Two new garden moths

Golden Plusia. Look at the palps on that!

Maple Prominent

Duckling rescue!

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull at Beeby's

This juvenile Med Gull was my first of the year locally (even though it was a very good winter and early spring for the species, and other birders can't stop seeing them!

Male Yellowhammer at Maxey pits

Juvenile Wheatear

This quite young juvenile Wheatear was at Beeby's pits, Peterborough, on Saturday 21.7.12. It is early, but not unheard of early around these parts, with late July precedents of moving juveniles (Wheatears don't breed round here). Odd looking thing, innit?

Spotted Flycatchers with dragonfly

I saw my first Spotted Flycatchers of the year yesterday, a family party at Beeby's pits. There were a couple of spotty juveniles and at least one adult. The adult swooped and caught a dragonfly mid-air. It perched and bashed it a bit (in its bill) and tried to swallow the dragon, but after 30 seconds or so, flew up next to one of the juveniles and offered the unprocessed insect as food.
The juvenile took it, but eventually, also had to give uo trying to swallow such a massive meal...

Look, I have brought you a big, tasty dragonfly

Great, I'll have a chomp on that

It'll soon be swallowed. Oh no, I've dropped it...

I am disappointed in you.

Our pond is well vegetated...

More recent moths

Scarce Silver-lines (new for garden)

Broad-barred White (new for garden)

Burnished Brass

Small Emerald

Coronet



Privet Hawkmoth


Pammene regiana (new for garden)

Lunchtime's ditty...

Umbo by Weedons World

Some recent garden moths

Common Emerald

Lozotaeniodes formosanus

Spinach

Vapourer

Swallowtail Moth

Ypsolopha sequella

Peppered Moth


Small Ranunculus

Mottled Beauty

Clouded Brindle

Coronets (two of them)

Ethmia quadrillella, I presume...

As far as I can tell, this is Ethmia quadrillella. I trapped the little beauty last night (4.7.12). According to the Northants site, this may be the second ever record of the moth in VC32 (Northants and Peterborough), after one in 2008. I'll try and get this confirmed...

Southern Hawker, just emerged

This Southern Hawker has just emereged from our pond and was still resting on its exuvia. Notice the fine white threads of the lining of the breathing spiracles. Photographed this morning.