Friday 15 August 2014

Still Quiet


First-summer Great Black-backed Gull - Exmouth Quay.

Again very little to report, though I have been reunited with the moth trap! I'm not sure how much I'll be able to use it though as I really don't want to upset the neighbours. Anyone who's ever seen the glow emitted by a mercury vapour bulb will know what I'm talking about! Last night it was on for about an hour and a half after dark with just a few common species caught. Apologies in advance if I mis-identify any species - I'm really rusty after about five years of not trapping.
Bird-wise there were 20+ common tern off the seafront this morning with a wheatear and a whimbrel on the beach and again just a single juv/fw mediterranean gull. Off Exmouth Quay there were c170+ sandwich tern and 15+ common tern, many if not all were presumably birds I'd already counted off the seafront. A yellow wagtail flew over. Mudbank produced just 2 black-tailed godwit of any note.



Juvenile Common Tern - a species I rarely get to photograph in Exmouth as they are invariably too far away. This bird was fishing just off Exmouth Quay.





Adult summer and adult winter black-tailed godwit - these birds almost went unnoticed stood on the stones off Mudbank - effective camouflage in both plumages.


Brimstone - a striking and very common species.


Vine's Rustic - a subtle but beautiful species with silver-dusted forewings and large rounded stigmata.


Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing - lovely pink and mauve tinges to the forewings. The hindwings are of course yellow!


Flame Shoulder - this common species has two generations - May/June and August/September. The larvae feed on dock and plantain among other low-growing plants.

No comments:

Post a Comment