Autumn is here

Mark's first ringing effort this year produced relatively few birds

 

This juvenile Blackbird ( a female) was plenty noisy

While this Willow warbler was content to sit quietly and be ringed

In the moth trap this last 2 morning there were plenty of moths, yesterday 166 of 24 species, today 148 of 22

This satisfactory view of an eggbox gives an idea, how many can you identify?

 

and again?

  Try a little closer with this one

Now here's a little wonder, this chap is a migrant, a Pale Mottled Willow, imagine - so small and a cross-channel flier, amazing

Looks like the Large Yellow Underwings are having a party!

A superb delicate little moth, a Light Emerald

And this Burnished Brass, beautiful colouring

and see what happens when the light changes a little, wonderful stuff

And finally, we caught one small Mackerel on Sunday, on Philip's rod after an hour's feathering, and the only fish I saw caught all afternoon

Carpet Warehouse, and an immigrant

Ho - hum, more rain, and more moths including these variants on the theme of Carpets

Garden Carpet 

Green Carpet

and a carpet look-alike - Purple Bar

 Yellow Shell next



Small Blood Vein 

One of my favourites, Rosy Rustic - sounds like a Thomas Hardy character! 

Orange Swift 

 and, just for Phil Green, another Flounced Rustic

This next one was in the trap yesterday after the overnight thunderstorm. After much poring over Waring and Townsend, and a quick visit to Tony Morris for confirmation, it is a  Bordered Straw, a migrant

Also in the trap but not photographed as it left without posing, was an interesting moth, unless that is you are a Horse Chestnut tree, for it was a Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner - Cameraria ohridella - these are the blighters which are causing the leaves on the Horse-chestnuts up Whitfield Hill to go prematurely brown, and are causing some concern - see British Wildlife Vol 22 Number 5 June 2011

And finally, it appears there have been Mackerel caught off Deal Pier today, young Philip phoned with the news, if they're still there tomorrow morning we are going to try and catch a few - watch this space

Howletts

We were taken to Howletts today, and Philip borrowed my camera - again it's best to let the pictures speak both for themselves and for his photography skills

Life's sooo tough, isn't it?

This Snow Leopard was ever so difficult to find and then this pic was all we could get



Some moths is all

Coo-er it's quiet, and the weather don't help, I'm beginning to think the second butterfly count at Sutton ain't going to happen. Interestingly there were moths on the wing last night in spite of the early rain, and they are all I have to blog about just now

Common Wainscot

Large Yellow Underwing, becoming very numerous now

This, I think, is a Square Spot Rustic, not a common moth in my garden this year and this first one relatively late

These next two are micro moths, and they were indeed very micro, think 5 pence piece - if you can identify them I would be interested, if not just enjoy the beauty of nature

Eastbourne Airshow, and a moth

We went to the airshow at Eastbourne last Sunday, smashing day out and the flying very spectacular. I'll let the photos speak for themselves, starting with the Red Arrows

  Didn't notice this one in the foreground emitting coloured smoke at all during the display

Is this a Red Arrows goodbye?

Apparently this is a T2 Texan

  And we all know a Spit and a Hurricane, don't we - I wish I could attach a sound file

Tornado next, noisy and fast

A Super - Sabre, I remember these!

I know I shouldn't, because of the effort and skill involved, but these wing walkers were hilariously funny because of the affected way they kept striking poses as they were thundering round the sky

This was a bit special, an F14 and a Spitfire in formation - magic

I was completely unable to catch the F16 in fast flight, but a slow-speed flyby was ideal, what a machine!

And as a finale, if you're in difficulty at sea and need help, what must it feel like to see these guys turning up in a craft like this

 

In the moth trap Tuesday morning was this, I think, Ingrailed (or is it Engrailed) Clay - the Oxford English uses an E, Waring and Townsend an I - anyway, I'm fairly certain that's what is was, last trapped one in June 2009

Also in the trap was a Dark Sword-grass, a migrant, but it declined to stay and be photographed, sorry!