- A bit of a few days at "Swift Half".... in rocketing temperatures and blue skies.
- Moths caught in moff trap over the last few days - beautiful hook tip, buff arches, scalloped oak, coronet, yellow tail, the first of this year's buff ermines, old lady, light emerald, magpie, lunar yellow underwing, gothic and dunbar.
- Drinker moth caterpillar on privy door this afternoon.
- Hobby chased through garden at around 0800hrs this morning.
- Anna found a leopard moth on the back door mat the other day - badly injured in the heavy showers (seems like such a long time ago looking at the weather now)! Other than the shocking pink elephant hawk moths, this in my opinion is the second most spectacular moff in the UK. Unfortunately it was dying (it was in a shocking state) but we put it in a tumbler, as she seemed insistent on laying her eggs in her death throes. We'll glue the eggs to a suitable leaf when we get time.
- Scarlet tiger moths are regular in the garden also now as are big emperor dragonflies flying through.
- One emperor dragonfly though unfortunately met with Trouble (our black hen) this morning.
- I was buttering some toast and all hell broke loose in the garden it sounded like.
- I flung open the door and found the hens chasing each other round the garden, shouting at each other - the lead hen being Trouble with a great big emperor dragonfly in her beak.
- I therefore joined the chase and rescued said odonate - placing it in the buddleja to recover.
- Truth be told though - Trouble's sharp beak had done a bit of damage to the wing muscles of the teneral male emperor (would have become an adult this morning, as he turned blue - an adult male emperor colours during the day) and he'll certainly die in the next few days I think. Shame.
- Woodmouse appears to be enjoying life in the coop- hoovering up spilled seed from between the hens legs without caring about the clucking hens!
- I set the moff trap up in Mr.T's (our neighbour bar one) garden last night and we had a reasonable hawl at dawn this morning, with a scalloped oak moth being my highlight. The night before that I had a wonderful hawl at the rear (rear) garden - catching huge numbers of moffs, including my third elephant hawkmoth and my first scarlet tiger moth. When we used to live near the river (other side of town) I used to trip over these striking day-flying moths, but not so much three miles south - so its grand to see one again.
- A walk along the river at dawn this morning confirmed that we have a pair of otters in the "secret river" not a mile away from the house! Certain sightings near the weir by a very credible source - looks like I might have to do some night time recces pretty soon! VERY good news though - maybe Anna will get a chance to see her favourite animal of all?!
- Plenty of demoiselles and damselflies everywhere but I'm still struggling to see many big dragons - a southern hawker on a bike ride this morning but thats all.
