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