Report from 19 to 21 semptember 2014

The most interesting discovery this week was the caterpillar of an African Death’s-head Hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos); I had never before recorded this large and now rather rare moth at La Cassinazza. The adults are spectacular, with the macabredeath’s-head pattern that gives them their name, while the caterpillars are spectacularly large. In spring, these moths migrate northwards from Africa to Europe, where they breed in the summer. Their pupae, however, struggle to survive during cold winters, and so our latitudes are re-colonized each year by individuals from further south.
Birdwise, the only news concerned the arrival of the fall’s first Robins and a new, late push of Pied Flycatchers.

I did have one reason to be very satisfied. Last year I built and put up a nest box for Tawny Owls. And now a Tawny Owl has
taken possession of it, and might have done so for some time, since I rarely check in on it. Here it is in today’s photo as it dozes
off on the front porch, with a slightly annoyed look due to the arrival of an unwelcome visitor.