Sunday, 13 November 2022

Boathouse Gem

                                 Sunrise over the Channel
 

Warm, dry and sunny, S2 - Due to the unseasonably balmy weather this is the latest I have ever run my moth trap; a plume of warm air from the south produced the goods last night with Dark Sword-grass, Blair`s Shoulder-knot and Scarce Bordered Straw the highlights. However, there was some excitement at the Obs yesterday when I called in as MC produced an unknown macro moth from his trap in Lydd that turned out to be a rare migrant Boathouse Gem (why is it moths have such evocative names...) a species that has only occurred a handful of times before in Britain; you could say the equivalent in birding terms of netting a Siberian Rubythroat, perhaps...!

                                  Boathouse Gem

On the bird front the sea continues to tick over with scarcities such as the odd Sooty Shearwater, Puffin, Pomarine and Great Skuas, a confiding Grey Phalarope, another Sabine`s Gull yesterday, a lingering Arctic Tern and a probable Long-tailed Skua on Thursday morning that was just too far out to nail for sure. On the land Dartford Warblers were once again prominent across the peninsula, while Swallows continue to trickle through at Lade. This afternoon the Church Lane spinney was bathed in warm sunshine (17C) where several Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests were within a tit flock, plus Treecreeper, Jay, Redwing and Buzzard.

                                  Spider gossamers, Church Lane NR

No comments:

Post a Comment