Deaths-Head Hawk Moth at Minsmere

A tweet from Matthew D stating a Death's-Head Hawk Moth had been trapped overnight at westleton and it would be on show at Minsmere Visitor centre and an hour later I was driving down in the run to Minsmere. seeing Paul & Jane F there at 2.30pm, John walked in with a small container and in it was a large dark 8 inch moth the excellent Death's-Head Hawk Moth. A real beast of a moth and only my 2nd ever (first on Scilly in 2003), a real rarity in Suffolk with only 1 trapped per year usually. It was put on a bit of Silver Birch trunk but was still quite active walking along John's hand and when it stated to flutter its wings it was time to carefully put it back into the fridge. This done it was let out again after half an hour with more photographers sticking their lenses in than a gathering of press paparazzi at a celebrity! It was put near to the window to maximise the light and I managed a obtain few shots, albeit without my preferred macro 60mm lens which had given up the ghost last week.