Heatwave day six

Things are set to become a bit cooler tomorrow but the forecast has now changed to where the heat wave conditions will resume later this week - if this keeps up it will be challenging to keep everything alive here.

Anyway the great insect conditions continue and also looks like things have picked up a bit on the migrant front. Temperatures up to 25 C but back down to the low 20 mark tomorrow. There were 111 species of about 300+ moths this morning which is reduction from about 150 species from earlier on in the week. Seems like prolonged heat conditions begin to have diminishing returns? 

It's been a great week- after being a long way behind last year's moth tally for the same time, we've now more or less caught up thanks to the weather. 

Marbled Grass Moth, Catoptria verellus- according to the Sussex Moth Group website only 10 previous county records. A new for garden, now on 670. Other potential migrant species included Four-spotted Footman, a few Rusty-dots, Diamond-backs, Rush Veneer and Silver Y and two Small Mottled Willow

Small Rivulet-a NFY, now on 358 for the year, so 16 new ones last night

Chamomile Straw

Oak Nycteoline- not a common moth round here and everyone is uniquely patterned

Plenty of Festoons recently- always a pleasure to see

Jacob helped out this morning processing the traps including the 5 Privet Hawkmoths

The juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker is still around

Did a bit more invert and plant recording today. Red-spotted Plant Bug (above) were feeding on the Ox-eye Daises. Now logged 308 species on the I-Nat garden project HERE

The back garden meadow is coming along well with Ox-eye daisy, Wild Carrot and Black Knapweed all beginning to become established. There were about 5-6 Meadow Browns this morning, Essex Skipper, Comma, a few Small Whites and a couple of Gatekeepers along the edges with Red Admiral about. An Emperor dragonfly was flying around and a Common Darter emerged from the pond. 

Heatwave Day Five

Not as oppressive today with a high of around 26 C and a switch to a more refreshing westerly wind. 

3 Avocets flew over the garden this morning followed by another two more distant birds, presumably birds from Ferry beginning to disperse as the young fledge/ the pool dries out. 36 species overall this morning while doing the moths HERE.

It was another bumper moth night with 10 potential garden ticks and over 20 year ticks. Now on 342 for the year and 667 overall subject to validation. 128 species this morning of around 450-500 moths. Also lots of beetles and by-catch. 

After the school run I had a visit to North Wall and East Side and on the way back checked out Mill Lane and Ferry. 68 bird species of over 500 individuals HERE. There were a couple of Spotted Redshanks and a Wood Sandpiper on Breach Pool yesterday but no sign this morning. Clearly a few bits are on the move. 

Black-tailed Godwits on Breach Pool. About 70+ birds around North Wall. Also about 50 Grey Plovers in the high tide roost. 

Teal- the first returning birds in the last week or so

Male Blackbird enjoying the sun

Essex Skipper- a few of these around today. Also on my route today 30+ Meadow Brown, 15+ Marbled White (below), Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Peacock, a few Painted Lady, Gatekeeper and Large, Small and Green-viened White

Pied Grey

Minor Shoulder-knot

Acrocercops brogniardella

Shaded Pug

Striped Hawkmoth- a bit of a tattered one- the first this year

Lesser Stag Beetle (above) and this interesting looking fly, possibly Flecked Snout HERE, were part of the by-catch in the moth trap today. A few more potential species, awaiting validation, takes the I-nat project to 290 species HERE

A few shots of Little Oak Lodge in the heatwave (above and below) showing the growth rates this week of the meadows and mini-farm. Looks like only one more day left now before a return to more typical June temperatures and conditions so making the most of every minute while the insect bonanza lasts. 

Heat Wave Day Four

The heatwave is now into day four but mercifully there was an easterly breeze today that took the edge off the 33 C high. 

The moth traps were indeed lively again. 123 species of 350+ individual moths with 22 new for years taking the year list to 321 and the all time moth list for the garden on 657.

Unfortunately I had to do a bit of paperwork today but did manage to get out and check for inverts through the day. The heat wave is coming to an end over the next couple of days so been trying to make the most of it.

Not much to report on the bird front, in fact a lot of birds are very quiet and keeping their heads down. The dawn chorus is very brief and very little singing during the day. A Goldcrest in the oaks this morning was the first in several weeks.

A male Yellow-legged Clearwing to VES lure was only the second record for the garden. Also had an Orange-tailed Clearwing come in. This week I've successfully lured in Lunar Hornet, Red-belted, Orange-tailed and Yellow-legged Clearwing but not had any luck with Currant or Six-belted lures- yet. 

Barred Red- only had one or two of these in the past. Certainly some interesting dispersive moths this week but it has been relatively very poor for migrants. A couple of Rush Veneers today were the first for this week and other migrants have included just a few Diamond-backs, the odd Rusty-dot and a single Small Mottled Willow. A few of the Knot-horn species may be migrants as might some of the Large Yellow Underwings and Ermine moths which have appeared in pretty good numbers.

