Well, not entirely but pretty short of bird interest.
Just a handful of Bird Journal entries in the last eight weeks and nothing to disturb Birdtrack with.
Home trapping has seen stats of 14/336/74 over the last seven weeks with most night's either too wet, windy or both. Despite this there have been a few new-for-garden moths namely:-
Green Oak Tortrix, Cream Spot Tiger, Small Emerald, Festoon, Mouse Moth and Single-dotted Wave.
Elsewhere a morning (26th) at GWH 'curated' by CP and for the benefit of Alton NHS produced innumerable moths of 70+ species with Waved Umber being a moth 'tick'. Thankfully CP's early arrival had cleared the trap of pesky Hornets. And tea, coffee, biscuits and birthday cake set this session apart from normal!!
Three days later at Pulborough Anna and Rob ran a public session with a similar number of moths and species as above with Light Crimson Underwing being a 'tick'.
A few photos of July's moths below.
Otherwise a repeat walk along the QECP top path, after Monday's catch up with old friends at that site, saw an unusual diptera amongst the many inverts using hogweed, Hemp Agrimony, Wild Parsnip, Buddleia, Thistles and Knapweed - I rather assumed it would be something relatively common but was identified as Nemoraea pellucida by FB Diptera. One I've never heard of and for which there were only nine records on NBN!!
Back at GWH several Villa cingulata, were noteworthy - those at the end of the month looking rather worn - and, more pleasingly, a few Yellow Loosestrife Bees on the plant of the same name despite such a small and well hidden patch around the tiny pond.
At the same site today yet more moths with a Treble-bar species, the first for a long time, and better still a Hummingbird Hawkmoth using the buddleia in the car park. A juvenile Buzzard pursuing one of its parents for food, a scruffy Sparrowhawk and the odd 'heard-only' Swifts and Swallows were about it for birdlife.
Locally, the Reed Warblers seemed to have completely departed not having been seen or heard since the 20th but still a few Astata boops on the fence line and quite a few Holly Blues.
(Below GWH Villa cingulata, PHP Purple Hairstreak, Home Festoon, September Thorn, Blair's Mocha, GWH 'moth wrangling' Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing and Poplar Hawkmoth, GWH Spectacle and Pale Prominent, Pulborough Ear, Dunbar, Pebble Prominent, Coxcomb Prominent, True Lover's Knot, Drinker, Home Cabbage and Buff-tip)
And finally the 'star' of the month Nemoraea pellucida
