Glorious!!!!

Well what a fantastic weekend it was, what with the glorious weather (up to 30 c in the garden!), and being absolutely unindated with moths on Friday and Saturday evening. Im still trying to identify a couple that I photographed but have managed to sort the majority out. Its amazing that after a period of just four weeks away how the species have changed completely with loads of new ones for me! So far the list for the weekend is :

Poplar Hawkmoth - 1
Peppered Moth* - 2
Setaceous Hebrew Character - 30
Buff Ermine* - 10
White Ermine - 12
Heart and Dart* - 10
Green Carpet* - 3
Small Angle Shades* - 1
Flame Shoulder - 3
Common Quaker - 1
Brimstone Moth* - 1
Trebles Lines* - 3
Lime speck Pug* - 4
Privet Hawkmoth* - 1
Ghost Moth* - 2
Spectacle - 1
Scorched Wing* - 2
Chinese Character - 1
Common Swift* - 5
Light Emerald* - 1
Pale Prominent* - 1
Garden Carpet* - 1
Brown Rustic* - 1
Poplar Grey* - 1
Clouded Silver* - 1
Middle barred Minor* - 1
Beautiful Golden Y* - 1
Marbled Minor* - 3

95/561/72

Privet Hawkmoth... well impressive, one of the largest British moths at nearly 60mm long!



Poplar Hawkmoth


Pale Prominent


Pale Emerald


Buff Ermine

The pond was teaming with life with the brown Gold Fish still plentiful, Moorhen with chicks and a duck Mallard with at least seven well grown ducklings. Also here were many 'blue' Damselflies, some emering as I watched, some flying around try to find unmated females and others ovipositing (egg laying), a complete spectrum of life.

Emerging Damselfly with its old skin just above it

Dragon and Damselflies are also new to me this year, but luckily the digiscopoing method is so versitile that it can be used to good effect , enabling a more detailed inspection of these insects without having to catch them and possibly cause them damage.

Azure Damselflies ovipositing

A Blue tailed Damselfly

The only Dragonfly present were a pair of Broad bodied Chasers, the male sitting on favored perches before zooming across the pond to meet the female whenever she put in a usually brief appearance before she departed off high again. (not stoned!)

Broad bodied Chaser

Its traditionally a quiet time of year for bird movement, with almost everthing where its meant to be, doing what its supposed to be doing. The most notable sightings this weekend were a Grey Partridge on the Sugar beet field on Saturday and unsurprisingly a Hobby soaring over the village (probably looking for Dragonflies!) on a hot Sunday afternoon.