A Goat and a Lucky Woodpecker

Blashford got the goat today, or at least we got a Goat Moth in the trap this morning, this was actually a "tick" for me, nearly thirty years of trapping and this is the first I have ever seen. I have processed around a small Irish town behind a large, very homemade, model goat; a real life "Father Ted" moment, well more or less whole day actually. I digress, the point is that despite various goat related experiences this was my first ever real live Goat Moth. They are really big beasts and have larvae that live for several years eating wood in the trunks of live willows, the larva reputedly smells of goat, hence the name. The picture does not really give a true impression of the size, but you can take it from me it was chunky.
The title of "Most fortunate creature of the day" was won with ease by a juvenile Green Woodpecker that I first heard screeching away and then saw why as it came into view in the talons of an immature Peregrine. As they passed at low level the Peregrine dropped the woodpecker which flew off still making a racket.

In other news the last few days have seen, or rather heard, a good number of Roesell's Bush Crickets calling near the Lapwing hide and several Wood Crickets near the Centre.

The "Compostcam" has been great for Grass Snakes, with up to four at times during the day, this camera is the one mainly being broadcast on the web at present with the badgers taking over later in the day.