The Emperor of the Bowl

A few nights back I trapped in the garden, but as it was fairly cold, numbers were kept down. I did however get a Powdered Quaker and a new species for the garden - a Lunar Marbled Brown.

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Yesterday eclipsed that by quite a way, and I didn't even trap. I went for a daylight walk at the Devil's Punch Bowl, in fairly overcast conditions hoping to see a ornithological year tick or two (which I did - a Tree Pipit). But, I was walking along in the Bowl itself when something shot passed me. I was sure it was a butterfly, but it quickly dropped down into the Heather nearby. I managed to get it in my binoculars, and I was astonished to see a male

Emperor Moth! My first! I wonder how many I had actually seen before without realising it (I visit heathland often). It was a stunner, and i managed to get some shots on my video camera (all I had to hand), before it settled down to rest in the Heather as the s

un went in. I wondered whether it had smelt a newly emerged female, which is why it dropped into the heather. I had a good look around, but couldn't see one.

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Powdered Quaker

Lunar Marbled Brown

Emperor Moth