Friday, February 25, 2011

There's no place like Home...23/02

After turning up at Broom GP's main gate in September last year and realising that my key, issued to me by the estate didn't work. I knew that time was up for mothing at this site. During last year I also tried to arrange a field survey in Sheerhatch Wood. This, like many others in the area is an estate run shooting wood. So after talking to the warden (a man more suited to Victorian times than the present day), realised that I wouldn't be making many inroads here either and it's worth mentioning that the same estate controls both sites!
But Hallelujah, we now have a new site to trap- Home Wood, run by the Forestry Commission though is still a private site. Although separated from Sheerhatch by just over a mile, attitude wise they are poles apart! There is now a page dedicated to Holme Wood under 'Lists and Info' on the right of the page- HERE.

Home Wood
The trap on the morning of 24th Feb- looking west along the main ride.
So this was the 1st outing at a new site.  It was decided to start with just to drop off a battery driven twin 15 watt Actinic/UV trap and collect it in the morning. The results were better than expected........photos courtesy of Trent Duval- (We are the Campions)

Small Brindled Beauty 

Spring Usher

Engrailed spp.

  March Moth
  
 Dotted Border

Clouded Drab

The list is as follows-
  1. Small Brindled Beauty- 7
  2. Dotted Border- 5
  3. March Moth- 5
  4. Tortricodes alternella- 2
  5. Spring Usher
  6. Engrailed spp.
  7. Hebrew Character
  8. Pale Brindled Beauty
  9. Clouded Drab
24 moths of 9 species is pretty good for an unmanned Actinic trap.

4 comments:

  1. Goos stuff. Leaving kit unattended overnight is my preferred method these days - getting to old for sleeping in cars or sitting up all night ;-)

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  2. Though seeing your latest offering, I am tempted to fire up the MV for a few hours when I'm next in there........

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  3. Yes - go for it. I have a couple of the cheapo chinese 2-stroke gennies that I chain up and leave unattended in the summer. I've had one of these run 3 x 125W MV traps for 9 hours!

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  4. Yep i'd fire the 125w up soon! although the weather has turned again here, it seems to be small windows of opportunity at the moment. Nice Clouded Drab still waiting for these.

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