Where did June and July Go?

As you can see, I'm not a natural blogger, preferring to spend most of my time out in the field. My photographic file is expanding rapidly, as is my moth list. This is mostly due to having had the opportunity to travel around a bit more. As my wife only recently joined me in retirement, at the end of July, the months of June and July were an opportunity to go on some extended tours. A four day trip to Ireland expanded into a two and a half week saga that encompassed Wales, Norfolk and some remote parts of Scotland. The Irish trip was to try to photograph White Prominent, a moth that was only rediscovered in the south west of Ireland last year after about 100 years without a record. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in our endeavours despite "help" from the people who rediscovered it. We did, however, turn up a lot of good records for that part of Ireland, so at least someone profited from our excursion. We will return next year and trap in the place where we had thought it might be but didn't actually go to. I did manage an excursion to the famous Burren while over there and caught up with the Irish form of Transparent Burnet.
























Transparent Burnet

A much more successful trip was to look for Pine Tree Lappet in Scotland. This species has also been recently discovered. The Forestry Commission were keen to find out the extent of its range and enlisted the help of amateur naturalists to augment their own efforts and give greater coverage. Our group managed to attract twenty one males to light traps with pheromones placed alongside them. A further seventy individuals were trapped later in the week by a second group of amateur naturalists who made the long drive up to Scotland. It was good to see the Forestry Commission and their professional ecologist showing such an enlightened approach to the use of amateur naturalists. While appreciating the need for caution due to the continued existence of collectors, most people I trap with are fervently anti collecting and a good photograph or a sighting is all they seek. The extra they give back in better coverage and a wealth of ancillary records makes for a win/win situation.



Pine Tree Lappet

While in Scotland, I took the opportunity to catch up with one or two other species that had long been on my wish list for late June but that small thing called work had intruded.

New Forest Burnet

Kentish Glory larva



Northern Emerald

Where did May go?

They say once you retire, you wonder where you found the time to go to work. Well that is so true. I've been so incredibly busy sorting out the detritus of retirement that May has almost gone. I have managed to get out and do photography fairly often and I now have a new car, life insurance sorted, home insurance sorted and am slotting into the retirement groove very well.

I have seen some very nice beetles at different spots in Somerset and adjacent counties. One I saw at Martin Down was, I thought, a new record for Hampshire. A little research then threw up that Martin Down is in VC8 (Wiltshire) for record purposes and then the Hampshire beetle recorder told me that he had already found that species elsewhere in Hampshire so no cigar for me. It was a very nice beetle anyway.

Agapanthia villosoviridescens

My other real "find" was suddenly discovering that Sand Lizard can be found on Dawlish Warren. I've been going there for years and had not heard about them. As I was wandering around in the sand dunes looking for insects to photograph, one suddenly sauntered onto the path right in front of me. It seemed churlish not to take its photograph.

Spent some time today sorting out my fast dwindling financial empire in preparation for paying off the mortgage. Spent a frustrating hour talking to people about cars. I think Ford must have one "test-drive" Fiesta Econetic in the whole south west that they borrow from each other. The Citroen C3 Picasso looks nice and roomy but it just strays into the £120 per year tax bracket so that is a bit off-putting. The ordinary C3 has much less boot space for all my moth gear. I'm going mad weighing up all the options.

I finally got outside with a camera late this afternoon and spent a happy time in the local field that doubles as my outdoor photographic studio. I just hope the farmer doesn't suddenly get it into his head to plough it all in and grow something. Mind you if I see him, I might be cheeky and ask if he'll let me have an allotment on part of it. We've already run out of planting space in the back garden.

Saw a nice Green-veined White and for once it didn't disappear into the far distance while I was still stalking up to it. It had probably just had its cocoa and was thinking of turning in for the night.

Spent the weekend mostly in a field near my house, taking pictures of any insect stupid enough to stray close enough. It may seem strange to some people but I find that standing next to a patch of Cow Parsley for a couple of hours really gives you a feel for biodiversity. Try to choose a nice warm day if you do it as that helps both with the diversity and countering feelings of futility.

Spring is definitely in the air, with new stuff hatching out all over the place and immediately indulging in activities to make new stuff.

Hoverflies are really starting to emerge now that May has finally arrived. Leucozona lucorum below is one of my favourites, so clean looking.

My retirement started with a rush of rarities. On April 30 I went straight down to Portland Bill and in the early evening saw a Collared Flycatcher. I then had an early night with a 3 am start on Friday morning to get to Dungeness for first light. My younger son Dave came with me to add a new bird to his life list. Once there, finding the Crested Lark was not a problem, we just followed a group of birders who started running over the shingle just as we got out of the car, having just found it. We had a good look round the Dungeness area, seeing Hobby, Marsh Harrier and several newly arrived migrants, singing for all they were worth. A Jay was a Dungeness rarity and looked quite incongruous as it flew in from the sea. We saw some nice moths at the Dungeness observatory, including a Light Feathered Rustic of the pale "shingle" form.



















Dragonflies were very much in evidence, including a fine male Hairy Dragonfly - Brachytron pratense.

























I tried several times to photograph singing Sedge Warblers and they invariably dropped into the vegetation as soon as a camera pointed at them. This one was more of an exhibitionist.