Bugs, Blackcap & other beauties!

After the Cliffs session had breakfast and then met up with Andy and went through some moths. My trap had around 20 moths, 6 Common Quaker, 1 Small Quaker, 1 Chestnut, 6 Hebrew Character, 4 Clouded Drab and the highlight 2 Early Thorn.

We then walked through the dunes and up to the Sallow in the plantation where I was able to watch around a dozen of the newly found Early Long-horned Moths, dancing around the tops and occasionally coming to rest. 

We then spent a bit of time looking at plants, well actually Andy spent a bit of time pointing them out to me! My favourite was definitely the Rue-leaved Saxifrage, when we eventually found it  a tiny plant but apparently a killer!! "The stem-leaves are covered, like many other xerophytes, with absorbent, stalked, sticky glands, which capture insects." The Spring vetch was also very pretty.

Bird wise it was pretty quiet, 23 Golden Plover in summer plumage flew over and at least 3 Black-tailed Godwit were on the NWT pools. A Blackcap was being ringed up at the NOA by Gary Elton and was my first of the year, also  numerous Chiff-chaff around now.

Clouded Drab

Early Longhorn moth 

Early Thorn

Rue-leaved Saxifrage

Spring Vetch