Plethora of moths

Moth fest last night and this morning, at last! New for my parish list: pale tussock, broom moth, treble bar and pale shouldered brocade whilst common carpet and small waved umber were new for the year. In all 16 species trapped and id'd. Photos show:
Broom moth
Pale tussock
Pale shouldered brocade
Treble bar
Common carpet (left) and small waved umber
Small waved umber
Waved umber (for comparison with smu)
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Good species count 23.05.12

In all 8 species of moth, with 7 macros and a single micromoth. All have been taken before but thought a full set of photos would be good. From the top:
Brimstone
Well marked common swift
Epiblema cynosbatella (yellow palps diagnostic)
Flame shoulder
Green carpet
Mottled pug
Forewing of muslin moth
Waved umber
Undercarriage of muslin moth

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New moths for year

4 moths only this morning: yesterdays common swift and 2 flame shoulders, plus a new one for 2012: a marbled minor. A common moth, at this time of the year easy to distinguish from 2 other similar species but later on 2nd and 3rd generations become identical and require dissection to id.
Also, whilst gardening, a silver y moth was disturbed and finally, while filling up with petrol at a petrol station in Puckeridge, a flyover hobby, a new bird for the year. Photos; the marbled minor and a much more red coloured flame shoulder than yesterday's specimen.
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Moths 21.05.12

3 new moths for the year was the entire contents of the trap this morning. From the top: common swift, flame shoulder and rustic shoulder knot. All common moths and ones that I will undoubtedly trap many times over the coming weeks and probably months.
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Minsmere: 2 dawn chorus wanders

2 early starts, being on the reserve before 4.30a.m. On both mornings. On the Saturday, I was accompanied by friend Roger with whom we were staying at nearby Leiston. As we drove through Eastbridge, both tawny and barn owl were seen from the car. We visited all the hides around The Scrape, registering good birds above the cacophony of the 100's of breeding black headed gulls. Cetti's, reed, sedge and garden warbler were heard along with chiffchaff, whitethroat and blackcap. Bitterns were booming (3), oystercatchers and avocets called and piped and, from the public hide, a pair of pintails were picked out. Along the beach we flushed a cuckoo and heard stonechat. As we mounted the North Wall a common sandpiper peeped and flew a 100 yards before settling to give good views. A grey plover, lapwing and several dunlin were found in the scrape along with good numbers of barnacle geese. Back home for breakfast and a garden view of a sparrowhawk.
Sunday, and I was out by 4. Again, a tawny owl flew in front of the car, but then the first highlight of the morning: a singing nightingale. Several recordings and a grainy photo. Red deer were around the car park before a wander to the Bittern Hide and Island Mere hide. From the former a distant marsh harrier was observed along with plenty of warblers. Along the path to the next hide a bird larger than a swift rose from the ground before heading off over the conifers: a nightjar. My 1st for several years. From the island mere hide a flyby bittern, grey heron and tree creeper made it on to the list, eventually totalling 83 species for the 2 mornings + kestrel on the way home. Good time birding and pleased to add the nightingale, nightjar and common sandpiper to my year list. Photos from the top:
View from public hide
Black headed gull
Oystercatcher on black headed gull island.
Flyover shelduck
Early morning red deer
Nightingale (flash photo)
Red deer in better light
Red deer from the Bittern Hide
Distant marsh harrier
Wren

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Pugs

Now had confirmation of the three small moths I trapped Thursday morning. They are brindled pug (top) Freyers pug (middle) and double striped pug (bottom) 2 new ones for my parish list. As can be seen from the photos, not easy to id!!
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Ash Valley walk 18.05.12

A start at Much Hadham at 6.30 this morning gave views of great spotted and green woodpeckers, a splendid red legged partridge and 3 bullfinches along the river valley. Over on the golf course the regular skylarks, linnets and assorted finches and yellowhammers were at their usual stations.
This morning a new muslin moth in the trap as shown above. Other photos, looking north along the River valley, the Rlp and a brown hare.
One of yesterday's pugs now id'd as a double striped pug also shown here.
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Moths 17.05.12

A small but diverse selection of moths this morning. A waved umber was new for the garden whilst another angle shades put in an asppearance. Also, on the sheet were 3 pug species. All worn specimens and therefore it may not be able to id them. However, just on posture, I think one maybe the v moth. I have sent photos to national expert and have the creatures alive in the fridge just incase they are needed to be seen. Photos from top:
Waved umber
Angle shades
V pug
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Long Walk 16.05.12

Beginning by being dropped at Tesco for a cheap but functional breakfast, I planned to walk back home, some 6 miles. I headed west around Bury Green before heading through Millennium Wood and down brick Kiln Hill via the polo fields. In all 33 species of bird. No real highlight apart from a very light phase common buzzard trying its best to look like a rough legged buzzard. Willow warblers, chiffchaffs, blackcaps were in good numbers but only 2 common whitethroats and 1 garden warbler. The latter posed perfectly for a photo until I had it in focus at which point it disappeared. Only butterfly was orange tip (10+) and no dragons and damsels. A search through a nettle patch was most productive with 7 zpot lsdybird, sloe bug, coreus marginatus, neetle weevil and scorpion fly all being photographed along with several unidentified spiders and hover fliess. A white stork has been reported in the vicinity, but no sign today.
Photos from the top:
Sloe bug
Female scorpion fly
Female orange tip
Male orange tip
Nettle weevil
Juvenile goldfinch
Coreus marginatus
7 spot ladybird
Red tailed bumble bee (Bombus lapidarius)
Common field speedwell (note white bottom petal)
Germander speedwell
Orange tip underwing
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