More new moths.

Reasonable haul in excess of 30 moths of 27 species this morning. New for year moths were angle shades, uncertain, Stenoptila pterodactyla and Acrobasis advenella. Suspected as new for my parish records: Coleophora albitarsella and Epiblema scutulana.
Photos from the top:
Hedya nubiferana
Acrobasis advenella
Epiblema scutulana Edit: now confirmed identity as Notocelia roborana, a new for year moth
Coleophora albitarsella
Or so I think but likely to be corrected. These are very small moths: 5 - 8 mm.
Note; all photos taken on phone camera, so lacking quality. Shall upload better from the Nikon later.

Moth round up: weekend 27th - 28th June

2 very good nights at the garden trap, with close to 100 moths being taken trap. New for year on the macro front were: large yellow underwing, common white wave, riband wave, barred straw, flame, heart and club, dark arches, short cloaked moth, green pug, beautiful hooktip, barred yellow, clay, blotched emerald, rustic, fan-foot, least carpet, common wainscot, smoky wainscot, buff tip and dwarf cream wave. The latter being the 100th macro of the year. A magpie had been taken at Ash Valley Golf Course on the Sunday afternoon, also NFY.
Micros were equally abundant, with: Crassa unitella, Pandemis cerasana, Hedya nubiferana, Epiphyas possvittana, Pandemis corylana, Phtheochroa rugosana, Eudonia lacustrata, Agonopterix subpropinquella, Epiblema trimaculana and Clepsis consimilana. A Teleiodes vulgella was a new moth for my parish records.
With weather predicted to remain increasingly hot, should be a good week that will take the total, presently 168 moth species for 2015 close to 200 by next weekend. Plenty about to still find.
The daylight netting session on Ah Valley GC gave up a fair selection within an hour: 100+ chrysoteuchia culmella, 50+ meadow brown, 10+ marbled white, 5+ large skipper, 1 Essex skipper, magpie moth, straw dot, Tortrix viridana (NFY) Scoparia ambigualis, Celypha lacunana and a cinnabar.

meadow brown on garden rose

marbled white

large skipper

Tortrix viridana

Dwarf cream wave (100th macro sp)

Epiblema trimaculana

Clepsis consimilana

Teleiodes vulgella, a new for parish records specimen.

Thorley Wash 26.06.15

An hour visit to Thorley Wash and the River Stort Navigation at Spellbrook. A common tern was noted upon arrival fishing near the red bridge, whilst sedge warblers, chiffchaffs and a blackcap sang in Wallbury "swamp." Also here, on their regular perch, 2 cormorants. A common buzzard overhead and then a session of trying to photograph the reed warblers in the Australis phragmites just south of the bridge. Eventually they showed in the elder tree on the far side of the river and were joined by a chiffchaff. In all, definitely 3 reed warblers, probably 4, so I suspect 2 breeding pairs. A good record for the river.
A reed bunting and whitethroat called from the reserve, but no water voles were noted. More warblers and tits as I wandered back to the car wash, with a lesser black backed gull and great spotted woodpecker flying over the river. An enjoyable hour whilst waiting for the car to be cleaned.

reed warbler

another reed warbler

cormorant

chiffchaff

banded demoiselle.

Dorset for a week

A week camping in wonderful Dorset was superb, weather excellent with views over Chesil Beach and Isle of Portland. Nothing on the agenda and no specific birding trips. A few local walks around the campsite for insects as well as birds was all that I managed, along with trips to Dorchester, Weymouth, Chesil Cove and Lulworth Cove. A most peaceful and relaxing time, if a little bit sun burnt by Friday.
Undoubted highlight was an early evening roe deer out in the middle of field. Stopped the car and watched for a few minutes and then, as quietly as possible, tried to get to the boot to get the camera. Needless to say, off instantly, so only this head shot possible. 50 swifts over the campsite seemed unusual, but the reason became clear about 30 seconds later as a hobby shot overhead in pursuit.
An hour viewing Ferrybridge gave sightings of a few gulls and feeding little terns, whilst back on the campsite, blackcaps and whitethroats called from hawthorn and buzzards were a daily sight. Skylarks sang continuously from hayfields, sometimes competing with chuckling red legged partridge.

Portland Bill from Fleet

Overlooking Chesil Beach to Portland

Herring gull that begged for food on the campsite

Argumentative greenfinch

Greenfinch

Green woodpecker

Ferrybridge herring gulls

roe deer

On one wander several moths were flushed from the grass, in particular a magpie moth and Chrysoteuchia culmella. Butterflies noted were large and small skippers, common blue, marbled white, small tortoiseshell and peacock.

Looking east from the campsite.

Large skipper

Chrysoteuchia culmella

Another view towards Portland

magpie moth......

