The weekly visit to Dungeness last Thursday proved interesting. There were still 4 Cattle Egrets on the RSPB Reserve with Great White and Little Egrets also noted. At the Fishing Boats there were 2 Yellow-legged Gulls. After lunch we headed over towards the Observatory trapping area north of the Railway Station. We didn't get far before a Wryneck appeared on brambles in front of us. My first for 6 years. We also noted 3 Whinchats in the area. In the moth trap since then a Convolvulus Hawk-moth was obviously attracted to the tobacco plants in the garden and 4 Old Lady moths have been seen.

Wryneck

 Convolvulus Hawk-moth

 Old Lady

We've reached the end of another month and it is interesting to compare this year with last year, which was my best ever in the number of species of moth recorded. At the end of August 2017 I had reached a total of 348 species. However, this year a very hot summer and a warm week in April means that I have already gone well past that figure to reach 365 species. Also on 31st August I found a Dusky Thorn sitting on the outside of the trap late in the evening, which is another new species for the garden. I've recently also recorded my 5th example of Evergestis limbata this year and the variant type of Centre-barred Sallow.

 Dusky Thorn

  

Centre-barred Sallow.

 Evergestis limbata

I have made 2 visits to Dungeness this week. On Monday I saw the American Black Tern but not much else. Today that was gone but the 8 Cattle Egrets on the Dungess RSPB reserve is the biggest flock I've seen in the UK. There were also about 7 Great White Egrets and a few Little Egrets too. Four Whinchats were on Galloways and 3 Wheatears were seen. A Great Green Bush-cricket was noted in the ARC car park. In the moth trap recently the best records have been my 2nd Red Underwing (slightly battered), Old Lady, Peach Blossom, and Centre-barred Sallow. 

Red Underwing

 Cattle Egrets

Great Green Bush-cricket

Dungeness on Wednesday was fairly quiet with highlights being 2 Wood Sandpipers, 3/4 Great White Egrets, Hobby, 5 Black Terns with 100s of Sand Martins and good numbers of Common Terns and a few Sandwich Terns on the reserve. Best records from the moth trap are the 1st Frosted Orange of the year and my 2nd ever Aethes smeathmanniana.

 Sandwich Terns

 Frosted Orange

Aethes smeathmanniana

Moth numbers have crashed now the weather has changed-with just 12 species yesterday morning down from a maximum of 77 mid-July. However, I rescued a Wall Brown butterfly from the shed today and placed it on the buddleia where it fed for 5 minutes before flying off. This was a garden first for me and the first I've seen in Kent for 6 years. In the trap Dark Spinach was new for the year, and a Red Kite flew over the East Flood at Oare Marshes a couple of days ago.

Wall Brown

 Dark Spinach

 Red Kite

The hot weather has kept the moth trap busy. In the last few days there have been 3 additions to the garden moth list. Best of all was The Mocha, a "Nationaly Scarce B" species. Next was Chilo phragmitella, a local species normally found in reed beds, gravel pits etc. Finally there was a 3mm long tiny micro, which was somewhat tricky to photograph: Phyllocnistis unipunctella.

The Mocha

 Chilo phragmitella

Phyllocnistis unipunctella

  

We've reached the end of another month so I thought I'd take stock. Last year was my best ever for the number of moth species in the trap, and by the end of July 2017 I had reached 311 species. However, this year I've now already reached 327, thanks no doubt to the warm spell in April and the recent heatwave. Recently the migrant tortrix Cydia amplana was new for the garden and another tortrix Epinotia nisella was first record for 9 years. At Oare Marshes KWT Reserve the Southern Migrant Hawkers continue to show well along the track to the west hide.

  Southern Migrant Hawker

 Cydia amplana

  

Epinotia nisella