Tuesday 21 July 2015

Kent Black Arches


Kent Black Arches - not especially rare but this is only the second one I've ever trapped - a smart little moth and the highlight this morning in an otherwise disappointing catch.
 
An early morning look off the Lifeboat Station produced 5 sanderling, 1 ringed plover, 1 common tern and 1 juvenile yellow-legged gull. A few sandwich terns were offshore but it was otherwise rather quiet. The moth trap was really low on numbers but that's hardly surprising given the clear sky and cool temperature last night.
In the estuary - 4 common tern, 3 dunlin and 1+ mediterranean gull.


Wax Moth - a large and unattractive 'micro'. Its larvae feed on honeycomb in beehives.


Black Arches - I had never noticed the rosy-pink tinges to the abdomen before this morning.


Four-spotted Footman - this is a male. They look totally different to the females which actually have the four dots! The female, pictured below, was photographed a few years ago in the south of France. I don't think I've ever trapped a female.



A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull briefly inspects a fishing boat before drifting off east.


Juvenile Great Black-backed Gull - Exmouth Beach. This is the first juv I've seen this summer. No juv lesser black-backs yet but there are now plenty of juv herrings around.

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