300 Macros Up!........

..............And still time for a few more this year! At the beginning of September, I really didn't expect to achieve this target. But bit by bit and with the help of a few surprises, we finally reached the triple century. The good thing is, there is still a few that I could easily get too. Feathered Thorn, Brick, Scarce Umber and December Moth are all regulars in the garden- and will there be a chance/time for one more surprise? Well, possibly not. But it's still been a hell of a year for garden trapping and one that's eclipsed all my previous records. 

November Moth agg.

NFY

As you can see by the list below, the weather has made a massive difference to the count. The temperature has plummeted to half that of the weekend. On Sunday I found a Clouded Yellow butterfly for the first time in the village, no doubt brought in on the warm southerly wind. This morning in contrast, I witnessed huge numbers of Redwing streaming over the garden heading south west in varying sized flock. There was also two Fieldfare and my largest ever garden tick flock of six Crossbill all heading in the same direction.

Upper Caldecote Garden- 1 trap 15 of 13 species-

1524  Emmelina monodactyla  1
1745  Mallow (Larentia clavaria)  1
1764  Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata)  1
1795x  November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)  1
2092  Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta)  1
2102  Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta)  1
2107  Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba)  1
2126  Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum)  2
2232  Black Rustic (Aporophyla nigra)  1
2240  Blair's Shoulder-knot (Lithophane leautieri)  1
2267  Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis)  2
2272  Barred Sallow (Xanthia aurago)  1
2361  Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea)  1

More from the Woods and Garden

Once again, I took the battery powered twin Skinner into Home Wood and secured a couple more species. It was an almost perfect evening; overcast and warm but with wind picking up towards midnight. No December Moth yet, but I can try again before the year is out.

Scarce Umber

 Mottled Umber

 November Moth agg.

A very dark specimen- retained for the recorders.....

The Result- Home Wood- 12-11-11- 38 of 6 species-

• 0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 2 
• 1795x Epirrita dilutata agg. November Moth agg. 5 
• 1933 Agriopis aurantiaria Scarce Umber 6 NFS
• 1935 Erannis defoliaria Mottled Umber 1 NFS
• 2227 Asteroscopus sphinx Sprawler 22 
• 2259 Conistra ligula Dark Chestnut 1

Surprisingly, a very good night in the garden too. I put 2 traps out to maybe add to this years species list. Highlights were another unusually late Vine's Rustic and Large Nutmeg.

The Result- Garden- 12-11-11- 8 of 8 species-

• 0998 Epiphyas postvittana Light Brown Apple Moth 1 
• 1288 Alucita hexadactyla Twenty-plume Moth 1 
• 1395 Udea ferrugalis Rusty Dot Pearl 1 
• 1923 Colotois pennaria Feathered Thorn 1 
• 2109 Noctua comes Lesser Yellow Underwing 1 
• 2258 Conistra vaccinii Chestnut 1 
• 2333 Apamea anceps Large Nutmeg 1 
• 2384 Hoplodrina ambigua Vine's Rustic 1

Late November......

Although I've only got three years of data to go on, this is well overdue. My 1st record for 2009 was 13th and in 2010 I recoded three on 10th. 

November Moth agg.

Result for 27-10-2011- Twin 15w Actinic/UV Skinner- 8 of 6 species-

• 1795x Epirrita dilutata agg. November Moth agg. 1 NFY 
• 1937 Peribatodes rhomboidaria Willow Beauty 2 
• 2087 Agrotis segetum Turnip Moth 1 
• 2092 Agrotis puta Shuttle-shaped Dart 2 
• 2240 Lithophane leautieri Blair's Shoulder-knot 1 
• 2245 Allophyes oxyacanthae Green-brindled Crescent 1

The Catch Up and ID?....10/10

I've had a lot on recently so blogging has been pushed aside for a while. I have however still been trapping with some success of late. Here are a few of the highlights with a full count for 10th October at the bottom of the post......

Micro A?

Not sure about this one and awaiting an ID from the Micro recorder for VC30. It does look as though it could be Sitochroa palealis (1370) any ideas? Caught 7th October.

Not a Micro, but what looks like a very late Straw Dot..Thanks Ben.

Eudonia angestea (1342)

Another new micro caught 7th October

Green-brindled Crescent

2 caught so far on 7th & 8th October.

Large Wainscot

An incredible 4 caught on 9th October.

November Moth agg.

One of 3 caught- 10th October.

Pink-barred Sallow!

The 1st new garden moth since 11th September but I hardly feel Euphoric about it. Mainly because most of it is inside a Spider. So desperate am I for a new tick that I unravelled this one from a web to find it was indeed a Pink-barred...........Is it too much to ask to see a live one?

The full count-

1. Willow Beauty- 5
2. November Moth agg.- 3- Year Tick
3. Blair's Shoulder-knot- 2
4. Large Yellow Underwing- 2
5. Mallow
6. Pale Mottled Willow
7. Common Marbled Carpet
8. Shuttle-shaped Dart
9. Common Wainscot
10. Grey Shoulder-knot- 2nd Record
11. Garden Rose Tortrix
12. Barred Sallow
13. Pink-barred Sallow- 1st Ever

T.T.O.S on Tour at The Lodge..........07/11

And a very successful outing it was too! The photo at the top is a November Moth agg. One of 13 found around the buildings.
Next down is a Spruce Carpet found on the main building.

The last 2 photos are of a Sprawler, 1 of 2 found. Louie also found a deceased Yellow-line Quaker (example on previous post). Not a bad haul really as we were only at The Lodge to see the Firecrests!
The garden trap in Upper Caldecote produced just a Silver Y.

28/10..............

Just 2 last night. Including this very pale November Moth agg., the 1st seen since 19th. Also a single Mallow.

19/10................

This Silver Y was the only moth actually in the trap last night!

The top image shows how hard to find November Moths can be! This one has settled on a Pear Tree. Another cold night down to 4 degrees and only 3 Moths again;

• Red-line Quaker
• November Moth agg.
• Silver Y (bottom photo)

November rain.....13/10

This November Moth sp. was a garden 1st, found whilst emptying the trap on a drizzly morning. Plenty of cloud cover and little wind made for another fairly warm night.
As well as this, a second generation Blood-vein (bottom), much smaller than the ones found in June and July. Also-

• Willow Beauty
• La. Y Underwing
• Red-line Quaker
• Pale Mottled Willow