The Tender Trap - Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert Sinatra

The only printable comment with reference to yesterday is

"Thank Heaven's for the Traps"

(Tender or otherwise) 

Another decent show of Moths and other Insects but that was more or less the limit of the day! 

 SMALL SCALLOP

 DOG'S TOOTH

  MULLEIN WAVE

KENT BLACK ARCHES

 and

 SCALLOPED OAK

were all additions to the Year List, while back-up was provided by

 and an unusually 'pale' representative of the diversely marked

OAK NYCTEOLINE

 A decent cross section of other representatives of the

Insect Kingdom

included

a couple more examples of the variations of

HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD

 which may soon turn into a plague?

 16-SPOT CREAM LADYBIRD

 RED-LEGGED SHIELDBUG

and best of all an addition to the Recording Area List

A member of the extensive genus of

Predatory Aquatic Beetles Ilybius

 ILYBIUS FULIGNOSUS

All else included

 COMMON CENTAURY

 now in full bloom,

 the conundrum which is the 

COOT

'still' sitting on what must surely be infertile eggs? and

 MUSK MALLOW

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Harlequin - Genesis

From the album
NURSERY CRYME 
The news from the Highways and Byways is 'scant' to say the least,
in fact were it not for the Moth Traps and Trail Cameras
there would be an absence of Post today.

 DOUBLE LOBED

 LESSER BROAD-BORDERED YELLOW UNDERWING

 BROAD-BORDERED YELLOW UNDERWING

 TAWNY BARRED-ANGLE

GREEN PUG

of no real significance save for looking good perched on the red brick wall.

HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD
From the Trail Cameras

male (top) and female
STONECHAT

male
STONECHAT

ROBIN
in the early morning light

feeding.

STOCK DOVE

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The Trail of the Lonesome Pine - Laural and Hardy

LONESOME PINE 

Now we are talking, a static anemometer, 8 oktas of cloud cover (full), no precipitation in sight and a dawn temperature of +15°C was surely an indication of a good haul from the Moth Traps. While we have been bleating a bit lately about the Bird Doldrums now was as good a day as we have seen over that last few weeks to cheer things up a bit if only with Insects.

First out of the first trap was the robust

PINE HAWK-MOTH

not an addition to any list but a magnificent specimen for all that.

On the other hand 

 SMALL ELEPHANT HAWK-MOTH

certainly was an addition to the Year List, but nor so seen here with a larger cousin

 (SMALL ELEPHANT HAWK-MOTH) and ELEPHANT HAWK-MOTH

With 3 traps completed we headed for the next which is close

to the 5th Tee on the Golf Course, where we were distracted by

what at first thought to be a Black-headed Gull flying along our beat.

Closer inspection however proved it to be a

SANDWICH TERN

a little off course maybe? An addition to our Recording Area Bird List

it is also only the 8th Sea Bird to be noted here, all of the others being Gulls.

Along with Dave Foot, we have often commented that this stretch of the

RIVER STOUR

is crying out for a visiting Tern but never thought it would be of this Species!  

 GREY DAGGER

is a 'grey' area as far as Moth catching is concerned as it cannot be

distinguished from its relative

Dark Grey Dagger

except by examination of the genitalia, not a process we are likely to put ourselves through.

 MARBLED WHITE SPOT

was also an addition to the same list.

a 'sound' recording only of this bird which now dominates the
Dawn Chorus and any other Chorus that is going!
And from the Trail cameras only familiar fare but slightly better

images and clips.

STOCK DOVE

COMMON BUZZARD

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Poison Ivy - The Coasters

The temperature was +11°C at dawn yesterday morning, up on the previous few days, so hopes of a reasonable catch from the Moth Traps was in prospect. We didn't have to wait long for a First for the Year to be potted in the shape of a

 BARRED RED

 which was followed in quick succession by

 BUFF FOOTMAN

and

 BORDERED PUG

All else of interest amounted to a

 MOTTLED BEAUTY

the first of which a few days ago now, slipped our clutches, and a

 'new' Insect for the Recording Area

IVY BEE

Apart from discovering the content of the Irrigation Pond

COOT'S NEST

with c3 eggs at least the rest of the mornings interest was found at the

Sewerage Works Perimeter Fence.

 Running away at our approach,

 what appeared to be a 'young'

 FOX

 with some sort of prey.

Overhead a single

 HERRING GULL

 and at even more distance a
BLACK-HEADED GULL

 with a 'colour ring', now with the details who knows what secrets that might tell?

 Last on the Day List

 and the first appearance here

 for a couple of months now, a

 male

 BULLFINCH

with a female inside the works which escaped the camera.
A short day, but in what are the Wildlife Doldrums at this time of year
we can expect little else!

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