Monday 2nd was sunny but with a cool northerly breeze still blowing. A brief walk round the park late on produced the first small white butterfly, peacock and three adders out basking. The first hirundines of the summer flew over the car park but these four sand martins just kept heading west.At dusk the tawny owl was calling loudly from Bromans Lane and when I walked over to lock the gates, the bird swooped into a tall ash tree and stared down at me. In the fading light the outline of the owl could just be made out but it wasn't keen on the nearby activity of gate-closing, so it flew off.
There was a real eyecatching moon-rise to the east displaying a bright orange full moon. It's not often you have a mirror image of an orange setting sun being matched on the opposite sky by an orange rising moon. My tiny compact digital camera didn't do the image justice enough.
The scene was set for another moth-trapping session and the Skinner trap was left on all night. Hopes weren't that high because of the cool breeze and clear sky.
However 35 moths of 9 species is a near repeat of recent trapping with early grey being the only new addition. Blossom underwing was present again, oak beauty the most striking and common quakers numbering 17 with small quaker, March and red chestnut also present.
The common angle shades has perfected the art of mimicing a dead leaf.
One of five hebrew characters found in the trap.
The first early grey of the season.
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