8 May 2024 - Hollingworth Lake

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Long-tailed Tit

Walking along Rakewood Road this morning, I encountered a Long-tailed Tit with a sizeable greenish caterpillar. It was giving it some serious bashing on the branches of the tree, but eventually managed to devour it. Looking at the photos, the caterpillar has a number of fleshy fringes below the spiracular line, and the only thing I think it might be is a Red Underwing, though it does look a little greenish for that species. It's not a Geometrid, since it has central prolegs, but I can't find anything else likely that is green and has that type of fringe.

Long-tailed Tit , 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 2000 (view full size image)

Long-tailed Tit, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 1600 (view full size image)