Back at the Old Vic

I've been back home for over a week now, catching up with work and the garden. Looks like we won't be moving until later in the year now (things are taking long with the solicitors) so will get another 'season' here which is great.

There was a Skylark singing over the garden this morning and I thought I heard Spotted Flycatcher calling yesterday but not confirmed yet. Strangely there are no Blackcaps in the garden holding territory, although there were 3 pairs last year. The Rooks seem to be doing well and there are 3 Swallows flying round the barn in the Sheep Field. Only 25 species on the garden bird count this morning.

The moth trapping has just started to pick up and I didn't miss much while I was away by the sounds of it with many online moffers commenting it's been their worst year ever, although seems like there has been a bit of an east/west divide across the country with the west fairing better. Top moth here has been a Mocha this morning- a first for the garden. Old Vic moth list now on 583 and the year list is only 62 although that has been climbing fast in last few days. I'm still getting the odd Common Quaker, Clouded Drab, Hebrew Character and Brindled Beauty so the slow and cold Spring seems to have extended the flight period of the early spring moths. 

I tidied up the mini-farm today while James has been taking over from Bryan and been covering the lawn and edges. One of the chickens died while I was away due to unknown causes so we are down to two eggs a day now from two chickens (although only one seems to be laying). Now we are staying for this year here I'll get some potted on vegetables to plant out the mini-farm once they appear in the local markets. 

Meanwhile in the mini-zoo we sadly lost our treasured Weather Loach (which may have been killed by the Convict Cichlid 'King' that has become very aggressive since the swarm of young have arrived). We seem to be feeling the financial squeeze here with things a bit slow at work and enormous endless bills coming in so I've pledged to slow down on the mini-zoo spending but somehow this weekend still managed to buy two new coral species and Kev from Exotics at Heart also off loaded three Spiny Stick Insects on us so we've added another three species which compensates the loses we had. 

The hunt is still on for a new base but what with inflation at over 10% and  interest rates on borrowing now on 4-6% and further interest rate rises this week seems a pretty precarious time to be selling and buying and what with the government doing all they can to stop people spending money to get inflation under control it looks like we are going to be well below our target of a £2 million pot to play with. Since I wrote this back in early 2022, the world has completely changed with war in Europe, high inflation and rising interest rates and on a personal level we had a private disaster too with the loss of Bryan and being forced to move out. Fortunately we've managed to succeed in some of the targets in the early 2022 investment drive plan but certainly not all. Still uncertain where we will end up but as each day goes by it seems that our options are getting less ambitious.  Still all needs to be executed within the framework of our 'Surviving the Ecological Emergency' Principles here but the pressure is on and it's rising. 

Mocha- a first for the Old Vic and a British tick. 

Seraphim- a few of these over the last couple of days

I've gone for Mottled Pug (above) and Ochreous Pug (below) but not sure on either

Chocolate Tip

Sulphur Tubic, Esperia  sulphurella 

My first garden migrant of the year- a Silver-Y

I don't remember seeing a Common Quaker this late in the Spring before

A good sudden appearance of Pale Tussock this morning with six in the traps

The first hawkmoths of the year- a couple of Poplar Hawks

Our Emperor Scorpion never comes out so we decided to look for it in the tank- looking good

Nothing to see here- just a Ghost Mantis riding an Indian Stick Insect bare back and a Spiny Stick Insect on the left

The mini-farm today - apart from a few potatoes we need to start working hard on this to get it all planted up now that we are staying for another season

The Black Sea Pop Up Obs Project Update

I did a little bit of work on the Kamen Bryag plot while in Bulgaria but due to time constraints I was unable to strim the meadow but will be interesting what comes up anyway as there was already a bit of plant diversity in the meadow including Blue Gromwell, White Bedstraw, Spotted Bur-clover, French vetch, Vetch, Cut-leaved Cranesbill, Small Bugloss, Yellow Avens and Blue hound's-tongue (according to PlantNet). 

The moth trapping wasn't particularly successful due to the weather but added a few new species of moths and butterflies to the project list, now on 113 species for the site. I-Naturalist Project HERE

Ebird Hotspot for Kamen Bryag, now on 148 species HERE. 

Really should set up a botany project too and maybe a herp one too and can spot record anything else.

The big news is that we now have electricity and should have water on site by May hopefully. The plan for this year includes a moth recording focused visit in July and in September we should be carrying out more extensive conservation work and also recording and will be joined by Arjun Dutta who is doing his Cambridge Geography degree dissertation on the project and hopefully other friends too. Now we have electricity on site we will be able to camp there.  So an exciting year ahead. 

Background on this project HERE and few social media posts from this recent trip below. 

There's a new information board up at Cape Kaliakra showing the extent of the important habitats and the protected zones in the area. Kamen Bryag is within the Natura 2000 special protection area boundary. This is the main recording area of our project but we also venture out to Shabla Tsula and Shabla Lakes and Durankulak  for more extensive wetland habitats and Balchik (for raptor migration) which are all within 30-45 minutes drive of our project base.  

Botany, Bulgaria Spring 2023

As usual the botany in Bulgaria in Spring, especially on the Steppe is spectacular. Here's a few opportunistic photos of bits and bobs that caught my eye over the recent trip. Preliminary identifications below mainly from PlantNet app (please comment/amend). 

Toothed Orchid, Neotinea tridentata (above and below). An orchid lifer. 

Various Green-winged Orchids and colour variants (six images above)

Lady's Orchid and Fern-leaved Peony, Paeonia tenuifolia at Cape Kaliakra

Orphys Mammosa (Early Spider complex)  

Spring Adonis, Adonis vernalis 

Large Pheasant-eye on the Steppe

Blue Flax with King's Spear 

Musk Thistle 

Nodding Sage

The Steppe grasslands (above and below) in the Kaliakra region with Large Pheasant-eye, Nonea rossica (in foreground), Fumitory, Euphobias, steppe grasses, French Groundsel etc 

Also home to Stone Curlews, Isabelline Wheatears, Short-toed, Calandra and Skylark, Tawny Pipit and other Steppe species 

Moths and Butterflies, Bulgaria, Spring 2023

Managed to get the travel LED moth trap out a few nights in Kamen Bryag, Shipka and Kresna. It was very quiet at Kamen Bryag as the days and nights were very cool and windy but we had better conditions at Kresna.

Here's a few photos below and some preliminary identifications. 

Updated Project Plot Moth and Butterfly list here

A homage to Peacock moths- top of wish list

Spurge Hawkmoths

Lime Hawkmoth one of the buff subspecies 

Purple-barred Yellow, Lythria purpuraria

Clouded Yellow on King's Spear

Common Carpet

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Glanville Fritillary

Euplocamus anthracinalis

Arched Marble

Speckled Yellow

Thisanotia chrysonuchella

Nutmeg

Elm Moth Dicranura ulmi

The closest I can get to this is something like Large Dark Prominent 

Hadena silens (above and below) 

Pale Tussock 

Eilcrinia trinotata

Presumably an Oak Tree Pug

Cream-spot Tiger