Moths, scary Knot and Biking Birder

Probably some hovers and beetles as well....

I'll start with the Knot which is likely the most interesting wader I've seen for a while, it seemed to have a touch of melanism which got me going with thoughts of Great Dot but I soon returned to a more sensible world.

Melanistic Knot - certainly raised the pulse rate for a while

I seem to have developed a taste for very tiny moths -

Elachista atricomella I think

One of the Coleophora species apparently, there are rather a lot of them....

The garden list seems to be building slowly, today I added Phoenix, the above Coleophora sp, and a Noctuid which I thought was Archer's Dart but has been properly identified as  Heath Rustic (thanks Andy and Stewart) , I don't recall seeing either in the garden traps before anyway.

Heath Rustic

Phoenix

This Pink-barred Sallow was in the kitchen this morning but I've caught three in the traps in the last two days.

I'm always very happy to see one of these in the trap.

 Haworth's Minor

Pinion-streaked Snout is likely the star find of the last week

Gary dropped by yesterday on his way to Shetland and the Ring-necked Duck was happy to oblige after a bit of a search through 175 Tufties and other assorted quackers. Gary and Sydney seemed to be getting on well...

Gary's other new friend left in a hurry, Nicrophorus investigator taking off

We had a scout around the garden yesterday afternoon and dug out a few things, amongst the usual hoverflies was this nice male Syrphus which I think the photo lets me get to vitripennis.

Nettle-tap, with the white eyebrow (another really rather small moth). There were still a few worn Udea lutealis around as well