Successful mothing 31.01.16

Common quaker

Dotted border

A quick trip up to Millennium Wood, where Steve and Graeme had set up 4 traps: 125W mv, 50W mv and 2 15W actinics. Upon arrival a dotted border and Acleris sparsana were netted and this continued for the hour we were present. To nets, or noted roosting, were satellites, dotted borders, chestnuts and Tortricodes alternella. We began emptying the traps around 6.30 and were surprised by the numbers and the variety. I had visited the wood on 2 occasions previously in the week, in admittedly colder conditions and only been rewarded with 2 dotted borders.

Satellite showing orange kidney mark

Satellite showing white kidney mark

The species list is very impressive for January:
1 Acleris sparsana
9 dotted border
6 satellite
3 chestnut NFY
2 pale brindled beauty
2 Early moth
3 Tortricodes alternella NFY
2 brindled pug NFY
5 common quaker NFY
1 March moth NFY
2 Hebrew character. NFY

Chestnut

Hebrew character

That's a fair few of the moths I would expect between January and early March trapped by the end of January.
Upon returning home I noted a small micro on the window. Potted and suspected to be Agonopterix heracliana, but need to rule out Ag yeatiana and Ag ciliella. Edit: now confirmed as Agonopterix heracliana, as expected!Just to complete a superb day, a check on the garden Skinner 125W mv this morning gave first records for the year of Spring Usher and Dark chestnut. Also present, another satellite.
In all: 40 moths of 14 species: not a common occurence for January!

March moth

Brindled pug

Agonopterix heracliana

Spring usher