I've not had much to report lately but a mild night with not much rain this morning produced 5 moths in the trap: Silver Y, Common Marbled Carpet, Lesser Yellow Underwing, and new for the year: Green-brindled Crescent & a very worn Acleris sparsana.

Green-brindled Crescent

Acleris sparsana

Just 5 moths this morning: 2 Feathered Ranunculus, 2 Lunar Underwing, and at last an L-album Wainscot. This is the first time this year that I've had solely "autumn species" in the trap. Still no Sallows.

Feathered Ranunculus

 L-album Wainscot

A Feathered Ranunculus in the trap this morning was only the third species added to the year list in September but overall moth numbers so far are slightly better than last year. Visited Dunge today. After seeing a Great Crested Newt on the track to the Hanson Hide, and Black-necked Grebe and Water Rail from the hide, a message came of a Cattle Egret across the road near Boulderwall Farm, where it posed with some cows quite close to the path. At the Fishing Boats there were 2 Arctic Skuas still chasing the Sandwich Terns  and a Red-throated Diver in Summer plumage was on the sea. Back on the reserve after lunch there was a Yellow-legged Gull by the track to the visitors Centre and a distant Stint from the Makepeace hide was probably an adult Little. A Great White Egret was on Hookers. Back in the Hanson hide in late afternoon another Great White Egret showed well and Sparrowhawk flew past.

Great Crested Newt

Cattle Egret

 Cattle Egret

 Yellow-legged Gull

I've been away to Cornwall for a week and was hoping the moth trap might yield some better results there than at home of late. However, it proved to be just as disappointing as here. We did have lots of fine weather which meant cold nights of course. Clouded Yellows were by far the most common butterfly around the Lizard and further west too. The most interesting bird sightings were several Choughs at various locations, and a few Balearic Shearwaters past Pendeen. Apart from wildlife I did tick another quoit near Cambourne-pictures below. I believe this monument is also known as the Pendarvis Quoit or the Devil's Frying Pan and is about 6000 years old.

Carwynnen or Giant's Quoit

Carwynnen or Giant's Quoit

Finally got a couple of Lunar Underwings in the trap-the first "new for the year" species this month.

 Lunar Underwing

Lunar Underwing

Still nothing new for the year in the moth trap this month. Had an outing to Dunge today where there was a strong easterly wind blowing for most of the day. There were 2 Black-necked Grebes from the Hanson Hide again and a very tame Grey Heron on the Willow Trail boardwalk. Returning from that hide we found a Great Green Bush-cricket in the middle of the path. I wanted to get a good picture of this species so this was a good find. Round towards the screen hide a Turtle Dove sat posing for a long while on a wire there. This was the first one I have actually seen this year. Unfortunately when I examined the photographs this evening I notice there is blood on the wing. Could it have been shot en route to Dunge? The Glossy Ibis was seen from the screen hide. After lunch we saw 1 Arctic Skua from the fishing boats before before having coffee on the reserve. A Great White Egret was seen from the visitor centre and a pair of mating Clouded Yellow Butterflies were photographed en route to Hooker's pit, where there was another Great White Egret  and a Common Buzzard was seen from the ramp. Again, not a bad day.

 Grey Heron

 Great Green Bush-cricket

 Turtle Dove

 Clouded Yellows

 

I still haven't had any Sallows in the trap yet.The most interesting species over the last few days were my "latest" Chinese Character and my 2nd Oak Hook-tip of the year, which is also only my 4th ever.

Oak Hook-tip