This post is all a bit insecty I am afraid...well we are coming towards the end of the spring migration (not that there was much of one!) so what do you expect?
Saying that though, Rob and Steph managed to grip all locals off yesterday with a brief young male Montagu's Harrier over Axmouth. Only the fourth for the patch, and the first for nine years after we were all treated to a lingering female in the Axe valley in May 2016. It's one of those species that you don't know how many more chances you are going to get to see, with the rapidly declining status of it as a breeding species - not just in UK but in many parts of Europe too. Screenshot of a Tweet from Steph below...
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| Gripping! I was in the middle of the county show when I first saw these images - at least it wasn't a Pallid! |
I enjoyed a lovely walk around Lower Bruckland Ponds yesterday, and it was great to see more of the larger species out. Scarce Chaser in particular were abundant, with 35+ counted including several tandem pairs...
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| Male Scarce Chaser |
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| Scrace Chaser female |
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| Scarce Chaser pair |
Several Four-spotted Chasers and my first Black-tailed Skimmer of the year were also noted. Two (more?) Hairy Hawkers were present too, on different ponds to where I found the patch's first two earlier in the month. I spotted the first of yesterdays through my cameras LCD screen as it photo-bombed a male Scarce Chaser! I never managed a better photo of it so here are the two photo-bombs...
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| Male Scarce Chaser with Hairy Hawker incoming |
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| Wish I was focussed on the Hairy! Still, a quirky photo! | |
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| My first Black-tailed Skimmer of 2025 |
Long-term readers of this blog will know I dip in and out of moths, but when I do trap it is always at my Mum and Dad's. The family home has a lovely large garden on the edge of Seaton, and is high up, meaning over the years I have accumulated a nice list of species here. This includes some really nice rarities and plenty of local specialities, and am really pleased with my Hawkmoth total of ten species too - but frustrated never to have caught a Pine Hawk there (Bedstraw and two Striped were lovely though!). Although I will no doubt still trap here occasionally, having moved into a new place at the end of last year with a nice sized and well-sheltered garden, I can now trap much closer to home...
Over the last week I have trapped on three nights, and the total of these have been 122 macro moths of 41 species. Here are some of the highlights, the first being a new one for me in Seaton even though it isn't that rare...
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| Marbled Brown |
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| One of two Hawkmoth species already on the garden list, this Eyed and a Poplar |
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| Portland Ribbon Wave - so pleased to get one during my second night of trapping! |
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| Purple Bar |
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| An unusual view of a Cream-spot Tiger, but the colours made it worth sharing! |
Guess what... The trap is out again tonight too!
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