A Crazy Month

December 2015 has been an exceptional month. Usually I only trap on favourable nights in Winter. So if its too cold or too windy, I've tended not to bother. Unfortunately, I haven't got 'blanks' recorded for the first years of my records. A bit of a blunder really, though as said, this wouldn't account for many if any nights in some years, so not as scientific as I would have liked. But I suppose you can get the gist of it.
Clearly the high yields are down to high temperatures at night. This has led to more than a few surprises up and down the country, especially on the South coast. December isn't usually considered to be a highlight in migrant terms. But the season hasn't really tailed off since October. I for one will keep the traps burning until the end of the year as anything seems possible.

Black-spotted Chestnut

 This was the surprise of the year, caught 18th Decmber. Though I missed out on getting my first 'New for VC' macro moth by a matter of 20 hours as one was caught in Biggleswade (17th December)- by my father!
Incredibly, this species has only been know in the UK since 2011 and I actually had to renew my Mapmate licence to update my checklist as it didn't exist!
The only other records come from a small colony in Kent and a single record in Suffolk. Easily the rarest moth I've ever caught and the furthest North the species has ever been recorded in Britain!

Spring Usher

 .........Though should be called the 'Christmas Usher' this year. After an early record from The Lodge, Sandy on 17th, I was still very surprised to catch this on 21st December. My previous earliest record was 18th January!

Scarce Umber

Fairly scarce in my garden, usually with one record per year. All previous record have been in November. But this turned up 7th December.

Below is all of my records from the garden in December. This year comes off the back of three blanks, so makes it particularly unusual.


12/2009- from 2 records- 2 of 2 species

1524 Emmelina monodactyla 1- found indoors 2-12
2469 Scoliopteryx libatrix Herald 1- found hibernating 10-12

12/2010- from 7 Productive nights- 13 of 3 species

1631 Poecilocampa populi December Moth 1
1799 Operophtera brumata Winter Moth 11
1800 Operophtera fagata Northern Winter Moth 1

12/2011- from 5 Productive nights- 12 of 5 species

0695 Agonopterix alstromeriana 1
1631 Poecilocampa populi December Moth 1
1799 Operophtera brumata Winter Moth 8
2256 Eupsilia transversa Satellite 1
2258 Conistra vaccinii Chestnut 1

12/2012- No Records

12/2013- No Records

12/2014- No Records

12/2015- from 6 Productive nights (4 blanks)- 49 of 14 species so far........

0998 Epiphyas postvittana Light Brown Apple Moth 5
1047 Acleris schalleriana  1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 3
1799 Operophtera brumata Winter Moth 18
1932 Agriopis leucophaearia Spring Usher 1
1933 Agriopis aurantiaria Scarce Umber 1
1935 Erannis defoliaria Mottled Umber 1
2087 Agrotis segetum Turnip Moth 1
2258 Conistra vaccinii Chestnut 1
2259 Conistra ligula Dark Chestnut 11
2259a Conistra rubiginosa Black-spotted Chestnut 1
2306 Phlogophora meticulosa Angle Shades 1
2321 Apamea monoglypha Dark Arches 1
2441 Autographa gamma Silver Y 3

500 up..............

For the 2nd year in a row I've managed to record 500 species in the garden. I haven't trapped quite as much this year, but even so would have struggled to beat last year's 522 species. These are my last four NFY's.

Sprawler

Only the 2nd garden record on 14th November. Last caught, 9th November 2009.

Mottled Umber

This is the 5th record of this species. One per year since 2010. NFY, 15th November.

Winter Moth

Common in the garden and usually seen first at the beginning of the year. NFY, 15th November 

Scarce Umber 

 Only the 3rd record. NFY, 18th November. Last seen 28th November 2011.

28th Nov.

The weather has been shocking of late; if it isn't cold, it's blowing a gale. But the mild, unseasonal couldn't continue forever.

I put the trap on last night expecting not a great deal as the wind began to pick up. However, my reward was waiting under the egg boxes in the morning.

Scarce Umber

Not really that 'scarce' but difficult to get in my garden. This is only my second ever record after a single in 2009. I thought I'd missed out this year too; this one is on the late side.
This brings the overall species list for the year to 460, a nice round number. The only addition I could possibly make is Northern Winter Moth- as I have had it in the two previous years.

The only other highlight of late was a single December Moth, caught on 24/11.

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

Scarcely anything about.........17/11

..........But this Scarce Umber was consolation for keeping the trap burning through the last week or so. It turned up fairly early in the evening and was gone by morning. Probably due to strong, gusting winds in the latter stages of the night. This was the only moth recorded, in previous nights I've trapped;

• 15/11 November Moth agg., Feathered Thorn
• 16/11 Red-line Quaker