Friday, September 03, 2010

The 300

Canary shouldered Thorn - No 299

White -line Dart Heath Rustic (oops) 300!

These two moths caught on Wednesday night mark 300 species in the garden this year. The thorn is new for the year but the White Line Dart is a new species for me.


I have looked at the weather forecast for the coming week and with a spot of luck we might just get a fall. The winds might stay in the east and by Tuesday there is a high over Scandinavia. Add a drop of night time rain and bingo - Migrants!

Or am I just in a daze because I am on holiday now for a week....

8 comments:

Corleone said...

I've got my fingers crossed for you, Stewart. Bring on the migrants!

Skev said...

300 up - well done.

I could do with a week on the east coast in September - I've perpetually missed Greenish Warbler.

There's something very Heath Rusticy about your dart .... ?

Broom Birder said...

Well done Stewart. Mothing gets a bit hectic when tring to do Autumn migration as well!
M

Ipin said...

You may well have picked a good week to be off, you see, if I'd taken the week off it would be wall-to-wall westerlies!

Wilma said...

299 ad 300 are pretty sweet specimens!

Stewart said...

Ta for the comments all. Mark - Greenish are very erratic. Ive had about half a dozen but you cant predict the next one...

I checked the Dart. It is White Line. The white dot is not the right shape for Heath Rustic which has a more oval one? What do you reckon?

Skev said...

Stewart,

Could be White-line Dart but my feeling is that it's Heath Rustic.

White-line Dart is ridiculously variable, but even on the most variegated forms the orbicular stigma is not usually solid white (or at least on various photos I've seen). In yours, the orbicular stigma is pretty much solid white strongly contrasting with the black wedge. Can't see any evidence of white tramlines either side of the wedge which might be expected in lighter forms of White-line Dart.
White-line Dart should be just about over now, Heath Rustic probably peaking.

Would be worth seeing what Tom et al think.

Greenish Warbler is one that I resolutely refused to twitch (back in the day) on the basis that one would turn up one day when out birding the east coast. One never did!

Emma Anderson said...

The Canary Shouldered Thorn lools wuite exotic, Stewart. What a great find. Well done on the 300.