DEATH'S HEAD HAWKMOTH AT CLEY NWT!

DEATH'S HEAD HAWKMOTH

 

COASTGUARDS, CLEY NWT

A dream day! A new 'tick' for me, a spectacular Death's Head Hawkmoth – a huge and fabulous creature! This was found by Jim Lawrence at Coastguards, Cley NWT! Thank you so much Jim! It was a very special moment when I saw this for the very first time – I felt quite emotional and also felt guilty that I had finally seen one and my dear father never had.

I have been waiting to see a Death's Head Hawkmoth my entire life! Sadly my father had also been waiting to see one too! After running two moth traps at our family home and another at Holme Bird Observatory for well over 40 years, you would have thought he would have got lucky, but sadly he never got to see one. He often talked about his hope of seeing one – it was always on his mind. He would have been smiling down at me today, knowing the excitement I felt seeing this!

 

Saw several birders at this "moth twitch", but never more than around six people at a time – all very chilled. I took a ridiculous amount of photos, both on the iphone, Canon R5 with 100-500mm lens and also with my Canon 7D Mark II and 100mm macro lens. It was actually more difficult to get a sharp photo of than I expected and several others said the same. Took a break and sat on the shingle by the sea and practiced some flight shots with the Canon R5 for the first time – saw several Little Terns, Sandwich Terns, Common Terns, a Cormorant, several gulls and a few Swallows skimming west over the waves.

 

I stayed FAR longer than I had intended to and ended up watching the Death's Head Hawkmoth at dusk and in the dark along with James McCallum, Ben and Louis – we were waiting for it to wake up and fly, but it never did. It was a crazy evening, but also fun – we chatted about all kinds of things, whilst waiting for the Death's Head Hawkmoth to make a move, which it did, but this only involved moving a leg very slightly and once only! It was still there at 10.50pm, in the same spot it had been in all day! We all left at the same time, to ensure nobody else saw it fly without the rest of us! Arrived home at 11.58!!!

 

Wikipedia: "The African death's-head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos) is the largest moth in the British Isles, with a wingspan of 5 in (13 cm); it is a powerful flier, having sometimes been found on ships far from land. The forewings are a mottled dark brown and pale brown, and the hind wings are orangey-buff with two narrow dark bands parallel with the hind margin. The abdomen is a similar orangey-brown, with a broad, dark dorsal stripe. The most notable feature is a patch of short yellowish hairs on the thorax that gives the impression of depicting a human skull. It is a striking insect, but is seldom seen because it flies late in the night."

 

MORE PICTURES TO BE ADDED