RXwildlife Sightings

I found this male Winter Moth (Operopthera brumata) sitting on a window at Lime Kiln Cottage last night. As the name suggests, this species is one of the few active as an adult over the winter months, flying from October to January. In common with many such species, females are virtually wingless and unable to fly. The larvae feed on a range of deciduous trees and bushes and can be something of a pest. Strangely enough, while the females cannot fly the larvae can! They do this by climbing up twigs and trunks and paying out a line of silk which is then caught by the wind, carrying the larva aloft. This method of dispersal is known as ‘ballooning’.

Its easier to gauge Curlew numbers on a low tide at dusk, when they fly in from all directions to roost and feed on the low tide sand, 560 came in yesterday evening. Also present 300 Dunlin, 140 Sanderling and 21 Grey plover.