Small Dotted Buff- another unusual garden visit

Burdock Conch

Amber Mompha, Mompha ochracella? Retained for dissection. I dropped a batch of moths off to Mike today so fingers crossed a few surprises in there. 

The garden has been buzzing with insects this week. Latest obs HERE and few picture highlights including Tawny Long-horn Beetle (above) and a few below. Now logged 279 plants and insects (not including leps or dragonflies) for the garden HERE

Spotted Thintail, Meliscaeva auricollis. Loads of hoverflies around including Sun Fly, Marmalade Hoverfly everywhere, Common Dronefly, Migrant Hoverfly, Superb Anthill Hoverfly and  Globetails.

Ichneumon sp. possibly sarcitorius

Broad Centurion Fly 

Possibly Black-clouded Longhorn Beetle. 

A graphic from the Climate Emergency Institute. Plenty of climate alarmists having a field day at the moment with more heat records being broken. According to this source there is also a cold anomaly in the North Atlantic which is contibuting to the development of what various sources are calling a 'heat dome' over Western and Central Europe and the UK. A southerly displaced jet stream is also being suggested by other sources as contributing to blocking the Atlantic airflow. Certainly an interesting weather system and very intense and very much a bit of climate chaos with jet streams, heat domes and cold blobs all at play. There has been some moth migration in the south west and east coast- presumably as a result of the easterly winds so hopefully as the heat dome gives way to a south westerly airflow this weekend we might get some more migrants here. Also been good to test some of our self resilience this week during these condiitons- we managed to keep all the plants and animals alive and well and actually used the heat and plenty of irrigation to promote plenty of plant growth and to provide lots of nectar, cool areas and water for insects and birds. I very much doubt there will ever be a meaningful political solution to the climate crisis (despite lots of attempts from various groups to co-opt the narrative in order to capitalise from it) so learning to adapt to it and play it's advantages (like good numbers of insects!) seems a good appraoch. 

Heat wave intensifies at Little Oak Lodge

The heat wave continues and the garden entomology has exploded. There were 149 species of moths of around 450 indiviudals last night across the MV, twin-actinic and the Lepiled. If confirmed there were six new species for the garden and 44 year ticks in just one night- now on 299 for the year.

I've been keeping my eyes on the skies too with Common and Sandwich Tern overhead and a Red Kite this morning. 

Decided to just stay around the house and garden today and record the inverts. Popped out at lunchtime to meet Ian at the Boulevard for lunch and then in the afternoon carried on round the garden. 38 bird species today of nearly 200 individuals in and from the garden HERE. 

The kids are being sent home early from school and various activites have been cancelled as the heat is very oppressive (according to some sources these are record June temperatures and night temperatures are UK all time records). We put the swimming pool up to keep cool and it was actually not a bad place to be stuck all day in a 'climate emergency lockdown day'.  Temperatures reached 34 C today with high humidity and night temperatures are at 24 C dropping to no lower than 20 C. 

Another day of this tomorrow so will be interesting how nature reacts again tomorrow. 

Sand Dart- a good one for the garden and a lifer! A very localised species in Sussex with a colony around East Head and another at Rye. Presumably a hot weather dispersive from East Head

Bright Wave- another very good one for a garden.

Roseate Marble- very nice indeed.

Dark Bordered Pearl

A very striking Silky Wainscot 

Brown-viened Wainscot

Scarce Ermine- only the second record for the garden. Other 'migrants' included Gem (below), a few Silver-Y, Rusty-dots and Diamond-backs, 2 Small Mottled Willow and a Dark Sword Grass. Also two Scarce Oak Knot-horns (tumidana) and the White-barred Knot-horn (below) were also possible migrants. The wind is from the north east at the moment which is presumably holding back migration- if there was a southerly airflow with these temperatures it would presumably be much better.  

Common Cloak Tortrix, Gypsonoma dealbana

White-barred Knot-horn, Elegia similella

Slender Pug according to Obsidentify 

Painted Lady- a few of these flying around the garden. Also Meadow Brown, Large and Small Whites, Small/Essex Skipper, Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral, Holly Blue and two or three Purple Hairstreaks in the oaks opposite

Great Reed Sedge- a huge caddisfly. Been trying to log all the inverts today either in the moth traps or nectaring on the garden flowers. Good numbers of hoverflies of a good range of species around, the honey bees are loving the lavender and there are a few other bits and bobs. Latest I-nat obs HERE and the i-nat project list is now on 273 HERE (everything not a bird, moth or butterfly, dragonfly or mammal). There have been a few dragonflies around today including Broad-bodied Chaser, Common Darter and Southern Hawker although impossible to photograph as darting around at light speed in these conditons. 

Dunnock keeping cool- last time I saw birds panting like this was at Al Abraq oasis in the Kuwait desert! 

Isaac has got the right idea of how to keep cool

The veg beds are pretty productive at the moment with some nice lettuces and loads of strawberries and raspberries (below)

After a slow start the sweetcorn and peas etc are shooting up