Scarce Chocolate-tip

Lade - warm, dry, sunny, sw 2 - Following several poor moth catches (due to strong winds) last night it relented to deliver a smart Scarce Chocolate-tip, new for the trap site and a Red Data Book moth. I`ve been expecting this beast for a while now as it`s visited most of the surrounding traps hereabouts on the Dungeness peninsula where it is resident. Dot Moth was also NFY among 35 species of macros.
We`ve planted out many shrubs and plants in the garden over the past ten years to attract insects and this afternoon Hummingbird Hawk-moth and Painted Lady fed on buddleia and lavender respectively. Plants never cease to amaze me and spring up where you least expect them. A case in point is a tobacco plant that emerged underneath the fir trees, having attained five feet in height and looking pretty spectacular with white blooms and a wonderful night time scent for attracting moths.

                                Tobacco plant, Plovers

                                Scarce Chocolate-tip, Plovers - new for the site

ARC - Called in around noon where a red Knot was the wader highlight alongside the usual Lapwings and plovers, plus a Blackwit and Common Sandpiper. The long-staying immature Little Gull was on an island with a number of Common and Black-headed Gulls and two Common Terns.

                               Red Knot, ARC

Lade - A beautiful evening for a stroll along the beach on an ebb tide which was notable for several hundred Common Gulls amongst around 1,000 Black-headed Gulls feeding on shrimps flapping around in the gloopy mud. The only waders on offer were a few Ringed Plovers and Oystercatchers.

                                Common Gull, Lade beach