Apt to thrill – a mock hummingbird

Burnham Deepdale, Norfolk: The hawk moth hovers in an exotic birdlike way, probing its long proboscis deep into nectar

My friend squealed and leapt out of the deckchair, nearly spilling her glass of rosi(C). "What is this thing?" she exclaimed. In the dusky twilight of our campsite we could just see a dark insect circling us. From this fluttering creature came a deep resonant buzz, a bass pulse worthy of any nightclub.

Once over the surprise I realised we were listening to the unmistakable wing vibration of the hummingbird hawk moth. I'd seen it often in daylight, on honeysuckle, hovering in its exotic birdlike way at a flower, probing its long proboscis deep into nectar.

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