Hummingbird Hawk Moth

[awarner]

Caught a shot of this little critter the hummingbird hawk moth at a friends garden.
Not the best focus but taken on the phone I'm happy especially as this is only the second one I have ever seen.

 

[Jaeger]

Aye Up Awarner,

Well spotted and great shot, especially with a mobi.

I wonder if the size of the moth took you by surprise or had you seen them before?

I once saw a large Deaths Head Hawk Moth fly in through a barrack room window late one evening during the hot summer of 1976 immediately followed by what must have been the fastest turn out of squaddies onto the parade square in history!

No joking - the body was the size of a packet of Polos and it had the wing span of a sparrow!

I still don't know whether they are dangerous, they certainly look it!

 

[Robson Valley]

Good shot. The blurred wings add some life.
Mostly members of the Saturnidae, harmless.
The hummers are fun to watch, they seem so focussed on the task.
We have Cecropia and Polyphemus (size of your hand) as well.

 

[awarner]

Strangely it was smaller than I remember but it was quite a few years ago that I saw one last in Bournemouth.
I really want to see an elephant hawk moth especially after seeing the caterpillar last year.

 

[Tengu]

Some nights ago something went Bzzzt! past me. It was big.

I suspect it was one of our big moths like this

 

[Trotsky]

Aye Up Awarner,

Well spotted and great shot, especially with a mobi.

I wonder if the size of the moth took you by surprise or had you seen them before?

I once saw a large Deaths Head Hawk Moth fly in through a barrack room window late one evening during the hot summer of 1976 immediately followed by what must have been the fastest turn out of squaddies onto the parade square in history!

No joking - the body was the size of a packet of Polos and it had the wing span of a sparrow!

I still don't know whether they are dangerous, they certainly look it!

Apparently the most they can do is squeak at you, hope those squaddies never found out. I can picture the scene in my head now, rather like when what I now know to be a wood wasp flew into the place I worked some years ago, people shouting "hornet!" and sprinting off like someone had thrown a stick of dynamite in there.

Anway, that's a cracking picture!