Lowestoft Life - 28th- June - 4th July 2024

The weather for the last week has been best described as changeable with sunny spells, almost invisible drizzle and has been generally quite breezy. Wildlife moments away from home have been sparse but I have taken my chances.

On the 28^th a trundle up into the southern Broads gave me a short walk at Ormesby Little Broad.  Green Eyed Hawkers zipped around the car park and the sunny bits of the path were lined with Variable, Azure, Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies with an array of body colours.

Green Eyed Hawker

Green Eyed Hawker

Shades of Blue-tailed Damselfly

Common Blue Damselflies

Azure Damselfly

Variable Damselfly

There were a few Hovers on the Brambles – in fact more than I have seen so far anywhere – mostly Eristalis pertinax and nemorum along with lots of Helophilus pendulus and a couple of H hybridus and two Volucella pellucens.

Eristalis pertinax 

Eristalis pertinax 

Volucella pellucens

Helophilus pendulus

Both Xylota sylvarum and X segnis hoovered leaves and a Dioctria atricapilla (a Robber not Hover)was waiting for prey to come closer.  Two Speckled Woods and a Red Admiral were the only butterflies.

Xylota segnis

Down at the end it was a bit blowy but  still managed a brief Lesser Emperor so I tried the other boardwalk down the road but that was closed for repairs.

Red-legged Shieldbug nymph - cheers Yvonne

Rutpela maculata

Mothing that night at home was productive with Grey Dagger, Cypress Carpet, Treble Brown Spot, Clouded Silver, Light Arches, Swallowtail, Zeiraphera isertona and Scorched Wing all added to the garden list. The last one was a stunner and my 200th species here since I started my on and off session in Edgerton Road late last August.

Beautiful Hook-tip

Treble Brown Spot

Clouded Silver

Cypress Carpet

Grey Dagger - 'bits' were looked at

Light Arches

Scorch Wing - #200

And the first Dark Bush Cricket for the garden too

The next day – 29^th – Antony and I took the moth trap over to North Cove as dark fell passing Muntjac, Hare and Rabbit on the lanes on the way in while a Buzzard was last minute worming. We set up and had a wander around.  The Barn Owls were screeching and flying around and Hobbies were making a lot of noise from much further in.

A great couple of hours were had with mainly micros coming in.  Antony is still sifting through them but seemingly some are pretty good.  On the larger front it was good to see Mottled Beauty, Pale Oak Beauty and Engrailed together along with Elephant Hawk-moth, Anania lancealis, Common Emerald and Coronet.  I will add a full list when I get one.  In the meantime have some cute micros taken by Antony.

Adoxophyes orana

Aethes cnicana

Agonopterix curvipunctosa

Anania lancealis

Archips xylosteana

Catoptria verellus

Common Emerald

Crambus pascuella 

Epinotia tenerana 

Epinotia tenerana 

Epinotia tenerana - very variable

July Highflyer

Muslin Footman

Notocelia trimaculana

Scoparia sp 

Spectacle

There were other critters too with Araniella, Larinioides cornutus and Tetragnatha in the reeds and plenty of Golden Wandering Snails doing what they do best.

Larinioides cornutus

Possible Footman cats on the Alders

My trap was already on at home that evening as it promised to be a busy one and the next morning I counted 151 moths of 46 species in it. They included Elephant and my first garden Eyed Hawk-moth along two Evergestis limbata, Bird Cherry Ermine, Green Pug, Scalloped Oak and a Hoary Footman that were also new to the garden list.

Barred Yellow

Common Carpet

Elephant Hawk-moth

Ducky Brocade

Evergestis limbata

Eyed Hawk-moth

Hoary Footman showing pure white hind wing

Hoary Footman

Mottled Rustic

Scalloped Oak

Willow Beauty

I had missed some messages during breakfast that morning but was soon nipping over to Carlton Marshes in the light rain to look for a 1s male Red-footed Falcon.  With a little leg work Bradders and I picked him up in a distant dead tree before he thankfully came back to see us but was generally mobile.  A Grasshopper Warbler briefly reeled and there Spoonbills dropped in to Peto’s.  With the weather still grey bid my farewells and headed for home.

