Windy Waldridge

Garden moth night so I set the trap out last night and looking at the weather, that was the only reason for doing so. The temperature dropped during the night to 6C at the coast but 2.6C in cold, windy Waldridge. I was expecting a small catch but even I was disappointed when I discovered lurking in the bottom, a single moth - 1 Frosted Orange - that was it - nothing else at all! I have had some excellent, in fact record, catches this year, so I shouldn't really complain.

Three juvenile House Martin were flying around the house this morning for 20 minutes before flying off and the garden Sedums had 2 Red Admiral, a Small Tortoisehell and 5 Syrphus ribesii hoverflies by mid morning. Another Small Tortoisehell was flitting about in the garage later but flew off strongly when released. South Burn Woods had a feeding party of adult and juvenile Long-tailed Tit and a Great Spotted Woodpecker but bird-wise it was quiet. I didn't see any butterflies, probably due to the wind, but there were six species of hoverfly including a Helophilus pendulus as well as the same species that have been in the garden this week.

Helophilus pendulus hoverfly.
Its scientific name means "dangling swamp-lover"

Also a single Nettle-tap moth on some Yarrow flowers. This species is one of the micro-moths but is a daytime flyer, from May to the first frosts. It can sometimes occur in large numbers on it's larval plant Stinging Nettle of which there was a large windswept patch very close but I could not see any there today.