Thursday 24 July 2014

A host of moths

Lade - 0600hrs - warm, dry, sunny, ne 2 - Phew, what a stinker of a day. Thankfully, down here we had a freshening wind off the sea to ameliorate the temperature, but even so in the sheltered back garden the thermometer hit 25C by early afternoon. Anyhow, the garden Skinner trap was rammed with moths of 40 species with four new for the year - Chinese Character, Swallow Prominent, Reed Dagger and Webb`s Wainscot; the latter two species are in the Nationally Scarce B category, but annual in moth traps hereabouts. Silver Ys were in double figures and eight Poplar Hawks were also of note. Working in the garden this afternoon it was good to see the buddleia festooned with butterflies mainly Peacocks and Large Whites, a few Red Admirals, but hardly any Small Tortoiseshells.

                                       Chinese Character, Lade

                                                 Reed Dagger, Lade

                                Swallow Prominent, Lade

                                              Webb`s Wainscot, Lade
                                              
Dungeness - Checked the Patch where amongst a couple of thousand gulls I could only find two Yellow-legged Gulls and a Kittiwake of any interest, plus a very pale immature Herring Gull type. Common Terns were in short supply with around 20 over the boil and several Sandwich Terns drifted by. Bumped into DW who was on a butterfly hunt after logging Clouded Yellow yesterday.
Lade - Mrs PT joined us for a stroll along the beach this evening in glorious sunshine. As ever it was packed out, with all of five people seen between the boardwalk and the Tavern, plus half a dozen kite-surfers way out over the sea. The usual shorebirds were noted including six Ringed Plovers and four Barwits.

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