The Bagsy Blog: Watcher of the Skies

Tuesday, 8 July 2014

Watcher of the Skies - Genesis

There's a feeling I get when I look to the west,
and my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
and the voices of those who stand looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.

This was the picture of rain bearing clouds looking into the sunset yesterday, and as the temperature had also dropped quite a few degree before this all didn't look to good for a good catch from the Moth Traps? However, someone did once say to me "I have had some of my best catches on rainy nights" so all was not lost and at dawn that proved to be the case. New for the year were

DRINKER

a creature that puts me in mind of a Mole.

The extremely striking
BLACK ARCHES

despite the name
EARLY THORN
(better late than never)

a close relative

PURPLE THORN

what we are going to call for simplicity
EAR MOTH
as this small family group would need close examination of genitalia
to be 100% accurate.

Bearing in mind I am still a short-lived returning novice to the game, I did submit a claim of a far rarer Moth during the week, only to be told I had got it wrong - great learning curve. It was then with complete astonishment that having emptied all of the 5 traps there perched on the outside of the last was the misidentified Insect for certain.

Just on posture alone, quite different from the Buff Footman I
had previously submitted, this was a far better candidate for

SCARCE FOOTMAN
In Dorset only a rare/scarce migrant while in other parts of the
South there are small but infrequent pockets.

SCARCE FOOTMAN (left and top below) with COMMON FOOTMAN
for comparison.

While I don't wish to sound like the Royal Lepidopterist, recent teaching has shown that one indicator of difference is the continuous buff/yellow line on the leading edge of the fore-wing. Even better is the afore mentioned posture, with Scarce almost 'rolling' its wings close and tightly to the body.

While I know there are some who have little or no interest in Moths, I really have the urge to share with the readership the diversity of colour across a single species, one which is definitely up there among my favourites.

Four distinct morph/shades of

BROAD-BORDERED YELLOW UNDERWING

I look at these and think they could have been designed by a
Chinese/Japaneses Artist

or found in a Pharaoh's Tomb!
Moral = never act on scant information!

During the wander what has now become a daily routine for the
flock of 500+, mainly juvenile, STARLINGs the
Mobile Picnic.

At this time of year grassy areas everywhere are ram-jam full of Larvae and Insects, so why then do these birds have to squabble over just about every single mouthful? The only thing to drown out their chattering was the dull throb of a four engined

HERCULES TRANSPORT

I always feel there is something 'sinister' about an 'un-badged' Military Aircraft, and as the mood seemed to change and the local Swallows and Pied Wagtails started a cacophony of 'alarm calls' it was safe to assume that the Hurc was not the only menacing thing on the wing!

Watcher of the Skies
(Genesis)

was circling intent on an early breakfast.
Like - a Lightning Bolt that fees the sky for you,
yet only Eagles seem to pass on through - it was onto one of the