Elusive Butterfly - Bob Lind

Friday night was something of a 'milestone' for this

Unmarried Moth'er

as again we changed the format of our trapping device with a change over to

Generator Power to run our Mecury Vapour lamps.

Unfortuneately, the former Light Emitting Diodes seemed not

attractive enough to the Insets so reching for the cheque book we bit the bullet - again.

Unfortunately, the weather condition also took a turn as a fresh breeze continued for

most of the night, clearing what valued cloud cover there was and the

temperature remain in low double digits! However, it would be churlish to complain after

adding  c7 new Macro species to the Year List including one particular 'scarcity'.

 To start with and unfortunately not in out traps, an image from our friend Dave Foot of

 SPOTTED SULPHUR
nurtured from an egg which is a rare Insect now extinct in Great Britain.
Loading the car with our gear in anticipation, the male

 PHEASANTs

were at it again, a sight we cannot resist capturing.
 Our Moths kicked off with a most welcome 

and eye-catching

 GREEN SILVER-LINES
 We will also punctuate the Post with a few of the common Birds we encountered
on the day plus other highlights.

 COAL TIT

MOTTLED BEAUTY 

DARK UMBER

BLACKCAP

 COMMON LUTESTRING

COMMON WHITETHROAT
(the 2 species above were vocal throughout our stay but
not to say they were the same individuals)

 PHOENIX

GREY WAGTAIL

 LESSER YELLOW UNDERWING
(an insect which rarely opens its wings at perch)

His Dave-ship Totally Immersed

DOUBLE SQUARE-SPOT

NUTHATCH
The best of the 'first's for year' is left until last as described as
"A local species restricted to Southern Britain"

 GREAT OAK BEAUTY

It is also described within Dorset as a
'Very Rare Resident'
so no wonder there was excitement as catching c2 on the same day!

TREECREEPER
Although already recorded in 2020 the magical

 CLOUDED BUFF

is added for its sheer beauty as a personal favourite.

SEDGE WARBLER
There was something of a downside when this young buck

ROE DEER
was found by the wayside with no visible signs of how
it might have met its end, but this was mightily countered on the
Post Traps Wander
and what should count as the highlight of the day when this

SILVER-STUDDED BLUE

was found as  a 'first' for the Recording Area!
What a way to end an already Great Day.

Don't be concerned, it will not harm you
It's only me pursuing somethin' I'm not sure of
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love

Albatross - Fleetwood Mac - Part II

The second and final part of that 'magical day' in Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand
in the company of Captain Gary Melville is, like the 'first' a pictorial - here's hopeing you enjoy it!

One of Gary's Promotional Shots

 NORTHERN GIANT PETREL

not the pretiest bird of the trip

with that attribute likely falling to

 SALVIN'S (SHY) ALBATROSS

 an absolute

STUNNER

 Another of the less 'pretty'

 but not to be missed for love nor money

 WESTLAND PETREL

 with close up of juvenile
WANDERING ALBATROSS

 while the last of the palagics

 was the also stunning

 WHITE-CAPPED ALBATROSS

 before being met at the harbour mouth by

RED-BILLED GULL

 LAND

HO!

Ghost of the Navigator - Iron Maiden

A change in fortunes brought a couple of 'goodies' to the traps,

but a change in the functioning of the traps is sure to bring more, so

Watch This Space!

 GHOST MOTH

is a most welcome annual Insect if for nothing more than the diversity between the

Male (above)

 and this the 

Female.

While the great proportion take some telling apart as to sexing there is no mistaking these!

 GREEN PUG

was also added to the Year List along with

 SINGLE-DOTTED WAVE

There was also some interest outside of the Moths, as every year shows up,

with other Insects such as:-

 a brace of considered 

COMMON POLLEN BEETLES

 the first of the year

COMMON WASP

but unfortunately not the last.

 DEVIL'S COACH HORSE BEETLE

 in agressive pose and

DOCK SHIELDBUG
Later at the Gravel Pit there was a 'fly-over'

 REDSHANK

calling, something of a 'scarcity' here so considered a decent record
bringing up our 108th species of 2020.

 COMMON LIZARD

 in 2 quite distinctive morphs.
With the fresh breeze of the morning being overtaken by rain,
sometimes heavy, it was amazing that there was anything else to report but 
a series of Plants seem to have pulled us out of the mire........

 EVENING PRIMROSE

 STAR of BETHLEHEM

 OPPOSITE-LEAVED GOLDEN SAXIFRAGE

RED-TAILED BUMBLE-BEE 
on
 LONG-STALKED CRANESBILL

 SMOOTH HAWKS-BEARD

STINKING MAYWEED
If the weather holds it will potentially be a very busy 2 days for us Mother's
(unmarried or not)
with hopefully results starting to show on Monday