Saturday

Had the moth trap on all night last night, a fair haul this morning, with the majority being Large Yellow underwings, Flame Shoulders and Setaceous hebrew Character but also small numbers of the following: Gold Spot*1, Six-striped Rustic* 3, Coxcombe Prominent 1, Poplar Hawkmoth1, Orange Swift* 2, Oak Hooktip 2, Rosy Rustic 2, Spectacle 1, Rustic 1, Small Pheonix 1, Straw Dot 5, Bloodvein 1, Common Rustic 2, Mouse Moth 1, Svensson's Copper-underwing 2, Flounced Rustic*1, Canary-shouldered Thorn*2. GYL 157. Not much in way of bird movement from the garden, several Swift still being noted and a Hobby drifted west at lunch time.

Gold Spot


Flounced Rustic


Canary-shouldered Thorn


Six-striped Rustic

Owl in a Barn

Anyone who has glanced at the winter months of this blog will have not failed to realise that in Norfolk we are blessed by a particularly healthy population of Barn Owls. Now, I find Barn Owls addictively photographic, but this enigmatic youngster seen yesterday was a true star, and came complete with its own barn!

Barn Owl


...the start of a Harry Worth impression maybe ?! (target audiance only!)


'....you can look at it two ways....this way....'


'.....or this way!'

work,work,work + wet,wet,wet = notta lotta blog!

Have finally managed to find some time to update today! Well, over the past fortnight our localised drught has well and truely ended! The rain on some days has been huge and more than once the pond has spilt onto the road (though no goldfish swimming down the street yet!) On the bird front it's still fairly quiet though did manage to jam in on a fly over Green Sandpiper on the 6th GYL 83. The moth trap has been somewhat rested in the wet, and of recent the wind but did manage another addition on the evening of the 5th, a Sallow Kitten*. GYL 151

Sallow Kitten this moth is closely related to the Prominents.


The highlight of the past two weeks was finally catching up with an immigrant dragonfly, the Yellow -winged Darter. These insects from the continent have turned up in small numbers this summer in Norfolk, and I managed to get some shots of this one on Beeston Common, Sheringham.

Yellow-winged Darter showing the 'half and half' coloured abdomon


Yellow-winged Darter showing the delicately marked yellow wings


Bringing Aylmerton bang up to date, the set a-side next to us has had its yearly hair cut, it always seems ashame to cut these areas when they're bursting with insects, grasses and weeds but I suppose it does mean that we'll see it all again next year. It's also the annual village fete today although alas, as I write this the first spit of rain is hitting the window...typical!

Set-a-side maintainance

Old Lady = new moth

Had another mothing session at the coastal site near Sheringham last night, great fun when you're with others sharing the same interest, if not a bizarre sight to those that dont- three grown men in the middle of a wood, huddled around a single light bulb, occationally jumping around with little pots muttering 'Gotcha this time you little b*%^$£^&*!' Anyway everyone got some new species with mine being Small Pheonix and an immigrant Dark Sword-grass.

Small Pheonix


Dark Sword-grass



Had quite abit to do around the garden today but did manage our first Marsh Harrier since spring, a dark juvenile quartering the fields to the west. As I was getting some step ladders from the shed I noticed a large , rather distinctive moth roosting on one of the joists, my first sighting of Old Lady (they got some great names these moths!) I have also managed to identify a moth that I caught back in the spring but has aluded me til now, a Lychnis. GYL 150

Old Lady


Lychnis

Autumn on its way.....

Had a couple of brief mothing sessions during the week with new species for the garden list including Lesser Yellow-Underwing*, Rosy Rustic, Red Twin-spot Carpet*, Scarce Footman*, Oak hooktip* and Dusky Sallow*

Scarce Footman


Rosy Rustic


Oak Hooktip


Left the trap on all night last night, a fair haul this morning but not the near over whelming numbers from last weekend. Scattered among the Silver Y's, Scalloped Oaks and Common Rustic's this morning were garden ticks in the form of Purple Thorn*, Olive*, Nutmeg* and Maple Prominent* (sounds more like the ingredients for a Jamie Oliver concoction than a list of moths!) Macro moth Garden Year List 148

Maple Prominent

Olive

Nutmeg

Purple Thorn

Thankfully this week we received some prolonged showers which not only kissed life back into the garden but brought some welcome relief to a increasingly dry looking pond. No sign of the Mallard and her youngster's, I imagine they got off safely to bigger waters but the Moorhens are still scuttling about on the far bank. Odonata (Dragonflies) are still being represented by Azure and Blue tailed Damselflies, a pair of Common Darters and a blue and green chequered Southern Hawker. With August just around the corner we will be increasingly on the look out for bird movement again and a change in habitat as the crops are harvested and the fields are ploughed bare again. Things are already starting to turn with a Golden Plover west, Hobby east and a typically glowing adult Mediterranean Gull drifting south of the village this morning. GYL 82

The Pond

High summer in Aylmerton

Underwings!

Had the trap on all night last night and it was absolutely heaving this morning with moths of all shapes and sizes. The majority being Large Yellow Underwing, Common Footman and Silver Y but also ones and twos of several other species, including some new ones ...again!

