May 23rd 2009

Ideal conditions for moths last night starting cloudy and remaining warm with little wind so woke to a hat full with a few to be identified delaying my visit to the pond with Small Magpie, Clouded-bordered Brindle and Willow Beauty new for the year.
By the time I arrived at the pond it was a stunning sunny morning with high thin cloud and Mick was already three quarters of the way round having seen Common Sandpiper, Dunlin and Oystercatcher and plenty of warblers.
I caught up with the Oystercatcher feeding on the shoreline of the sailing club while overhead 2 Hobbies and 2 Sparrowhawk were enjoying the early morning thermals together.
A search for moths around the cafe produced Mottled Pug, Small Square-spot and my first for the year Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet.
Apart from a 4 Black-headed Gull, 2 Lesser Black-back Gull, Common Tern and 3 Buzzard little else of note seen so concentrated on butterflies managing Brimstone, Large White, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Small Copper and Orange Tip.
Back home while planting the last of me bedding plants I had a couple of Buzzard drift over and was just finishing when another buzzard came over at 12:15pm flying differently being mobbed by corvid forcing it to fly low over estate - Honey Buzzard and its grey head made it a male. The corvid ignored the previous buzzards but went nuts when this appeared.
Rest of the afternoon spent looking for butterflies and day flying moths finding Small Yellow Underwing, Yellow Shell and Adela rufimitrella all new for the year and adding Green-veined White and Brown Argus to my butterfly day list.
Of interest there has been an invasion of Painted Ladies on the Isle of Scilly so keep an eye out over the next few weeks and a few Honey Buzzards have been seen inland today. Eight Lesser Black-back Gull flew over garden after dusk.
Texting Mark this evening and his Dad also had the HB being mobbed plus a Raven go over his house this afternoon in Lytham Rd Rugby.

Richard