Hand Job

I'll get to the catchy blog title later ....

First up, and despite the very heavy shower the moth traps produced. Or at least I had the best total catch so far this year with 46 of 17sp. Best moth of the catch was this one ...

Pale Pinion

This is the ninth record for the garden, but the first since 2014 so good to see. Also NFY was this ..

Chinese Character

Late morning saw a bit of a glut of large raptors over the house, with at one point four Buzzards soaring together and then a little while later two Red Kites along with another Buzzard. I had faint hopes of something new, like Osprey or Marsh Harrier, but of course not. I managed to point the camera up at one of the Kites and got more terrible photos.

Now for the hand job. Later in the afternoon, whilst sitting out with a beer and a roast in the oven, I noticed a speck flying around near my face and managed to grab it. Bugger me it was a tiny beetle. I managed to secure it in a pot and spent the next 10 mins intently looking around the garden and managed the feat again with another small beetle. I managed to get passable shots of both through the microscope, and think I've got somewhere near an ID but could be miles out - these are best estimates, both within the Scolytinae:

Perhaps a Xyleborinus sp. Barely 2.5mm long
Post-script - Xyleborinus saxesenii per Max Barclay

Perhaps a Hylastes sp. - just under 3mm long

Meanwhile I've made a sort of trap in the garden, using a medium sized plant pot. I've filled it with grass cuttings, a bit of ripe banana, a bit of cat food and a dead shrew. The top is loosely covered over with terracotta pot pieces. I'll leave it for a couple of weeks and then give it a good sieve. in the meantime I'll probably make up another similar trap just in case it works (you never know).