Coffee and moths etc (15th-18th)

Saturday  I was in Chichester early enough to have the Gran Paradiso garden to myself for coffee. Deep shade and a nice breeze made it very comfortable with a Raven 'cronking' overhead and heading towards BPG. A little later a tatty, circling Red Kite was harrassed by a Herring Gull.

At home during the day a few small 'pulses' of Swallows were passing over.

Earlier, a decent enough catch - 57/33. Ten species new for the year with one of those a trap first - Nephopteryx angustella. Another very smart Toadflax Brocade, three Portland Ribbon Wave, Small Ranunculus, Golden Twin-spot, Poplar Hawkmoth and two very pristine Silver Ys.

Another moth session overnight into Monday was better than expected as the vanes and bulb of the Heath trap were on their side; down to me? a light breeze? or Fox activity? I wasn't expecting too much but the Poplar Hawkmoth on the fence panel behind gave me some hope and ended up with 49/31. The two nights together came to 106/43. Strangely,  twenty-one species from the first night were absent on the second whilst ten new species were added.

Broad-barred White was a head-scratcher. Although a common moth, I've only one other record and it's not one I recall from other people's sessions.

Dark/Grey Dagger, Angle Shades, L-album Wainscot, Clancy's Rustic and Palpita vitrialis were the best with Small Ranunculus, Portland Ribbon Wave, Nutmeg  and Golden Twin-spot the best-of-the-rest.

Whilst processing the above a fox, the vixen of the family I think, tried to walk into the conservatory but soon bolted when she saw me. Cheeky b****d!!

Monday at SHP produced little other than a Hornet chasing after Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns, two more Hummingbird Hawkmoths, one on Verbena bonariensis in the cafe garden and a second in Well Head. The previous visit's Spotted Flycatcher family were, unsurprisingly, absent. A Weasel dashed across the access road as I arrived; my first mustelid in months.

Today, Tuesday, saw the first light rain in an age and it looks as if most days this week will have some damp spells - but nothing to raise water levels anywhere.

A drive up to Liss and back had Red Kite and Sparrowhawk plus a hulking Great Black-backed Gull over the bridge. Some more twittering Swallows were overhead before the rain.

(The Rush Veneer below was one of several 'kicked up' on a walk across the bone-dry playing field. The micro is Ancylosis oblitella).

SHP in the heat but before the masses arrived

Arrived soon after opening to ensure a nice, fresh fry-up in a cool, air-conditioned restaurant.

A walk up to the conservation path was nicely people-less!!

The paths are all cracking up and everything is yellow. Lots of whites,  Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and Red Admirals with a couple of Clouded Yellows in the open areas plus plenty of Holly Blues along the sheltered path.

A pleasant chat with a gent tasked with culling Grey Squirrels was a nice interlude.

On the wider return path, whilst wondering how many Spotted Flycatchers may have made this their summer home fifty and more years ago, lo and behold, a family of four at least all flycatching from tall, dead trees. Shocking to think of a 92% reduction in breeding over my birding life (BTO Bird Facts).

Unsurprisingly, in the cafe/walled garden a Hummingbird Hawkmoth was feeding on Salvia.

Around Well Head mostly whites in good numbers on Nepeta plus plenty of bumblebees and Honeybees but no more HHMs.

A Firecrest was calling strongly. 

A slightly sparse Birdtrack list was submitted.

Just too hot to even think of using the camera.

Maybe some more moths tomorrow.

Birch stuff

Slightly underwhelming moth trap today again with dog-barking drowning out most other early morning noise. Some Swallows went over and, again, a Willow Warbler was calling nearby.

Soon after finding a Birch Shieldbug (Elasmosthetus intersinctus) in the trap, new for the garden, an unfamiliar micro moth turned out to be Birch Tortrix (Epinotia immundana) also NfG. The only other bycatch was a Limnephilus caddisfly and a few Harlequin Ladybirds.

Best moths were Small Ranunculus, Cabbage, Portland Ribbon Wave, Golden Twin-spot, Dusky Thorn and Garden Tiger.

After chores it was just  too damned hot to do anything - and no sign of any real change in the long range forecast for the next month at least.

TH have updated their site with updates on the ongoing botulism. No cure apart from some torrential rain I guess.

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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 algal 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 I 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.