Striped Hawkmoth

Dungeness - 0745hrs - mild, drizzle, sw2 - Poor viz for a seawatch but an hour in the hide delivered a steady flow of Gannets and Common Terns, 30 scoters, 5 Arctic Skuas, 3 Fulmars and an auk. Several Swifts and Swallows in off the sea (either side of my hour a Great Northern Diver and 2 Poms were seen).
Lade - 0900hrs - Pretty quiet here with just 100 odd hirundines and Swifts over the water to sift through. Cuckoo and Cetti`s Warbler vocalising in the willows and a couple of parties of Whimbrels overhead whistling.
Pigwell - 1300hrs - Checked out the wash out pit at Lydd where last Friday had a nice clutch of waders. Not today though as the water level had risen since, eliminating any wader habitat.
Moths - Or lack of them as far as my traps are concerned. However, just down the road at the Kerton Road Cafe, despite the rain, moths flocked in. Pick of the bunch was a stunning Striped Hawkmoth a rare immigrant from the south, which would have been better off staying in its native range of the Mediterranean Basin and north Africa judging from the weather forecast over the next 24 hours.

                                           Striped Hawkmoth, Kerton Road Cafe
ps: - The Red-rumped Swallow was again seen at New Romney Sewage Works early on, but had moved by mid-morning.