Rosefinch - Catch of the Day

Well, what can I say......A call from Andy's missus, Paula, Saturday morning telling me to get my arse to their house but no reason why. I couldn't as I had the kids so Andy kindly dashed up with this beauty in his ringing bag. I had no idea what to expect when he pulled it out (oh-er) and all I could come up with was a bumbling comment about a dwarf Corn Bunting!!! A quick thumb through Collins soon confirmed Andy's opinion (not that we really needed to)and it's now technically on my garden list as well!! Bonus. Cheers mate, excellent find......

Bug Hunting

Took the kids to Bagworth Heath yesterday for a spot on entomological education but sadly not a lot on offer. A dragonfly I couldn't ID (not because it was rare but because I'm rubbish at Odonota - but it was Darter size and a rather grey/dull brown if anybody wants to offer anything...maybe a mature female Common Darter??)several Hoverflies, a Speckled Wood and a 5th instar Hawthorn Shield Bug. Ruby was mainly asleep and Jed seemed more interested in sitting on benches, swinging my rather expensive bins around his neck and using his hand lens to examine at close quarters the array of dog and rabbit faeces. Charming.....

LGRE - Sick as a Sea Parrot

Click here. What a cracking find though!

White Throated Needletail

No, one of these hasn't been around Belgrave on any given lunchtime this week but I was nosing through the latest British Birds Rarities Committee 'work in progress' this morning and saw the following entry -

18th August 2009 15 White-throated Needletail, Essex, Saffron Walden

15!!! Get out of here.....

The report makes good reading though and you can view it here

Grey Wagtail

A rather pleasant sight near the Thurcastion Road bridge this afternoon. Their name just doesn't do them justice.......

Lunchtime Shield Bugs

Another couple for the pot earlier today. Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina and Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemaroidale were both noted at lunchtime.

Bright Line Brown Eye

A solitary larva of the above has devastated Jed's tomato plants! It has managed to munch through the Cherry, Plum and Beef Toms that we had lovingly nurtured.....We already had a good crop thankfully. The good lady wife managed to pot it for me to ID. And all this in the same day that she also spotted what appeared to be an Elephant Hawk Moth larva.

Pentatoma rufipes

I can't believe I haven't posted anything on here for so long.....Mainly because I haven't been doing very much other than working and being a dad. Both time consuming and the money earned from the first activity is usually cancelled out by the latter. No moth trapping at all since heaven knows when but a new non-moth species for me the other day (but I don't know how as they are very common) was Pentatoma rufipes or Forest Bug which made it's home on my offside wing mirror. Quite a smart Shield Bug and a welcome change from the ubiquitous Hawthorn Shield. For an excellent online guide to some of the commoner Shield Bugs then click here