Finger from the South

I still can’t get my head round current climatic affairs. It’s late November and still reaching the mid-teens and low-teens during day and night respectively! Perhaps this offers an explanation as to why so many eastern passage migrants/vagrants are still present making the most of leafy sallows with their associated invert fauna. Anyway I digress; I say this because last night in the mild, even muggy conditions we caught a bumper haul of moths – but more on that later. All I’ll say is a finger of high pressure came from the south, seriously.

Being Monday, the day was spent at work however this routine includes a nice wander through the Dump Clump which I was quite excite about as a Red-breasted Flycatcher had been seen in there yesterday. Initially it didn’t look good, standard Chiffchaff numbers (6+) hinted birds were about but it wasn’t until I was right up inside the clump that the ‘RB Flicker’ started calling. Lens in hand and not looking the least bit suspicious I emerged from the emergents to watch the beauty flick, glide and all that about in the tree tops. However my shots are pretty crap, due to usual lack of skill/poor light/camera issues…

Red-breasted blur.

Post work the Flycatcher was being a right little fuck and refused to show despite calling a couple of times from inside the clump. But the chooing of a ‘classic’ Siberian Chiffchaff compensated. Didn’t see much of note beyond that really, a Woodcock in  Carreg Dhu was explosive. The gardens held 3 Chiffchaff and 3 Goldcrest while the actual garden held very little despite a rare warm feel to the air.

Of course birds aren’t unique in their appreciation of warmth, as the moths have an equally strong affinity! And last night was a bumper crop! 12 Crocidosema plebejana, 1 Palpita vitrealis, 11 Rush Veneer, 33 Rusty Dot Pearl, 1 Vestal, 3 Gem, 2 Turnip Moth, 2 Dark Sword-grass, 4 Pearly Underwing, 36 White-speck, 6 Silver Y made for an eventful morning. Here’s some pictures as they are gurt lush.

Dark Sword-grass

Silver Y...it gets better...

Three Pearly Underwing showing two colour morphs.

How good is that?! Pearly Underwing

Pearly Underwing...again.

Palpita vitrealis (I prefer unionalis - the old name)

Rush Veneer

Vestal - Big in the game!

Scilly is known for combos so here's one - Gem and Vestal

Gem - a male

One more...

Lastly this autumn seems to be a ‘boom’ year for Fungi with thousands of fruiting bodies to be found across Scilly, some of which I’ve got pictures of so will do a Fungus Bloggage soon.