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
