Finally I was able to get into the reserve mid month, it was very overgrown so lots of maintenance work to do to clear the paths and check all the camera traps. The usual suspects present on the trail cameras polecat, badger, fox, muntjac, roe deer, brown rat, grey squirrel The rabbits have been breeding with plenty on youngsters about, the oystercatchers are still present along with the mistle thrushes. Moth wise two new moths for the reserve tawny wave and Luquetia lobella despite the poor weather and very limited trapping opportunities.

Pretty poor mothing again in June, I managed one night trapping in Ireland but it was quite productive, 57 species including the very rare White promnent, and one night at Chippenham Fen where conditions were good approx 170 sp including goat moth, silver barred, reed leopard.

A quiet month for mammals, plenty of muntjac and brown hares locally, plenty of Sika and Irish hares in Ireland along with Lesser Horseshoes and common pipistrelle bats. There were plenty of Grey Seals on the Bridled tern boat trip, and some cracking Red squirrels in Scotland.

I did a little local botany to see two species Harsh Downy Rose and the elm - Ulmus inaequalis

I joined Richard Fox to look for some dayflying moths in the Brecks, it was harder than expected but we did eventually find a few forester moths along with oblique striped and marbled clover. Also flying Brown argus and meadow brown and some common darters. We encountered a few of the Breckland speciality plants Spanish catchfly, purple milk vetch, sand lucerne, Breckland pansy and the white and pink forms of vipers bugloss. We trapped at Chippenham Fen in what was good conditions, while setting up the traps we noticed large numbers (of what I thought were butterflies but we later realised that they were scarlet tigers) flying along the rides. The moth traps got busy very quickly with some nice moths silver barred, reed leopard, scarlet tiger, evergestis limbata, silky wainscot, four dotted footman, round winged muslin and a good selection of micros approx. 170 species the final total with a few micros only identified to family level. The supporting cast were glow worms, grasshopper warblers, tawny owl, woodcock, cuckoo, pipistrelle and some nice marsh helleborines, top night.

The moth trap had about 40 species, a few reasonable species Dark brocade, clouded buff, map winged swift despite the cool and breezy conditions it was not too bad, but I was hoping for a new moth but nothing of note. I headed south arriving in Newcastle for opening time at Gosforth nature reserve, it was close to a touristy place I was visiting later. A nice reserve, it was a little quiet but a very nice roe deer was the highlight. I headed for home stopping in at New Haw and Old Sulehay, here I was looking for the rather small Liquorice piercer moth which feeds on Liquorice, they were tricky to find and even harder to photograph, I managed to see three and get some photos of two of them.

It started raining as I packed the moth traps up, which did not take long as I only had 7 moths of 4 species, the saxon the only moth of note. I headed west stopping to see some red squirrels on route. I was after transparent burnet moth, it was sunny when I arrived but very windy but in the hour of sunshine I was unsuccessful despite seeing some butterflies and a family of Whinchats kept me entertained during my search. The rain arrived so I gave up and headed north. As I passed Glasdrum wood a patch of blue sky appeared so I popped in for a brief stop. A nice Golden ringed dragonfly was patrolling and a few chimney sweeper moths and small pearl bordered fritillaries were flying around. The rain arrived so I continued on to my final destination where by a small Loch I was looking for club sedge assisted by an osprey, although I assume he was looking for fish. I found a small patch of the club sedge by the edge of the Loch but the strong wind made it tricky to photograph. I had something to eat then got ready for a night of moth trapping.

Chips – Smiffy’s, Aviemore Haggis and Chips – 8/10

I headed to Scotland overnight, making a stop at Bishop Middleham to see the dark red helleborines on the way, there were plenty but none yet in flower. The weather in Scotland was poor, very different to the forecast so I did a few bits and pieces before heading off up onto the Cairngorms mountains to search for mountain burnet. Despite an extensive look I could not find any, weather conditions were less than ideal with very strong winds, cool and overcast less then ideal for moths but I did find a common heath. I may have been a little early for them, something to try next year. The walk was not a total loss as I found a family of redstarts in the woods below the mountain. I headed into the heart of the Cairngorms to plants, I found 4 wintergreens – one flowered, chickweed, common and serrated. Over 250 coralroot orchids and a selection of other orchids, lesser twayblade, lesser butterfly, small white, common spotted, heath spotted, Northern marsh, common twayblade. I headed up to higher ground to see some alpines such as starry saxifrage, roseroot, mountain sorrel, mountain avens. Time for some food then a quick stop in Carrbridge to see fairy foxglove. Last stop was some high altitude moth trapping, it was cold incredibly windy and not conducive to moth trapping at all.

