There seem to be a lot of hawkmoths around at the moment with 3 x Privet, 3 x Poplar, 16 x Elephant and an Eyed Hawkmoth all in the same moth trap left overnight near Staplecross on the 4th July. It was difficult to get them all to sit still on the wall for a team photo, but it was fun trying.
I had a fascinating e-mail this morning from a resident at Dungeness reporting a number of stinking hawk’s-beards on their lawn. This plant is reported to have become extinct in the UK in 1980 when the last Dungeness population died out, and has been subject to various reintroduction programmes since the early 1990’s, resulting in limited success at Dungeness, and a burgeoning population at Rye Harbour. So it was surprising to find a new population of 2000+ plants, with their obvious white seed-heads today.
What was interesting was that Read the rest of this entry »
When you see a moth like this in the trap, you know it’s something good! Finding space among the record haul of 130 Dark Arches this morning was this fine furry Leopard Moth, my first since 2007. This family (Cossidae) has about 700 species worldwide but only two in the UK. This one lives in open woodland and gardens, the other (Reed Leopard) in reedbeds, with very few UK sites.
After 2 years without nesting Little Terns at Rye Harbour, it is pleasing to report that 7 pairs are present this year and the chicks are growing well, so far (so we don’t have to change our logo just yet!) This has been achieved with a cunning combination of deploying decoys and sounds, which have enabled us to tempt them away from their strandline site and inside the permanent electrc fencing - here they are safer from Fox and Badger and from disturbance from beach users. So when watching Little Terns at Rye Harbour make sure you are looking at a real bird! Read the rest of this entry »
