The last moth trap had Elephant Hawkmoth, this Privet Hawkmoth and the smart micro Lozotaeniodes formosana.
Some local Essex Skippers
Eriothrix rufomaculata, Banded Demoiselle, Anasimyia lineata, mating Blue-tailed Damselflies, Drinker Moth caterpillar (as big as my little finger!!)
Golden-ringed Dragonfly in it's natural habitat, a kids play area!!
Little Flower Bees resting and burrowing.
Wednesday
Two Glossy Ibis, present for a few days, had taken up residence on the Bridge Street and Posbrook Floods. No sign on my arrival and I was returning back to the car 'empty handed' when a Buzzard appeared circling low over the flood flushing the ibises into view before they landed on the far shore. A different bird was seen and photographed by MF a few days later further south on the river.
The first free flying juvenile Black-headed Gulls are now on the wing but smaller chicks are still being continuously picked off by patrolling Lesser Black-backed Gulls; no Avocet chicks have survived so far. A handful of Turnstone are still around the harbour and 100-150 Black'wits commute between Posbrook and the reserve - all of these waders having presumably decided to not head north for the summer.
Below male Platycheirus fulviventris; and paired Hairy Dragonflies holding on for all they're worth in windy conditions. Sadly, the single Downy Emerald on Darters Dip was, like the others this year (and most years), incapable of stopping for a photo. If only they would learn from Libellulas and Sympetrums!!
After a morning's outing for Mum's 91st a local walk in the midday heat was never going to produce much, and even the currently ubiquitous Swollen-thighed Beetles and Broad Centurions were doing their best to hide. The first three skippers here refused to stop for an ID despite following them backwards and forwards; three Holly Blues and a ragged Painted Lady chasing the only Meadow Brown was it for butterflies. The grass moth Chrysoteuchea culmella was 'kicked up'. Single Chiffchaff and Blackcap still singing but the two or three Med Gulls silently cruising over the well-mown refuge on previous days were absent. The nearest thing to a highlight was a male Greenfinch perched up in neighbour's apple tree singing strongly - the first other than flyovers in many years. And, after being mostly absent recently, small groups of Goldfinches are returning to the gardens, with ten or more noisy individuals around the same apple tree, aerials and roof tops - families or failed breeders??
Two very clear nights of moth trapping, inspired by GWH/CS (and the first here for three and a half years !!) produced the expected small counts totalling 28/16 with the best being Least Carpet and L-album Wainscot.
I love it when a plan comes together - even if it's someone else's plan!!
So, Sunday saw an early morning jaunt up the A3 to Selborne for a check through the previous nights moth traps. The weather was excellent but surprisingly chilly at 7:00 am.
Greeted on arrival by CS/DB and a picnic table covered in moth pots which is always a good sign. A Red Kite was just overhead looking down at us, later the odd Swift or two rocketed over and a Roe Deer was feeding in the grass just 100 yards away for most of the session. Other birds were pretty thin on the ground and, apart from the bees from the hives on bramble flower, other insects were scarce.
But back to the moths. I didn't keep a list but there were certainly upwards of 40 species the best being Clouded Buff and Beautiful Silver Y two species I'd not seen before plus other nice moths :- Privet HM, Pale Tussock, Lobster, Scorched Wing, Brimstone, Scorched Carpet, Barred Yellow, Common Swift, Peach Blossom and so on.
Later looking for orchids failed to find any Greater Butterfly in the very long grass but there were several White Helleborine tucked away in the shade.
And finally a nice Sausage Sandwich and coffee to offset the early start.
Roesel's Bush Cricket, spider with prey, first Large Skipper of year, longhorn beetle Pacytodes cerambyciformis on cistus, female Chrysotoxum cautum, Broad-bodied Chaser, Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet on Bird's-foot Trefoil.
Out of the blue I decided to have a few hours at Acres Down for the first time in four years on a pleasantly bright and slightly windy day. Mistake one was refuelling on the A31 garage; too dear. And buying a coffee there was a mistake; when I slurped the first mouthful a few hours later it transpired I'd pressed chocolate!Yuk.
A Cuckoo was calling distantly on arrival and near the viewpoint plenty of Meadow Pipits and Stonechats were present. Sadly, neither Tree Pipit nor Redstart were heard. Later the Cuckoo popped up nearby and gave half decent scope views while being dive-bombed by a Mipit.
First raptor up was a Gos chasing after racing pigeons and others (1 or 2) were seen on and off with one bird displaying with slow deliberate wingbeats followed by spectacular stoops and recoveries before repeating. The odd Buzzard appeared, mostly distant but one or two in camera range and two possible three kites were distant to the north and south. A single Crossbill was the only passerine of note. Finally a distant dot, soaring up into the blue, was confidently identified by the ever helpful Rob Clements as a Honey. Even with a scope I struggled with this one.
Finally a stroll down to the pond and back to the carpark with Paul from Oxford added no new birds but plenty of Broad-bodied Chasers and single Emperor and Four-spotted.
Last mistake of the day was forgetting the left-only turn back onto the A31 and driving straight into a huge traffic jam!! By the time of exiting at Burley, nature called and a swift visit to McD's (clean loos - tick!) and a Big Mac (still as poor as ever) probably the first in ten years; probably the last for another decade!
A single Swift from the car was the last bird of the day.
And a few recent inverts.
(Dysmachus trigonus, Mother Shipton, mating Eyed Hawkmoths, male Volucella bombylans, Amblyteles armatorius)
