Heat Wave

The heat wave continues. Been at Beddington over the last couple of days- another busy night in the moth trap yesterday and managed to do an evening walk yesterday evening. Plenty of bugs around- good numbers of Marbled Whites again this year. A few pics and highlights; 

 Hobby- 400+ Swifts in the evening around the lakes attracting Hobbies

 The Mute Swans on the Southern Lake have young now

 Plenty of other young birds around too including these Coots and also the first Little Grebe young

 Black-tailed Skimmer- at least 50 of these on my walk yesterday, also 3-4 Emperor, Common Darters, Common Blue Damselfly and Nick reported the Small Red-eyes again on the Southern Lake (also extending their population to the Southern Lake). 

 Loads of Meadow Brown on the MG5 habitat and grassland on the southern mound, also Essex Skippers, Marbled Whites, Large Skipper (above), Commas (above), Red Ad and Small Tort.

 These mating Grapholita compositella were nice find. Other day flying moths on the mounds including Sitochroa verticalis, Burnet Companion, Six-spot Burnet, Crambus perlella and Common Grass Veneer.

 Sitochroa verticalis (above) and European Corn Borer (below) for comparison 

 European Corn Borer

 Crambus perlella

 I'm going for Apple Ermine on this based on the sparse distribution of spots and the sub-terminal line of spots? If so I think a new one for the site? 

 A worn Codling Moth? 

 Clepsis consimilana (male) the faint bar on an otherwise plain straw coloured Tortrix is what I'm going on 

Crambus pascuella - what a beauty 

 Agonopterix heracliana- two of these, the first for year. Getting about 50 species or so a night at the moment. 

 Bud Moth 

Male (above) and female (below) Eristalis intricaria 

Buying shares in Pennon Group

Just to ensure this is adequately publicised. 

Otmoor RSPB and the Old Vicarage

Spent yesterday mainly at the Old Vicarage with Holly and the baby and managed to get a couple of hours at Otmoor in the evening. Heard the Quail calling from Greenaway. A few other picture highlights:

 Turtle Dove- at least two males singing at Otmoor

 Spotted Flycatcher at the Old Vicarage

 At least seven Little Egrets on Greenaways at Otmoor

 Cuckoos still singing- although only one or two now, down from six plus a couple of weeks ago 

 Hairy Hawker- finally nailed one of these at Otmoor. The central spot on segment one is visible in this pic. Also the long thin pterostigma on the leading edge of the wing and the pairs of elongated blue dots on the abdomen. Also Four-spotted Chasers, Emperor, Ruddy Darters, Brown Hawker, Banded Demoiselle and Common Blue, Azure and Blue-tailed Damselfly.

 Small Fan Foot ( outer cross line on forewing is curved and extends to tip unlike in Fan Foot) and what looks a worn V-pug 

 Engrailed (if I'm not mistaken)

 Pale Prominent 

 Barred Straw

 Tawny Speckled Pug is the closet I can get on this

Wood Cranesbill I do believe (The Old Vicarage) 

Moth Weather

Certainly a busy time of year, busy at work, busy on the campaigning front, busy with the baby. living between Oxford and London and with the heat wave its mega busy on the bug front too. I'm doing full on 7am to 10pm working hours at the moment and still can't keep up with everything. Plenty of highlights though including Jacob's super burps and loads of good moths in the traps. Here's a few picture highlights (some id's tentative).

Old Vicarage Moths (Oxford) 

 Drinker

 The Lackey

 Dusky Pearl (i think) 

 Double Square Spot

 A nice fresh Blood Vein 

 I need more pots- ordered another 30

and back at the Beddington Farmlands Obs in the week (London) 

 Brown Silver Lines- a first for the Farmlands 

 Shears- a first for the farmlands

 Poplar Grey

 Ephestia unicolorella and Homoeosoma sinuella (I reckon) 

 Working on it 

 Orchard Ermine  

 Caucasian Stonecrop flowering in the Obs garden 

Planted out the communal veg in the week that I've grown in the obs window farms. Stuck the veg in different places amongst the shrubs and herbaceous. 

The price of corrupted communities in London- for Nature and People

Weekend Spoils

A few finds and catches (some tentative ids)  from this weekend in Oxfordshire.

 Scorched wing

 Varied Coronet

A nice fresh Light Emerald

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker- lots of young birds around at Otmoor this weekend

 Large Skipper- good numbers at Otmoor

Ruddy Darter

Azure Damselfly

Eristalis intricaria female

 The 'Walled Garden' at the Old Vicarage

 Stinking Iris 

 Moths in the queue 

 Jakey joined me all weekend- including our first trip just the two of us to Otmoor