Big brothers

Hello there! Greetings from the two biggest hawk moths in my newly-expanded total of nine: the rakishly angled Pine Hawk, above and below, and the Privet Hawk, the UK's third biggest moth after the Convolvulus and Death's Head Hawks. Both were in the trap this morning when I went out rather than later than usual. 

The birds were about by then, notably a robin and a blackbird which were well aware of what was going on. Only yesterday, I found a blackbird in the shed where I put the trap during the day. It was looking for a meal but luckily hadn't got very far.

I didn't want to leave anything to chance, so I tickled both insects into life which had the double benefit of allowing me to photograph them with their wings outstretched, in the Privet's case showing that tasteful pink on the body and underwings; and of seeing them fly safely into the shelter of a tall oak tree before the birds could get their act together.

Here's the Privet in the final stages of warming up to fly. When they took off, they were almost as big as the robin in flight. Meanwhile, the number and variety of arrivals has been growing. Here are some of them:

Orange Footman

Silver-ground Carpet

Sandy Carpet

Flame Shoulder

Yellow-barred Brindle

Pseudagyrotoza conwagana micro

Heart and Dart with attendant Maybugs and Common Wainscot

And on its own

Poplar Grey - Update: sorry, it's a Knot Grass.  Many thanks to hawk-eyed Conehead in Comments

Angle Shades

Iron Prominent

Middle-barred Minor with fly

Shuttle-shape Dart

Seraphim

Common Wainscot No 2

Common Carpet

Busy times!