My first visit to the Tarn for a couple of weeks.
It is good to see that we have avoided the algal bloom that has plagued the Tarn in the last couple of years and the water looks clear. It seemed to be a summer day for basking and it wasn’t only the human visitors who were participating.
Our resident Terrapin on his favourite perch
Basking Carp
Canada Goose [sp] (Branta canadensis)
Mallard [sp] (Anas platyrhynchos)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Grey Heron [sp] (Ardea cinerea)
Common Moorhen [sp] (Gallinula chloropus)
Eurasian Coot [sp] (Fulica atra)
Common Pigeon [sp] (Columba livia)
Common Wood Pigeon [sp] (Columba palumbus)
Rose-ringed Parakeet [sp] (Psittacula krameri)
Eurasian Magpie [sp] (Pica pica)
Carrion Crow [sp] (Corvus corone)
Grey Wagtail [sp] (Motacilla cinerea)
Large White (Pieris brassicae)
Small Tortoiseshell [sp] (Aglais urticae)
The Moorhens and Coots continue to raise their broods and I was interested to see that one Coot was still sitting on a nest although I couldn’t see if she was brooding anything. A Grey Heron was briefly present before flying off and a juvenile Grey Wagtail flew across to the Western Island and was observed perched of a overhanging branch before it flew off down the Tarn.
However perhaps the strangest finding was a Hawkmoth.
Now I am know very little about Moths but I do know that most of the Hawkmoths are night-flyers and are seen in May June and July. Now the Hummingbird Hawkmoth flies during the day and has a later season. However it does not have orange antennae as this one does and it has an orange under-wing which this one does not. The nearest I can get is Lime Hawkmoth which can have orange antennae and can have wing colour and pattern like this one but which is a night flyer and should have been around in May and June!
Eventually it disappeared into the undergrowth but as can be seen in the video it was very active.
Will have to see if I can find a moth expert who can look at the video.
