Last day of term.

Tuesday 22nd July 2025.

A cloudy day with some sunshine at times, though a few very light showers appeared around midday. The wind was a bit blustery at times, with a south-westerly which attracted a few seabirds offshore (Hayling Island from Sandy Point: 2 Arctic Skua's and a few Gannets). The Moth Box went on last night and it was the last day of term for St. Jude's Infant School.

The Moth Box:

One of two Jersey Tiger moths this morning.

It was back on with the Moth Box last night and it produced a total of 50 moths of 24 species. There was some overnight rain last night, but it mostly dried up on the garden patio when I arrived at the garden around 5.15am. There were a few interesting moths this morning that included two Jersey Tigers. It has been a good month for this species as I am hearing reports of very large numbers of these moths turning up in many Moth Traps. A Plumed Fan-foot narrowly escaped a spider, but I saved the day and quickly potted it after releasing it from a web. Another Dark Spectacle again this morning, but when will I get an actual Spectacle moth? Immigrant moths apart from those already mentioned, included a Silver Y, Diamond-back Moth, Rusty-dot Pearl and my first Rush Veneer in the garden for the year.

Above, a Dark Spectacle moth and below, the immigrant moth, a Rush Veneer.

The Moths present this morning included the following:

Macro moths:                              Micro moths:

Jersey Tiger x2                              Rush Veneer x1      

Common Rustic x2                       Brown Bark Moth x1

Plumed Fan-foot x1                      Bird-cherry Ermine x1

Dark Arches x1                             Diamond-back Moth x1

Pale Mottled Willow x2                Light Brown Apple Moth x19

Shuttle-shaped Dart x2                 Common Plume x3

Silver Y x1                                    Beautiful Plume x2 

Brimstone Moth x2                       Ruddy Streak x1

Bright-line Brown-eye x1             Black-banded Masoner x1

Dark Spectacle x1                         Common Masoner x1

Double-striped Pug x1                  Rusty-dot Pearl x1

Knot Grass x1                               Mint Moth x1

Pembroke Road, Southsea:

A number of Gulls, a Carrion Crow and a pair of Pied Wagtails were on Governor's Green first thing this morning.

I managed to get up to 12 species of birds on my first shift this morning of which four of those were Gulls. A fine adult Mediterranean Gull joined around 18 Black-headed Gulls on Governor’s Green along with a pair of Pied Wagtails and a Carrion Crow. Sadly, hardly anything of note flew over apart from a couple of distant Great Black-backed Gulls and no Swifts or House Sparrows noted today either.

Apart from the Buff-tailed Bumblebee’s, there were hardly any other insects around and only the one butterfly was seen here all day, a Large White. Today was the last day of the term and so the School Holidays begin and so I will probably not be back here till the start of September at Pembroke Road. It is an absolute pleasure helping the kiddies and their parents cross the road and I have met a few new friends during the last year here, which makes it all worthwhile.

Just some of the gifts from the kids and parents today.