Not Everyone's Cuppa

Moth Quiz 21
A very large cousin of the Hyrax 
Elephant Hawkmoth

Moth Quiz 22
If Rudolph had some at Christmas, he was wrongly named. 

Saturday June 6

Another day of sunshine and showers. Good for the garden, it's really needed. The heavy overnight rain kept the moths from flying, we had the grand total of 5 - in number and species. It was an exercise in the removal and re-arranging of egg boxes.

All moth-ers start by identifying Macro moths and then graduate to attempting the more difficult Micro moths - mainly because most of them are so small. Many of them have wingspans measuring less than 20 millimetres.

Enteucha acetosae is the smallest moth species in Britain, with a wingspan of just 3 millimetres.
I'll gloss over the fact that one often has to dissect micro-moths and examine their genitalia in order to identify them. I draw the line at this now, maybe ten years ago? Although Jim Wheeler, County Moth Recorder, has given all the Norfolk micro moths an English name, they are generally known by their scientific name.

Crambus lathioniellus -.Hook-streak Grass-veneer (20mm)

There are about 1,850 species of micro-moth recorded in the UK,

Traditionally, lepidoptera have been split into three broad groups: micro-moths, macro-moths, and butterflies.

Acleris literana - Lichen button.

The micro-moths category includes all the species that evolved early - from about 250 to 200 million years ago.

Macro-moths are the moths that evolved more recently - from about 125 million years ago - as flowering plants also evolved.

Because the above categories are linked to evolutionary time rather than insect size, it creates confusion.  Some micros are actually quite big, some macros can be petite.

For example, the Bentwing ghost moth from Australia measures a huge 25 centimetres in wingspan, but is still technically a micro.

Butterflies are (in the evolutionary scheme of things) just big, flamboyant, day-flying micro-moths.

Thanks to Richard, I have been able to identify more micros this year, during lockdown, than ever before. This has resulted in several more 'lifers' as well as many garden ticks.

For light relief.....a nailed on Meadow Pipit for my year folder.Perched on a creek boat mooring at Thornham.

 

 

Birds and Moths, What's New?

Moth Quiz 20
Macbeth saw a rather dull one.
Grey Dagger


Moth Quiz 21
A very large cousin of the Hyrax

Wednesday, June 3 

Monday's birding day out was less than successful. Too many people and cars and very few birds. A  mystifying and rather sad highlight came at Brancaster Staithe. Pam saw a scurrying beastie on a distant mud island. A Grey Squirrel. I had to look again to make sure that it wasn't a rat. It was very wet, its tail a thin grey rope trailing behind as it made its way across the mud, accompanied by a small group of gulls which kept swooping down at it.  I stopped looking as I couldn't see how it was going to get onto shore, nor escape the gulls. Phew, it did both. Last seen running away - not fast - across the back of the mussel landing area towards the Yacht Club.

Another - and different diversion - added to the too much driving, too few birds day. After visiting North Point pools, we returned to the initial diversion sign and made our way inland. Before we arrived in Warham, another diversion pointed west, away from our route. Pam decided to take the Fakenham road and go home.

Changing her mind, we ended up at Holkham, adding Great White Egret and Spoonbill to the month list. 

Tuesday's 'avoid the carers' outing ended at Salthouse where the road out to the beach had been opened. We'd seen two cars parked there as we came down the hill. 

Sand Martins swooped about but there was little else apart from the pleasure of being able to view the area again. 

One Sandy landed on a roadside wire, before preening actively.

Both Sedge and Reed Warblers sang to us, without showing themselves in a strongish wind. A male Reed Bunting made a brief appearance. 

Our garden has a lot of young birds at the moment.  Mainly Blackbirds. Great and Blue Tits. The most vocal is a pair of young Great Spotted Woodpecker, hanging on to branches whilst demanding attention from their fat-ball feeding parents 

Others have trapped some very good moths in the last day or two. Three of them have been made available for viewing by members of our Silvery Gem WhatsApp group. Two of them would have been 'firsts' for us, Toadflax Brocade and Silver Barred, but I decided that the contact risk wasn't worth it. Very reluctantly, it really goes against the grain. We've seen Marbled Coronet before. Although the rules now state that we can meet up to 6 people in an open space, two metres distance apart, it still seems risky at our age and state of health.

Still trapping at home, Green Silver-lines and Cream-bordered Green Pea new this week. I couldn't resist another photograph of the superb Privet Hawkmoth which showed off all its Raspberry rIpple and chocolate.beauty this morning. 

 Why hasn't Green and Black thought of an icecream in those flavours? I'd buy it.

Late afternoon

Pam was watering in the garden when she found a rather worn moth. She brought it in for me to see and identify, tipping it onto my hand as she thought it was dead. It wasn't dead, the antennae gradually appeared. A male Clouded Buff.

Not new as we saw one at St Helen's  near Lynford a couple of years ago. New for the garden makes it even better.

Butterfly Conservation say :

Favours heathland and moorland but occasionally found on chalk and limestone grassland, and in open woodland areas.

And Ridlington? !!

Distribution

Widely distributed but restricted to small areas in mainland Britain, most frequent in southern England, East Anglia, the Midlands, north-west England and western Scotland.