Sunday, May 30, 2010

Aliens have landed...




Which end is up? Pale Prominent.

Drizzling but 9 degrees brought another nice catch last night, including 3 new ones.


1722 Flame Carpet 2
1727 Silver Ground Carpet 1
1728 Garden Carpet 3
1738 Common Carpet 1
1750 Water Carpet 1
1802 Rivulet 2
1834 Common Pug 2
1835 White spotted Pug 1 new for the year.
1902 Brown Silver-line 2
1906 Brimstone 1
1920 Scalloped Hazel 1
1981 Poplar Hawkmoth 1
2011 Pale Prominent 2 new for me and a years highlight so far. Fantastic, funny looking creatures, I'm sure they are from another planet!
2060 White Ermine 1
2061 Buff Ermine 1
2078 Least Black Arches 1
2089 Heart and Dart 1 new.
2123 Small Square Spot 27
2334 Rustic shoulder Knot 2
2450 Spectacle 1

54 moths of 20 species. My first night since March without a Hebrew Character! It seems that Small Square Spot has taken its place...

White spotted Pug.


Heart and Dart.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Some new ones...

































Above - Clockwise from top left - Coxcomb Prominent, Shears, Buff Ermine and Silver Ground Carpet.

After a dismal week I was pleased with last nights GMS catch that included 4 new species for my garden.


0672 Parsnip Moth 1
1727 Silver Ground Carpet 1 new
1728 Garden Carpet 2
1750 Water Carpet 1
1802 Rivulet 1
1834 Common Pug 1
1852 Brindled Pug 1
1920 Scalloped Hazel 1
2008 Coxcomb Prominent 1 new
2060 White Ermine 2
2061 Buff Ermine 1 new
2063 Muslin Moth 2
2092 Shuttle shaped Dart 1
2123 Small Square Spot 17
2147 Shears 1 new
2158 Pale shouldered Brocade 2
2190 Hebrew Character 1 still hanging on there.
2334 Rustic Shoulder Knot 2


Total 39 moths of 18 species

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Paperwork....

















From the top - Brown Rustic, Oak Tree Pug, Red-Green Carpet, Rivulet, Grapholita jungiella and Clouded Silver and a better marked Pale shouldered Brocade.

A large catch on Sunday night has taken till now to sort out. Work just gets in the way sometimes! By the time I have done the GMS forms and filled in my own records I didnt have time last night to post anything...

0293 Caloptilia syringella 1
1288 Twenty Plume Moth 2
1728 Garden Carpet 3
1750 Water Carpet 1
1759 Small Phoenix 2
1760 Red Green Carpet 1 [NFY]
1802 Rivulet 3 [new]
1834 Common Pug 4
1852 Brindled Pug 5
1853 Oak Tree Pug 1 [new, second record for VC68]
1902 Brown Silver-line 1
1920 Scalloped Hazel 1
1958 Clouded Silver 1 [new]
1981 Poplar Hawkmoth 1
2060 White Ermine 2
2078 Least Black Arches 6
2092 Shuttle shaped Dart 3
2123 Small square Spot 23
2158 Pale shouldered Brocade 2
2173 Lychnis 4
2188 Clouded Drab 1
2190 Hebrew Character 4
2302 Brown Rustic 1 [new]
2334 Rustic shoulder Knot 8
2450 Spectacle 2

Total 83 moths of 25 sp.

The above micro was from Saturday but has just been identified for me by Tom. Cheers.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Rosefinch pm...



Last night, after the noise of a sunny day in the village had subsided, the Rosefinch was singing again. This time, in the small copse next to our garden. After a while, it followed the House Sparrows and Goldfinches on to the feeders, giving me a proper 'in the garden' tick. It was fantastic at about 7pm sitting in the garden with the sun shining and the Rosefinch singing over head.



Gary 'Newton Stringer' came for a look and managed a digi scope or two, then Jimmy Steel popped in on his way home from Newton, and luckily my neighbour Julie, also a birder, returned home from work just in time to see it singing just outside her back door.

Apologies for not updating the news last night, but I didnt want to cause any disturbance to neighbours in the evening. Unfortunately there was no sign of him this morning or I would have repositioned the feeders so visitors might have got a view.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Things are looking rosy...







A lovely hot sunny day today ( 43 degrees on our outside thermometer, I must get a new one...) and a large catch of unfamiliar moths to sift through.

I was sitting in our living room looking through the books when a soft song filtered through the window. It took all of about 10 seconds to give me a kick up the backside, grab bins and camera and dash outside passing Jane on route.

ROSEFINCH! Arrrrggghhhhhh!

