Bonus day

I got the day off today as things tend to slow down at work for the summer holidays. It gave me a chance to catch up with things at the Old Vic (mucking out the chickens, setting up more arboreal features in the Paludarium, backing up files, catching up with paperwork, doing some garden birding etc). I've been trying the Raspberry Clearwing lure for a couple of weeks now and finally today (and luckily that I was off) I got a result. It's still a rare moth in Bucks so a good find. I also had Common Roller moth in the trap - so two lifers in a day which is a bonus considering I was supposed to be in London.  

Raspberry Clearwing. That's the 5th species of Clearwing in the garden this year now including Red-belted, Orange-tailed, Currant, Red-tipped and now Raspberry. There's also evidence of Hornet moths in the poplars. I've tried for Yellow-legged and Six-belted too but despite many days trying, no luck. The Raspberry Clearwing is only four or five known sites in the whole county so one of the rarest moths I've had here (but presumably will more records with the use of more lures). More from Upper Thames Moth blog here

Common Roller, Ancylis badiana

I thought this might be a Bank Conch, Gynidomorpha luridana but Irecord has come back with very scarce in the region so it's presumably something else.

I lump all these as Coleophora sp. Be nice to be able to put names to some of them. This one looked pretty distinctive. 

Wakely's Dowd- don't often get one so well marked

Swallows gathering on the wires in the Sheep Field. Early autumn is underway (also had a Rosy Rustic moth this morning).  I usually switch back to birds this time of year, prime time for adult waders but not had any opportunities yet to get away. Hopefully will have a day in Kent next Friday. Despite advice to the contrary, having a second child has been a real deal breaker for time to go birding. Having one puts things on a knife edge but the second one really does tip things over the edge. I refute the claim that having two children makes little difference to having one as they do everything together and amuse each other. That might be true for twins or closely aged children but with one at five years old and one at seven months, they have very different needs and demands and schedules which basically results in a somewhat uncompromising situation. A good excuse to concentrate on garden wildlife and homestead skills as the children really enjoy that too.