More moths and some colour

 

Decided on a whim to put the moth trap out last night, having seen lots of moths in flight Thursday on the way back from Sandwich Bay (no Barn Owls, tho'). Glad I did for this morning there was this lovely Blair's Shoulder Knot

 

 

and this Delicate (yes, that's it's name), which is a migrant from Southern Europe in the spring, this one probably being a descendant of that influx, even so an enigmatic moth

 

 

especially when you compare it's size to my thumb, amazing

and, like Alan Pavey, a superb Green Brindled Crescent

 

While poking round for migrants last week, I was struck by the colour in this thorn bush - wow

 

Autumn moths

Well, came back from France to find Autumn had arrived in the old moth trap, so here's a selection

First, a hangover from the summer, a late and tatty Common Rustic - well, I couldn't turn it into anything else. Pity as I have since been corrected, it is indeed a Yellow Line Quaker, thanks to Tony and Alan

 

 

One of the pleasures of this time of year is to catch and admire this amazingly camouflaged beauty, tho' it's name is a bit lost on me, a Feathered Ranunculus. Invisible on a lichen covered branch or gravestone

 

Beaded Chestnuts been coming in numbers, too, lovely warm brown base colour

 

This Autumnal Rustic is uncommon in my garden and all the prettier for that

 

and I do enjoy catching these "stealth" moths, I can easily imagine them being trained and used on covert reconnaisance missions - glad to report they are not uncommon here, Black Rustic being their name

 

Mallow, delicate and subtly colourd (or they would be if this keyboard could spell)

 

Went out over the weekend to find lots of autumn birds skilfully avoiding my attempts to photograph them, including unusually high numbers of Ring Ouzels - see Phil Smith's blog - Kearsneybirder - for some super pics. The best I could do were these two early morning light pics

 

Bourgogne part deux

 

 

On the way back from Louhans we meant to cut across country, but I skilfully got lost. In getting back on track we flushed a large BOP from a roadside electricity pole. It flew a few metres to this pylon, and we saw it to be an Osprey, clutching a fish in its talons. Luckily the road was bordered by a maize field, so I was able to get this pic sort of under cover before it flew off again. As you can see there's no evidence of leg rings on this special bird, what a find!

 

 

 

Next day found us a the museum at Bibracte, otherwise known as Mont Beuvray, home to a large Romano-Celtic town until early in the first century BC when the whole community decamped to the 25 or so Km to Autun. When we emerged from the museum the rain had gone so we drove over the top, catching this spectacular view across to the Alps in the distance

 

Friday found us cycling again, along the old railway line to Buxy and back, with these attractive old structures to admire

Afterwards, resting in the garden which at some time in the past was a quarry

 

 

and in which there was much to watch, including the conifer steaming in the early morning sun one day - note the cobweb

 

there were these butterflies which I haven't yet looked-up

 

 

 

 

maybe someone will save me the trouble

 

and there were these lizards to see, this one caught a fly as we watched, quick as lightning.As you can see it's had a near miss, having lost it's tail

 



 

And finally, that woodpecker returned after our bike ride and came out into clear view, a super Middle Spotted Woodpecker, lovely

 

And so home, where these pics of a Canary Shouldered Thorn were waiting to be posted for you to admire, my moth trap not been out since and from the forecast it seems unlikely for a few nights at least

 

 

Looks like I'll have to amuse myself otherwise, like getting on with the rocking horse, here's one I made earlier, with a very young Philip