Category: Nature

Black-banded Moth 1

Black-banded Moth in Ceredigion

It may not be the most exciting of moths to look at, but it has caused some excitement here today. It’s a Black-banded moth (Polymixis xanthomista) that I found in the trap last night. It’s fairly rare in the UK having a designation of ‘Nationally Scarce A’. It is a sub-species distinct from those in mainland...

Swallow Prominent 0

More August Moths

Temperatures remained above 15°C last night, with a little bit of rain and some mist, but we had a fairly good collection of moths in the trap this morning. 72 moths in total from 23 different species, including a couple of new ones. Here’s the list 2x Drinker 3x Willow Beauty 2x Gold Spot 1x...

Small Rufous 0

Moth Trapping

On our way home from a swim in Aberydtwyth last night there were loads of moths in the headlights so I decided to put the moth trap out. Unfortunately the wind filled in quite a bit overnight getting to around 30 knots, so despite the fact that the temperature stayed up close to 20°C there weren’t...

Drinker 3

Last Nights Moths

We put the moth trap out again last night, but with cooler temperatures and stronger winds there weren’t quite so many moths come the morning as there were the other night. That did of course make going through and identifying them a lot easier this morning and Morgan and I had fun doing so. It...

Box of Moths 2

A Big “Box ‘o’ Moths”

Wow, loads of moths in the moth trap on Wednesday Night. Literally hundreds of micros and close to 150 macro moths from over 35 different species as well. Here’s the trap before I opened it. And here’s a typical sheet of egg box covered in moths. Here’s the full list: 18 x Common Footman 4...

View up the Dyfi Valley this Morning 1

Where are all the moths?

The second half of our night-time science experiments didn’t go so well. After the success of viewing Saturn, we put the moth trap out. I wasn’t expecting loads of moths in the trap as it has been so cold lately, but with clear, fairly dark skies, light winds and temperatures only dropping to 6°C I...

Goldfinch 1

Goldfinches

Goldfinches – They have to be my favourite garden bird and although we don’t get that many of them we do usually have a pair in the garden now and then during spring and summer. They are pretty spectacular but I haven’t yet taken a photo of one in the garden. They appeared yesterday though...

What's this Caterpillar? 0

What’s this Caterpillar?

Morgan and I found this caterpillar in the garden on Saturday. We’re not quite sure what it is though, possibly the caterpillar of a Grass Eggar Moth. Does anyone agree / disagree?

Starling Murmuration in Aberystwyth 2

Starling Murmuration in Aberystwyth

The Pier on Aberystwyth is becoming known as a spectacular place to watch starlings coming in to roost, so here’s some footage of the starling murmuration at its best. An amazing display by the starlings all with the gorgeous backdrop of Aberystwyth seafront on a sunny Spring evening. What could be better?

The Sounds of Spring 0

The Sounds of Spring

I had a gorgeous run last night. The clocks have gone forward, the evenings are long and the weather is as good as it could be. I wasn’t supposed to go for a run but I couldn’t resist it so headed off down the beach towards Borth. The beach was quiet with only a few people wandering...