Mind racing, please be there, please be there, as I quietly stalked past the phone box. Sure enough it was there singing from a tall sallow in a neighbours garden before flying to eat apple buds next door. I couldnt even watch it through the bins for excitement, you'd think it was a first for Britain, but any good bird would be exciting to me these days.

Eventually it sat up in the orange berberis in Julie's garden. Unfortunately it sat with its back to me the whole time, but you can see what it is. Only my second Northumberland Common Rosefinch and its on the garden list. I put the word out and Iain Robson arrived, from Druridge, in time to see it well on a bird table of all places and singing in the same gardens. By the time Alan Tilmouth and John Malloy came, the sun had brought out trampolines and lawn mowers and the bird had gone quiet.

I'll keep a look out tomorrow....


As for the moths...



Marbled Coronet


Clouded Bordered Brindle

0697 Agonopterix arenella 1
0986 Syndemis musculana 1
1376 Small Magpie 1 new
1722 Flame Carpet 1 new for the year
1728 Garden Carpet 1
1738 Common Carpet 1
1750 Water Carpet 3
1759 Small Phoenix 1
1834 Common Pug 9
1844 Ochreous Pug 1 new
1852 Brindled Pug 2
1902 Brown Silver-line 2
1906 Brimstone 1 new for the year
1918 Lunar Thorn 3
1920 Scalloped Hazel 1
1981 Poplar Hawkmoth 1
2078 Least Black Arches 7
2060 White Ermine 6
2092 Shuttle shaped Dart 2
2123 Small square Spot 13
2158 Pale shouldered Brocade 1
2160 Bright Line Brown Eye 1 new
2171 Marbled Coronet 1 new, a belter too, moth of the night!
2197 Pine Beauty 1
2187 Common Quaker 1
2188 Clouded Drab 2
2190 Hebrew Character 3
2326 Clouded Bordered Brindle 1 new
2334 Rustic Shoulder Knot


Small Magpie, Brimstone, Ochreous Pug.

Bright Line Brown Eye and Pale shouldered Brocade

72 moths of 29 species plus 1 pug and 1 micro to be id'd.


OFFL 128 

Friday, May 21, 2010

Tricky...


Now things get tricky. After last nighst colour-fest, today I find a box of pugs, micros and other assorted confusing things...In with the confusion though were -


Lunar Thorn.


Lychnis


Syndemis musculana ( ?)


Foxglove Pug ( looks like the western hebudium?)


No big toys in last nights catch, but plenty to think through...

0986 Syndemis musculana 1 new
1288 Twenty Plume Moth 1
1728 Garden Carpet 1
1738 Common Carpet 2
1750 Water Carpet 2
1759 Small Phoenix 1
1817 Foxglove Pug 1 new a very plae whitish individual.
1834 Common Pug 4
1852 Brindled Pug 1
1918 Lunar Thorn 2 new
1902 Brown Silver-line 1
1920 Scalloped Hazel 1
2060 White Ermine 1
2078 Least Black Arches 9 ( Keith was right!)
2092 Shuttle shaped Dart 1
2123 Small Square Spot 7
2173 Lychnis 1 new
2187 Common Quaker 1
2188 Clouded Drab 4
2190 Hebrew Character 6
2334 Rustic shoulder Knot 1
2425 Nut Tree Tussock 1


Total 52 moths of 24 species. I've been on all night sorting them out...

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The Toy Box!



Poplar Hawkmoth

Elephant Hawkmoth


Emperor


Streamer

Flame Shoulder

Rustic Shoulder Knot


Spectacle


Warm last night, 12 degrees at 5am.

Not many moths but a fantastic haul all the same. For me anyway...The trap looked like a cross between the box of Xmas decorations and a Box of Thorntons Continental!

0672 Parsnip Moth 1
0697 Agonopterix arenella 1
1643 Emperor Moth 1 female laying eggs all over.new *
1728 Garden Carpet 1
1738 Common Carpet 1
1747 Streamer 1 new.
1750 Water Carpet 1
1759 Small Phoenix 1
1902 Brown Silver-line 2
1920 Scalloped Hazel 3
1981 Poplar Hawkmoth 1 new for garden
1991 Elephant Hawkmoth 1 new for garden
2063 Muslin Moth 1
2078 Least Black Arches 1
2102 Flame Shoulder 1 new
2123 Small Square Spot 2
2187 Common Quaker 2
2188 Clouded Drab 1
2190 Hebrew Character 1
2334 Rustic shoulder Knot 1 new
2450 Spectacle 1 new for garden

Plus this pug ? any advice??




27 moths of 22 species

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Buffy...

Shuttle shaped Dart


Broken barred Carpet Small Phoenix ( Thanks Dean, Tom, Mark et al I had a proper blackish patterned one today )


Buff Tip


I make no apologies for the moth dominance on here lately. They are fantastic with even more variation and species than birds....

