Catch from last night...

225 moths of 64 species.

New for the list -

Above left Broom Moth and right Common Wave.

Broom Moth 1 new
Smoky Wainscot 1 NFY
Common White Wave 1 new
Small Fan Footed Wave 1 NFY
Common Wave 1 new
Pammene regiana 2 new
Crambus patella 1 new

Plus Flame 2
Poplar Hawk 4
Elephant Hawk 1
Garden Tiger 1
Sandy Carpet 4
Diamond Backed Moth 1
Shoulder Striped Wainscot 1
Barred Straw 4
Burnished Brass 1

Pammene regiana

One or two nice micros to identify?

Two mystery micros, any help gratefully recieved. Click for bigger image. Left Prays fraxinella or Ash Bud Moth and right, Eucosma campoliliana. Thanks all.

Thats better...

I forgot to add this one, Ingrailed Clay. New for me.

Yesterday there seemed more micro's than macro's in the moth trap. I often place the trap on a white sheet in an attempt to attract more insects to the light. After watching the behaviour of moths at the light, especially the noctuids, I think the sheet is actually deflecting them away from the catching area? So last night, no sheet. Only the light in the dark to head for...

Result! 172 of 60 species with less micros...

New for the garden were -

1758 Barred Straw 1 new

1937 Willow Beauty 1 NFY

2098 Flame 1 new

2345 Small Dotted Buff 1 new

2422 Green Silver Lines 1 new. I was well pleased with this one...

Of interest, I had a male Orange Tip today, I dont think I have ever seen one as late... 

Possible New VC68 record?

119- Eucosma conterminana cana

Still awaiting confirmation of id. If correct it will be another first!(If not, it might not be)... 

[It wasn't. Correction thanks to Dean and Tom].

New additions last night were...

Above - Left Drinker and right Single Dotted Wave. Both new for the year.






Micro's are tricky. Feel free to question my identifications...

Left - Metznaria lapella and above, Elachista atricmella.

Above, left Agapeta hamana and right Opsibotys fuscalis.

Above - Left Platyptilia ochrodactyla and, as if this isnt hard enough, Mottled Pug?

Total caught last night, 151 moths of 43 species...

Some of this weeks moths...

A first for VC68! Thistle Ermine. A massive micro....

I took a day off yesterday to catch up on just two days of moth trapping in the garden. Its harder than being at work!

Anyway, on 22/06/10 I had 193 moths of 52 species, including a first for VC68..

New for me were -

Riband Wave ( banded form) 1
Chinese Character 1
Small Fan Foot 2
Clay 3
Mottled Beauty 2
Latticed Heath 2
Large Yellow Underwing 1 NFY
Sandy Carpet 2
Shoulder striped Wainscot 2
Map winged Swift 2 NFY
Light Arches 1
Setaceous Hebrew Character 1
Brown China Mark 1
Thistle Ermine 1 New for VC68.
Mottled Pug 1

Above - Left, Chinese Character, how fantastic is that, and right, Small Fan Foot.

Mottled Beauty.

Above - Left, Clay and Right, Shoulder Striped Wainscot.

On 23/06/10 the count is still out but so far I had 217 of 56 species with a few more to come...

New for me -

July Belle 1
Purple Clay 1
Grass Emerald 1
Chequered Fruit Tree Tortrix 1
Straw Dot 1
Scoparia pyralella 1
Metzneria lapella 1
Mompha subbistrigella 1
Blastobasis lacticolella 1
Marbled Orchard Tortrix 1
Chrysoteuchia culmella 3

 
 

Above - Left, July Belle (probably) and Right, Grass Emerald

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

Above - Left, Chequered Barred Fruit Tree Tortrix and right, Dipleurina lacustrata

 

 

 

Above, Left, Purple Clay and right, Marbled Beauty.

Above, Left, Light Emerald and right, Straw Dot.

 

 

 

 

Can anyone help with these...

Please....

I have no idea. Click for a bigger image

Above - left, Agonopterix sp (too worn) and right, Phycitodes binaevella

1293 Chrysoteuchia culmella

1083 Marbled Orchard Tortrix

0874 Blastobasis lacticolella

Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email.


Thanks all...

World Cup? I prefer Subbuteo....

Sorry about the dearth of posts on here lately. No excuses, I simply havent got time. Its the moths that do it. By the time I get in and photograph stuff from the night before, or go for a walk, I often dont get indoors until 9pm...anyway, I'll try and keep up.

Last night at 7.20pm we were in the garden having a glass of wine and enjoying the warmest evening of the summer so far when I thought I would do some gardening. No sooner had I started then the familiar mobbing tones of Swallows and Starlings alerted me to a predator in the area.

