Some of the moths in the garden throughout the week.

Barred Yellow Cidaria fulvata

Bright- line Brown- eye Lacanobia oleracea

Common white wave Cabera pusaria

Bird cherry ermine

yponomeuta euonymella

The Drinker Euthrix potatoria

Why the long face!

The Drinker Euthrix potatoria

The Drinker,
Now before you judge this little fella, he doesn't need to visit alcoholics anonymous as apparently its the larva that likes a little tipple of dewdrop in the morning. Nothing wrong with that.
This is by far my favourite moth that I have caught in the moth trap so far. What a beauty. I nearly didn't catch him though because I put the trap out at about 9.30pm and as I was going to bed at 11.00pm it was persistingly pissing down so I thought I had better bring the trap in and this was the only moth in there. Nice

female Bee moth aphomia sociella

male Bee moth aphomia sociella

common marbled carpet chloroclysta truncata

single dotted wave idaea dimidiata

Small magpie eurrhypara hortulata

In the garden trap this morning

Blood Vein timandra comae

Yellow Shell camptogramma bilineata bilineata

Gadwalls have been successful this year

Prescot Reservoirs,
Definitely a few more birds on show today. 6 feral barnacle geese, 50 canada geese 12 gooslings 1 greylag 1 goosling, 4 coot, 2 shellduck only 6 shellducklings now, 1 female Gadwall and 4 ducklings,35 tufted duck , a pair of ruddy duck, 4 great crested grebe,3 herons,3 buzzards , kestrel male,3 crows eating a young shellduck,4 jackdaw, 10 lapwing, 4 oystercatchers.
The gulls numbers are building up with 80 lesser black backs 20 herring gull and a couple of black headed.
In the meadow a male green woodpecker was calling 'yip yip' and it then flew along the plantation giving excellent views Also bullfinch calling, reed bunting male and 4 goldfinch over.

A couple of beautiful moths were just on the edge of the meadow. A 'Blood- vein' and a 'yellow shell' brightened up the day.
1 black tailed skimmer m, 1 broad bodied chaser m, 3 common darters juv/fem.

Plume moth amblyptilia acanthadactyla

Large yellow underwing noctua pronuba

Orange ladybird

Light Arches apamea lithoxylaea

Snout hypena proboscidalis

Pick of the bunch from the moth trap above.

Prescot reservoirs,
Pretty quiet again today but managed a photo of this swallow and common blue.

Prescot reservoirs,
A Dunlin in summer plumage was a returning wader, probably a failed breeder was on the causeway today. BH also had 2 ringed plover earlier in the day. About 20 herring gull today and only 3 lesser black backs. 6 great crested grebe, 1 cormorant, 25 tufted duck, a pair of ruddy duck,1 buzzard, 2 shellduck with 12 shellducklings,50 canada geese with 14 goslings.

some of the moths in the trap last night below,

Purple Clay Diarsia brunnea

Heart and dart Agrotis exclamationis

Pyralidae scoparia ?

Green oak tortix viridana

pseudargyrotoza conwagana

Light Emerald campaea margaritata

Ingrailed Clay Diarsia mendica

Ingrailed Clay Diarsia mendica

2 Light Emerald and 1 Ingrailed Clay in the garden last night.

Sidings Lane CP,
I had a great night out last night getting stung by millions of midges and moquitos. It was my first moth trapping night and it was really brilliant. Dave Owen from Sankey valley C.P. and Ray Banks were the excellent hosts aswell as our moth experts. It opens your eyes to the so many different moths we have flying at night. From I D ing the really dull browny grey jobs to the multi coloured moths it was a very interesting night. My favourite moth of the night was the Scorchwing which looks just as its name suggests. I just might be getting a moth trap soon so watch this space.

Moore Nature reserve,
I thought I might try here today for a bit of birdwatching. Lots of lesser black backs on the tip and on birch pool. Oystercatchers with 2 chicks, little grebe with 2 chicks, 1 pochard, and 1 juvenile black headed gull.

3 brimstones
small white
large white
peacock
spleckled wood

brown silver-line moth

In my garden today a hummingbird hawkmoth

Prescot Reservoirs,
Very quiet on the birding front again today.2 buzzards, 2 kestrel, 20 tufted duck, 2 shellduck with 12 shellducklings, 20 canada with 5 goslings 2 great crested grebe and a pair of ruddy duck.

Odonata today included,
1 Black tailed skimmer m
5 broad bodied chasers 3f 2m
1 emperor m
3 newly emerged common darters
Common blue damselfly
azure damselfly

2 painted lady
lots common blues
small white

silver y moth
cinnabar moth

Sutton Manor, St Helens

Yellowhammer
reed warbler
whitethroat
reedbuntings
Linnet

Large red damselfly,
Azure damselfly
Common blue damsel
Emperor male
3 broad bodied chasers
6 four spotted chasers

Large skipper
Small skipper
painted lady
meadow brown

Latticed heath moth
five spotted burnet
Silver y

Lots of Bee Orchids.

Sutton Manor,St Helens

3 four spotted chasers
2 braod bodied chasers
2 azure damselfly

3 meadow browns
4 large skippers
3 narrow- bordered five- spot burnet

Prescot reservoirs,
RED-VEINED DARTER today on the new pond which was only created last year after some building work at the reservoirs. I found it on sunday morning but misidentified it on brief views as a common darter. After talking to Colin Davies and Ray Banks and the recent influx of red- veined darters across the country I thought I had better go and see if I could get a better view and some decent photos. This morning was cloudy and breezy and not good for dragonfly watching but again I had brief views of it and when it did appear the broad bodied chasers chased it off! About 4.00pm this afternoon it brightened up considerably and I decided to go back and have another look. After an hour or so it appeared again and convieniently perched on a small stalk at the muddy edge to the pond and I managed to confirm the ID and get some decent photos. Job done and a first for St helens in the bag.

Also today
Emperor dragonfly
3 Broad bodied Chasers
3 Common blue damselfly
Black tailed Skimmer seen by Colin Davies

2 Red Admirals
Lots of Painted lady