Thursday 6 July 2023

Bulgaria, July 2023, Day Five

It was the usual routine today except I mixed it up a bit in the evening by having a walk around Cape Kaliakra and having dinner at the restaurant there before getting back to the plot for the late evening.

I'm not going to lie- the moth trapping has been slightly underwhelming this week, dominated by micro-leps. However last night was more like it, with plenty of wow-factor moths and an influx of migrant Rush Veneers too. Cool looking moths and migrants- that's what it's all about although I am also systematically recording all the lep biodiversity.  So some nice adrenaline rushes and plenty of zen work to do too.  It was my first Beautiful Marbled and long overdue Goat Moth so happy days. 

Juvenile Pied Wheatear- there were loads of juvs on the Cape. At least 15 Pied Wheatears up there. 
Female Pied Wheatear in moult. They get rather dark this time of year and many develop dark on the throat and upper breast
The famous Cape Kaliakra Wheatear (either a Pied morph or hybrid) with young 
Female Golden Oriole at the plot- there must be a small colony in the Oak Woodland as there were at least 10 birds this evening flying around 
Whitethroat on the plot
Goat moth- one of two this morning 
Beautiful Marbled- stunner! 
Oak Hawkmoth 
Lappet- so obviously these occur right across Europe 
Another shot of the Beautiful Marbled 
The stunning Etelia zinckenella
Catocala hymenaea- one of the underwings. A great looking moth- shame I never knew at the time to have a look at the underwings 
Scarce Swallowtails at a salt lick at Bolata
Will need to check on the ids of these two (above and below) but I think the darter above is a Scarlet. Also Norfolk Hawker at Bolata. 
One of the Bluetails 
Common Wall Lizard up a tree 
Black Sea Harbour Porpoise off the Cape this evening- plenty of these. Also a bit of Black-headed and Mediterranean Gull migration going on past the Cape with about 50 of each moving south is several groups. 

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