Mild last night, 8 degrees but clear.


Numbers still low, but new species flooding in...
1773 Broken barred Carpet 1 new.
1902 Brown Silver Line 1 new
1994 Buff Tip 1 new (only my second ever, the last over 10 years ago)
2060 White Ermine 1
2063 Muslin 1
2092 Shuttle shaped Dart 1 female new for the year.
2188 Clouded Drab 3
2190 Hebrew Character 6

18 moths of 8 species.

The Buff Tip was pristine and sitting in a shrub next toi the trap this morning. I've showed it to the whole village just about! They were most impressed...

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Moth Trapping

Garden Pebble. Nothing better as it flew away immediately I opened the pot.


Nut Tree Tussock. Great name, great moth.


At last summer seems to be upon us. Another two species were added to the garden list last night...

1356 Garden Pebble 1 new.
1750 Water Carpet 2
2060 White Ermine 1
2063 Muslin Moth 1
2186 Powdered Quaker 2
2188 Clouded Drab 4
2190 Hebrew Character 6
2425 Nut Tree Tussock 1 new. A nice suprise...

Total 18 moths of 8 species.



Sunday, May 16, 2010

Quail.

After last nights moth trapping, today was warm and sunny with odd light showers. I did an atlas tetrad in an undisclosed location nearby, where the best record was the confirmed breeding of some old acquaintances. The Ravens that spent winter here have a nest with at least 2 large young that were stretching their wings ready to fly. This is the first lowland breeding Ravens I've heard of in the county, and right on the patch too, how lucky is that!

Mid morning, I had returned home for breakfast and was greeted by the sound of a singing Quail out in the field behind the house. It could be heard clearly, but as usual it remained unseen. Tonight I heard it again, this time very close, in the darkness where the local Barn Owl was seen hunting before flying right over our house.

The Quail is a great addition to the OFFH list, and makes it two years in succession I've heard one from the garden.


OFFH 127.

National Moth Night...


Pale Pinion. A rare find up here.


Last night...

It was a good one for me with three new garden additions and a new one for the year...

1750 Water Carpet 1
1947 Engrailed 1 new.
1920 Scalloped Hazel 1 new.
2007 Swallow Prominent 1 new for this year.
2063 Muslin Moth 1
2186 Powdered Quaker 3
2187 Common Quaker 1
2188 Clouded Drab 7
2190 Hebrew Character 2
2236 Pale Pinion 1 new for me and only the second for VC68...I think.

19 moths but 10 species.


Engrailed.


Scalloped Hazel
 
 
 
Swallow Prominent.
 

Saturday, May 15, 2010


Firstly,  last nights moths...

One new for the year.

Early Thorn 1
White Ermine 1
Clouded Drab 1
Hebrew Character 5

8 moths of 4 species

Still cold down to 4 degrees.


















This morning was nice and sunny with a rise in temperature too. A walk with Bunty down to the pond field had a couple of Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats in song, my first Speckled Wood of the year along with 4+ Orange Tips and a few flowers out including Goldilocks, Herb Robert, Pheasants Eye Narcissus and Cow Parsley.

This evening a male Wheatear was on the coastal path. As its National Moth Night lets hope for something new...


Speckled Wood.


Pheasants Eye Narcissus. A naturalised species and the last of the daffodils to come into flower. 


Carrion Crows have been at it again. From the left - Grey Partridge, Pheasant x2 and Kittiwake. Part of a haul of over a dozen eggs cached in the wood...

Friday, May 14, 2010

Moths...

After the last few nights of freezing temperatures I put the trap out -


1738 Common Carpet 1
1750 Water Carpet 1
1917 Early Thorn 1
2063 Muslin Moth 2
2186 Powdered Quaker 2
2187 Common Quaker 7
2188 Clouded Drab 6
2190 Hebrew Character 24

Total 44 moths of 8 species.

Still dominated by the same old orthosias. When will I get some variety?!

A poor month so far for anything really with very little to write about. For god's sake WARM UP!

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Stay at Home...


Although the wind was a cold northerly, the sun was nice and warm in sheltered places, hence most of the day was spent in the garden.

First thing though I popped along the road to do an atlas square at Longhoughton, where the cemetary full of cowsplips was probably the most interesting thing seen.


Back home I spent some time making a couple of veggie beds right in the middle of our lawn. I'll show some 'finished' pics after they have been planted, but you can see from the back one what they will be like...




This Robin gathering food for young kept me company...

Later, a wander around the back field with Bunty gave some scenic photo ops to a background of Kittiwake calls.


Who knows, one day there might be some birding to be done. If this wind swings around...