Another Cracker

 Sunday July 24

It's all about moths at the moment. Whn will we go birding again? The young Green Woodpeckers continue to use our garden to feed. There must be hordes of ants for them. I'll never get tired of watching that long tongue flick out to gather the insects. It's such a goony looking bird too. The youngters have  grey streaks in their green plumage.

All is quiet in our House Martin nests. We know that the first brood has flown, is there another on the way?

One of the Trimingham Bee-eater pairs has two hatched chicks - a conjecture by staff. We intended visiting again when young were being fed, with a better chance of getting views. It's been so hot than we have stayed indoors - still. Added to this, the RSPB have taken the webcam down to be used elewhere, until Tuesday. Although it wasn't giving riveting results, one viewer said that all they'd seen was weeds waving in the breeze, at least there was a chance. Surely the wealthy RSPB could have afforded another webcam. 

The most notable moth of late has been a Beautiful Marbled.

 


Our first was at Dungeness - Andy had one in his garden whilst we were away. We have since trapped one ourselves, this week's was the second.

From the Norfolk Moth website:

Norfolk status
Very rare immigrant, several records in recent years.

First recorded in Dorset 2001, only identified from a set specimen during an influx of this previously unrecorded species in 2004.

Occurring in mainland Europe, the larvae feed on Creeping Thistle, no evidence of breeding in the UK.

New for Norfolk in August 2016, trapped at Filby (D. Hipperson, 25/08/16)

Five recorded in 2018 - Eccles-on-Sea (N. Bowman, 27/07/18) New for VC28 at Holme Dunes (G. Hibberd, 13/10/18) and two at Heampstead-by-Holt (A. Wallis, 13/10/18, 15/10/18) Lyng (R.Holt, 20/10/18)
Several in recent years with over 30 records in 2020!
Beautiful Marbled
Eublemma purpurina

  
 


We also trapped a new for our garden, Saltmarsh Plume. Its name is accurate - it lives on salt marsh, and is one of the easier Plume moths to identify as it has a distinctive resting posture.It raises its narrow wings into a V shape. It is known to occasionally wander inland - there's no saltmarsh anywhere near us.



 

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