Another busy moth night.

Ruby tiger

Planned on another late one last night and consequently set up trap and sheet on the green at Westland Green. Good grassland habitat surrounded by bramble, oak and hawthorn.
Before setting up, however, I stopped off in Chapel Lane where the previous night, en route to set the heath trap, I had driven past a barn owl on a post, 2 juvenile little owls on posts and hay bales, being fed by an adult. I arrived and found a place to stand, reasonably well concealed. Photos and report later.
Once at Westland Green I set the kit up and began netting micros. First in were Eucosma cana, Celypha lacunana, Plutella xylostella and Eudonia lacustrata. By 9.30 a few smaller macros were on the wing, mainly around bramle flowers. These were netted and identified as small fan footed wave (1st new for year of the night) single dotted wave and treble brown spot. Later, a dwarf cream wave was also taken.
It appeared that few were actually coming to the trap and the temperature was not behaving as per weather forecast. It dropped to a chilly 11C and I could see my breath. Dew was beginning to settle and my shoes and trousers were quickly soaked in the waist high grass.
I continued to net and pot, releasing batches some 200 yards away so not as to recatch. A ruby tiger was taken and added to the year list, before an Agapeta zoegana, Acleris forsskaleana and a mint condition yellowtail made the year list.
By 12.00 I had a good list, took half an hour to pot and pack up before returning home to identify and list. A record for the Heath Trap, with 107 moths of about 47 species. Await confirmation on several Cnepahsia, a possible Oidaematophorous lithodactyla (Dusky plume) and a Coleophora species that may well be a new for parish records Coleophora paripennella. Also, 1 micro needs to be identified, I can't get a good match.

Agapeta zoegana

Acleris forsskaleana

Having finished with the Westalnd Green specimens I spent a few minutes noting what was on the garden trap before bed and back to the trap at 5a.m. A very quiet night, with just an immaculate oak eggar being of note.

oak eggar

With these additons, moth totals have now reached the following:
Macros for year: 169
Micros for year: 135
An Agapeta hamana was the 300th moth species for 2016 out of a total of 2480 moths already identified and recorded this year.

Westland Green: 14.07.16. 15w Heath trap running 9.00 - 12.00

Macros:

• 3 small fan footed wave (NFY)
• 2 Treble brown spot
• 2 Single dotted wave
• Ruby tiger (NFY)
• Dark arches
• 27 Common wainscot
• 8 Shaded broad bar
• Snout
• Green pug
• Brimstone
• Dwarf cream wave
• Common wave
• Yellowtail (NFY)
• 2 Uncertain
• 3 Common footman
• Engrailed
• 4 July highflier
• Clay
• Willow beauty

Micros.

• 4 Eucosma cana
• 3 Celypha lacunana
• 3 Plutella xylostella
• Clepsis consimilana
• 3 Eudonia lacustrata
• 4 Scoparia subfusca
• Scoparia ambigualis
• Agapeta zoegana (NFY)
• 3 Carcina quercana
• Agriphila geniculea
• Acleris forsskaleana (NFY)
• Agapeta hamana
• Anania hortulata
• Blastobasis lacticolella
• Ditula angustiorana
• 2 Hedya nubiferana
• 2 Eucosma hohenwartiana
• Coleophora sp
• 2 Epinotia tenerana (NFY)
• Lathronympha strigana
• 4 Cnepahsia sp
• Oidaemtophorous lithodactyla (5th record for Herts) (NFM)

Amazingly, no micros in the garden trap and a very mundane list:

Skinner 125W trap running all night

• 1 Riband wave
• 2 Common footman
• Least carpet
• 2 Chinese character
• 3 buff ermine
• Common rustic
• Common wainscot
• 2 Treble brown spot
• Oak eggar (NFY)
• large yellow underwing
• 2 Uncertain.

Treble brown spot

Chinese character