Also in the garden was the first Willow Warbler of the return passage. Several parties of Swifts over south lake were also heading out and two Common Sands and a Greenshanks noted around the margins.
Saturday, 26 July 2014
First Willow Warbler
Lade - 0600hrs - warm, dry, sunny, ne 2 - The new Beckinson Mk2 was a roaring success yielding 48 species including Herald and Lychnis new for the year of over 200 insects.
Corn Borer, Lade
Herald, Lade
Lychnis, Lade
Also in the garden was the first Willow Warbler of the return passage. Several parties of Swifts over south lake were also heading out and two Common Sands and a Greenshanks noted around the margins.
Also in the garden was the first Willow Warbler of the return passage. Several parties of Swifts over south lake were also heading out and two Common Sands and a Greenshanks noted around the margins.
Friday, 25 July 2014
Beckinson Mk2 Moth Trap
Lade - 0600hrs - warm, dry, sunny, ne 2 - Slightly disappointing catch from last night, particularly as the wind slackened off in the early hours, with only Sharp-angled Peacock new for the year. Been running my home-made Skinner trap of late, which is a bit rough and ready, but this morning I picked up the modified Beckinson Mk2 from the KRC, so have great hopes for tonight...
Also on view was a Tissue - no, no, not a Kleenex, a scarce moth, the first in the recording area for 50 years apparently.
Brimstone, Lade
Beckinson Mk2, in situ
On the pits a pair of Shelducks were new on south lake, while Common Sandpipers were up to three.
ARC - Very little to see from Hanson hide apart from eclipse wildfowl, including two Wigeon, plus Common Sandpiper, Marsh Harrier and a family of Green Woodpeckers around the car park.
Also on view was a Tissue - no, no, not a Kleenex, a scarce moth, the first in the recording area for 50 years apparently.
On the pits a pair of Shelducks were new on south lake, while Common Sandpipers were up to three.
ARC - Very little to see from Hanson hide apart from eclipse wildfowl, including two Wigeon, plus Common Sandpiper, Marsh Harrier and a family of Green Woodpeckers around the car park.
Thursday, 24 July 2014
A host of moths
Lade - 0600hrs - warm, dry, sunny, ne 2 - Phew, what a stinker of a day. Thankfully, down here we had a freshening wind off the sea to ameliorate the temperature, but even so in the sheltered back garden the thermometer hit 25C by early afternoon. Anyhow, the garden Skinner trap was rammed with moths of 40 species with four new for the year - Chinese Character, Swallow Prominent, Reed Dagger and Webb`s Wainscot; the latter two species are in the Nationally Scarce B category, but annual in moth traps hereabouts. Silver Ys were in double figures and eight Poplar Hawks were also of note. Working in the garden this afternoon it was good to see the buddleia festooned with butterflies mainly Peacocks and Large Whites, a few Red Admirals, but hardly any Small Tortoiseshells.
Chinese Character, Lade
Reed Dagger, Lade
Swallow Prominent, Lade
Webb`s Wainscot, Lade
Dungeness - Checked the Patch where amongst a couple of thousand gulls I could only find two Yellow-legged Gulls and a Kittiwake of any interest, plus a very pale immature Herring Gull type. Common Terns were in short supply with around 20 over the boil and several Sandwich Terns drifted by. Bumped into DW who was on a butterfly hunt after logging Clouded Yellow yesterday.
Lade - Mrs PT joined us for a stroll along the beach this evening in glorious sunshine. As ever it was packed out, with all of five people seen between the boardwalk and the Tavern, plus half a dozen kite-surfers way out over the sea. The usual shorebirds were noted including six Ringed Plovers and four Barwits.
Dungeness - Checked the Patch where amongst a couple of thousand gulls I could only find two Yellow-legged Gulls and a Kittiwake of any interest, plus a very pale immature Herring Gull type. Common Terns were in short supply with around 20 over the boil and several Sandwich Terns drifted by. Bumped into DW who was on a butterfly hunt after logging Clouded Yellow yesterday.
Lade - Mrs PT joined us for a stroll along the beach this evening in glorious sunshine. As ever it was packed out, with all of five people seen between the boardwalk and the Tavern, plus half a dozen kite-surfers way out over the sea. The usual shorebirds were noted including six Ringed Plovers and four Barwits.
Wednesday, 23 July 2014
Jersey Tiger
Lade - 0600hrs - warm, dry, sunny, ne 4 - With a brisk overnight wind coming off the sea I wasn't expecting much in the garden mv this morning. However, the summer house doors were plastered in moths, mostly micros, but also a cracking Jersey Tiger to complement five Garden Tigers in the trap. Not sure why there were loads of Buff Ermines, but there were, plus Toadflax Brocade and the first Flounced Rustic of the season - bah! Also, a very smart reed-bed pyralid, Chilo phragmitella.
Chilo phragmitella, Lade
Garden Tiger, Lade
Jersey Tiger, Lade
Always a great sight to watch the Curlews (158) flighting off the beach and tumbling down onto their high tide roost site on the shingle. Also in the company were five Barwits and a Grey Plover, while two Common Sandpipers flitted across south lake. All three hirundines hawked insects over the willow swamp and a Marsh Harrier drifted behind the `mirrors`.
Always a great sight to watch the Curlews (158) flighting off the beach and tumbling down onto their high tide roost site on the shingle. Also in the company were five Barwits and a Grey Plover, while two Common Sandpipers flitted across south lake. All three hirundines hawked insects over the willow swamp and a Marsh Harrier drifted behind the `mirrors`.
