Saturday, 4 July 2015

Two New Moths!


Swallow-tailed Moth - large, spectacular and rather common.

The trap was stacked full of moths last night. I caught two brand new species for me - White Satin and Tawny Shears, though both are probably 'tart's ticks' in the moth world. I used to trap in Rockbeare, a very rural area out near Exeter Airport, so there are probably a few more coastal/estuarine species to see here in Exmouth. Fingers crossed! The catch included double figures of Elephant Hawkmoth and a couple old favourites - Cream-bordered Green Pea and Small Angle Shades. There was just one obvious immigrant - a Silver Y.
On the bird front, I spent over an hour looking off Maer Rocks from 5am this morning. Sightings included 8+ common tern, c10+ sandwich tern, 5 mediterranean gull, including my first juvenile this summer, 1 swift, 1 distant skua sp (almost certainly arctic), 2 curlew, 1 redshank, 3 common sandpiper and 3 manx shearwater. Good to see some wader movement.


Cream-bordered Green Pea - one of my favourite little moths.


White Satin - a brand new moth for me!


Tawny Shears - another new one and like many moths, subtly beautiful.


Light Arches


Pebble Hook-tip


Buff-tip


Small Angle Shades


Clay


Small Seraphim


Minor Agg

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