Non-Stop Birding: 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.