Martins and Moths

Definite signs of late summer today, as I opened up the Tern hide a flock of sand martin were gathered on the twigs around the car park and on the open gravel of the lake shore. Many of them were juveniles, perhaps from the nesting bank at the Goosander hide. Sand martins arrive early in spring and start to head south from late June.
The moth trap did not contain any surprises, although there were several fine species. The brown china-mark is a common species with remarkable larval habits. The larvae of the china-marks are aquatic, living in a sort of envelope of water weed. They also include a good number of accidentally introduced species, arriving with the many alien pond weeds that have been introduced over the years. So far the moths have not shown the same invasive abilities of many of their plant hosts.

Another common, but very smart little moth caught this morning was Agapeta hamana, the head especially looks as though it belongs on s cuddly toy rather than a moth.

Otherwise little to report, on Ibsley Water a single dunlin and a yellow-legged gull were about all I saw.