Another EM.....09/02

Nothing much of note lately as the weather continues to plot it's unpredictable course. Either too cold or warm with blowing Atlantic born gales. The 1 moth from last night was caught early evening before the temperature dropped to below 2°C.

Early Moth

I am still behind last years totals. So a grand total of what's been caught so far this year is as follows-

• Winter Moth- 6
• Early Moth- 4
• Alucita hexadactyla (20 plumed Moth)- 1
• Dark Chestnut- 1
• Pale Brindled Beauty- 1

Just 13 moths of 5 species.............

3 in 1 Tree......24/01

Well, it's not moths and there's no photo. But when Mark Thomas told me about an Arctic Redpoll that he'd seen near Coronation Pit- mid Beds a week previous, I was anxious to get over there. I couldn't get out of work and visit until Sunday so had my fingers crossed. Soon after we arrived Mark located a distant flock of c30 Repoll sp. which unfortunately were very flighty. They were flying between 2 stands of birches, so after waiting for 15 minutes or so the birds finally arrived. As luck would have it we located the Coue's Arctic Redpoll almost immediately, even beside 1 of a few Mealys the frosty white plumage and stocky build really did prove 100% diagnostic. After some lengthy observations, I finally got a view of the pure white, unstreaked rump. So there it was, 3 species of Redpoll in 1 birch tree, Mark is hoping to go back for photos in better light as it might be a while till we see that again, especially in Bedfordshire.

Winter Beauty...........22/01

A slight rise in temperature gave me reason to power up the trap for the 1st time in a few days. The reward was almost instant as I found this on the shed wall at 8.00pm. Nothing else to report as the trap was empty this morning..........

Pale Brindled Beauty

The Earlier the better........14/01

Putting the trap out early in the year is sometimes a bit tedious. But it does give you a chance to see what would otherwise slip under the radar as a few of the Moth bloggers have found out in the last few days. As my garden is surrounded by Hawthorn, I can more or less expect this pink-tinged geometer every year.

Early Moth

New Wave!.........

...........Well, more like misidentification really. On 2nd July 2010 this rather battle hardened moth turned up in the trap. Due to the lack of black markings around the trailing edges I originally called Satin Wave. However, once submitted, the VC30 recorders immediately correctly identified a very faded Small White Wave. To be honest either way it's a winner as Satin Wave with 6 records hasn't been seen in the county (Beds) since 2004. But SWW is almost as rare, after not being seen in the county since 1985, two were found in Chicksands Wood in 2010. Of the 13 records in VC30 so far (including this one) this is one of the only examples that hasn't been caught in woodland..........

Small White Wave

The New Year..........12/01

The 1st meaningful Mothing of 2011 and after the addition of Winter Moth early in the month, I managed to add a couple more. I don't get many of these, so it's a welcome early scalp!

Dark Chestnut

During the day I also caught my 1st micro of the year too! A single Twenty-plume Moth (Alucita hexadactyla) was found in the workshop- probably disturbed from hibernation. This brings the year list to......well, 3!

The Last, last post.............

I must learn to be a little more patient! It's not all my fault though,the forecast said it was going to be really cold. In practice the conditions are very similar to last night, so a quick reccy produced this. It's the first one since 18th January and a welcome surprise...........

Northern Winter Moth

The Last Post...........28/12

................Well, for this year at least. The temperature was at a virtually tropical 6°C after dark, so I was lucky enough to find 2 of these by the trap this morning......Happy New Year to all and good luck for 2011.

Winter Moth

Get 'em while you can!.....10/12

Before it gets unbearably cold again next week I decided to look around The Lodge (The RSPB's headquarters) for Winter flying moths. High on the priority list was the Mottled Umber, which I found 3 of. All clinging to the sides of the many buildings on the complex. The one pictured was on the Avocet building on a window.

Mottled Umber

 

As the temperature was stable all night at 6°C I also put out a 30w Actinic/UV at home. This resulted in my 2nd December Moth as well as another Winter Moth. I've put 2 traps out tonight in the hopes of finding a Mottled Umber for the garden.

 December Moth

This could be about it for a little while as we're back in the freezer again next week!

World's Hardiest Moths........4/12

These have to be some of the toughest moths alive after a week where temperatures have barely risen over freezing. After Karen found 1 on the outside of the glazed kitchen door I decided to put the trap on. Later on another appeared in the same place, though there was nothing in the trap the next morning. At the time they were found it was no warmer than 3°C so maybe after so much exceptionally cold weather they decided to come out as it felt comparatively warm? If you believe in reincarnation, you wouldn't want to come back as a Winter Moth! Imagine living through the festive period without being able to drink or eat..............

Winter Moth

These are the 1st ones I've seen since I caught a few in January and could well be the last moths of any species caught this year. Other than some indoor micros they are also the only moths I've caught in December.

The Pay Off...........

.............and finally, after wind, rain and more unsavoury conditions the 240th macro for the year rears it's furry head! This is one of just a few target species left (see last post).

December Moth

...........11/11

Not too much about lately and in fact, I've barely put the trap out of late. With high winds and temperatures hovering around 0°C I had more than a few blanks, so this was the first attempt this week. It was still very windy but temps were back up to around 10°C.

Just  1 Turnip Moth for my efforts, though I did think it may have been a Pearly Underwing when I first saw it. All the books seem to suggest Turnips have gone back to the earth at the end of October. I'll have another go tonight as on the wish list are; Sprawler, Scarce Umber and December Moth.......

Turnip Moth

Thorn Again!.........02/11

Despite blustery conditions, the trap produced 5 moths of 4 species. It's the 1st time I've had more than 1 Feathered Thorn, the other one was a bit daggy so I didn't bother with a photo.

It looks like the same again for tonight but even warmer with more blowy conditions........

Feathered Thorn

Also-

• Turnip Moth- 1
• Lesser Yellow Underwing- 1
• Garden Rose Tortrix- 1

............31/10

As good a night as could be hoped for at this late stage in the campaign with 9 moths of 8 species. Also a year tick in the shape of  a Rosy Rustic, quite late compared to last year's records. Low cloud, a still evening and a reletively high temperature could be the reason for this unexpected catch.

Rosy Rustic

 Angle Shades

 Feathered Thorn

The Catch-

1. Yellow-line Quaker- 2
2. Angle Shades
3. Feathered Thorn
4. November Moth agg.
5. Pale Mottled Willow
6. Light Brown Apple Moth
7. Willow Beauty
8. Rosy Rustic- Year Tick