Compete waste of time and effort

I was out of bed around 04.30 hrs, after a quick coffee and turning the garden moth trap off, I headed off to the RMC for the second Pike session of the week. What an absolute folly. I was on site just before 06.00 hrs and on my way back home within ten minutes. The canal was a filthy, flowing, mess and there was absolutely no point in wasting my time casting deadbaits just to feed the Eels. With seventy-two miles on the clock and having no desire to disturb Bev again, I opted to take a stroll along the coastal footpath from Winterstoke Steps, via the harbour, to the Western Undercliff (and back) in the hope of stumbling upon a Black Redstart or something similar. Almost as uneventful as the visit to the RMC, just a single Rock Pipit prepared to pose for the camera and the odd Chiffchaff flitting around the area as I wandered about. 

Rock Pipit near Winterstoke Steps

I finally parked the van on our drive at 09.30 hrs and, after getting the kit unloaded, I made a second coffee before checking the contents of the moth trap. I will never know if turning out the light at 04.30 hrs had any impact upon the numbers of moths attracted, but I certainly hadn't repeated the result of Wednesday night. Just eleven Rusty-dot Pearls, two Gems and a Pearly Underwing being the only obvious migrants but, I did manage to record my first Merveille du Jour of the year, so not a total failure.

UK moths don't get much better looking than a Merveille du Jour

The forecast looks pretty good for tonight before three days of rain, however, that isn't such a big deal due to the fact that we're headed off to the West Country for Bev's son's wedding and a massive family get together.