It is autumn and my camouflage is dying.
Hertfordshire, UK
Joined November 2023
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The trouble with having eyes on the side of your head is that sometimes you don't see what's right in front of you until the last minute! Hare, Lincolnshire fens yesterday.
For anyone not yet aurora-ed out: phone pics from the south Cambs / Herts border last night - the first three taken at around 22.15 and the last pic taken from the house at 00.20 #aurora #northernlights
I was questioning the wisdom of lugging the moth trap on holiday after a disappointing week, but was rewarded on the last night with these two Small Mottled Willow - a new moth for me. Boosbeck, North Yorkshire @MigrantMothUK @teesbirds1
Eventually got brief views of the elusive Barred Warbler at South Gare this evening, after only seeing its backside this morning! No other passerine migrants in evidence over two visits here, nor at Skinningrove or Brotton/Warsett Hill @teesbirds1
Yesterday I finally caught up with my first Minke Whales in the UK - just the 15-20 of them! Thanks to @realstaithes for a great trip
Wondering if this might be Fiddle Dock (Rumex pulcher) - unfortunately heavily grazed, so not much to go on. Leaves felt almost plasticky. Cattle-grazed old meadow outside of Milton Keynes. Never seen this species so may be barking up the wrong tree! @BSBIbotany can you help?
Sunday was my first chance to get to the coast this autumn and there was a nice selection of leftovers from the earlier fall including minimum 20 Redstarts, 20 Spot Flys, 5 Pied Flys and 60 Wheatears. Caught up with elusive Icterine and Wood Warbler too...
ALT Icterine Warbler
ALT Wood Warbler
ALT Redstart
ALT Spotted Flycatcher
Migrants afoot last night including NFG and poss 2nd county record Porter's Rustic, and my long-awaited first (and 2nd) Palpita vitrealis, plus L-album Wainscot and Rusty-dot Pearl. Single Red Admiral and Large White at the traps were also likely migrants. Royston, Cambs vc29.
Tree Pipit flew south over Therfield Heath at 8am - my first locally. New for garden Anania crocealis didn't hang around for a proper portrait - not many Cambs vc29 records.
We all know a fussy eater but these Down Shieldbugs (Canthophorus impressus) take it to an extreme - they only eat the tiny, rare Bastard Toadflax (Thesium humifusum)! Lots of adults and nymphs on the foodplant at Therfield Heath, Herts yesterday.
Five years ago today we lost the incomparable David Berman.
youtu.be/cIKVJRMv1T4?si=GkC4…
Weird trapping last night, with 22% of the moths being Jersey Tigers! There was one standout - this stunning Pretty Chalk Carpet which was new for the garden.
Just found a single plant of Hare's-tail Grass while on the way for a 🍺 in Letchworth - not too many local records! #PavementPlants #AlwaysBotanising
Another big night with 317 of 67 species including Choreutis nemorana / Fig-leaf Skeletoniser (3rd for Cambs vc29?) plus a very fine Acleris cristana and a less spectacular but also NFG Scrobipalpa costella.
