Mid-autumn at the Old Vic

Lunar Underwing, Brown-spot Pinion and Black Rustic in the trap this morning heralds a change in the guard to mid autumn moths. The temperatures are still holding up and there were a few migrants again over the last couple of nights including Vestal, Dark Sword Grass, Rush Veneer, Silver-Y and Rusty-dot Pearls.  

A few migrants on the bird front too with a flock of 110 House Martins and 2 Meadow Pipits going over this morning and also 4 Chiffchaffs in the garden. Ebird list from this morning HERE. I would normally have switched back to mainly birds by this time in the autumn and started getting out into the field more but I'm saving my energy for two weeks on the Black Sea in Bulgaria starting from this weekend. Looking forward to that. 

Juv Chiffchaffs (above and below) 

Adult Chiffchaff

Coal Tit

Presumably it's the same Common Buzzard that spends every autumn roosting in the garden Spruce tree

Black Rustic -NFY

Brown Spot Pinion -NFY

Dark Sword Grass (above) and Vestal (below)- always great to get migrants here which have had a good showing through this heatwave

Not a Common Plume confirmed by the first set of tibia spurs not being un-equal length. Maybe a Brown Plume, Stenoptilia pterodactyla?

Ashy Button, Acleris sparsana- NFY

Clifden Nonpariel- a garden NFY