Moths, Sparrows & Owls

Lade - 0500hrs - warm, dry, sunny, hot later, e 2 - An early start to check the garden trap which was a bit down on yesterday species wise with only Lychnis new for the year. Fairly quiet over the pits with only a couple of Marsh Harriers and a Common Sandpiper of note.
Kerton Road Café - An overwhelming session here with Mrs Moth and her trap stuffed full of insects, the bulk of which were Scarce and Pygmy Footman, Dark Arches and Tawny Shears. However, there was still plenty of interest amongst the circa 2,800 moths of 49 species, including 33 Sussex Emeralds and 2 Small Blood-veins. The side wall of the bungalow was still covered in moths when I arrived and the Stinking Hawksbeard was in full flower.

                                KRC trap

                                Small Blood-vein, KRC

                                Stinking Hawksbeard, KRC

Farmland Bird Survey - Carried out a bird survey on a nearby farm specifically for Tree Sparrows which were present at two locations, with juveniles noted at one site. Linnet, Yellow Wagtail, Skylark also breeding, plus a Barn Owl in an outbuilding with noisy owlets which must`ve been suffering in the heat. A Little Owl was seen nearby with two juvs and an adult at another site near Lydd.

                                          Barn Owl pellets

                                          Dark Tussock, KRC

                                                Scarce Footman, KRC

                                          Juv Tree Sparrow

                                Little Owl, Lydd