The Old Vic- Torture at the Sanctuary

It's half term, I've used up all my brownie points this autumn (with West Papua) so I've been stuck in family and domestic life for the last few days while meanwhile an epic moth migration (check out my twitter feed, on side menu, for some of the carnage going on)  is occurring across the south coast. I've got work booked in tomorrow in London but planning an escape (will take the rap when I get back) from there to the south coast for the rest of the week to try and eat some dust. Despite running three traps here I've had very little in the way of migrants in the garden traps and even kicked the bucket trap (my home made one) this morning in frustration with how shit it is being stuck in land. It's literally torture being stuck in land in autumn. 

Anyway idyllic homestead life continued nonetheless- gardening, the morning garden bird walk (still cant find a f@@ing Yellow-browed!) checking the traps (f@@king empty of vagrants!), Holly's been re-decorating and refurbishing the house,  going to the tip, garden centre visit, farm shops, pub/ cafe lunches, farmers market- it's been hell :-)    

Anyway something did happen to cheer me up a bit- one of our chickens laid an egg. £505 (the cost of setting up the coop and feed etc) and 5 months later and we have made 33p (the price of an organic free range egg- our chickens have got 13 square ft each so I think that's classed as free range during bird flu).We 'only' need 1530 more eggs now to break even (assuming no further large costs). So I spent a bit of time recently getting the coop ready for laying (three hens) so needed to move the cockerel to a new coop. The cockerel (Lazlo) escaped in the process but we used Bryan's pheasant hunting dog to corner him and re-catch him. Will try and completely free range him once bird flu is over and in the meantime try and train the dog to not eat him.  

First-winter male Blackbird. The garden birding has actually been pretty good with Brambling, Golden Plover, good numbers of Redwings and Fieldfare, Mipits, Siskin and Redpolls etc. An example of one of the best mornings recently HERE

If I had no knowledge of the outside world (and everything I was not catching) I would have been quite happy with these two- a nice Delicate (above) and only our second Clifden Nonpariel this year (below) 

On the migrant front, the Delicate was the highlight and supporting cast was up to 5 Rush Veneer (below), Rusty-dot Pearl (above) and a few Turnips. 

A few of the Turnips (above) and the Rush Veneers (above that) were pretty dark. Not sure if melanism a feature of late autumn or maybe if migrants got something to do with the environment they have come from?

Dark Chestnut

I went for Pine Carpet on this

Went for Rhomboid Tortrix on this- the Old Vic moth year list is now on a nail biting 487- will we reach the 500 in a year target (not if I keep leaving for greener grass!) 

Brick- another new for year

Merveille du Jour- a few of these recently. I was over the moon when I got my first one of these a couple of years ago See here. Amazing how quick ungratefulness can infect :-)

Three Large Wainscot this morning- a garden record

The £505 egg

Had to dig out some horse radish while extending the chicken coop- will try and rustle up some horse radish sauce today

Our cockerel, Lazlo. In his new coop after his attempted escape (I know how he feels, got all he needs but still wants freedom!) 

We picked the Pumpkins

Autumn at the Old Vic. If this place was on the coast it would literally be perfect (which the universe does not allow!)