Chips – The Royal Fish Bar, Grantown - Haggis and Chips – 8/10

I met up with Andrew Jewels in the Brecks for some ladybird surveying on arrival he had just caught ivy and ants nest ladybirds. We tried a couple of new sites the first Foulden common a mixed grassland and wet woodland, some success with a nice selection 7, 10, 14, 16, 22,24 spot and R litura A couple of nice shieldbugs as well as Red breasted Carrion Beetle and a nice Cryptocephalus aureolus beetle. The second site at Lyndford was more of a dense grassland and it was full of insects not many ladybirds 7, 14, 16 and 24 spot and several r litura including a nice dark form. I stopped in to see the Maiden’s pinks on the way home, they were just starting to flower in large numbers so a nice way to finish the evening.

I started with a walk along the white cliff of Dover, a place I had meant to visit for a while and well worth it, and I pretty much had the site to myself, it was very windy but he sun was shining do quite pleasant. I headed to Sandwich bay where dainty damselflies were quickly seen as were the large numbers of lizard orchids and a couple of plants of bedstraw broomrape were still in flower. I spent some time searching for streaked shieldbugs finding two Greater and one lesser streaked shieldbugs my visit finished when a massive storm arrived with torrential rain. I eventually made it to North Kent for some lunch then a quick look to see H before battling with the Dartford crossing to get home.

Chips – Mario’s, Sittingbourne - Battered Saveloy, onion rings and Chips 9/10

I met up with James Hunter for an hour or so first thing to see a few local orchids including the stunning Common spotted var rhodochila along with Bee orchids and rather past their best Man orchids. While the sun was still shining I made a quick stop for wall lizards and then to Blean Woods for Heath fritillaries. By my next stop the sun had gone and heavy rain accompanied me to Bonsai Bank where a rather nice Southern Marsh x Chalk Fragrant Orchid hybrid was waiting, A lesser spotted Alan Lewis seen on the way having already seen it. A late lady orchid was still flowering which was a bonus. It was then a series of local sites for late spider x bee orchid hybrid, late spider orchid, musk orchid, greater butterfly orchid, the rain stopped as I headed to a site for some strange looking lesser butterfly orchids. I had some food before heading to one further site for Late spider orchids. I stopped in a Samphire hoe where the wind was amazingly strong winds had closed the paths down to the sea wall. It was getting on so I called it a day, 10 orchid species plus several hybrids and variants pretty good.

Chips – Singleton, Ashford - Battered Saveloy, Pea fritter and Chips 9/10

James Hunter and I set off for a epic day in the North, it started at dawn just as the rain eased we stepped out into the middle of nowhere to see some Lesser twayblades just slightly past their best. Next stop was for Northern marsh orchids then Frog orchids. We were very mucky to meet up with a local botanist who showed us some small white orchids a very rare plant to see in England. We ended up and Kilnsey Park here was a nice selection of orchids the last lady’s slipper just about in flower but the Pugsley’s marsh orchids were at their best. Common spotted, heath spotted, Early Marsh orchids also present here and rounded off a nice orchid morning with 12 species. We had to be elsewhere so headed off to Amble. Here we joined the 3.30 Puffin cruise boat round Coquet island. It was a little choppy making photos a bit tricky. puffins were the star of the show for the non birders on the boat but we were after the bridled tern which showed nicely doing a flyover of the boat before landing for a short period. It was a good trip with Roseate and Sandwich terns, grey seals, guilemots, fulmars, kittiwakes, Eiders, Red breasted mergansers seen as well. We continued our tern quest with the American black tern, showing very well in the Arctic tern colony at Long Nanny. There was time for one last stop to see the atrata northern Marsh orchids before the long drive in torrential rain.

Chips - Morpeth Fish & Chips, Morpeth – Battered burger and Chips 7/10

I was in Spain for a non wildlife holiday Cadiz, Seville and Ronda - I had lots of incidental sightings - Montagu's harrier, Greater Flamingo, Monk Parakeet, Ring Necked Parakeet, large psammodromus, Sedum mucizonia, Cistus crispus, White Stonecrop, Spanish Valerian. It was incredible hot during the trip and it was mostly urban apart from transit between cities.