Hummingbird hawk-moth

This unusual moth is a summer visitor from the Mediterranean and Africa. Butterfly Conservation have a map where you can add your sighting, which is helping them track the migration of the moth. This is the first time I've seen one and I was amazed at how fast its wings beat while hovering and gathering nectar with its long proboscis. He was a tricky creature to photograph and the people in the beer garden must have thought me mad as I scoured the flowerbed with my camera.

I caught the train to Didcot Parkway to meet up with Mum, Dad and Rory on the last day of their holiday. We drove to see the White Horse at Uffington - great views for miles around. I was really taken by the villages nearby, especially Woolstone where we had lunch. Almost every house was thatched and it was very picturesque. We also stopped in Uffington and Wantage, and looked for racehorses in Lambourne. All too soon came the time to go home. It's been a great week visiting the family nearby. See you in Inverness sometime soon!