Juvenile Mediterranean Gull at Orton Mere

My bike broke down as I was cycling home through Orton Mere, Peterborough, tonight. As I was waiting for Jo to rescue me in the car, I sat on the grassy knoll overlooking the small lake. I heard a Kingfisher and scanned to glance it flying by. I also noticed some gulls on the floats on the water and one of them looked distinctly scaly. Aha, I thought: juvenile Med Gull! I'm slightly interested in its pinkish pale legs (not dark as usually illustrated), but I attribute this to it being a young bird. A local breeder?

A few new garden micro moths

Pammene fasciana Loxostege sticticalisEthmia dodeceaZeiraphera isertanaEudemis profundana

Thanks to Brian Stone and David Manning for help with IDs.

Wood Sandpiper (again)

More Great Crested Grebe action

Another Wood Sandpiper

There were two juvenile Wood Sandpipers at Maxey this morning (only one yesterday). This is one (bird on right; digiscoped. Other birds are juvenile Grey Heron and juvenile Redshank.

Humbug!

Baby Great Crested Grebes having a lift at Ferry Meadows CP

Fen Wainscot, new for the garden

More recent moths

Trachycera advenellaYellow-tailAethes rubigana

Early ThornPhlyctaenia perlucidalisCommon White WavePhycitodes binaevellaArgyresthia brockeellaAgapeta hamanaEpermenia chaerophyllella

Buff Footman

Three hawks

Privet, Elephant and Poplar Hawkmoths

Brown-tail, new for the garden

WHen I first saw this lovely moth, it was from this angle, and I took it for a Yellow-tail, as its tail looked yellow (as in this photo). It was only later I realised that it had a brown abdomen after all (the clean white wings should have been a giveaway).

Wood Sandpiper at Maxey pits

I finally added Wood Sandpiper to my Peterborough area year list (now 177). Last year I failed to find one at all, but last night found one at Maxey, here shown with a Green Sandpiper and Lapwing (all digiscoped from considerable distance, but you get the gist).

Garden Moths, 17.7.13

Cream-bordered Green Pea

Red-necked Footman Privet Hawkmoths

Buff FootmanCatropia pinellaClouded Border Donacaula forficella Pammene aurita

Small Emerald

White Plume Moth