Mixed bag - take two

 Autumn is getting closer by the day and the birds around the garden and Newlands Farm, beyond, are certainly pointing towards this inevitable passage of time. Over the past week I've seen Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and good numbers of Willow Warblers in the garden and yesterday managed to pick out a juv Yellow-legged Gull which was anting over the farmland. Weird thing was that I saw another one, this afternoon, on the beach at Deal where Bev & I had gone for a wander and a bite to eat. It seems crazy that they were only split from Herring Gulls twenty-odd years back. I usually get my fix of these smart gulls when I'm holidaying around the Mediterranean, but it does prove the worth of using these experiences to hone your id skills when the opportunity presents itself.

A "Med Head" - something I picked up from the gull watching crew at
Brogborough Lake, Bedfordshire.
Even before they were officially split, these hard-core Laridophiles had got it sorted.

I've not seen a Swift since August 1st, and a couple of Swallows passed over the garden, heading very deliberately southward yesterday whilst on Monday the first Grey Wagtail of the "autumn"? flew in a similar direction along the Vine Close gardens. 

So there I was, seeing a bunch of Willow Warblers dipping into the birdbath and thought that
it would be silly not to grab the camera and give it a bash. First bird which popped
up was a bloody Chiffchaff - the first of the autumn for the garden!

Mothing continues to provide first class entertainment and learning opportunities aplenty. Gavin Haig commented on my previous post, mentioning the fun provided by micro moth id challenges. All I can say is that I get more splinters, from scratching my head, than laughs! It is a slow process, that's for sure, but none the less rewarding because of the effort involved. Bottom line is no-one dies if you make a complete pig's ear of an id, so keep pushing the boundaries and see where it takes you.

Pebble Prominent

Gypsy Moth - proper moths these two. No head scratching over miniscule detail which
just might provide the clinching id feature. 

The Knot-horn gang are definitely becoming my favourite family of micros, just because they are at the top end, size wise, of this group. Last night provided a couple more which were new for the garden? The New Pine Knot-horn was massive and, as such, fairly straight forward to get id'd. The Marbled Knot-horn is less clear cut and I am very happy to be corrected if my conclusion is erroneous ? I haven't received any comments but now feel sure that the moth is actually a Grey Knot-horn and have amended the post accordingly.

New Pine Knot-horn - Dioryctria sylvestrella

Grey Knot-horn - Acrobasis advenella

The final moth is very much clutching at straws. It is a very well marked Tortrix, yet doesn't fit, exactly, any of the illustrations in my Micro Moth Field Guide. I've settled on Spruce-bud Moth but am perfectly happy to be corrected. Once again my fellow Blogger Stewart Sexton has come to my rescue. The correct id is Vagrant Piercer, an increasing regular migrant species here in East Kent

Vagrant Piercer - Cydia amplana

Nine Jersey Tigers, yet only a single Elephant Hawk-moth last night. The seasons are a changing and that isn't up for debate?