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
Angle-striped Sallow
Lade - warm and cloudy early on, sunny and hot later, ne 3 - Another bumper catch of moths in the garden mv with an influx of 15 Silver Ys, Scalloped Oaks, Poplar Hawk-moths, Common Emeralds and the migrant micro, Evergestis extimalis. At the Kerton Road Café a migrant Angle-striped Sallow was on a day trip from a trap on the High Weald.
Very little of note on the pits apart from 100 House Martins feeding over the willow swamp.
Angle-striped Sallow, KRC
Evergestis extimalis, Lade
Magpie, Lade
ARC - 1900hrs - Called in to Screen hide this evening on the way back from the allotment where a Kingfisher was a surprise find zipping across the reedbed calling. On the lake the usual hundreds of eclipse ducks, plus 10 Lapwings and a couple of Redshanks on an island.
Very little of note on the pits apart from 100 House Martins feeding over the willow swamp.
ARC - 1900hrs - Called in to Screen hide this evening on the way back from the allotment where a Kingfisher was a surprise find zipping across the reedbed calling. On the lake the usual hundreds of eclipse ducks, plus 10 Lapwings and a couple of Redshanks on an island.
Monday, 21 July 2014
Whimbrels and Hawk-moths
Lade - 0600hrs - muggy and overcast, nw 2 - An oppressive night with high humidity, more akin to the tropics than Romney Marsh, drove us out for an early morning wander. We worked Mockmill Sewer which was alive with juv Sedge Warblers, Whitethroats and Linnets. Been a while since I ventured out here, perhaps a month ago, when the adults were still in full song. Not so today though with just the occasional cursory burst from fraught looking adults now finishing off second broods and going into moult. At the southern end of the sewer Barney flushed a Snipe, something of a red-letter bird in these parts, from a spectacular splash of Purple Loosestrife. A few Marbled Whites were on the wing and will probably be the last of the summer as they appeared early this year and only have the briefest of flight periods.
Purple Loosestrife, Mockmill Sewer
Marbled White, Lade
Out on the Desert a roosting flock of 160 Curlews (many in heavy wing moult) were flushed by a Marsh Harrier revealing four Whimbrels and a Grey Plover in their midst. Throughout the day a further three Whimbrels were heard over the cottage heading south, plus one Greenshank.
On south lake a Common Sandpiper along the margins and a Black-necked Grebe amongst scores of Dabchicks and Great Crested Grebes.
Poplar Hawk-moths, Lade
Ruby Tiger, Lade
Back at base the moth trap yielded Fan-foot and Ruby Tiger, new for the year, and an influx of five Poplar Hawk-moths.
An afternoon visit to the gravel pits in heavy rain revealed two Green Sandpipers and another Whimbrel, plus hundreds of immature gulls including two adult Meds and a juv Yellow-legged, ten Shelducks and five Teal. A pulse of 50 Sand Martins moved south.
Out on the Desert a roosting flock of 160 Curlews (many in heavy wing moult) were flushed by a Marsh Harrier revealing four Whimbrels and a Grey Plover in their midst. Throughout the day a further three Whimbrels were heard over the cottage heading south, plus one Greenshank.
On south lake a Common Sandpiper along the margins and a Black-necked Grebe amongst scores of Dabchicks and Great Crested Grebes.
Back at base the moth trap yielded Fan-foot and Ruby Tiger, new for the year, and an influx of five Poplar Hawk-moths.
An afternoon visit to the gravel pits in heavy rain revealed two Green Sandpipers and another Whimbrel, plus hundreds of immature gulls including two adult Meds and a juv Yellow-legged, ten Shelducks and five Teal. A pulse of 50 Sand Martins moved south.
Sunday, 20 July 2014
`Mirror` Open Day
Lade - 0700hrs - muggy, cloudy, misty - A good night for moths with 40 species in the garden trap, although Drinker was the only newcomer for the season. Kids love moths, particularly the big `uns like hawks and tigers, and this morning I had a nearly 4 year old assistant to help with the identification...
Moth assistant
Buff-tip
Drinker
Marbled Green
Smoky Wainscot
Least Carpet
A Whimbrel went south down the coast calling, along with a couple of Yellow Wagtails, as we walked over towards the pits. Today was a `Mirror` Open Day and already there were plenty of folk en-route to the swing-bridge where OL and staff were on hand to guide and inform.
All the usual wildfowl on the lakes, plus two Common and one Green Sandpiper on south lake. A family of Green Woodpeckers showed well on the causeway and young Reed Warblers seemed to be everywhere. Despite the gloomy weather conditions there was much insect activity around the ponds with hundreds of damsels and brown butterflies drying out following last nights heavy rain.
Judging from the amount of cars parked hereabouts I would estimate that by mid-afternoon several hundred people had visited site, before the rain set in.
Lade `Mirrors`
Green Woodpecker, juv, Lade
A Whimbrel went south down the coast calling, along with a couple of Yellow Wagtails, as we walked over towards the pits. Today was a `Mirror` Open Day and already there were plenty of folk en-route to the swing-bridge where OL and staff were on hand to guide and inform.
All the usual wildfowl on the lakes, plus two Common and one Green Sandpiper on south lake. A family of Green Woodpeckers showed well on the causeway and young Reed Warblers seemed to be everywhere. Despite the gloomy weather conditions there was much insect activity around the ponds with hundreds of damsels and brown butterflies drying out following last nights heavy rain.
Judging from the amount of cars parked hereabouts I would estimate that by mid-afternoon several hundred people had visited site, before the rain set in.
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