Friday 13 May 2016

Streamer (sic), Nothing but a Streamer - Supertramp

A nice little bonus before shutting shop last evening as during a nocturnal stroll
a 'large Bat' was noted circling the lawn, and while right outside of my comfort zone,
on size alone would like to think it was a Noctule??
Additionally, from the murk overhead came a short series of single calls of a
 GOLDEN PLOVER
(image from archive for illustration)
At daybreak, while the Moth Traps weren't exactly brimming over
there were a couple or 3 additions to the Year List in the shape of
the most elegant
STREAMER
what a cracking little thing and well worth the headline pun!
SILVER GROUND CARPET
and
 the very striking
CINNABAR
In the 'also ran' category there were
PINE BEAUTY
and just to prove we do Micros occasionally
TWENTY-PLUME MOTH
is one of barely a handful that we can do without reference to the
Field Guide.
Lots of
MAYFLY
now on the wing and this as a novelty
MAYFLY
carrying the very easy to remember passenger
 PSEUDOSWAMMERDAMIA COMBINELLA
(which did require a little help from my friend - thanks John)
 While this fairly large Spider was found under one of the traps
 TEGENARIA GIGANTEA 
Out in the field a couple of
BULLFINCH

were proving quite showy as we visited the Reptile Covers
to find a couple of
SMOOTH SNAKES
along with a colony or two of slightly more mobile creatures
BEETLES?
RED ANTS
and
BLACK ANTS
One of, and likely the most confiding, of the c5 surviving
MALLARD DUCKLINGS
from behind Eco, there were originally c9.
 Something that maybe on another day you might just pass by
but this 'pair' of 
COLLARED DOVE
were undertaking a good deal of 'billing and cooing' which was worth 
putting in that extra 10 minutes.
Collecting Nesting Material
it was an eye-opener to note just how discerning these birds are 
when deciding which twig to take back to the building site.
Followed by that defining moment of
COPULATION!
The pair of
SHELDUCK
continue to appear behind the
ECO Recycling Works from time to time
Female Preening
Male Feeding
Now for another novelty.
These are the Galls of the Sallow Clearwing Moth, collected for me to
nurture by my friend Dave Foot, and planted close to
Slight Return II.
As the story goes, the female lays her eggs on the stems, when hatched
the caterpillar burrows into the stem to pupate. When the adult emerges
it finds its freedom through the same hole. What a story and what a great
chance to see a completely new Moth, when they decide to arrive.
All was going well and a net was being organised to hold the adults for
inspection before being photographed then released.
However, that's when the GARDENERS arrived
and in their eagerness to get everything spick and span they decided to
Prune them - end of tale! and end of Post!
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