11th June - Moth trap #2

I hauled out the moth trap for another go at seeing some of our nocturnal nature. Sadly once again the weather changed quite dramatically overnight so the catch was very small.
   What wasn't small was the Privet hawk-moth I found within. These stunning moths are the UK's largest breeding species with a wingspan of 9-12cm and are brightly marked with a red and black abdomen and pink and black striped underwings.

Privet hawk-moth

Wings fully open

Look at that eye

Also of note was a White ermine moth which possesses one of the fluffiest heads you're ever likely to see. The name arises from its similar appearance to the ermine robes worn by royalty.

White ermine moth

Details of the feathered antenna

A Common emerald moth provided another splash of colour...

Common emerald

...while the Clouded border is always nice to see.

Clouded border

When running a moth trap it is necessary to get up just before daybreak to pot up any moths that haven't made it into the trap but have settled nearby otherwise the local birds soon learn about the fly-through takeaway on their doorstep. So I was up at 3.30am and, having saved many lives from hungry beaks, took a walk to the castle as the day unfolded around me. Beautiful pastel colours lit the sky as the sun slowly made its way up, while several Skylarks sung from on high and a ghostly Barn owl slowly quartered fields near the castle, and a Weasel broke cover to reveal himself fleetingly.

3.50am heading to the castle

14th-17th May - Stuff with wings and crawly things

Recent walks around local lanes have provided me with sightings of some day flying moths and butterflies galore. Also encountered were the caterpillars of two moth species.

Life cycle of a moth (from Lewington's Butterfly guide)

First up is a Drinker moth caterpillar.  The adult moth is a rather drab looking brown affair, while the large caterpillar is a stunning beastie. Drinker moths are so named because of the caterpillar's habit of drinking dew drops.

Drinker moth caterpillar

Close up

Lesser yellow underwing Caterpillar

Cinnabar moths are very distinctive with the gaudy red and black colouring providing a warning to potential predators that they are poisonous.

Cinnarbar moth

The first Wall brown butterfly of the year for me was a welcome sight. A common butterfly in my youth, sadly rare these days.

Wall brown

In recent days I've been delighting in several large gatherings of the green longhorn moth. Watching them dancing in the sunlight has been a real pleasure, the metallic greens and burnished bronzes only visible close up. The females have extremely long antennae (often as long as the rest of the body).

Green longhorn moth

Look at those antennae

27th April-2nd May - Tri-milchi

May has arrived. The Anglo-Saxons called this month Tri-milchi, the month when better weather and an extra flush of grass enabled cows to be milked three times a day.
   Let's take a step back to the end of April. On the 27th a shouty 'PSIT' call alerted my attention to a Yellow wagtail flying over Castle Road. On the 28th I observed my first Swift of the year, very high going west over the village - surely a harbinger of their mass arrival and the air around our village streets vibrating with the Swift's loud screeches.
   A moth trap ran on the 2nd May proved to be rather fruitless. The night was warm and cloudy (ideal conditions) when I set it up, however by 10pm the clouds had cleared and it felt distinctly chilly. The results were only 6 moths of 4 species: Hebrew character x3, Muslin moth x1, Pebble prominent x1 and Poplar hawkmoth x1.

Poplar hawk-moth

Close up of Poplar hawk-moth wing

Pebble prominent

Muslin moth

11th April - Night-time flight

The daylight hours produced a few avian highlights.  However the real action kicked off under the cover of darkness.

Birds seen:
Red kite x2
Common buzzard x7
Sparrowhawk x1
Kestrel x2
Grey heron x1
Redwing x6
Swallow x3
House Martin x1

Nice to have a crossover of wintering birds (Redwing) with incoming Summer migrants (House Martin & Swallows).


As dusk descended I decided it was time to dust off the moth-trap and give it a go for the first time this year.  Results were surprisingly good as overnight conditions were far from ideal.

Moths caught:
Nut tree tussock x1
Water carpet x3
Hebrew character x2
Streamer x2
Clouded drab x3
Brindled beauty x1
Small quaker x1
Waved umber x1
March moth X1
Early grey x1
Frosted green x1

Water carpet

Waved umber

Streamer
(When freshly emerged they have a lovely purple sheen)

Early grey

Frosted green

March moth

Surprise of the night for me happened at 11.10pm when a large flock of Common scoter were heard calling right over the back garden.  They will be on their way back to Northern Europe to breed.
    There are only 50 pairs of these all-black sea ducks breeding in the UK but they are a common enough sight off our shores in Winter with around 100,000 birds spending it here.

10th April - A hummingbird in Baconsthorpe

A lovely hot and sunny day which encouraged many butterflies to take flight.   Those seen were:
Speckled wood x2 ( 1st of year )
Holly blue x6
Peacock x4
Small tortoiseshell x3
Comma x2
Large white x1 (1st of year )

Sighting of the day for me however was a very brief encounter with a Hummingbird hawkmoth opposite the old post office.  Usually their flight season is May - September so it was great to see one early.

Dandelion gone to seed

Close up

Birdwatching today produced the following:
Little egret x1
Tufted duck x2
Red kite x1
Common buzzard x9
Blackcap x3
Chiffchaff x7
Green woodpecker x1
Yellowhammer x2

Bluebell

Also today finally got round to getting a Swift box installed underneath our eaves.  Swift populations in the UK have declined dramatically in the last 25 years with breeding pairs estimated to be 60% down.  Some of this decrease is down to the loss of suitable nest sites.  So hopefully when Swifts return to our village in the next few weeks they will make use of this new des-res.

Swift box

Lambs enjoying the  sunshine