Winchelsea Kites
Two Red Kites drifted over Winchelsea this afternoon, heading south east. Reported by John and Robbie Gooders.
Archive for May 24th, 2009
24th May 2009, Sunday
24th May 2009, Sunday
Dungeness RSPB reserve. Bumblebees
Bumblebees are one of the key species interests on the Dungeness RSPB reserve, and are subject to annual monitoring of their numbers to check that experimental management for these species is working. These insects are soon to be subject to a new conservation initiative, so it is good to be able to report that on Wednesday Pete Akers and I obtained the highest counts recorded so far in the first of the years timed walks. A total of 68 bees were recorded, compared to a mean of only 34 on the same walks in May over the previous four years.
Highlights were 8 rare brown banded carder bees Bombus humilis, double the number recorded in recent years, 18 red-tailed bumblebees Bombus lapidarius (a welcome improvement for this species with only 11 of these insects reported in all three walks last year!) and a record twenty one workers of the white tailed B lucorum/ buff tailed B terrestris (which are difficult to tell apart as workers).
Particularly valuable Read the rest of this entry »
24th May 2009, Sunday
Cream-spot Tigers steal the show
About 10 people came to Lime Kiln Cottage yesterday morning to watch Chris open up the moth trap, to start the RX Wildlife Festival. The less common species included White-point, Yellow Belle, Mullein Wave, Light Brocade and Shears, plus several spectacular Cream-spot Tigers and the Eyed Hawkmoth shown below on the girl’s sleeve. In the evening Andy Phillips ran two MV lights in the Hastings Country Park Quarry, with again about 10 people gathered to see what was about. Among the moths attracted were Cream-spot Tiger, Rivulet, Clouded Silver, Brown Silver-lines, Waved Umber and both Angle Shades and Small Angle Shades - all in little more than an hour of darkness.
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