Breakfast in bed during a long phone call from the family in Australia, delayed the start to the planned outing. I'd hoped to do some photography at Titchwell but the dragonflies and then the birds were too distant. I regretted carrying my camera equipment, in addition to the telescope and tripod, in the heat. Still loads of Ladybirds around too. I still enjoyed it, especially the views of juvenile Bearded Tits feeding openly on the mud in front of the reeds, viewed from Island Hide.
A delicious packed lunch at Brancaster, then an ice-cream at Salthouse before returning home to piece together my new Skinner moth trap. There were no instructions whatsoever but I managed, just left with two ruler width pieces of perspex which I put aside for later perusal.
After supper, we turned on the light and watched heaps of moths enter and fly about the trap. Excellent - except for the sight of a manic Noo-Noo doing aerial ballet, swiping at the insects. Robbie just sat and watched. I put the light off before bed, apprehensive about the cat's night antics.
I woke at 6a.m., checked the weather which was overcast and, afraid of rain, Pam and I carried the trap indoors - just as the first drops fell. Inspecting the apparently empty egg boxes we found two moths in addition to the Willow Beauty on the parasol last night. Ah, that was what the perspex strips were for! To cover up the entry slit once I'd turned the light off. They'd all escaped.
In my half awake state the photographs were less than good but good enough to identify from the Norfolk Moths web site.
Ruby Tiger (left) and Large Yellow Underwing (right)
No comments:
Post a Comment