7 April 2012 - Loch of the Lowes, Perthshire

Thanks to Emma and her volunteer colleagues (Brian, Lauren & Tom) I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening mothing at the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Loch of the Lowes Reserve. A respectable 192 moths of 17 species. Highlights were a stunning chocolate form of Water Carpet and an as yet unidentified micro... A few other more regular species were nice to catch up with again.

Water Carpet - f. piceata

Micro spp

Twin-spotted Quaker

Red Chestnut

Dunno...

Mottled Grey

Dor Beetle?

6 April 2012 - Moors above Kinloch, Perthshire

With a passing visit by Marc Botham, we decided to head up on to the moors for a bit of naff weather mothing. Sure enough, wind, rain and general cold temps did little to enthuse us. Out of 3MV's and 3 x actinics we just about mustered 89 moths of 11 species. Highlights for me were an Early Tooth-striped and a few Mottled Greys. Highlight for Marc was possibly an Acleris spp - yet to be determined.

Early Tooth-striped

Acleris spp

Acleris spp

Mottled Grey

Water Carpet (and a well marked one at that)

5 April 2012 - Blairgowrie, Perthshire

First night of Easter break in Scotland. A modest catch of 29 moths of 9 species, but including this fantastic Red Swordgrass. New for me, it was a champion wee thing - unfortunately though, the weather isn't going to last very well this week (unlike last week here when there was a heat wave...). 

Red Swordgrass

Red Swordgrass - front view!

30 March 2012 - Wittenham Clumps

A decent catch last night, despite clear skies and cold temperatures - 190 moths of 16 species and thankfully very few micros....

Best of the bunch were four White-marked. Only a couple of kms from where I was catching several last year (Long Wittenham Wood).

A few Frosted Greens were a welcome addition to the year's tally. 

This presumed melanic Brindled Pug (f. hirschkei) was interesting. 

Shoulderstripe may not be the rarest moth, but they are pretty smart when you take the time to really look at them!

28 March 2012 - Crowmarsh Gifford

Was intending to head out for another raptor watch at lunchtime - fortunately, yet unfortunately, depending on your viewpoint, I didn't need to go out at all...

Whilst using the staff restaurant garden, I gazed up (at 12.45pm) to check for raptors once again, and there was an Osprey slowing tracking North. B*llocks! I didn't have my camera with me.

Saw Orange Tip, Small Tort and Peacock, just to add to yesterday's Holly Blue - Spring is definately with us!

27 March 2012 - Crowmarsh Gifford (Osprey Watch)

Took lunchtime out along a footpath at lunchtime, primary aim was to search skyward for migrating raptors - most notably, to look for Ospreys.

Whilst this might seem a little optimistic, the reality is that there must be several hundred birds pass over our heads each Spring, and several times that each Autumn. Indeed, in Sept 2008 I spent a memorable few hours, looking skyward, in my back garden in Kent - and looking at the radio-tracked Ospreys, their routes are fairly north/south, without favouring the South-East corner.

Could I really repeat the exercise?

First up, the usual Red Kites.

And then the first Buzzard.

More interesting was this large female Sparrowhawk.

Three species of raptor, so far....

My attention was then drawn to two very distant raptors - Kestrel and a Peregrine.

With the Peregrine giving only record-shot views (it was so far away it could have been in Hampshire!).

Five species of raptor in my lunchbreak and even a wee Long-tailed Tit gathering nesting material. Still, it was certainly worth some time looking skyward even though there was no Osprey to reward me!

19 March 2012 - Crowmarsh Gifford

A quick pop out ofthe office at lunchtime showed that the Black Redstart was still present... Or was it.

A rather unscientific glance releaved that this was a much brighter bird - and certainly a male (given Friday's bird was a female-type possible first summer male). So, the two-bird theory was then confirmed when Badger, of Listless Birder fame, and Tom, had both birds together.

16 March 2012 - Crowmarsh Gifford

This female-type Black Redstart was a welcome diversion at the end of lunch-break.

Apparently a few have been seen on site over the past few years - nice.

15 March 2012 - Whittenham Clumps, Oxfordshire

A good catch of several hundred moths last night - in a couple of pleasant hours spent with 3MVs and Marc Botham.

This Red Chestnut was new for having - having eluded my trap last spring when I was regularly catching White-marked instead.

2 March 2012 - Warburg Reserve

135 Moths caught last night at the Warburg reserve. New for me on the macro front were three Yellow Horned.

While this Acleris cristana was a slightly more impressive new micro...

Impressive white scale-tuft.

This Ypsolopha mucronella being one of the 'highlights' - for Marc.

29 March 2012 - Whittenham Clumps

Centipede spp - ID to follow... one day.

26 Feb 2012 - Whittenham Clumps

Went bug hunting with Max. Turning over logs, inspecting moss and getting stung by Stinging Nettles - oh, such fun!

Searching behind some bark on a decaying tree, we came across a mass of overwintering Harlequin Ladybirds. Some of the wee things were buried deep in the frass - happy as a pig in....

24 Feb 2012 - Whittenham Clumps

Scarlet Elf Cap - found near Hazel bushes around the ponds.

Checked a few snails - I think these are Arianta arbustorum. I think...

And the same again.

Cepaea nemoralis.

I had never seen these female Hazel flowers amongst the usual catkins. Tiny wee things - amazing.

Centipede spp - and that's as far as I can get with this beast.

Spid spp.

Earwig - the normal one I think.

Lichen spp - don't think I can make a start on these, yet...

19 Feb 2012 - Long Whittenham Wood

A little beetling about with Max produced a group of presumed Badister beetles.

Further guessing leads me to suppose they are all Badister unipustulatus.

One fallen Ash enabled us to scratch around the rotted heart of the stump - revealing several Lesser Stag Beetles.

This rather an ex-beetle. When it was alive, it was identified by Richard Comont as a Silpha atrata. I agreed...