These Teal were inadvertently put up from one of our ponds, attracting the attention of a Peregrine. The Peregrine performed a half hearted dive but didn't carry out a full blooded attack, obviously it had already eaten ! We regularly see Peregrine in the winter but not so close to the house, more often they are perched sentinel like in a ploughed field.
The moth trap is now up and running again thanks to good old 'farm tech' and Evo-Stik. As expected the number of species at this time of year are low, Spring Usher, Early Moth, Satellite, plus these two diving beetles, Dytiscus semisulcatus, sometimes referred to as Black Bellied Diving Beetle. Interestingly one was a female and the other a male. These beetles can easily be sexed, the female has many ribs running along the wing cases, whereas the males are quite smooth and shiny. They are carnivorous beetles and are active throughout the year, though become dormant in the colder months and often make flights in search of new ponds when the temperature rises.
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