Thorny Issue

Another garden tick taking the number of moth species recorded in the garden comfortably over the 400 mark. Large Thorn is a fairly localised species so is a welcome addition. This Dusky Thorn is a slightly smarter individual than the garden first a couple of nights ago.

Large Thorn Ennomos autumnaria


Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria


Large Thorn Ennomos autumnaria & Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria


Nikon Coolpix 995

White Stork

My turn to blog the Peterborough White Stork. This has been present since 1 Sep but up until today it has been too far away or I haven't had all the kit with me for a decent photo. OK these aren't the best shots in the world, mainly due to some heat shimmer (for much better pictures see here).

The bird can be seen in fields either side of Gunthorpe Road on the NE edge of Peterborough.

White Stork Ciconia ciconia



Digiscoped with Nikon Coolpix 995, Leica APO77 and 20x eyepiece

Two Garden ticks

Ran two traps last night. The actinic at Stibbington GP was quite interesting with a Maiden's Blush (Cyclophora punctaria) and a Canary-shouldered Thorn (Ennomos alniaria), continuing a good year for the latter, but the MV in the garden produced a couple of garden firsts. There have apparently been a few second generation Treble-bars recently in the area. The Light Emerald is also a second generation adult and was noticably small.

There were 120 Large Yellow Underwings (Noctua pronuba) in the garden trap, which is a record number for me.

Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria


Treble-bar Aplocera plagiata


Light Emerald Campaea margaritata


Nikon Coolpix 995

Hummingbird Hawk-moth

This spectacular insect is an annual visitor to the garden but only on a few days usually in late summer or early autumn. As on this occasion, they are normally only around for a few minutes. There were two here together this afternoon, the first time we have seen more than one at a time.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum



Nikon Coolpix 995

Broads Wildlife

Some of the wildlife on show during a week with lots of weather, good and bad, on a boat on the Norfilk Broads. We spent almost the whole time on the Rivers Ant and Bure. The Crescent and Webb's Wainscot moths were new to me.

The Crescent (Celaena leucostigma)


Webb's Wainscot (Archanara sparganii)


Bulrush Wainscot (Nonagria typhae)


Reed Dagger (Simyra albovenosaphae)


Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala), larva


Schoenobius gigantella


Elachista maculicerusella


Lacewing larva


Rhingia campestris


Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)


Nikon Coolpix 995

Stone Bridge Hovers

The poplars at Stone Bridge Corner are smothered in honeydew and in the morning when this is still damp it is a mecca for zillions of insects, especially hover flies. Here are a few for ID or confirmation.

Scaeva pyrastri?


Hoverfly: probably Melanostoma scalare



Hoverfly: tentatively Eupeodes latifasciatus


Nikon Coolpix 995

Roesel's Bush-cricket

Hot on the heals of my first last weekend in Hampshire it was great to find one of these insects locally. It was a very productive visit to Prior's Fen with Holly Blue and Wall butterflies and a Silver Y moth as well as the following good birds:
Little Egret, 2
Wood Sandpiper, 2
Green Sandpiper, 5
Common Sandpiper, 2
Greenshank, 2 (perhaps 3)
Little Ringed Plover, 1, juv.
Kingfisher, 1
Yellow Wagtail, 10, approx
Swift, 12, over
Sand Martin, 6
Turtle Dove, 1

Roesel's Bush-cricket (Metrioptera roeselii)



Nikon Coolpix 995

Forest Shieldbug

An interesting addition to the non-lep fauna attracted to the moth light.

Forest Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes)


Nikon Coolpix 995

More Hants Moths

A session at my parents' garden in the Test Valley near Stockbridge.

