Coming to a fence near you


This morning I was cutting back a Laurel bush in the back garden and kept disturbing Jersey Tiger moths, no doubt roosting up after having been summoned by the MV moth trap last night. A few settled on a nearby fence. After singles on August 17 2012 and August 1 2013, it has became a regular visitor to the MV, peaking at six on August 13 2015 and then, this year, it has all gone 'gangbusters'. The past three nights have yielded totals of 27, 27 and 30. If you don't get them yet, you soon will! 

Comments

Simon Douglas Thompson said…
THey look like hang-gliders! Great shot.
8 August 2018 at 20:06
Steve Gale said…
They're on their way Simon!
8 August 2018 at 22:35
Gibster said…
"If you don't get them yet, you soon will!"...ummm, yeah. Not all of your fanclub live in the Jersey Tiger Zone, y'know :D
8 August 2018 at 22:55
Gibster said…
Mind you, I do have a family of rather noisy Spotted Flycatchers using my garden fence, so I can't grumble!
8 August 2018 at 22:59
Steve Gale said…
You've made a valid point there Seth, although the Scottish mainland is within their reach, and not that many years away.
9 August 2018 at 06:38
Jonathan Lethbridge said…
Loads in Wanstead too. Was the most numerous moth the last time I ran the trap, and I keep seeing them in the day as well.
9 August 2018 at 23:10
Derek Faulkner said…
They seem to have by-passed Sheppey in their haste to sample the delights of your Surrey garden.
10 August 2018 at 05:31
Steve Gale said…
They are the 'Ring-necked Parakeet' of the moth world!
10 August 2018 at 08:18
Steve Gale said…
Give 'em time Derek...
10 August 2018 at 08:19
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Goldfinches and Lavender

Image
We have three medium-sized Lavender bushes in our back garden. Throughout the summer the flowers (which last for several months) are a magnet for insects and give off a most restful aroma. As tempting as it is to cut the dead stems in the autumn, we always leave them, as we know that during the late winter we will get visitors to feed on the seed heads... This video was taken from the kitchen window this morning. We will normally see one or two birds over a few days, but have had up to 14 at once. We never tire of watching them. Lavender is a wonderful plant to have in the garden, with year round natural history benefits. So what are you waiting for? They are readily available at a garden centre close to you right now! There is an historic association with Lavender in this part of northern Surrey and south London. Lavender fields have been harvested for many years, with one particular field close to Woodmansterne being very popular with day trippers. A significant proportion o
Read more

To tell it like it is, or not...

Image
I am grateful to Gavin Haig (Not Quite Scilly) who drew my attention to an opinion piece, penned by Matt Phelps, which appeared in the November issue of 'Birdwatch' magazine, entitled 'Positive Approach', which I have now read. In it, he suggests that there is too much negativity being posted on social media regarding the state of our birding world, which is then acting as a deterrent towards a younger generation in adopting conservation and wildlife study. He also suggests that a lot of this negativity is being generated by older birders, and that these old timers keep banging on about the 'good old days' which isn't helpful in encouraging the youth to pick up a pair of binoculars and get out into the field. Does he have a point? Now, I am undeniably an older birder, and I am also guilty of having posted, blogged, written and spoken about the slump in bird and invertebrate numbers. I also like nothing better than to revisit my notebooks and share in the hi
Read more

Time to reflect

I normally come up with the title for a post after I have written it. If I'm feeling creative it will be some sort of play on words, or if I'm not then an all-encompassing word or two will do. As for this particular post, and with a few things to discuss, I've written the title first, inspired by having just read a feature about musicians who have used the title of an album as the starting point for their creative exercise. Here goes... Firstly, blogs - yes, this very medium that I am writing in and you are reading from. - what content they derive, the reason that the content exists and what the writer should (or should not) expect from any reader that visits the blog. This was brought into sharp focus by a series of posts to be found here, at Jono Lethbridge's excellent 'Wansted Birder'.   His blogging output has recently included detailed and entertaining reports on his recent overseas trips which have received a bit of flak from certain quarters. None of us b
Read more