A Rare Migrant

 With a few more attempts at moth trapping in recent days a few interesting moths have come along, this included a Red-headed Chestnut that is classed as a rare migrant moth with only a handful of this moth appearing in Sussex in recent years.

On the night of the 27th November it was one of only 3 moths actually in the trap and it was under one of the last egg boxes that had to be checked.

Red-headed Chestnut.

A few other recent moths have included a Blair's Shoulder-knot, a Mottled Umber and a few more December Moths.

With little else to see in recent days apart from a couple of butterflies at High and Over yesterday, of  which one was a Peacock and the other was probably a Red Admiral, and several Firecrest also seen during the past week, the moths have helped to keep the camera working.

Mottled Umber.

December Moth.

Blair's Shoulder-knot.

Sandpiper Session.

 With the Winter now with us I ventured down to the local pier that each year pays host to the wonderful Purple Sandpipers.

After a good feeding session they often sit on the pier resting, generally on one leg, before returning to feeding once the tide has gone down enough to expose their feeding areas. They are always joined by a group of Turnstone that keep the Sandpipers on their toe.

Always an enjoyable session that is also close to home.

Purple Sandpiper.

Turnstone.

Who Are You Calling Fatty??

Purple Sandpiper looking out for an approaching Turnstone.

December Comes Early.

 On the last decent night for some time for the moth trap on Tuesday there were very few moths the following morning, however what was lacking in quantity was made up for in quality.

I haven't trapped this late in the season too often before so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise to get some new moths for the garden, but about 20% of the catch were new moths with 4 new to me.

The most delightful moth was the December Moth. This is quite a common moth, especially more inland, and it was great to at last get one. Being a Winter moth it is covered in hairs to keep it warm.

The biggest problem I had on the Wednesday was trying to photograph the moths in the very dull conditions and a strong breeze. Eventually the light improved enough to get some reasonable results although by now the breeze was even stronger.

December Moth.

December Moth.

With a change of background, (the fence)!!

My favourite moth of the night however was a fabulous Sprawler. A superbly marked moth and a great addition to my garden catches,

Sprawler.

Sprawler.

Oak Rustic. 

A recent colonist that seems to be building in numbers locally.

Dark Chestnut. 

Thought to be a Dark Chestnut, rather than a Chestnut by the County recorder.

Radford's Flame Shoulder.

As Autumnwatch have been using my image of a Long-tailed Tit on some of their promotional activity I thought I would replace my header page. After all, if it is good enough for the BBC it should be good enough for my blog!!

With calmer, mild nights the moth trapping has been pretty good over the past few nights and I've had a few new species for the garden.

This morning I also had a message from Clare saying she had caught a Radford's Flame Shoulder, a rare migrant moth that has been seen in pretty good numbers along the coast this year. As I doubt I will catch my own I went over to her place to get a few shots of the moth as well as a White Speck and a Mottled Umber.

Radford's Flame Shoulder.

White Speck.

Mottled Umber.

As far as my garden trap went I didn't catch anything quite as rare but my first Feathered Thorn and Satellite were good to see as well as 3 Olive-tree Pearls.

Two different Feathered Thorn.

Satellite.

One of many Turnip Moths caught this Autumn.