.......in more appropriate habitat

Ferrybridge.

meadow brown

Moth round up

Been a busy time at the moth trap over the last 48 hours with plenty of new for year moths arriving at the trap overnight.
On the 17th, 31 moths of 23 species were accounted for, including new year listers: Lyonetia clerkella, middle barred minor, elephant hawkmoth, common emerald, small yellow wave, clouded silver, cabbage moth, ingrailed clay and Hedya pruniana. All of these to be expected. However, also a new for parish records, Celypha rosaceana was particularly pleasing and a good moth for Hertfordshire, with just a handful of records.

scorched wing

Lozotaenia forsterana

Cochylis atricapitana

marbled minor

Celypha lacunana

clouded silver

worn middle barred minor

ingrailed clay

Celypha rosaceana.

Later that day, I headed off to Westland Green and Ash Valley G.C. for a little daylight netting. Not too much with: 4 crambus lathoniellus, 5 burnet companion, clouded silver, 2 Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Anthophila fabricana and a solitary cinnabar.
The trap was set for last night and all looked good. However, at 11pm the cloud cover dispersed and the temperature dropped to amazingly chilly for a mid June night. This morning, a good haul of regular moths, with only a ghost moth (male) being new for the year.
List from the trap last night:
3 straw dot, Anthophila fabricana, 2 Crambus lathoniellus, 2 heart and dart, mottled pug, Agapeta hamana, 6 buff ermine, common footman, brown rustic, elephant hawkmoth, marbled minor, treble lines, shears and ghost moth, making 26 moths of 17 species, so not too bad.

shears

ghost moth.

So in total, between 16th and 18th June, I have processed 114 moths, with 3 new parish records and 16 new for year species. All good. List now updated, with 75 macro species and 55 micro species adding up to 530 moths for the year, about on par with last year.

Local mothing in daylight

Having had a disappointing return at the trap early this morning (5 moths of 5 species, including 3 new for year records: privet hawkmoth, tawny marbled minor and common footman) I thought I may boost the total by knocking through rough pasture at Westland Green, a mile west of home.
Not disappointed with 19 moths in an hour including both Nomophila noctuella and Cydia nigricana new for the parish records and Scoparia pyralella and yellowshell new records for 2015.
This takes my running total for this year to 66 macro moths and 48 micro moths and the parish records to 291 macros and 170 micros, so may well make my target of 500 moth species in total before the end of the year.
Butterflies present were: peacock, large skipper, common blue, small heath and meadow brown

small heath butterfly

Cydia nigricana (pea moth)

Burnet companion

Worn, but suspected Scoparia pyralella

80 moths in 24 hours

Making the most of the warm weather, I set the garden trap for the night of 11th June with enthusiasm for a good night's haul. All things considered, not to poor a return with the following found the following morning;
7 Crambus lathoniellus,
rustic shoulder knot
2 Mompha subbistrigella (NFM)
common pug
straw dot
2 common marbled carpet
bee moth
cinnabar
buff ermine
4 brown rustic
4 heart and dart
Celypha striana
Celypha lacunana
common swift
white spotted pug
mottled pug

Crambus lathoniellus

After work (identifying insects for 30 year 3 primary school children in a local wood) I headed oof to Millennium Wood. Here, very few moths showing.
Anthophila fabricana
3 Nempaphora degeerella
Odd looking silver ground carpet

Rather faded silver ground carpet

From here, I was off to the local golf course and one small patch that has proved particularly good on previous visits. I wasn't disappointed with;
2 cinnabar
2 straw dot
2 silver Y
2 Chrysteuchia culmella
Anthophila fabricana
2 Agriphila straminella (NFY)
Aphelia paleana (NFY)
Crambus lathoniellus (numerous)
2 Dicrorampha petiverella
5 Dicrorampha sequana
burnet companion (NFY)
A good collection for just over an hour netting in daylight. The forecasted heavy rain did not materialise until much later than expected, so garden trap on in very warm and muggy conditions, with a promising easterly breeze. Rain fell spasmodically throughout the evening and heavy rain at 5.15 meant I just closed the trap and returned to bed. Upon emptying later in the morning, a most pleasing selection:
Pale tussock (NFY)
3 white ermine
spectacle
Marbled minor agg (NFY)
2 treble lines
heart and dart
2 brown rustic
small magpie
buff ermine
Agapeta hamana
common pug
mottled pug
Agonopterix arenella
Scorparia subfusca (NFM)
Epiblema trimaculana (NFM)
2 Straw dot

Dicrorampha sequana, The back from extinction moth of the year so far.

So, basically, in 24 hours 77 moths (with a few micros still to identify.) The pale tussock also represented my 100th moth species for the year, 58 macros and 42 micros, with 480 moths taken. This compares to 2014 on the same day, when the total was 540 moths of 121 species, made up of 95 macros and 26 micros. The micro total is higher this year due to daytime netting in a variety of rough grassland habitats around the parish, but still clearly, a much poorer year than previous years.

Agapeta hamana

Large skipper butterfly: first of year.

silver Y

rather damp pale tussock

lateral view of pale tussock