350th micro moth species for the parish

A somewhat quieter recording time of late, coinciding with the drop in night time temperatures. Still new insects coming to the traps, though.
On 24th June and Acleris holmiana, Oegoconia sp, Rhopobota naevana, Ephestia sp (possibly Vitula biviella and a Light arches were all new for the year in the garden Skinner 125W MV.
The following evening I set the Heath 15W actinic in Millennium Wood adding Hypsopygia costalis to the 2017 list whilst finding my 1st Yponomeuta mallinellus of the year at home along with a Dusky sallow, Endotricha flammealis, Pleuropyta ruralis and Dwarf cream wave.

Scorched wing

Dusky sallow

Blue bordered carpet

Herald

The following night the heath trap was set along a beech lined green lane near horse paddocks where I took Carcina quercana, Bryotropha affinis and Dun-bar, whilst the garden gave up only my 2nd ever Small dotted buff and 2nd only Eudonia pallida. Also, a herald and Broad bordered yellow underwing made the list of new for years.

Eudonia pallida

Small dotted buff

Wormwood pug

Rhodophea formosa

The 27th was basically a washout with just a handful of common visitors and ending in a smashed bulb, so Wednesday night I ran the Skinner with an old, faded bulb before replacing it last night with a new one.
On the 28th a Brown line bright eye and Agapeta zoegana were new from Millfield Lane in the heath and a Scarce footman at home.
Last night, with new bulb, I added nothing at home but the heath trap, in pine and hornbeam wood, added a new for parish records in the form of Ypsolopha parenthsella, my 350th micro on record and, in total, the 686th moth for the parish.

Agapeta zoegana

Brown line bright eye

Ypsolopha parenthsella

All these additions take the totals to 4059 moths with 131 micro species and 194 macro species. Still looking far better than last year.
Wendy put a bright cloth on the table on the patio and, as can be seen, the moths appear to be quite happy roosting here. I tip them on to leaves, which they immediately jump off and land on the cloth. Not a particularly natural setting, but does help to highlight the colours. Need to get a leaf pattern on the next table cloth!

Bio Blitz day

Yesterday a group of us, 6 children and many adults met in Millennium Wood to try and record as many insect species as possible, whilst also recording singing birds within the wood. After a couple of hours we made our way to the fire I had lit earlier and cooked sausages and mushrooms with the children enjoying toasting marshmallows on sticks they had whittled. All in all, a successful several hours.
Few photos here of some of the species that we discovered by beating trees and sweep netting the longer grass areas.

Black and Yellow longhorn beetle: Rutpela maculata

Honey bee: Apis mellifera on bramble flower

Marmalade fly. A species of hover fly Episyrphus balteatus

Volucella pellucens: larger hoverfly

Head on with a Volucella pellucens

Another marmalade hoverfly

Pair of mating ringlet butterflies

Ringley butterfly

Azure damselfly

Comma butterfly

Harlequin ladybird.

Probable newly emerged Miris striatus bug

Orange ladybird

Probably hoverfly Syrphus torvus

Meadow brown butterfly

Common Pollen beetle: Meligethes aeneus

House fly: Musca domestica

Flesh fly: Sarcophaga carnaria

In the evening, I set up the moth trap which ran for a short while after dusk. In all, I trapped over 50 moths of 26 species, with a Hypsopygia costalis being a new moth for the year and 19 species being new for Millennium Wood this year.
Of particular note were:
scorpion fly
Emperor dragonfly
Red admiral
blackcap and whitethroat singing.
Roesels bush cricket, a first for this habitat
Large numbers of Meadow brown butterflies.
In total, well in excess of 70 insect species were noted, including a few moths that are either day flying or ones disturbed from their roost, such as Blastodacna hellerella.

300th moth species for the year

The warm weather continues and with it, good moth numbers. After the busy night on Wednesday, I have just run the garden trap the last 2 nights, still scoring with new for year records.
On Thursday night a year record of 136 moths of 65 species were taken in the garden Skinner trap. Numbers were supplied by 15 Riband wave, 11 Crambus perlella and 8 Common footman whilst the new for year Peppered moth and Scalloped oak.
Better still was a very worn moth at the bottom of the trap, a new for parish records Ruddy Carpet. Just enough scales on it to identify as shown here.

Peppered moth

Ruddy carpet, or what is left of it, a new moth for the parish

Scalloped oak

These three species took the year total to 299 and so the first new moth for the year out of the trap was going to be the 300th. This turned out to be a Dot moth, followed by a Phoenix and Lychnis. Also, a new for year micro in the form of an Acleris hastiana. Last year the 300th moth wasn't taken until 14th July, so it is turning out to be a really good year, after a pretty dismal start until mid May when things really took off. Have now recorded 3458 moths.

300th moth for the year: Dot moth

Lychnis

Phoenix

On this day last year I had just recorded the 200th moth for the year with a total of just 1514, so 100 moth species ahead and almost a 1000 more moths this year.
Finally, an identification issue was resolved yesterday when a tricky carpet species was finally nailed as a Twin spot carpet, not a common moth for the county, so most pleasing.

Acleris hastiana

Twin spot carpet

Hoverfly in the garden: Marmalade fly, Episyrphus balteatus

Moth mayhem with a new County record.

