Moth into Flame - Metallica

Yet another amazing weekend 'in the field' with our friend Dave Foot which was more or less exclusively geared towards

MOTHS

and while we do not wish to overburden the readership you will all surely

be amazed by the diversity of these mainly

Denizens of the Night!
Additionally, even though the Summer is only a few hours old already we have noticed a
Drop Off
of our avian friends as predicted in a previous post - but we ain't giving up!

However, Dave's first find among the Honesuckle at the gate to the Heath

were the tell-tale signs of

 Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth larvea (caterpillars) feeding.

Passing this spot twice every day of my life surely you didn't expect me to find them.

Although 'on the wing' at the moment the next generation will also look like this!

BROAD-BORDERED BEE HAWK-MOTH

From the Moth Trap close to home we had already found

 SMALL ELEPHANT HAWK-MOTH

 GRASS WAVE

 and considered delightful

 PUSS MOTH

 while clinging to the homestead door this delightful

WASP BEETLE

kindly identified by one of our Weymouth correspondants and

along with the first

 BUTTERCUPS

APPLES

in a wild setting and

DOG ROSES

Meanwhile the

 NHS AIRBUS'

continue plying too and fro this one arriving from

Nanking, China

More colour exuded from the traps along with others not quite so flamboyant

as the 2 Unmarried Mothers settled down

for the duration and

hopefully excitement.

 LIME HAWK-MOTH

 SCALLOPED HOOK-TIP

 BLOTCHED EMERALD

 the rather large

PALE OAK BEAUTY

 along with the diminutive

 CREAM-BORDERED GREEN PEA

about the size of the vegitable it suggests

 a firm favourite

 CLOUDED BUFF

 CREAM-SPOT TIGER

and another extremely tiny

ROSY MARBLED

However the Piece de la Resistance came close to the end of a 

Fantastic Session

with a scarce and 'first ever for myself' the none too eyecatch but

seriously exciting

DWARF PUG

added to my personnal

World List

with all of the others added to the 

Year List

Likely an escapee from a garden

LARGE YELLOW LOOSESTRIFE

was found growing seemingly wild on the way back

while from another Weymouth correspodant a 'snap' highlighting some of the various

Vessel Sizes in the Bay there.

Garden - Groundhogs

 True to the Forecasters word again we saw a warm night with the

temperature falling no lower than +14°C

with our rewards including........

 PALE EGGAR

 GARDEN CARPET

-->

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdI2aRDEBZ4

Featuring the fabulous Lead Guitar, Vocals and some of the finest Lyrics of

Tony TS (Top Stratocaster) McPhee

(another gentleman of the Blues Genre it has been my pleasure to meet)

BIRD'S WING

all first's for the year with a number of other interesting Insects besides.

 BROWN CHAFER

 CARDINAL BEETLE

and half a dozen

CLICK BEETLES

not only do they 'click' but also propel themselves forward with the effort.

Again, no 'ground-breaking stuff' but enough to keep the interest level at least

A-Midships 

starting again in the garden where the 

 SONG THRUSH

 have started to become showy

 as now feeding young within the

Corkscrew Hazel

 At the Irrigation Pond what remains of the depleted

 MALLARD FAMILY

continue to thrive but where there is a 'roundabout'

 there is usually a 'swing'!

In this instance it is the nest of the

LITTLE GREBEs

from where there has been no sign of eith eggs or chicks making this the

"poorest breeding year" for the species here since records began in 2013.

Again, there have been c2

 SAND MARTIN

'hawking' Insects over this watercourse but not even a glimmer of breeding!

Again, there have been a number of flights out of

Bournemouth International

but mostly out and back very quickly or what might be 

'Radar Calibrations'

for both fixed wing and helicopters - the Police Chopper never seems to be on the deck!

As we started with the 

THRUSH FAMILY 

so we will end and opposite to what has gone before the

MISTLE THRUSHES

(adults above juvenile below)

have, as usual, had

Great Success

across the breeding season.

Finally, a Blast from the Past

which may prove of interest?

the ⅔ white albino

BLACKBIRD

Found on 21 April 2019 on the Heath.

Young At Heart - Francis A Sinatra

Given to last, again the overnight temperature stuck doggedly in 
double figures bringing with it even more
First for the Year Moths

BRIGHT-LINE BROWN-EYE

 SHARK

 DARK ARCHES

 SERAPHIM
along with one of the more bizzare

 denizens of the night

BLACK-SPOTTED PLIERS SUPPORT BEETLE
Sticking close to home in the first instance spotting
Harry Carpenter - Boxing Commetator 
on the lawn we presumed that there was about to be a fight

 and a colourful one at that.

Gentle sparring would be a better description

 but all in the name of

winning the 'claw' of a

Lovely Lady
The first of the juvenile

ROOKs
was also chancing its arm lingering only long enough for this shot,
but the feeling is it or they may well be back!

We have also been keeping a careful eye on the 
HONEYSUCKLE
at the gateway to the Heath and found it blooming now with the hopes that a
Hummingbird Hawk-moth
might happen along.
QUIET
isn't quite the word we would choose in an open forum to describe
the activity within, but this being a family publication we'll leave it at that!

All on offer was the first of the juvenile

 MEADOW PIPITs

 to break cover, a first flush of

 ELDER FLOWER

 along with a none too obliging

 Family Party
of

 GREAT TITs

 still being fed by the parent birds.
Otherwise, and Finally more Invertibrates overlooked from the previous day

 COMMON POLLEN BEETLES
and 

PILL WOODLOUSE and WHITE-LEGGED MILIPEDE
feeding on what is thought to be a
COMMON NEWT
given where they were found.