Purrrfect....

26 July 2013
I vividly recall pawing through bird books when I was young and drooling and dreaming over certain exotic rarities such as Siberean Rubythroat, Pallas's Warbler, Collared Pratincole and Black-shouldered Kite, all birds I fantasised about seeing but never really thought I would. Well now in 2013 all those dreams have been realised, and my recent foray back into moths presents me with similar thoughts. As a teenager I did some mothing in Kent when I was sixteen, nothing heavy, just a white sheet , mercury vapour lamp and I am ashamed to say in retrospect a killing jar and setting board. I now understand, along with many others the error of such actions and much prefer to catch these great animals on film, or rather sensor/SD card. The fantasy goals being such individuals as Lobster Moth, Puss Moth and dare I say it Death's Head Hawkmoth...... Hmmm. So moth trap set last night and a new moth in the form of Ghost Moth was an excitement (please remember I am just a novice at this)....

So off to work quite pleased... and then to my amazement on the wall outside the shop.....
Bloody Puss Moth !!!! I couldn't believe it, equivalent to a Rubythroat as far as I was concerned, not that rare but one of those things you look at over and over again in the book and think I'll never see that in the flesh/feather/scale... Listed as common... but a belter all the same :)

And also a Plain Golden Y (possibly)

and the diminutive but rather beautiful Ruby Tiger

The rest of the garden was full of Moorhens, or so it felt, our three chicks playing on the lawn.

There it is then, a common moth, and I'm made up. Great stuff really. Lovely being a novice sometimes.