Lollingdon

Mostly sunny, 22°, light SW.

Not a lot happening today: Common Redstart still present out at Lollingdon, present for 3 weeks now. Several Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff and several Swallow and House Martin over but little else.

6 Swift over garden late evening.  

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle, Emperor and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Comma, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Moths: Jersey Tiger.

Other: Hornet Robber Fly.

Ruddy Darter

Sunny spells, 19°, light to breezy S.

Another good one from Alan today with a Ruddy Darter Dragonfly. A common dragonfly that is often overlooked. And the Willow Emerald Damsels seen again.

Also Chiffchaff and a flyby Kingfisher.

Alan along the Bunk line earlier, again fairly quiet, 10-15 Yellow Wagtail, 9+ Chiffchaff plus the usual.

A fairly quiet but pleasant walk out to Lollingdon and back today.

A couple of Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff around Lollingdon, plus a Little Owl and a Sparrowhawk.

A good day for thermals as numbers of Lesser Blackback Gull, Red Kite and Buzzard spiralling over the hill.

Another steady flow of Hirundines moving south, up to 80 birds with 90% Swallow and the rest House Martin.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Dragonflies: Willow Emerald Damselfly, Migrant Hawker, Southern Hawker, Common Darter & Ruddy Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Red Admiral, Comma & Speckled Wood.

Moths: a few notable ones from Tony Rayner recently: Gypsy Moth, Clifdon Nonpariel, Jersey Tiger & Lime Hawk Moth. Also a Hornet Robberfly.

Ruddy Darter pics courtesy Alan.  

Comma

Little Owl

Jersey Tiger

Tony Rayner caught this Jersey Tiger Moth today.

Butterfly Conservation states: Resident and a suspected immigrant. Well established along the south coast of Devon and Dorset, extending inland to the edge of Dartmoor.

Also found on the Isle of Wight, Sussex, and Kent and recently from parts of London, with a few records elsewhere.

Jersey Tiger

Yet another new moth for Cholsey, caught last night by Tony Rayner.

A Jersey Tiger.

"One of the most attractive of the Tiger moths, this species was until recently restricted in distribution to the Channel Islands and parts of the south coast.

On the mainland it is commonest in south Devon, but colonies have recently appeared in Dorset and the Isle of Wight, and it has also been found in other southern counties.

It now seems to be expanding its range quite quickly. There is also a thriving population in parts of London, but whether this is due to range expansion or the result of accidental introduction is still unclear.

It flies both in the daytime, when it can be found feeding on various flowers, as well as at night, when it is attracted to light.

The main flight period is July to September. The hairy larvae feed on a range of herbaceous plants including nettle (Urtica)."

Thanks to UKMoths.org.uk for the information.