March......17/03

March Moth

3rd record of the year.

Result- 27 of 6 species-

• Common Quaker- 12
• Hebrew Character- 7
• Clouded Drab- 4
• Agonopterix heracliana- 2
• Small Quaker- 1
• March Moth- 1

Another Knot.....16/03

Getting colder again and this weekend looks to be heading back to sub-zero conditions. I may put the trap out again tonight, but that could be it for this week at least. I am also planning a Home Wood trip next week too, weather permitting.

Grey Shoulder-knot

2nd for the campaign.

Results- 13 of 4 species-

• Hebrew Character- 5
• Clouded Drab- 4
• Common Quaker- 3
• Grey Shoulder-knot- 1

............15/03

Another productive night, probably slightly spoilt by a heavy mist which descended around 10.30pm. Numbers of Common Quaker could be beginning to tail off slightly (a blessing) and good news in the form of 2 new species for the year.

Shoulder-stripe

This is the 1st time I've seen this anywhere and was a high priority on my garden hit list.

 Clouded Drab

For the 1st time out-performing the Quakers. This is a light form of the species.

 Mompha subbistrigella 892

Difficult to get a decent shot at only 6mm long- a year tick.

Results- 22 of 9 species-

• Clouded Drab- 8
• Common Quaker- 7
• Hebrew Character- 1
• Early Grey- 1
• Small Quaker- 1
• Shoulder-stripe- 1 -1st Ever!
• Emmelina monodactyla- 1
• Agonopterix heracliana- 1
• Mompha subbistrigella- 1- Year tick

............14/03

Good temperatures, but an Easterly wind was a bit of a spoiler. The result being no micros and an average count. It was nice to record only the 2nd March Moth and Yellow Horned of the campaign.

Yellow Horned

......This one is brandishing it's 'yellow horns'.

The result-

• Common Quaker- 9
• Clouded Drab- 4
• Hebrew Character- 4
• Early Grey- 2
• March Moth- 1
• Yellow Horned- 1

Micro Time......12/03

Another good night with a decent spread of species, including a couple of new micros. Temperatures yet again fell no lower than 8°C and the promised rain never materialised. Even the wind was kept largely at bay.

Acleris cristana 1054

A superb and variable species and I'm pretty sure that's what it is. The 2 raised scale tufts and falcated ends to the wings seem to be diagnostic. If so quite a rare moth in these parts.

To add to this-

"I have a paper "A Guide to Acleris cristana" which illustrates 119 known forms of the species. I have not seen your form, which is No.107 subapucina.The paper says it is one of the commoner white forms (has been recorded in Huntingdonshire)".

D. Manning, VC30 micro recorder.

Diurnea fagella 663

A year tick for this melanic form. 

The count-  38 of 9 species-

• Common Quaker- 16
• Hebrew Character- 8
• Clouded Drab- 4
• Agonopterix heracliana- 4
• Small Quaker- 2
• Early Grey- 1
• Oak Beauty- 1
• Diurnea fagella- 1 - Year tick
• Acleris cristiana- 1- Garden 1st

10th & 11th

The warm but breezy conditions continue. It was 9°C as night was falling on both nights so the count on a still evening could have been huge. I have decided now to use the 25w BLB bulb along with the skinner every time I trap as I am already 11 species up on this time last year.

Oak Beauty

2nd Record on 10th March for this fantastic moth.



Emmelina monodactyla (1524)

A year tick- 10th March.

Common Quaker

Still top of the shop with another 19 over the 2 days- 65 in total.

Red Chestnut

Annoyingly after a reccy on 11th March, I found a Red Chestnut under the BLB bulb on the shed. I went back to get a pot and it had gone! Here is the only one I have ever caught, 16th April 2010.

10/03-

• Common Quaker- 7
• Oak Beauty- 1
• Hebrew Character- 1
• Emmelina monodactyla- 1- Year Tick

11/03-

• Common Quaker- 12
• Hebrew Character- 5
• Clouded Drab- 2
• Agonopterix heracliana- 4
• Red Chestnut- 1- Year Tick

I have now caught 147 moths of 22 species. (18 macro, 4 micro)

Blow ins.....09/03

As I haven't been trapping recently due to the cold, I decided to half heartedly put out the trap. I also washed the shed wall with the 25w BLB bulb down the bottom of the garden. This time it wasn't the temperature that was the problem as a constant 5-6°C was recorded throughout the night. The trouble was more the gusting wind which was quite clearly blowing across the garden from the west. But surprisingly this didn't put off the moths and there was a fairly decent haul waiting for me in the morning...........

Yellow Horned

I was well pleased to get this in the garden. I have previously only seen them at The Lodge, RSPB.

