The lull before the (autumn) storms and National Moth night

A few weeks have passed since my last post and, while not lacking interest, they have generally been fairly quiet. Birding on the levels in the autumn generally involves more in the way of hedgerow activity than waterbirds and so it has proved recently. Sunday (13th) was WEBS day and true waterbirds on Down consisted only 10 Mute Swan, 8 Mallard, 4 Moorhen, and singles of Coot and Moorhen. Thankfully there was plenty of hedgerow activity with the best being an immature Redstart flycatching from Hawthorns near Rickney, along with 7 Lesser Whitethroat, numerous Blackcap and Whitethroat, flyover Siskin, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, and 2 Cettis' Warbler. A single Hobby was also seen on the 13th to go with the 2 seen on the 6th. The 6th was a good day for raptors with 6 Buzzard, a Red Kite, and a female Marsh Harrier all seen from White Dyke. Garden bird highlights have consisted of a single Swift on the 29th of August and the occassional flyover Siskin as I have been emptying the moth trap.

Somewhat fittingly national moth night on the 11th produced my best macro catch of the year with 131 moths, it was just a shame that 90 of them were Large Yellow Underwings! Still I really shouldn't grumble as the run of good immigrants continued with what appears to have been a Vestal event overnight on the 29th August! I have only ever trapped Vestal once prior to the 29th when 2 graced my trap, and this was followed by another 2 on the night of the 31st at least one of which was new (being a male, above right, whereas both trapped on the 29th were females, one of which is above left). Vestals seem to have been caught widely along the coast from the 29th according to Dave Walker at DBO with a number caught at Dungeness the same night one of which I saw along with a Convulvulous Hawkmoth and a real rarity in the form of Sickle-bearing Bush-cricket during a flying visit on the 30th.

Meanwhile the garden has been bumping up the pan list no end especially on the 30th August with a new genus for me in the form of barkflies and specifically Valenzuela flavidis, along with the fly Rhingia rostrata, hoverflies Syrphus ribesi (pictured below) and Helophilus pendulus, the beetle Polydrosus cervinus (pictured below), and a 5th instar Palomina prasina (Green Shield bug). Adalia decempunctata (10-spot Ladybird) (pictured left) was seen on the 5th along with Cepaea hortensis (White-lipped snail). Finally although not in the garden Pentatoma rufipes (Red-legged Shield-bug) was new to me on the patch with a single on White Dyke on the 5th (pictured below). Keep the faith.