Brand New Day - Sting

There seemed little, or no point in springing out of the hammock like a Thomson's Gazell at 05:00 as it is hammering it down out there! 

However a blistering +12°C first thing yesterday, on home turf and unusually the same on the Heath, saw prospects riding high but that is not the end of it! Leaning on what the weather man/woman are forecasting we can also look forward to almost  a week- long waft of warm weather blowing up from the Sahara starting soon but can only be capitalised on if the rain allows??

While not exactly brimming over the tops of the traps there were enough Insects to keep us entertained and surely a ‘first for the year’?

Indeed, but not a single in fact c2

MALLOW
and a conundrum we will leave strictly for others to sort!

AUTUMNAL MOTH and NOVEMBER MOTH
look, on the face of it, to be one and the same species but it is only by disection
 and careful examination, under a microscope, of the genitalia, that they can be confidently ascribed as being 2 seperate species. A messy business which, as stated above, is best left to others! Otherwise nothing else new but of interest our 30th of the year

MERVIELLE du JOUR
(can you see it yet?)

only our second

LARGE WAINSCOT

GREEN SHIELDBUG

along with an Insect we had rather though we had seen the back of the

WASP

tongue in cheek, this is the first year trapping at this site that we have not been stung by one, but guess there is still time left!

Strangely, and maybe due to Human Disturbance, the only
Water Fowl

on the Gravel Pit were c2

 CANADA GEESE 

(early morning Sun) 

in the mist. however interest was stimulated further by finding 'singles' of both

COMMON SNIPE

and

GREEN SANDPIPER

after something of a long absence.
Reaching the Heath the first indicator that all is well is looking the length of the
Woodland Ride

to see the first visible Moth Trap burning brightly, a sure indicator that the
power source had been running all night!
After the traps, holding some of those shown above, came a 'record breaker' we could have well done without and thought impossible. After a full rounds but a single bird was seen that being

this

CARRION CROW
Although 'flying' the passing

POLICE HELICOPTER
counted for naught, so time to get that coffee perking - MANANA!