Early Grey

Like the Yellow Horned, this was also found under the 25w BLB bulb and is the 2nd record of the year.

The Rest!

This is the majority of the haul and it is no surprise that Common Quaker was again the most populous. Also hiding in there is a single Small Quaker and a Clouded Drab (bottom left).

The Count-   key: 30w Skinner / 25w BLB bulb.

• Common Quaker- 7 (6-1) 46 so far this year.
• Clouded Drab- 2 (1-1)
• Small Quaker- 1 (1)
• Early Grey- 1 (1)
• Yellow Horned- 1 (1)- Garden 1st!

At the moment the BLB bulb seems to be a real draw. I wish I had put it on a bit more last year........

The Lodge, RSPB

A  walk round the RSPB's headquarters this morning was vey pleasant in the sunshine. On our way round we had quick look around the buildings. It was a bit windy last night, so numbers were a little low.

Yellow Horned

 Engrailed spp.

The full list-

• Yellow Horned- 3- Year Tick
• Dotted Border- 2
• Engrailed spp.- 2
• Small Quaker
• March Moth

How early is early?........

.........well, I'd say it's quite early! Compared with last year anyway. Here is a few very recent comparisons in the garden of the earliest examples seen-

2010 records-

2011 records-

• Pale Brindled Beauty- 4th Feb- 22nd Jan
• Common Quaker- 12th March- 17th Feb
• Hebrew Character- 13th March- 22nd Feb
• Dotted Border- 14th March- 21st Feb
• Clouded Drab- 15th March- 19th Feb
• Oak Beauty- 16th March- 25th Feb
• Small Quaker- 18th March- 24th Feb

Probably pretty unscientific, but a big difference........

........and just for you Trent, in the garden I've currently trapped 96 moths of 19 species, (16 macro, 3 micro)

Garden catch up...........

Well, hasn't it been tropical lately compared to the bleak Winter of discontent we've all just endured? After a week as busy as this, it reminds me I need to win the lottery so that I can concentrate on important things such as birding and mothing full time! Anyway, I've got round to putting in a few highlights taken from the last 4 nights.

Dotted Border

1st caught 21st Feb- 3 caught so far

Hebrew Character

1st caught 22nd Feb- 10 caught so far.

 Early Grey

1st caught on 24th Feb- 1 caught so far. 

 March Moth

1st caught 24th Feb- 1 caught so far.

 Small Quaker

1st caught 24th Feb- 4 caught so far.

 Oak Beauty

1st caught 25th Feb- 1 caught so far.

 Engrailed spp.

My only Winter/Spring record- caught 25th Feb.

 Grey Shoulder-knot

My only Winter/Spring record- caught 25th Feb.

Other significant counts so far-

• Common Quaker- 38
• A. heracliana- 11
• Dark Chestnut- 4
• Clouded Drab- 2

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.

Cloudy.......19/02

It was very murky outside when I had a look around the trap. All I found was 1 A. heracliana. But while I was out dipping to my knowledge Bedfordshire's 1st Rustic Bunting, the kids were very busy looking around the sheds and fences. They managed to find this little gem low down underneath the trap on part of a log roll.  I looked at my records and my 1st one last year was trapped 15th March. I haven't heard of any recent local sightings, so it could be the earliest in the county (VC30) this year.....I will find out.

Clouded Drab



Quaker Mass........17/02

After a fair few blanks, the Upper Caldecote contingent hits back. I upped my game last night by putting out 2 twin 30 watt Actinic/UV traps. I placed 1 in the usual place near the house and the other c120' away at the bottom of the garden. Although the temp. wasn't that high, for once it was fairly still.

Common Quakers

These 3 Amigos are out early, last year I had to wait until 12th March!



 Chestnut

It's nice to compare a 'real' one to last weeks Dark Chestnut!

So, the results-

In the main trap near the house-

• Common Quaker- 2- Year Tick
• Chestnut- 1- Year Tick
• Agonopterix heracliana- 1

Trap at the bottom of the garden-

• Common Quaker- 1

The last 2 days......9th-10th

At last! The weather has finally turned, the wind has dropped and the temperature has become more stable during the nights. So tonight (11th Feb) will be the 4th trapping session in as many days.

Pale Brindled Beauty

These 2 were the only catch on 9th February.

The 10th was slightly warmer with less wind, so as a consequence did fairly well. The micros caught were the first to come to light this year.

 Satellite

 Dark Chestnut

This is the 2nd record this year, I was hoping it was a Chestnut. The 'sharp corners' give it away though.

 Agonopterix heracliana (688)

The 1st of many, I would presume.

 Tortricodes alternella (1025)

Although common, this usually woodland species is a garden 1st- touché Trent!

This was the best night of the year so far- which wouldn't be hard!, 19 moths of 8 species so far this year..........