Anyone Who Had A Heart - Cilla Black

The word 'GRIPPO', familiar to anyone who has been in the Royal Navy but to my knowledge not even in the Oxford Dictionary, is the reason for this 'early' Post today. Not to be confused with the term 'to GRIP' as in the Birding World when you see a bird, usually a 'rarity', that your Mate or another acquaintance did not see. A Grippo is a Free Treat, a day out when all expenses are paid for and must, wherever possible, be a '2-way street'! I have enjoyed Grippo's all around the world from as far afield as Hawaii in the west, Mongolia to the east, Barrow, Alaska the most northerly and Cape Town in the south and have reciprocated by 'treating' people most notably on home soil from China, Holland, USA, Taiwan, Oman, Japan and even Saudi Arabia. (I must also mention my dear friends Jean Francois and Roong Ozoux in French Guiana here as well).Today Hugh and I embark on such a venture this time entertaining an Australian and hopefully our report of the days events will follow in the fullness of time!     
While the weather forecaster has been giving over-night temperatures of 15° and 16° C my thermometer for one has been showing just 2/3rds of that (keep meaning to get the darn thing fixed). However, that doesn't seem to be effecting the 'NEW' species arriving in the traps as there was a 'Hat Trick' last night. Before going any further I should slightly qualify that by saying the

 JULY BELLE*

a 'daytime' flier

 was in fact caught in a hand net.

With the tiny dots being so close to the centre bar it was rather

hoped that this specimen was Lead Belle but am assured it is not.

Next up was predicted by Dave Foot on his recent visit and sure enough

 TREE-LICHEN BEAUTY*

appeared as foretold. Not even on the British List a few years ago

it now seems to be increasing in numbers particularly in the South.

 WHITE-LINE DART*

brings up the last of the trio and like the other 2 is a Moth never seen before by myself.

 There was also an addition to the Year List

 ORANGE SWIFT

Otherwise within we had a

 DOR BEETLE

 A brief stop to enjoy the sight of an adult

PIED WAGTAIL 

feeding 2 young birds.

 Plenty of feather flexing

 The Trick of a Tail

(Genesis)

 On the Wings of Love

(Jeffrey Osborne)

back at the traps

ICHNEUMON WASP

Yet another variant of
HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD

 A second

BROWN HAWKER

in as many weeks captured in a moth Trap,

 easy to handle until they get the feel of the sun, then quickly take to the wing.

 In the post from my mate John Gifford the juvenile

 WREN

sunbathing and on the same day a rather unusual image.

I feel that a few who have been in the Mothing game for a while could sort out the

species of Moth taken with a Micro Camera. It shows the 'heart' of the

rather rare FALSE MOCHA which I think is quite extraordinary.

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