Wembury Walks

The heatwave continues and my walks at Wembury on the 10th and 14th July were hot and sunny and I was glad to get home and in the shade. However with the hot weather insects were very obvious, especially butterflies, with lots of meadow browns and ringlets on the wing and at least 4 marbled whites amongst others.

 Ringlet

 

 Gatekeeper

 

Small White

 



 Speckled Bush Cricket

 

Dark Bush Cricket

 



The toilet block held a new moth for me, a galium carpet, along with riband waves of both forms and a Brussels lace, and a six spot burnet was on the wing.

 Galium Carpet

 

 Riband Wave - form remutata

 

Riband Wave - form aversata

 



Bird wise it was quiet and despite the heat signs of Autumn were in the air with a common sandpiper, 2 whimbrel and 7 curlew roosting on the rocks at Wembury Point with the oystercatchers. 3 little egrets were seen on the rocks with 8 mallards (an eclipse male and 5 females with 2 young birds) feeding along the shoreline. A green woodpecker was heard yaffling and 2 cirl buntings were heard singing along with chiffchaff, whitethroat and blackcap. A mistle thrush was feeding in the horse field and a juvenile willow warbler was flitting around in the bushes by the footpath at Heybrook Bay.

With the good weather I have finally managed to get the moth trap out in the back yard on the 13th and I had a bumper haul of moths the next morning including a new for the yard green pug and a sandy carpet. Other highlights were a Brussels lace, a clay, a true lovers knot, a small emerald and 3 coronet.

 Sandy Carpet

 

 Clay

 

 True Lovers Knot

 

 Coronet

 

 Small Emerald

 

Heart and Club

 



Sexton Beetle - found in the moth trap complete with lice- and very smelly!