The natural history exploits of Ross Newham - and the ultimate cure for insomnia!
Thursday 31 March 2011
Tuesday 29 March 2011
29 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood, Oxon
An interesting catch this morning - 49 macros of 11 spp.
This Shoulder-stripe was the second for the year for me.
And now we've entered Brindled Pug emergence - with the three following images all the same species. Or so I'm told...
But is this really the same..?
Monday 28 March 2011
Saturday 26 March 2011
Thursday 24 March 2011
24 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood, Oxon
A good catch this morning - 131 macros of 14 spp.
Highlight was my first Brindled Beauty - well, six to be precise.
This one was very much paler than the first.
And finally another couple of White-marked (with another one - the fourth - caught on the 26th March
Wednesday 23 March 2011
23 March 2011 - Fulscot Copse & Garden, Didcot, Oxon
I guess micros are always going to be tough - this Diurnea fagella defied identification till help was called. Even now I've started to call them 663's after their official number attributed to the species.
Diurnea fagella
Tuesday 22 March 2011
22 March 2011 - Wittenham Clumps, Oxon
Max wanted a trip out this morning as he needed a natural history 'fix'....
A good worm day
Marvellous wee things
Max's favourite animals - the wee spids
Millipede
Snail spp
Same snail spp?
And now Max is brnaching out into other stuff like fungi
Sunday 20 March 2011
20 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood, Oxon
A very small catch last night - compared to my ever-enthusiastic expectations. 1 x Small Quaker, 3 x Hebrew Characters, 1 x Clouded Drab.... a pride of place to this White-marked. This is the earliest White-marked for me - it also the first ever White-marked I've caught.
White-marked
Thursday 17 March 2011
17 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood
One new year tick (Shoulder-stripe) amongst a very average catch this morning.
Shoulder-stripe
Small Quaker (a very mottled one)
Clouded Drab (a very pale individual)
Clouded Drab (more frequent plumage!)
Sunday 13 March 2011
13 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood
Another good catch this morning, considering the 15W Actinic trap I have to use. Totals included: 9 x Engrailed, 5 x Dotted Border, 45 x Hebrew Character, 73 Small Quaker, 1 x Common Quaker, 2 x Chestnut, 1 x Tortricodes alternella.
I had trapped the same location 5 days earlier and had caught no Engrailed, so was surprised at the variation and condition of this morning's catch.
I had trapped the same location 5 days earlier and had caught no Engrailed, so was surprised at the variation and condition of this morning's catch.
Engrailed
Engrailed (the 'warmest' of the three I kept back to photograph)
Engrailed
Saturday 12 March 2011
12 March 2011 - Chipping Norton & Didcot, Oxon
Finally, finally, finally.... I managed to get out and get to Chipping Norton for doors open (unlike the previous weekend, when I made it there 10 mins after the bird had flown....). After a near hour's wait, movement at the front of the crowd meant only one thing - it had flown in. After a minute the folk at the front were encouraged to give up their places - allowing me to get a view and some snaps for 30 seconds before moving back and giving up my place. I'm happy I did move away as the bird was only on show for 3-4 minutes.
Oriental Turtle Dove (right!)
Thursday 10 March 2011
10 March 2011 - A small wood outside Didcot
A fairly decent catch last night (15W actinic) of 79 macros of 7 spp + 2 x Tortricodes alternella
Lead-coloured Drab (left) with Clouded Drab (right)
Oak Beauty (2nd of the year)
69 x Small Quaker, 3 x hebrew Character, 2 x Dotted Border, 1 x Common Quaker, 1 x Clouded Drab, 1 x Lead-coloured Drab, 1 x Chestnut, 1 x Oak Beauty.
Lead-coloured Drab (left) with Clouded Drab (right)
Oak Beauty (2nd of the year)
69 x Small Quaker, 3 x hebrew Character, 2 x Dotted Border, 1 x Common Quaker, 1 x Clouded Drab, 1 x Lead-coloured Drab, 1 x Chestnut, 1 x Oak Beauty.
Wednesday 9 March 2011
9 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood
Sunday 6 March 2011
6 March 2011 - Long Wittenham Wood, Oxon
My first catch at Long Wittenham Wood, thanks to the kind permission of the landowners. Given the temperatures, I was hardly expecting much, but thankfully my judgement was incorrect (again!);
First out of the trap was this Small Brindled Beauty (1 caught)
March Moths - 3 of six caught
Clouded Drabs 3 caught (picture slightly overexposed making the right hand specimen look more like a Red Chestnut than it did in real life!)Small Quaker (1 of eight caught)
Hebrew Character (1 of ten caught)
Other moths caught included five Chestnuts and two micros that eluded capture...
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