18th July

Comma Hawk Nephele Comma

Unidentified

Unidentified

Above some moth pictures from the archive. These were taken in the Gambia in 2009.

18th July

Axe Estuary/River 195 Redshank and a Sanderling

17th July

Anchor Head: 130 Manx Shearwater, 1 Fulmar, 1 Kittiwake.

16th July

Sand Point: Sea watching this afternoon produced 5 Manx Shearwater and a Gannet down channel an hour and a half after low tide. The birds were drifting down presumbly on their way out after coming in with this mornings tide. Also a Sand Martin west.

Garden moth trap: 3 Silver Y presumably brought down by yesterday evenings rain. A Bordered Straw was recorded in Somerset. NFY's Mother of Pearl, Cloaked Minor

15th July

Crescent Dart

Traps a little quieter than previous nights with no notable captures. None for years and then 2 in two nights, this is the second of the two Crescent Darts caught in the garden.

Mere Wainscot

Mere Wainscot

A remote trapping session at Crook Peak on Monday 11th resulted in a very good catch which included this Mere Wainscot, a very rare species in the county. The larvae feed on Wood Small-reed which is present in the area so could be as much a local as wanderer or migrant.

Previous records from information available:

VC6 2; 1 in 1957 and 1 in 1960

VC5 1; 1 in 1991

Migrant moths

Small Marbled

The Olive

Wormwood Pug

A good selection of moths in the garden trap this morning. Long over due was my first Crescent Dart. A rather moth eaten specimen but an addition to the garden list all the same. Migrant numbers were up with 2 Small Marbled, 1 Udea ferrugalis, 1 Dark Sword-grass and a Silver Y.

Bilberry Tortrix

Bilberry Tortrix Aphelia viburnana

Pine-shoot Moth Rhyacionia buoliana

A moth caught on 1st July was determined over the weekend as Bilberry Tortrix Aphelia viburnana. According to literature this species has no confirmed records in the Bristol District. Other recent garden highlights include Coleophora glaucicolella, a third Small Ranunculus and Rhyacoliana buoliana

9th July

Cleg Fly Haematopota pluvialis (Thanks Julian)

This mornings bird flushers.

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull, happy before being flushed.

River Axe: Some bird news today. This mornings count resulted in 2 Common Sandpiper, 52 Redshank, 2 Curlew, 550 Black-headed Gull, 3 juv Mediterranean Gulls. The female Wigeon still on UV pools amongst the Mallard.