Very quiet on both land and at sea. The best on offer were eight Swifts, two Sand Martins, a Spotted Flycatcher at the northern end of the Long Pits and a Corn Bunting over the Trapping Area.
Two Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
This moth was caught by hand as it warmed itself in the rising sun this morning. Although it is worn I think it is likely to be an example of the Cryptic Fern Horisme radicaria. This species was only added to the British list in 2019 but is now considered to be fairly widespread along the east coast of Kent. This is the first record at the Observatory since this date although photographs of "ferns" taken prior to this date show that it had already occurred here.
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| Cryptic Fern Horisme radicaria Dungeness 12th May 2022 |
Grizzled Skippers and Small Coppers continue to be seen in excellent numbers and another worn example of the aberration radicata was found in the Trapping Area.
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| Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas ab radicata Dungeness 12th May 2022. |
In addition, a third individual of the rare (only found at Dungeness) shieldbug Geotomus petiti was found in the Moat.