It has always been a problem for me thinking of presents for the wife and my two now grown up boys as their birthdays all fall in the same month of June.
2018 however did not constitute much of a problem as a very popular pop singer was performing that month at St James' Park so the boys were sorted.
Also, my wife being from Northumberland meant we could take the opportunity to spend the week with family staying at at one of her brother’s lodges.
Of course, it never occurred to me that maybe I could take my trap and maybe do some recording whilst there.
This would not be the first time we have trapped in Northumberland as we had taken our trap during two visits for my birthday in 2013 and 2014 and managed some new records but the number of moths was low due to me being a Libra.
Also, those short visits were before I had conceived the idea of writing a blog so looking back there was insufficient content for a post really.
This time there is more than enough data even if concentrating solely on moth recording.
Firstly, I was not going to be intimidated this time by the midges that, although not quite as fierce as the Scottish variety, were very close and in large numbers due to the river running next to the lodge
Also, I took with me, as mentioned in my previous post, a newly designed contraption for taking underside and top shots out in the field on glass which I was keen to try out.
All in all, it was total success with us recording several new species including a Nationally Scarce B Saxon in the trap.
The weather during our stay was kind and we managed several local walks suggested by my wife’s brother in Fourlaws forest.
Although we had not singled out a targeted butterfly for this trip having decided instead to concentrate on moths, we did manage some good shots of the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary which we saw in large numbers during our walks.
This is a butterfly, although once abundant in Sussex, no longer breeds there due to its loss of habitat. A pleasing micro moth record was the Shore Marble found unexpectedly during a visit to Holy Island as we climbed the rocks to the lookout tower for better views of the priory. All our records for our trip to Northumberland can be found by visiting our reports page and viewing 8th to 15th June 2018.
Although my main focus is moths and butterflies, sometimes I cannot resist the temptation to take pictures of other insects which present themselves during our outings.
An opportunity arose during one of our walks in the wood where my oldest boy stood fascinated by the water skippers on a small pond next to the path.
I recalled to him how it was quite commonplace to see them when I was a child as most of my childhood was spent outside.
How things have changed in one short generation.