Half a Monkey o' Macros..........

...........and for those outside East London, that means 250 macros up for the year! After persevering with the trap(s) every night, it has finally paid off. I did think I had the total on 2nd when I found a Sprawler in the conservatory. But it could have been a stowaway from Home Wood as that is where I left the battery light rig.
Migrants have been in evidence for the last week or so, with a few Rusty Dot Pearls and Silver Ys. So it was a relief when this showed up just after 9.30pm.

Dark Sword-grass

At last!

 Sprawler

Smuggled from Home Wood me thinks.........

Silver Y

2 records in November so far.........

 A Witch and a Pumpkin!

Sending the kids out begging for sweets is OK when they're this age I suppose. Halloween wasn't really done when I was a kid. We used to beg for money with an effigy of Guy Faulkes  instead!

.............and this is my grand effort to impress the kids with some Pumkin Carving..........But I'll have to go a long way to compete with these guys! 

The result- 05-11-11- 2x Twin 15w Actinic/UV, Twin 25w Actinic skinners- 7 of 6 species-

•  1524 Emmelina monodactyla 2 
•  1795x Epirrita dilutata agg. November Moth agg. 1 
•  2091 Agrotis ipsilon Dark Sword-grass 1 NFY 
•  2109 Noctua comes Lesser Yellow Underwing 1 
•  2259 Conistra ligula Dark Chestnut 1 
•  2264 Agrochola macilenta Yellow-line Quaker 1

Grey Day............05/10

A dank, drizzly morning awaited me today and the Vismigging up on The Pinnacle was poor too! (The Lapland Bunting will just have to wait!) On the plus side, a few highlights from last night's trappings- a full count below-

Grey Shoulder-knot

1st of the Autumn, after one at The Lodge in February.

Dark Sword-grass

A 2nd Garden record of this immigrant moth.

Full Count-

1. Willow Beauty- 3
2. Blair's Shoulder-knot- 2
3. Lesser Yellow Underwing- 2
4. Large Yellow Underwing- 2
5. Setaceous Hebrew Character- 2
6. Shuttle-shaped Dart- 2
7. Turnip Moth- 2
8. Light Brown Apple Moth
9. Mallow
10. Deep-brown Dart
11. Dark Sword-grass
12. Rush Veneer
13. Grey Shoulder-knot- Year Tick
14. Barred Sallow
15. Beaded Chestnut

Put to the Sword...........23/08

With The Dells multiple trap approach failing dismally as the year begins to slip passed. It surely now looks like Trent Duval will be spending some time in the off-licence buying some of my favourite wine. His woeful run of late has been compounded by a 2nd ever record of this immigrant species. Easily overlooked as a Turnip Moth, these can turn up at any time. But are usually seen in August and September.

Dark Sword-grass

I had 2 traps out last night, as I was testing one I had recently built. It was a very windy, so as expected numbers were down. But there were a couple of other highlights-

• Orange Swift- 5- High Count
• Six-striped Rustic
• Flame Shoulder
• Common Wainscot
• Nutmeg

A decent haul...............24/09/2009

An interesting evening. Quantity was down but quality up, with 2 more new for the trap. The Large Wainscot (above) is usually an inhabitant or reed beds or marshes. I think I owe this new one to Broom GPs just 1/2 mile away. Centre right is the Beaded Chestnut, found in the trap among many very similar Lunar Underwing. Although not new, it is the 1st photo I have managed to get. Bottom right is the rare immigrant Dark Sword-grass found for the 1st time under the egg boxes- very unexpected, another great find! I have now been trapping for just under 3 months and have recorded over 80 species of macro moth. Not bad for a village back garden! Also-

• Shuttle shaped Dart
• Pale Mottled Willow
• Willow Beauty
• Black Rustic