Breaking Eggs and Boiling Up

Bird News: The little ringed plovers have hatched! They have two chicks, first seen yesterday afternoon to the right of the Tern hide. Yesterday morning in the drizzle about 1200 sand martin were feeding over Ibsley Water. From the Ivy South hide the last common tern chick was in the water and looking unhappy yesterday morning and today it seems to have gone, a sad end to a generally good nesting season for the terns. Better news was of a Cetti's warbler just north of Ivy South hide this morning, presumably a dispersing young male, as he was having a few practice warbles.

Other Stuff:
Things were cooking at Blashford yesterday afternoon as I boiled up some "Moth gloop", this is a sugar mixture that attracts moths to feed. My recipe is about half a tin of black treacle, half a can of beer and a box of mollasses sugar, a drop of rum is added before use.
I heat the sugar and treacle and then thin with the beer, ending up with a kind of runny toffee that when brushed onto tree trunks, just slowly rolls down.

Care needs to had when adding the beer,or you can get a boil-over. You also need to check the flow from time to time by putting a little on a cold plate, if too runny add more sugar, if too stiff more beer.

Then put in a jar with a lid and leave to cool. It is great for attracting moths that rarely come to a light trap like copper underwing, red underwing and old lady. It will get a run out at the first of the "Gloaming Glimpses" events later this month.