Saturday, 1 July 2023

End of another month and the weather has been heating up dramatically with a remarkable improvement in the moth trap catches. At the end of May the garden list stood at 59, but by the end of June it was 222. This is 11 species better than the same time last year. Highlights were 3 new macro moths during the month: Maple Prominent, Blue-bordered Carpet and Obscure Wainscot. I've also been trying the pheromone lures in the garden which have produced 2 species so far: Orange-tailed, Red-belted, and Yellow-legged Clearwings. The Red-footed Falcon and 3 Spoonbills on the Dungeness RSPB Reserve were the bird highlights of the month.

Maple Prominent

Blue-bordered Carpet
 
Obscure Wainscot
 
Red-belted Clearwing
 
Orange-tailed Clearwing
 
Yellow-legged Clearwing
 
Spoonbills