Trap Invaders

 Friday August 25

Our time is largely spent on moths at the moment. We, (Pam) put out two traps almost every night and we go to our group meetings at Natural Surroundings on Tuesdays and at Cley on Thursdays. N.S. is restricted to members, Cley is more open. The latter has a few open meetings every year, aimed at children.

We continue to trap a few good moths at home. This week, our first 

Oblique Striped

Rusty-dot Pearl

both of the above are immigrants, and a very worn Peacock

We have many more beetles, in both number and variety of species, in our traps, than either of the group locations. NS has extensive and very varied habitat, so I find that surprising.

Yesterday, we had a species of Click beetle, long and slim with an articulated body. It never sits still, this is the best I could do. According to ObsId it's a Stenagostus rhombeus.

It's also the Shield Bug season. Virtually the only species we get is the Red-legged or Hawthorn Shield Bug. As we have a hawthorn hedge the length of our property, from front to back, that's not surprising.

 


Canary-shouldered Thorns are one of my favourite moths. To-day, we had one perched on an open sunflower, excellent camouflage.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 12

Image
 Monday May 6 Most of the morning was occupied getting in touch with the car insurance people and then Autoglass - then waiting for Autoglass to get back to us.  A  stone chipped our windscreen on the way through Skye, since then its become a one foot plus horizontal crack on Pam's side. End result. We take the car to Lewis or Skye or wait until we get home. The garage here 'doesn't have the equipment to deal with the sensor in the front screen'. Ian, Heather's husband, says he does them all the time! Ah well, live with it.  Almost the first bird we saw as we drove north was a lovely male Hen Harrier. It was distant but I had to try, one of these days I'll get a decent photo. Original photo before editing, taken with 500mm lens    Edited     As we drove down to Loch Paible, a flock of fifteen Whimbrel dropped in to the near corner.We needed to turn the car, by which time the birds had gone, this Wheatear posed nicely for me.    A short d...
Read more

Moth Migration

Image
 Wednesday October 9 Like birds, moths migrate when the season and weather conditions are right. Recently, we have had easterly winds with a mouth watering fall of birds which we have been unable to walk and see. Many Yellow-browed Warblers, Eastern Crowned Warbler in Shetland, a possible Amur Stonechat and an Asian Desert Warbler in Norfolk. Our moth traps have had a reasonable sprinkling of the migrant moths - although some could be breeding here by now. Palpita Vitrialis Scarce Bordered Straw Delicate   and Rusty Dot Pearl
Read more

Day 19

Image
  Monday May 13   The day started slowly and ended at a gallop. A morning spent doing chores meant an even later start than usual, well past mid-day. Loch Druidibeg was the intended destination but we missed the turning and ended up at Loch Eynort. Both are in South Uist, but Druidibeg is not signposted on the northern approach. We even found a parking space in the small six car parking area, where we sat looking at a pretty empty sea. Eventually, Red-breasted Merganser, Shags, a Great Northern Diver and an Otter on the sea and Willow Warbler, Chaffinch, Robin, Blackbird, Dunnock, Cuckoo, and a Lesser Redpoll from the small wood alongside. AS we reversed away, Pam noticed the reg plate on the car beside us. It was WOC, Ian and Sue's car. We left them a note and drove on in the rain. We found Druidibeg this time. RSPB Scotland Loch Druidibeg, a community nature reserve formed in partnership with local crofters and the community estate. It is a Special Protection Area and Site...
Read more