Often at this time a male Sparrowhawk visits to take a last meal for its young in the woods, so I took a step back to scan for it. Not a binocular or camera in sight.

After only a minute, imagine my face when an adult HOBBY appeared from the copse next to our garden, in lazy flapping flight , moving south. In the low evening sun the bird was lit beautifully from the side, illuminating the white cheek patches and rusty 'trousers'.

What a fantastic garden addition of a bird quite rare in Northumberland. Its years since I had one in the county.

Later, a walk to the pond had my first Swifts of the year with 5 moving south. Hobby and Swift first year occurrences on the same evening, coincidence perhaps?

At 10.45pm the Barn Owl was hunting the back field showing against the light sky from the kitchen.

Big catch of moths last night. Latest estimate, 200 of 50 species. Confirmation tomorrow with pics...

All that glitters...is Gold Ringed!

The cold NE gale on Friday and Saturday put the kybosh on any good mothing but here goes -

Friday 18th.

0017 Common Swift 1
1727 Silver Ground Carpet 9
1764 Common Marbled Carpet 1
1776 Green Carpet 1
1802 Rivulet 1
2089 Heart and Dart 1
2102 Flame Shoulder 1
2158 Pale Shouldered Brocade 1
2160 Bright Line, Brown Eye 1
2326 Clouded Bordered Brindle 1
2330 Dusky Brocade 1 new
2334 Rustic Shoulder Knot 2
2339 Tawny Marbled Minor 1 (best guess, fits the criteria in Waring? It'll do for me!)
2340 Middle Barred Minor 1 new
2441 Silver Y 1 nfy
2477 Snout 1 nfy

Total 25 moths of 16 species.

Above - Dusky Brocade and Snout.

Above, left, Middle barred Minor and, right, Tawny Marbled Minor. I think. According to Waring et al.

Saturday 19th.

1727 Silver Ground Carpet 6
1764 Common Marbled Carpet 1
1776 Green Carpet 1
1834 Common Pug 1
2089 Heart and Dart 11
2326 Cloud Bordered Brindle 3
2334 Rustic Shoulder Knot 2
2339 Tawny Marbled Minor 1 ( see above)

26 moths of 8 species.

Tonight a walk around a wild flower meadow on the Howick Estate had 26+ 1870 Chimney Sweepers (nfy)in about 150 yard straight transect. If I had wandered I could have doubled that.

Today started witha short fruitless seawatch where the highlight was 300 Fulmars per hour N.

I later went with JWR to do his WeBs count at Branton Pits. For me who has little freshwater habitat these days this site is a treat. All common stuff but things I dont get to see from one month to the next - 2 pairs of Great Crested Grebes, 6 Goosander, 2 Teal plus many Greylags, Canada Geese, Tufted Duck, Mallard etc.

As the morning warmed insects began to emerge - 

Butterflies - 2 Small Heath, 2 Large Skippers and my first Red Admiral of the year.

Not to be outdone, Dragons came out too - Azure Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue tailed Damselfly all in good numbers but the headline act was a stunning Gold Ringed Dragonfly that sat in the open until we left it. Tremendous.

 

Long Nanny

Last night ADMc and myself had a trip up to the Long Nanny tern colony in Beadnell Bay about 6 miles north of home. Its the first summer visit I've had here since the Lesser Grey Shrike 2 years ago. Its a pity really, being so close, as the terns are a great spectacle. There are 900 pairs of Arctics and 30 pairs of Little Terns mixed with a few Ringed Plovers. On the beach were 4 Sandwich Terns and we were treated to a tremendous close flyby by a pair of Roseate Terns prospecting the dunes. 

In the evening sun we had a pleasant hour or so scanning around the shore.

At home some news - remember that Emperor Moth I caught and its eggs? Well one has hatched into a tiny caterpillar! My plan is to rear them on, hopefully, to adults next spring. I've never attempted anything like it before so watch this space...

In the trap on Wednesday night were - 

   

Above - Double Square Spot and Garden Tiger

Silver Ground Carpet 31

Brimstone 1
Green Carpet 8
Common Pug 2
Small Magpie 2
Rustic Shoulder Knot 3
Bright Line Brown Eye 4
Pale shouldered Brocade 3
Heart and Dart 3
Buff Ermine 4
Clouded Border 2 new
Small Square Spot 3
Spectacle 1
White Ermine 5
Marbled Coronet 1
Celypha lacunana 2
Double Square Spot 1 new
Swallow Prominent 1
Mottled Rustic 2
Brown Rustic 1
Garden Tiger 1 new, the first I've seen for years.
Poplar Hawkmoth 1
Rivulet 1

Total 83 moths of 23 species
 
 

Clouded Border