica. Best were 2 new micros for the garden list: Cryptoblabes bistriga and Rhyacionia pinicolana. I also had an interesting beetle yesterday which I think may the Nut Weevil.

Rhyacionia pinicolana

 Cryptoblabes bistriga

Nut Weevil?

Seventy-seven moths of 30 species this morning but only Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix was new for the year. Had a day at Dunge today where at the ARC pit there were 7 Wood Sandpipers, a Greenshank, a Ruff or 2, and 2 Little Ringed Plovers. Later in the day there were at least 3 Knot in the same location. There was little at the patch late morning but 2 or 3 Clouded Yellows were seen near the power station plus a Humming-bird Hawk Moth. After lunch on the RSPB reserve there was a Common Sandpiper on Burrows and a Lesser Whitethroat showed well with several Whitethroats near the Christmas Dell hide. On Hooker's there were 2 Great White Egrets and 3 Garganey were seen in flight. A Holly Blue posed with its wings open. Back at the ARC pit we heard that there was a Bedstraw Hawk Moth at the Dungeness Bird Observatory from the from the previous night's trapping. We headed round there where we were able to photograph this rare migrant-a new one for me.

 Whitethroat

Holly Blue

 Bedstraw Hawk Moth

 

Only 16 species this morning but Maiden's Blush was new for the year, as was my 2nd ever Euzophera pinguis, and my 1st Six-striped Rustic for 7 years.

Euzophera pinguis

Maiden's Blush

Six-striped Rustic

Twenty-seven species this morning with Iron Prominent, Flounced Rustic and Catoptria falsella all new for the year. Best was another new micro for the garden list: Lobesia occidentalis.

Lobesia occidentalis

Iron Prominent

Since the heavy rain last week the moth trap has quietened down a bit. However, yesterday Oak Hook-tip was new for the year and today another new garden micro appeared: Ptocheuusa paupella. On Saturday some WW 1 aircraft flew near to the house (Herne bay Airshow I'm told)-more aircraft pictures on my Flickr site.

 Ptocheuusa paupella

 Oak Hook-tip

WW1 Aircraft

Quite a few moths the last few days but nothing very interesting. New for the year in this period: Pale Prominent, Old Lady, Small Phoenix. Lesser Treble-bar, and the Bud Moth. Once the rain stopped today I paid a short visit to Oare where the White-rumped Sandpiper was showing well from the hide on the East Flood. A bit too distant for photography but the flight shot shows the rump.

White-rumped Sandpiper

 White-rumped Sandpiper

 Bud Moth

Forty-nine moths of 25 species this morning. On the outside of the trap was a Black Arches, a species I've photographed elsewhere but was new for the garden list. Also new for the garden list was my first Langmaid's Yellow Underwing, which proved easier to identify that I had suspected. New for the year were A. tristella and Straw Underwing. The other day I had a minor which is probably a Cloaked Minor but might just be a Rosy Minor-picture below. I'd be grateful for any other opinions.

 Black Arches

 Minor for ID

 Langmaid's Yellow Underwing

  

Thirty-one species yesterday and 16 this morning in the trap. New for the year was a Copper Underwing. A visit to Dungeness paid off today after several weeks when my weekly visit has produced little of interest. On the ARC pit this morning there was a Wood Sandpiper, which was new for the year for me, plus 2 Green Sandpipers and a Common Sandpiper. Two Willow Warblers were heard around the Willow Trail and another 2 seen at the pines. A Great White Egret was seen from  Springfield Bridge. A Peregrine, 2 Common Buzzards and 3 or 4 Marsh Harriers were noted from the Galloways area. After lunch we tried the fishing boats but there were only a few terns offshore. However, as we trudged back to the car my friend picked up a Black Stork flying towards the power station from the west, obviously the bird that was reported over Hythe earlier in the day. It circled over the power station, where it was harried by gulls and a Peregrine, before heading off towards the RSPB Reserve. A Kent tick for me and British tick for my friend. We then visited the reserve where there were 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, a Hobby, 2 Great White Egrets and 3 Little Egrets. Finally, in the Dennis hide there was an Oak Eggar, a moth I've not had in my garden. A good day at last.

Black Stork

 Willow Warbler

 Oak Eggar

  

Twenty-eight species this morning with a Waved Black and a second P.trifaciella being the most interesting.

 Waved Black

This morning there 48 moths of 22 species with Rush Veneer new for the year and another new micro for the garden list: Euspilapteryx auroguttella. 

 Euspilapteryx auroguttella.

Fifty-four moths of 23 species this morning including 2 new ones for the garden: a very battered Small Mottled Willow and the tiny micro Phyllonorycter trifasciella. Also new for the year was Least Yellow Underwing. This afternoon I made a short visit to Oare Marshes where I was rewarded with my first Osprey in Kent for 7 years. There were also good numbers of waders on the East Flood including: 1 Common Sandpiper, 10 Curlew Sandpipers, and 45 Greenshanks.

Phyllonorycter trifasciella

 Osprey

Thre very cool night for July meant a dramatic fall in moth numbers. However, this morning there were 2 species new for the year: Cypress Pug and Holly Tortrix. We've reached the end of another month. I've recorded 219 species by the end of July which compares to 228 at this stage last year, which was not the best year ever either.

Cypress Pug