A truly abysmal day for birds was slightly remedied by a couple of Lepidopteran highlights. On the avian front, migrants were on exceptionally poor form with little more than a
Blackcap in Culverwell to speak of across the entire Obs area. The sea was also distinctly average with seven
Sandwich Terns, three
Common Terns and the usual
Common Scoter flock. It was therefore down to the moths to save the day, and the emergence of one of the garden's
Lunar Hornet Clearwings (found handily sat on a mist net otherwise entirely unperturbed by birds) and an early record of
Olive-
tree Pearl Palpita vitrealis.
Needs must and it was our hand that provided the only acceptable substrate for both of the afternoon's serendipitously secured lepidoptera: the Lunar Hornet Clearwing was found settled on a mist-net and in the absence of a pot was gingerly transported indoors for inspection in cupped hands, whilst a Lulworth Skipper had earlier been found fluttering against a window in the Obs lounge © Martin Cade:
