27th February

Asian White-throated Thrush (just kidding it's a Blackbird)

Pied Wagtail

Pheasant

Pheasant

Brean Down: Light winds until mid morning meant a quiet walk over the down. A Stonechat was the only new bird in of note.

26th February

Snow Bunting at Brean Down 26th February 2011

Brean Down: Good passage of gulls this morning. In an hour and a half between 8:30 and 10:00 2,000 Herring, 1,100 LBBG, 3 GBBG, 50 BHG and 3 Common Gull. Also heading NW were 30 Wigeon. Amongst the gulls in the fields along Weston Rd a 2nd winter Med Gull present. Highlight of the day a Snow Bunting at the fort

Axe Estuary: 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Grey Plover, 1 Knot, 15 Ringed Plover, 800+ Teal.

Woodspring Bay: A dozen Avocet (P.Chapman).

25th February

Acleris schalleriana

Common Quaker

Agonopterix heracliana

A new garden moth from last nights catch, a Acleris schalleriana (thanks to J.McGill for the correction) bringing the garden life list to 327. 3 Common Quaker also in the garden trap. The Agonopterix heracliana was in the car so must have come from Weston Woods monday night trapping.

24th February

Black-headed Gull with ring 27C1 on left leg

Weston Beach/Uphill: 100 Dunlin, 1 Sanderling, 20 Ringed Plover, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 1,000+ Teal and a small movement of BHG's. I've reported the above BHG and will publish news when received. It is probably part of the Wiltshire ringing program.

Weston STW: Adult winter Med Gull on UV pools this afternoon and then flew south.

Brean Down: 1 Firecrest (B.Montgomery)

Rhyothemis Variegata and Two-striped Jumping Spider

Rhyothemis variegata

Two-striped Jumping Spider

Both of these were photographed at the hotel we stayed at in Goa. The dragonfly perched on a palm above the pool twisting from side to side long enough for me to go the the hotel room and get the camera.

22nd February

Bar-tailed Godwit amongst Curlew

Brent Goose

A series of Atlantic fronts continue to move westwards over the UK bringing mild and wet weather. Little wind is causing the cloud base to drop to ground level this morning.

3 records of Vagrant Emperor dragonfly recently in Cornwall, Pembrokeshire and Somerset. Multiple records of Dark Sword-grass and a Red-headed Chestnut along the south coast.

Sand Bay: 1 Brent Goose, 1 Sanderling, 1 Knot, 35 Dunlin, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 17 Golden Plover (flying north). Plenty of gulls moving west over head involving BHG, LBBG as well as Herring. A male Stonechat in the bay is the first for the year in Weston.

More moths from Goa

Cyana sp

Angonyx krishna

Maruca vitrata

Unidentified

Utetheisia pulchella

Moths from Goa

Agathia Lycaenaria

Handmaiden Moth

Lymantria sp

Spoladea recurvalis

Spodoptera litura

The bulb only lasted a week before I managed to smash it. The setup was a screw thread 15W BLB on a batten mount light socket with a 15M mains cable. The banknote checker for location trapping did not last the night so was unsuccessful.

Goan back again

Photo: Indian Pond Heron

Birds and Lepidoptera of Candolim, Goa coming soon.

Weston Woods moths

Photos from top to bottom: Pale Brindled Beauty, Winter Moth, The Chestnut Conistra vacinii (lower two).

1st February
Weston Woods Moths: 1 Pale Brindled Beauty, 1 Mottled Umber, 5 Chestnut, 4 Winter Moth.