Mostly Moth

This post is basically the last week in moths. First though, I need to revisit yesterday's Yellow-legged Gull because - to my astonishment - I saw it again this morning. The Brit estuary just across the road from the harbour is a favourite spot for a wash and brush-up, and frequently there are a few gulls to check. At 06:25 today, one of them was the sub-adult YLG.

Yellow-legged Gull is a scarce bird here, and I always worry about the possibility of confusion with Herring Gull x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrids. However, despite its rather dull legs, yesterday's bird seemed the real deal to me. In my [admittedly limited] experience, hybrids are usually a touch darker than pure YLGs and have a somewhat manky 'look' about them. So it was good to see the bird again, and get a couple of nice pics...

YLG in foreground. Note the red orbital ring, compared with HG's bright yellow.

Jammy open-wing shot. Comparing with several examples on the excellent Gull Research website, primary pattern absolutely spot-on for sub-adult (prob 4cy) YLG.

Right then. Moths...

These Diamond-back Moths were caught on consecutive nights. I assumed it was a recapture, but no, definitely a different moth.

Garden Carpet. A common moth, but rarely as immaculate as this one.

First White-spotted Pug of 2023. I like pugs.

The rather lovely Streamer. A garden first.

Oak-tree Pug. Another garden first.

Powdered Quaker. This rather battered individual was actually the second for the garden. The first was pristine, but it performed a Houdini-esque trick when I tried to photograph it.

Lunar Marbled Brown. A garden first.

Second for the garden, but too cool a moth to leave out.

A common micro, and delightfully easy to ID.

Pale Mottled Willow, the first this year.

Another first for the garden.

Common, and endearingly weird.

Such a distinctive shape to this common micro. Even really worn individuals are still easy to ID.

Okay, I think that's everything up to date. Can't believe it's May already. Pom time*!

* I hope.