Wembury Walk 4th June

Thursday 4th June was cool and breezy with occasional sunny spells and so I headed out to Wemhury for a walk. I was hoping to see the Green Hairsteaks again and I did find one in the same place as last week but it was looking very worn and faded.

Green Hairstreak

Only a few other butterflies were seen along my walk -2 Large Skipper, a Meadow Brown, a Small White, a male Common Blue and a Speckled Wood - but I did find a Magpie Moth Caterpillar, a Lackey Moth larval nest and a dead Fox Moth Caterpillar plus a faded Pug species in the reopened toilet block.

 Large Skipper

 Magpie Moth Caterpillar

Pug Species

Bird wise it was quiet as expected but it was good to see fledgling Robins and Stonechats. Cirl Buntings were vocal and showy along with Whitethroats and a Swift hawked for insects over the valley to the beach with 3 House Martins. Fulmars wheeled around The Mewstone cliffs and single Gannets were picked up distantly offshore. A male Kestrel and a pale Buzzard were noted overhead, the Buzzard getting short shrift from a pair of Herring Gulls and a pair of Carrion Crows, and Chiffchaff and Blackcap were seen and heard.

 Stonechat

 Whitethroat

 Cirl Bunting

Dunnock

Yellow Iris and Stinking Iris were in flower and the Foxgloves were still putting on quite a show too.

 Yellow Iris

Stinking Iris

Thick-thighed Flower Beetles were found in Bindweed flowers and a Devils Coach Horse with its wings out was an unusual find.

 Thick-thighed Flower Beetle

Devils Coach Horse

On arriving back home I attempted to ID from photos 4 micro moths I had caught in the moth trap the previous morning but eventually I admitted defeat and called on the ID skills of Sean from @MothIDUK on Twitter who very quickly ID'd them all.

 Eudonia mercurella

 Chrysoteuchia culmella

 Celypha striana

Eudonia angustea