146 moths of 48 species
** = first for me
0424 Bird-cherry Ermine (Yponomeuta evonymella) 1
1260 Chestnut Tortrix (Cydia splendana) 1
1304 Agriphila straminella 4
1305 Agriphila tristella 8
**1306 Agriphila inquinatella 2
1309 Agriphila geniculea 3
1316 Catoptria falsella 2
1331 Water Veneer (Acentria ephemerella) 3
1338 Dipleurina lacustrata 1
1356 Garden Pebble (Evergestis forficalis) 1
1405 Mother of Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis) 4
1470 Euzophera pinguis 1
1640 The Drinker (Euthrix potatoria) 1
1702 Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata) 1
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) ab. remutata 2
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) typical 1
1722 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata) 1
1759 Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata) 1
1868 Lesser Treble-bar (Aplocera efformata) 1
1890 Sharp-angled Peacock (Semiothisa alternaria) 2
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 4
1913 Canary-shouldered Thorn (Ennomos alniaria) 1
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 1
1981 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 3
2003 Pebble Prominent (Eligmodonta ziczac) 2
2006 Lesser Swallow Prominent (Pheosia gnoma) 1
2007 Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula) 4
2009 Maple Prominent (Ptilodontella cucullina) 1
2011 Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina) 3
2030 Yellow-tail (Euproctis similis) 1
2037 Rosy Footman (Miltochrista miniata) 1
2044 Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola) 5
2044 Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola) ab. stramineola 2
2060 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) 1
2064 Ruby Tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa) 1
2087 Turnip Moth (Agrotis segetum) 1
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 8
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 13
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 3
2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua janthe) 11
2112 Least Yellow Underwing (Noctua interjecta) 2
2123 Small Square-spot (Diarsia rubi) 2
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 4
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 1
2318 The Dun-bar (Cosmia trapezina) 1
2343x Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 4
2353 Flounced Rustic (Luperina testacea) 14
2384 Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) 1
2450 The Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) 4
2474 Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis) 5

Sharp-angled Peacock (Semiothisa alternaria)



Rosy Footman (Miltochrista miniata)


The Drinker (Euthrix potatoria)


Lesser Treble-bar (Aplocera efforma)


Agriphila inquinatella


Nikon Coolpix 995

Hants Leps

A couple of dayflying lepidoptera rounds of this batch of insect photos from the weekend in Hampshire.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui


Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola ab. stramineola)


Nikon Coolpix 995

Hants Hovers

As well as a few orthopteran firsts for me this weekend around Pitt near Winchester there was also this impressive hornet mimic hoverfly. I've seen the slightly smaller V. inannis around Elton before but both species are moving northwards so perhaps this one will occur at home too. The Chrysotoxum species below is also new to me but I am not sure of the ID. It could be arcuatum but I don't know if it is possible to tell from the photo alone. Any help would be welcome.

Volucella zonaria




Chrysotoxum festivum


Nikon Coolpix 995

Wasp Spider

This was a first for me and was another great find by my sharp-eyed son. It was along the watermeadows of the River Ichen near Winchester. This is a large and impressive beast, apparently a female as the males are much smaller and more feeble.

Click it for a bigger picture if you have the bandwith and the courage!

Argiope bruennichi (Wasp Spider), female


Nikon Coolpix 995

Anyone for Cricket

Three firsts for me in a small patsh of long grass on the chalk downland next to my inlaws' place near Winchester. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of the one Short-winged Conehead (Conocephalus dorsalis) I found but the other two are here along with a late instar Dock Bug nymph.

Long-winged Conehead (Conocephalus discolor)
Male

Female


Roesel's Bush-cricket (Metrioptera roeselii), female


Dock bug (Coreus marginatus), nymph


Nikon Coolpix 995

Castor Honey

To think we nearly didn't go to the Hanglands. Well we were glad we did as the reward was a Honey Buzzard (my third and Weedon's World of Nature's first in the PBC area) circling over Ailsworth Heath before being encouraged to drift off roughly west by a Common Buzzard rising from the wood calling.

The insects were also good with some more of the Euro-wasps" seen feeding on umbellifers plus these.

Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa), female



Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum)


Conops quadrifasciata a happy couple of conopid flies


Sphaerophoria (scripta?) (a hover fly)



Nikon Coolpix 995