Large yellow Underwing 25, Common Footman 20, Broad bordered Yellow Underwing 6, Svennson's Copper Underwing* 1, Least Yellow Underwing 1, Nut tree Tussock 1, Privet Hawkmoth 2, Yellow-tail 5, Willow Beauty* 1, Sycamore 1, Silver Y 10, Riband Wave 7, Common White Wave 3, Peppered Moth 2, Ruby Tiger 5, Dot Moth 2, Brimstone Moth 2, Dingy Footman 3, Scalloped Oak* 2, Poplar Hawkmoth 3, Pine Hawkmoth 1, Brown-eye Bright-line 2, Dark Arches 15, Clouded Border 1, Chinese Character 3, Common Wainscot 6, Swallow tailed Moth 2, Light Emerald 1, Uncertain 5, Blood-vein* 1, Elephant Hawkmoth 1, Rustic 2, Common Rustic 3, Lesser Common Rustic 2, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 1, Clouded Magpie* 1, Gothic 1, Rosy Minor* 1, Dun-bar * 1, Poplar grey 1, Large Twin-spot Carpet* 2, Garden Carpet 1, Iron Prominent 1, Swallow Prominent 1, Early Thorn 2, Ghost moth1. Macro GYL 138.

Broad bordered Yellow Underwing


Svennson's Copper Underwing


Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing


Clouded Magpie


Dun-bar

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

The heat wave in Aylmerton continues unabated, with thunderstorms and some torrential downpours missing us so far, the garden is starting to wilt a bit! The wheat is also starting to be brought in so the House Sparrows are playing 'Dare' on the road after the spillage, score so far- Cars 4 - House Sparrows c 80! A couple of sightings this week of Hobby over the village are fairly typical for this time of year. The pond is looking fairly dragonfly-less at the moment but possibly due to the fact that at the best time of the day for these creatures is when I'm at work.
Had the trap on or a couple of hours last night and along with the usual suspects of previous catches were Least yellow-Underwing, Marbled Beauty (pot escape!) and a cracking Black Arches GYL 128

Black Arches






















Least Yellow-Underwing

Ol' red eyes is back

Had the moth trap on briefly last night before bed but still managed three new moths for the garden in the shape of Ruby Tiger, Lesser Common Rustic and what I think is a Lunar -spotted Pinion (if not maybe someone can put me right!)

Ruby Tiger




Lesser Common Rustic


Lunar-spotted Pinion... albeit a worn one!



A quick look on the pond this morning found a pair of Ruddy Darters at the northern end. Initially distinguished from Common by its brighter colouring and 'starved' abdomen it also sported completely black legs (Common has pale centres to the legs) The male kindly stayed faithful to a particular perch making him easier to photograph.

Ruddy Darter


Had a walk over to Felbrigg lake this afternoon, where I found what I was actually looking for this morning on the pond, about a dozen Small Red-eyed Damselflies. These little guys have had a meteoric spread in distribution since being first recorded in Essex in 1999 and seem to be steadly spreading northwards. Identified from Red eyed Damselfly in having more blue along the body segments and often a distinct short line with a dot on the thorax as shown below

Small Red-eyed Damselflies




Red eyed Damselfly for comparison





Also present around the lake were Emperor, Black-tailed Skimmer and several Narrow bordered Five-spot Burnet moths, which didn't photograph too well (didn't have my macro camera!). On the bird front a nice 'bob' of 6 Common Sandpipers and a female Mandrin were the highlights together with the last blooms of what I think is possibly Southern Marsh Orchid

Streaker's in Aylmerton !

Had the trap on sheet mode last night 'til mid night, no lifers but three for the garden, Scarce Silver Lines, Dingy Footman and The Drinker, GYL 122. Also coming too light were Poplar, Pine, Privet and Elephant Hawkmoth plus Buff Arches, all lovely to look at.

The Drinker



The pond is starting to look a little dry now, the flags/rushes that were planted are now all well clear of the water though the Damseflies can still be seen and a Common Darter was present at lunch time.
This evening, a scan of the tops of the mature oaks along the pond from the garden produced the desired mid July result- at least six Purple Hairstreak butterflies. These small butterflies can be found at the very tops of the trees busying (too damn busy!) around, dashing between clumps. At one point there was a Benny Hill style line of five swirling around after each other! This narrative is building up to the fact that I got some crap digiscoped shots because the little beggers wouldn't keep still!
Purple Hairstreak... couldn't have got a ropier shot....


...oh yes you can!

Back to Saturday

Saw the first Common buzzard since the spring Saturday morning, it was briefly soaring over Rounce's Covert (a small wood on the south west edge of the parish) before moving off west. Saturday evening had a fine mothing session at my local coastal patch near Sheringham with three other keen cohorts where we potted nearly anything that moved! The list was impressive and included plenty of new species for all concerned :
Silver ground Carpet, Common Emerald, Dingy Footman, Ghost Moth, Scalloped Shell, Buff Arches, Riband Wave, Yellow Shell, Rosy Footman, Small Fan-footed Wave, Common Footman, Double Squarespot, Green Pug, Small Angle Shades, Dark Arches, Small Rivulet, Poplar Grey, Poplar hawkmoth, Scarce Silver Lines, Drinker, Rufous Minor, Silver Y, Large yellow Underwing, Peach Blossom, Elephant Hawkmoth, Peppered Moth, Pine Hawkmoth, Snout, Single dotted Wave, Smoky Wainscote, Common Wainscote, Common Carpet, Mottled Beauty, Broad bordered Yellow Underwing, Sandy Carpet, Swallow Prominent, Brimstone Moth, Light Emerald, Bordered Sallow, Brown-line Bright-eye, Barred Yellow, Brown Silverline, Yellowtail, Bordered Pug, Light Arches, Figure of Eighty and Lesser Broad bordered Yellow Underwing phew! I 'm sure I've missed a couple on top of that lot as well!

Scarce Silver Lines



Dingy Footman



Peach Blossom



Broad bordered Yellow-Underwing



Sandy Carpet