Cumberland House and SC

More moths, this time at Cumberland House Museum 'curated' by Christine and Kieran plus a couple of helpers. A Skinner and a Robinson both with actinic bulbs produced a hundred or so moths but with everything being immediately potted it was hard to keep up! There didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary but this Flounced Rustic (below)  was my first of the year.

Although burnt to a crisp the lake area looked good and thankfully the thick algael scum has been removed.

On leaving a juvenile sounding Sparrowhawk was calling from the trees just to the east and the odd Swift called overhead. Hopefully a return visit in a fortnight.

Finishing early meant that there was time to go elsewhere so J took a jaunt to SC for a coffee, a walk and afterwards a lunch. Brie Panini, crisps and salad. Yum!

The picnic area is still buzzing (no pun intended) but just Tachina fera/magnicornis, Volucella zonaria, Phasia hemiptera and Holly Blues of note although by 11:30 it was really too bright and hot to be looking for inverts. Elsewhere on site up to 25 Hummingbird Hawkmoths although with so much buddleia who knows how many there might be. They shared the food source with whites, Commas, Red Admirals and Painted Ladies.

Birds were just heard-onlys:- Swallow, Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Buzzard, Firecrest and Bullfinch.

Garden moths today, Titchfield yesterday

Slightly fewer moths and less variety than two nights ago but singles of Swallow Prominent and Small Ranunculus were both interesting;  third captures of each her at No8. A Pyrausta purpuralis was surprisingly NfG.

Best of the rest were Beet Armyworm, Blair's Mocha, Garden Tiger and Cabbage.

A Willow Warbler was 'hu-eeting' from No 4's apple tree.

Yesterday at Titchfield little of note bar 125+ Black-tailed Godwits, at least five Common Sandpipers, a summer plumage Grey Plover and reports of a Pectoral Sandpiper which I imagine will prove to be erroneous. 

Lots of corpses due to botulism.

Precious little insect activity ; this poorly photographed Median Wasp below.

First outing for ages with the GX9 and didn't realise I'd left it on Manual rather tha Aperture Priority. Duh!!

(Common Sandpiper, Common Tern with one of three chicks and Turnstone)

More home moths

With no birds nor wasps in the garden I don't have to worry about predation so can be pretty relaxed about getting up to empty the trap; about 6:30 today. Sadly,  the still and pleasant conditions in the garden and conservatory were spoilt by a long running car alarm and a barking, howling pooch a few houses away; three hours!! God knows how the immediate neighbours tolerate it.

Anyway, one or two Swallows went over unseen as did a calling Ringed Plover but little else.

Unsurprisingly,  three Jersey Tigers were adjacent to the trap and finally, right at the bottom, a fine Poplar Hawkmoth, not a common species here. In between, mostly the usual fare although another two Golden Twin-spots and the smartest Toadflax Brocade so far. After yesterday's RSPB debacle I was quite pleased with 48/30.

EDIT Later in the day a Lime-speck Pug turned up on the dining room wall and,  more surprisingly, an hour after that a fine Copper Underwing spp on the outside of the trap; presumably it was hunkered down on the base. So 50/32!

(Golden Twin-spot x2, Rusty Dot Pearl, Seraceous Hebrew Character, Tiadfkax Brocade, Poplar Hawkmoth, Rush Veneer, Cabbage).

RSPB Pagham Moths - A curate's egg of a morning.

A nice, early(ish) trip over to Sidleham in fine conditions; the SSC is up to 48+ mpg!

Arrived 45 minutes early so walked along, past the pond, and on to the hide.

Plenty of Goldfinches bathing in the pond and just one male Emperor Dragonfly.

From the hide, the ferry pool is very dry with continued work on predator fencing and island creation. I'm guessing it will not be attractive to waders for a couple of months. A few noisy Redshanks were in the muddy Sidlesham channel and a single Cattle Egret flew over.

Met up with Ant (AB) and Mike (MB) prior to the start of the session.

Similar numbers of guests, staff and volunteers to the last session but curiously, despite summer holidays, no children. A different approach to previously with a 'classroom' approach, some moths potted from MB's overnight trap, reference books and some written clues.

Most appeared to be the less 'large and good looking' species; Palpita vitrialis, Brimstone, Iron Prominent, European Corn Borer, Nutmeg etc etc.

I randomly sat at Moth 1, a medium sized closed cardboard pot and was expecting something less than exciting. How wrong! Only a pristine Striped Hawkmoth! So that was the day's highlight and was never going to be surpassed.

Sadly, for reasons none of us understood, the reserve trap was virtually empty despite the bulb being lit when the staff arrived. Power cut? Mis-set timer? Who knows.

Headed off for chores.

A few pictures from the TG7 - Beet Armyworm, Nutmeg, Clouded Border and Striped Hawkmoth.

Home moths

Cold last night - down to 13-14°c - so not too many moths but, at last, Ni Moth a new moth for me, the trap and the garden! Surprisingly, a single Box moth was the first this year whilst Golden Twin-spot was only the third here. Square-spot Rustic was also the first this year. Few micros, and two escaped before potting-up - Cochylis molliculana, LBAM and Rusty Dot Pearl.

Dragons with Paul

An easy journey to WWT saw me arriving 45 minutes early. So, into the Co-op for provisions and, on leaving, to enjoy a dozen or so House Martins buzzing around the buildings. So sad to realise that this is the most HMs I've seen this year!

On arrival the front pond now looks fab with masses of Purple Loosestrife and numbers of Red-eyed Damselflies on floating vegetation.

On the walk with PS, nine guests and two staff members were able to get to parts of the reserve not open to the public but the wind made it hard to find any Odonata but eventually Brown, Migrant and probable Southern Hawker, Common Darter and Black-tailed Skimmer plus two or three Willow Emeralds and a few Blue-tailed Damselflies were found. Probably optimistic to have expected to record any other species.

Comma, Common Blue and Painted Lady were the best of the butterflies

Bird highlight was nice views of one of the juvenile Marsh Harriers close by, with both being seen by others (MJ). Single Cattle Egret emerging from the nest clump, a brief into-the-sun view of Kingfisher from the restaurant and a few fresh looking Chiffchaffs at various points on the reserve.

The Sand Martin colony was still pretty active.

Finally, a very confiding Hummingbird Hawkmoth was feeding for ages on Soapwort in the wildlife garden along with Eristalis intricaria and a Nysius (a species of hemiptera) on Fleabane.

Chi shopping and a quick local circuit

With some vouchers to spend a quick trip to Chi saw a very loud, screaming juvenile Peregrine on the north-west turret and, with a swirl of down feathers, assumed there was a second bird, parent or sibling, on prey. Despite being market day the bird drowned out most background noise!

Two Ravens were both calling from the usual tree.

The 'wildlife garden's is obviously bone dry so much so that plant sales are cancelled until next month. No Hummingbird Hawkmoths on the buddleia just Red Admiral, Comma, whites and Volucella zonaria.

Back home a few Swallows were still hawking the fields, a Cetti's still in the pond and another Jersey Tiger on the shaded Hemp Agrimony. And a flyby Painted Lady.

Hoping that tomorrow's session with PS goes well.