Have you remembered your waterproof 'at?

 

I set off to walk the dog around Wanstone at  07.01 this morning, and was struck by the spectacular clouds on view. After some days of high pressure and clear skies, some castles in the air were a pleasure to see and enjoy

 

 

 

 

The contrast between looking South, where the warmth of the sea (presumably) causing clouds to form, and North, where the air was still clear was interesting. Can't see if the Peregrine was perched up in the towers this morning

 

Through the morning more Cumulus came sailing down the wind, here seen over the farm

and here from the garden

The clouds were still going late evening, too, there having been a few rumbles of thunder and showers through the day, all very frustrating if you're waiting to get on with the combining

 

This lot greeted me 2 days ago when I went out after breakfast to check the moth trap

 

 

This little moth is a Rosy Rustic, which I always think belongs as a character in a Thomas Hardy novel. Please note I've been using nice new egg-boxes this season

 

By my reckoning this should be a Garden Dart, only the fifth record for this garden since Phil got me started 6 years ago

 

There have been two Jersey Tigers to admire here: one on the 6th and one on the 9th 

Last week I walked the second butterfly survey out at Sutton/Maydensole. On this transect the path had been mown after the rape harvest

whereas on this one neither it nor the conservation margin had been cut. However there were few flowers in bloom, so Butterflies were relatively low in numbers on both sections. I did find 2 Brimstones and Brown Argus well into double figures, all too quick for my camera except one

 

Yes, it's a poor photo but it IS an Adonis Blue, somewhat worn,  and it wouldn't keep still

 

Back to Wanstone this morning now. One of the expressions birdwatchers use and take seriously, whereas others just look bemused and walk hurriedly away, is "Jizz" (see what I mean?). There is very little in this light to help identify this small bird, but the fact that it's August, the bird is perched on  a lump of WW2 surplus concrete along the cliffs alongside the frass and grass/weeds at the path edge is a massive clue, as is it's shape and the way it is standing

 

 

mind you, it did alter it's stance and stretch it's neck a bit as the dog went by, maybe it hadn't seen one before, a distinct possibility 

 

as, when I got past it and the light was better, it was a juvenile Wheatear, but you knew that already from it's Jizz, didn't you? Possibly it had grown up on a remote dog-free northern hillside

 

Smashing little bird, isn't it - have a look at Phil's photo of one here - http://mrphil-kearsneybirder.blogspot.co.uk/