All that glitters...is Gold Ringed!

The cold NE gale on Friday and Saturday put the kybosh on any good mothing but here goes -

Friday 18th.

0017 Common Swift 1
1727 Silver Ground Carpet 9
1764 Common Marbled Carpet 1
1776 Green Carpet 1
1802 Rivulet 1
2089 Heart and Dart 1
2102 Flame Shoulder 1
2158 Pale Shouldered Brocade 1
2160 Bright Line, Brown Eye 1
2326 Clouded Bordered Brindle 1
2330 Dusky Brocade 1 new
2334 Rustic Shoulder Knot 2
2339 Tawny Marbled Minor 1 (best guess, fits the criteria in Waring? It'll do for me!)
2340 Middle Barred Minor 1 new
2441 Silver Y 1 nfy
2477 Snout 1 nfy

Total 25 moths of 16 species.

Above - Dusky Brocade and Snout.

Above, left, Middle barred Minor and, right, Tawny Marbled Minor. I think. According to Waring et al.

Saturday 19th.

1727 Silver Ground Carpet 6
1764 Common Marbled Carpet 1
1776 Green Carpet 1
1834 Common Pug 1
2089 Heart and Dart 11
2326 Cloud Bordered Brindle 3
2334 Rustic Shoulder Knot 2
2339 Tawny Marbled Minor 1 ( see above)

26 moths of 8 species.

Tonight a walk around a wild flower meadow on the Howick Estate had 26+ 1870 Chimney Sweepers (nfy)in about 150 yard straight transect. If I had wandered I could have doubled that.

Today started witha short fruitless seawatch where the highlight was 300 Fulmars per hour N.

I later went with JWR to do his WeBs count at Branton Pits. For me who has little freshwater habitat these days this site is a treat. All common stuff but things I dont get to see from one month to the next - 2 pairs of Great Crested Grebes, 6 Goosander, 2 Teal plus many Greylags, Canada Geese, Tufted Duck, Mallard etc.

As the morning warmed insects began to emerge - 

Butterflies - 2 Small Heath, 2 Large Skippers and my first Red Admiral of the year.

Not to be outdone, Dragons came out too - Azure Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue tailed Damselfly all in good numbers but the headline act was a stunning Gold Ringed Dragonfly that sat in the open until we left it. Tremendous.