Who am I?

My photo
An individual, of no great importance, who is unable to see enjoyment of the natural world as an arena for competition. I catch fish, watch birds, derive immense pleasure from simply looking at butterflies, moths, bumble-bees, etc - without the need for rules! I am Dylan and this is my blog - if my opinions offend? Don't bother logging on again - simple!

Followers

Friday, 15 August 2025

General stuff and a Jersey Tiger invasion

Well, my quest to catch a Carp from the new drain has started. I've managed three sessions, thus far, none longer than three hours and am yet to register a bite! Benno, on the other hand, using a tactic and bait which hadn't entered my thought processes, landed his first fish within half an hour of casting a rig into this new venue. Me? I'm happy as Larry knowing that this particular challenge will require me to explore aspects of my angling which have previously been taken for granted. At this present time I have loads of ideas, yet still no answers. Exactly what I was hoping for after the "Mandarin Pool" debacle.

Benno gets the project started with this proper character.

My daily Bruno walks continue to provide me with so many opportunities to spend time with the wildlife which shares my space. A wander around the Worth Marshes RSPB Res., on Tuesday, was rewarded with good views of four Cattle and a single Great White Egret plus a nice group of five Whinchats. I also bumped into my mate, Neil D. who informed me that the BTO have now accepted my Booted Eagle (28th September 1999) as the first for Britain. Well, they called me a liar back then, and they're still calling me one now! They have aged it as a 2 cy, whilst the bird I (and Jack Chantler) found was a pristine juvenile. Does it bother me after twenty six years? I couldn't give a toss what the BTO, or anyone else, thinks. I know what I saw and have no requirement to justify it to anyone other than me! In factory parlance "F*ck Em"



On Thursday morning, Bruno and I found ourselves wandering the banks of The Little Stour at West Stourmouth. A very pleasant stroll was further enhanced when I spotted four Willow Emerald Damselflies. I did my best with camera kit, but with no extension tubes, didn't do the encounter justice. So we returned this morning, better equipped, and I managed to improve (slightly) upon the previous efforts. This is the first time I've seen this species at this location, although feel sure that they must be present in any suitable habitat right across the East Kent Marshes?

And to finish I need to recall the events around the garden 125w MV moth trap. It had started with the arrival of the full moon and continued for three more nights afterwards. I have no idea as to how unique (or otherwise?) this situation was, but it was certainly bloody impressive! It was on Saturday night, whilst watching the activity around the Fox feeding bowl, that I became aware of good numbers of large moths being attracted to the light. I went outside, complete with my head torch, to discover fifty-plus Jersey Tiger Moths in, and around, the Robinson Trap. It wasn't until Sunday/Monday that it really kicked off. I'd witnessed very similar activity as the previous night but, when I got up at 05.15 hrs to turn the light off, I was confronted by a scene of utter bedlam. I counted seventy-three Jersey Tigers around the outside of the trap and/or perched on the lawn and fence panels. When I examined the egg trays, some time later I counted another forty-two, thus giving me a minimum total of one hundred and fifteen individuals. Absolutely crazy.

Although the Jersey Tigers are obviously attracted by the MV light source, they
are not particularly happy being within the confines of the Robinson Trap.

As I've said previously, I'm not part of any moth related cyber networks, thus have absolutely no idea what's going on within Kent, or further afield. The odd internet bits I am able to peruse seem to indicate that Thanet is a pretty good place to be running a trap, at present. My recent results, when compared to Sandwich Bay and Dungerness Obs, plus the Folkestone gang, suggest that I'm doing very well, thank-you very much!

No comments:

Post a Comment