Another moth update is needed following the brilliant weather we have experienced this week, culminating in me heading off to woods last night, with the temperature sitting at 26C at 10pm!
Sunday night I ran the portable 15W Heath trap along an overgrown footpath, near bee hives and damp land at Pig's Green TL420217.
I returned around 11pm to find a trap over running with moths. I listed and potted as much as possible, probably managing to record 80% of what was present. 41 species were noted including several new for year:
Eudonia lacustrata
Lobesia abscisana
Spruce carpet.
Cnephasia asseclana
However, I spent much too much time on one large micro. It showed signs of being Tineidae but couldn't place it  to species. A phone photo through my magnifier was sent to Graeme who requested the voucher. Upon dissection it turned out to be what he suggested Niditinea striotella, a new moth for Hertfordshire, so most gratifying. Thanks to GJS for his help in sorting it out.

Phone photo of Niditinea striotella, new for the county

At home, the garden Skinner gave up a record 118 of 64 species including new for year:
Heart and Club
Small blood vein
Yponomeuta evonymella
Lozotaeniodes formosana
Eucosma obumbratana
Cnephasia genitalana
Cloaked minor.

Having identified, recorded all of these I just ran the garden trap on the Monday night.  adding:
Ancylis achatana
Willow Beauty
Rustic
all as new for years.
However, 2 micros, one large and easily identifiable (Ostrinia nubilalis) was a new for parish records and so was a Piniphila bifasciana
A good night!

Piniphila bifasciana

Tuesday night and I set the trap, just for an hour or so in an unmanaged, rough, deciduous woodland. I returned at 11 in shorts and flipflops to note a large amount of nettles, so a quick change before emptying the trap. New for the year list were:
Dingy footman
Crassa unitella
Swallowtail
Clay
Acrobasis consociella

Moths continued at home that night with new for 2017 being:
Acleris forsskaleana
Large twin spot carpet
Hyposopygia glaucinalis
Short cloaked moth

However, 2 macros stood out that I potted, knowing I was not familiar with them but thought I recognised:
Tawny barred angle and Maple prominent, both new for parish records. This was now becoming seriously good!

A flapping Maple prominent just before take off

Tawny barred angle: 2nd  New for parish records of the night.

Wednesday night was forecast to be the hottest and, with things going my way big time, thought it would be a shame to miss out. Consequently, I carted the whole kit: trap, battery, seat, sheet, pots, books and beer a mile into Stocking Wood whilst leaving the Skinner trap on at home. I sat and recovered with a beer following the long wander with the gear and by 10.15 moths were slowly arriving. A few walks with headtorch and net gave up very little, so I settled down near the sheet to list and pot everything that came along.
By 12.30pm I had a box of potted moths for home identification as well as a good list, so packed up, finished the beer and headed home. Upon arriving at home I noted the garden trap was swarming with moths, but nothing too unusual, so I set about identifying everything I had potted. By 3 I was left with 7 unidentified and a list of 170+ of over 60 species. In this impressive collection were:
Small emerald
Lilac beauty
Poplar grey
Blastodacna hellerella
Epinotia tenerana
Hedya salicella
Acleris rhombana
Brachia blandella
Scythropia crataegella New for Parish records
Mompha ochraceela

By the time I came out of the moth shed I was too tired to deal with all the micros flitting around the Skinner, so returned this morning. Obviously by then, many would have disappeared at first light, but still enough to keep my interest with over 40 species recorded, but nothing for the record book.

Drinker moth

Lilac beauty

Lilac beauty

Large twin spot carpet

Presumed engrailed, a light or worn form

All this activity has added over 600 moths to the year list in 4 nights, with records now standing at 3167 moths of 177 macro species and 117 micro species. In total, 2017 has seen the addition of 20 species to my parish list, which now stands at 682. Pretty neat total, I reckon for a small parish in East Hertfordshire. Like to think I can pass 700 species this year.

Hot Day in North Norfolk

Last Monday (19th June) I set off for North Norfolk around 9am after sorting out a busy moth trap. I headed to Cley where, upon arrival, the temperature was already 30C. No wind meant I darted between hides and was happy to stay in these instead of my usual longer walks. Very little at Cley, but bright light leant itself to better photo opportunities.

Vociferous sedge warbler

Adult redshank on the hide roof keeping an eye on its juvenile in the grass

Good detail courtesy of the light

Juvenile redshank

2 distant spoonbills

Chirpy wren

Another singing sedge warbler

From here, following a coffee, I headed to Choseley

Male chaffinch that landed at my feet at Choseley

where I added a few farmland birds to the rather short list, before checking into Titchwell. Another coffee and chat with the staff before I set off for the Island and Parrinder Hides and then, around 5pm on to the beach. A distant spotted redshank and a few med gulls were the highlights, but with plenty of birds to check, I spent quite a will in the cool of the hides. A light breeze on the beach was pleasing as I checked out common, little and sandwich terns and a good sized flock of bar tailed godwits. Back on the reserve my first little gull of the year zipped past before a check around the car park for a turtle dove that didn't appear to want to be seen.

feeding avocet

distant summer plumaged spotted redshank

Another of the many avocets

Mediterranean Gull

left to right: black headed gull, moulting med gull, moulting black headed in background, med gull, med gull, black headed gull

Skulking magpie in Titchwell car park

Holme gates were shut when I arrived, so parked near them and took a short walk along the footpath. Not too much movement but a lesser whitethroat got on to the day list but flatly refused to emerge from the undergrowth, so I had to make do with a few photos of a common whitethroat. A good journey home saw me back at the moth trap and making a list of 77 species for the day. Lovely to be there again.