Essence of Red-footed Falcon

Red-footed Falcon  by finder Andrew Easton

More garden time on the 1^st before the rain added Dwarf Cream Wave and three Pyrausta aurata in the front garden where the Dasypoda hirtipes were avidly feeding on the Hawkweed and Scabious.  A Scaeva pyrasti was the first of the season and there were a couple of Froglets in the pond!

Dwarf Cream Wave

Two more nights of mothing again produced new species which I suppose is to be expected in a new garden but it is still exciting although Rustics, Common Rustics and Lesser Common Rustics are a headache let along Uncertains and Mottled Rustics! Barred Straw, Cloaked Minor, Euzophera pingui, Clay and a stunning Blue Bordered Carpet were additions.  The latter was a stunning little beast. A herd of five Elephants was much appreciated.

Almost certainly a Lesser Common Rustic

Mottled Rustic & Uncertain

Rustic

Blue Bordered Carpet - such camo

Cloaked Minor

Euzophera pingui

Small Magpie

Clay

Yesterday was pleasant but breezy although it felt a wee bit cool in shorts and a t-shirt! A poodle along the north coast saw lunch overlooking the sea at Sheringham before I had a walk down the East Bank at Cley.  A 1s Little Gull was on Arnolds and there were Little Ringed Plovers, Redshanks and Curlews on the Serpentine but it was quiet in the wind although I did hear Bearded Tits pinging away. Back at the car the sheltered Brambles had lots of Flies including several Hovers, Mesembrina meridiana and Poecilobothrus nobilitatus who were wing flicking at each other.

Mesembrina meridiana

Poecilobothrus nobilitatus

Helophilus pendulus

Erisalis intricaria

Lucilia

Morellia sp

Morellia sp

Andrena sp

Ectemnius sp

Hunting 1s male Marsh Harrier

LRP

Little Gull

I stopped at North Cove on the way home (after avoiding five Red Kites trying to get to a roadside Deer corpse near Lodden!).  The wind had got up but I had a good little session at the Brambles with a single flighty White Admiral, four Red Admirals, three fresh Ringlet, a tatty Green Veined White and lots of Meadow Browns out over the marsh.

Red Admiral

Green Veined White

Ringlet - never seen the purple and orange cast on the forewing

A Southern Hawker was avidly hunting the clearing and there were plenty of Hovers with the majority being actively territorial Eristalis nemorum but I also found Baccha elongata, Volucella pellucens and inflata and three Xylota with segnis, sylvarum and my first florum amongst other species.

Eristalis nemorum

Eristalis nemorum - I think she was receptive

Eristalis nemorum

Volucella pellucens and inflata

Episyrphus balteatus - very few around

Helophilus pendulus

Helophilus pendulus - hop on baby!  She was very unimpressed and buzzed around till she turfed him off

Xylota segnis

Xylota florum

Xylota florum - long abdomen and orange spots visible

Xylota florum

 Bloody Nosed Beetle - the best feet EVER!

Soldier Beetle - looking for love

Marsh Tits, Nuthatch and Treecreepers were all heard but I did not see a single bird!

Mothing last night was again good 28 from 54 but there were still four new ones!  It is a grey day today with rain forecast later.  Garden insects are quiet but the mad Starlings and increasing House Sparrow flock are avidly feeding.

 Buff Ermine

 Common Rustic agg

Crassa unitella

Mottled Willow

Peppered Moth

Peppered Moth

Rustic

Rustic

Smoky Wainscot - wings checked

Swallowtail - a big one

oh and careful with your deadheading at the moment in the cooler weather.  My Dasypoda hirtipes are day roosting within them when the sun goes in.

Dasypoda hirtipes