Moth Review for October

 The garden 125 MV Skinner trap ran every night as usual whilst the smaller 15Watt actinic trap was placed out on just a handful of times in the local allotment or Millennium Wood but rarely trapped more than 2 or 3 moths

In total, 10,532 moths have been recorded for 2022. This list is made up of 463 species, broken down to 250 macros and 213 micros.

9 new species of macro were recorded in October: Mallow, Dark Sword Grass, Yellow-line quaker, Merveille du Jour, November moth (checked) Red-line quaker, Brick, Feathered thorn and December moth, taken on 31.x.22.

Plenty of micros in the form of leaf mines with plenty still to check whilst also Eudonia angustea and Acleris sparsana were new for the year. 24 leaf miners so far identified including new for parish records of Ectoedemia atricollis and Phyllonorycter joannisi. Three local woods have so far been checked: Millennium Wood, Stocking Wood and Caley Wood.

A total, excluding leaf miners, of 244 moths were trapped in October with the only blank night on the 8th. Highest count was on the 1st October with 24 moths taken of 10 species. Highest species count was on the 22nd when 14 species were recorded in a haul of 21 moths.

A few migrants came to light including Nomophilia noctuella, Dark sword Grass, possibly Turnip, L-album Wainscot and Angle shades.

Somewhat unusual appearances were Cydalima perspectalis on the 27th, my latest date yet and a very out of season Blotched Emerald on the 22nd when a late Copper Underwing was also taken.

Turnip

Feathered Thorn

Merveille du Jour

Norfolk Day 21.10.22

 Day trip to North Norfolk with Rick Stead. Setting off in very misty conditions wasn't the best start but by mid-afternoon the light had improved.

First stop was Wells Woods, but very little about so off to Garden Drove where numerous Goldcrests and finches were found, but no unusual migrants. A check over Warham Greens before we drove east, coffee at Cley and then a walk along the East Bank. Here, the first big hitter of the day, a Long Billed Dowitcher, an American wader. Plenty of other waders about including huge number of Golden Plover at Arnold's Marsh.

Out to sea, gulls, razorbills, gannets and several Red throated divers before back to the car and a long wander to the end of Holkham Pines, almost to Gun Hill for a selection of warblers, all in a single area by the Three Sycamores: Pallas's Warbler, Wood Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Firecrest and many more Goldcrests.

A day when quality outweighed quantity with several additions to the year list.

Species.

1. Red throated diver
2. Little grebe
3. Gannet
4. Cormorant
5. Little egret
6. Grey heron
7. Mute swan
8. Greylag Goose
9. Canada goose
10. Brent goose
11. Shelduck
12. Mallard
13. Shoveler
14. Gadwall
15. Teal
16. Wigeon
17. Red kite
18. Marsh harrier
19. Common buzzard
20. Kestrel
21. Red legged partridge
22. Pheasant
23. Moorhen
24. Coot
25. Avocet
26. Golden plover
27. Lapwing
28. Redshank
29. Black tailed godwit
30. Curlew
31. Jack snipe
32. Ruff
33. Long billed dowitcher
34. Black headed gull
35. Common gull
36. Herring gull
37. Lesser black backed gull
38. Great black backed gull
39. Razorbill
40. Wood pigeon
41. Skylark
42. Meadow pipit
43. Pied wagtail
44. Grey wagtail
45. Wren
46. Dunnock
47. Robin
48. Redwing
49. Blackbird
50. Blackcap
51. Cetti's warbler
52. Wood warbler
53. Chiffchaff
54. Pallas's warbler
55. Goldcrest
56. Firecrest
57. Great tit
58. Blue tit
59. Coal Tit
60. Long tailed tit
61. Bearded reedling
62. Magpie
63. Jay
64. Carrion Crow
65. Rook
66. Jackdaw
67. Starling
68. Chaffinch
69. Linnet
70. Goldfinch
71. Siskin.

Juvenile Herring Gull

Curlew, Wells harbour

Goldfinch and Chaffinch in misty conditions

Wigeon from the East Bank

distant Long billed dowitcher

Long billed dowitcher

Dunlin at Cley

more Dunlin

Redshank, 2 Black tailed godwits and a male Teal

Golden plover

Common darter

Redshank

Black tailed godwit

Curlew

Little egret

distant Ruff and Reeves at Cley.

September Moth Report

 September concluded with a total of 10,230 moths being recorded for the parish this year. This total was made up of 241 macro species and 208 micro species, most recently, mainly leaf mine evidence. So, the total species so far for 2022 now stands at 449.

Nothing particularly noteworthy for the month but plenty of migratory species arriving at the trap. A Vestal on the 2nd was pleasing and another on the 11th whilst Turnip moths became regular visitors to the trap towards the end of the month.

The highlight was an L-album wainscot on the 22nd which is an uncommon moth for Hertfordshire. Only 8 records for the county and then, remarkably, 2 were taken on the 24th.

Nomophila noctuella was a regular migrant at the start of the month whilst a 2nd generation Cydalima perspectalis only appeared once, on the 22nd.

Plutella xylostella were in very small numbers, taken on the 14th and 20th and no Beet moths here, although taken in several traps around Bishop's Stortford. Ostrina nubalis on the 13th and a not so common Metalampra italica started the month rolling on the 1st when a Udea ferrugalis was also taken

Several Cypress pugs in the middle of the month, both to the garden 125MV Skinner and also in the nearby village allotments to the 15W actinic Heath trap.

Most of the anticipated autumnal macros have now been recorded, rarely into double figures on any night but still a few yet to be taken such as MDJ, Brick, Red line and Yellow line Quakers and no sign of any Catacala sp although a Dark Crimson Underwing was taken in Stocking Wood as was a Clifden Nonpareil, both by local lepidopterist, Graeme J. Smith.

The month has mainly been taken up by working towards the end of my lepidoptera survey of Stocking Wood, a great site for both moths and butterflies. The records and report are now being written for the land owner who seeks advice on how to improve the habitat for insect species and to increase the biodiversity of this 18 hectare deciduous woodland, some of it categorised as ancient.

In total, having searched archive records, it has seen 29 species of butterflies and this year, close to 400 moth species. Of the 29 butterfly species, 27 have been seen this year, the only 2 that were not recorded were Painted Lady and Wall, the latter being a strange record from 1985, but accepted by the County Recorder. No Walls have been recorded in Hertfordshire for several years now, so this is thought to have been a wandering male. The recording continues with obvious omissions hopefully found before the end of the year. An action plan has been devised for volunteers to work in the wood to improve the habitat and regular weekly moth nights planned for 2023 along with a weekly check on the butterfly species. The wood holds plenty of English Elm and Wych Elm so there are resident species such as White letter Hairstreak, Epinotia abbreviana and Acleris kochiella present that are not found in any other local woodland.

Cydalima perspectalis

Cypress pug

L-album Wainscot

Ostrina nubalis

Vestal

Long Day in Norfolk 18.08.22

 Up at 4.45am to check the moth trap, record the contents before off with Rick to North Norfolk at 6am. Traditional coffee at Wells Next The Sea Co-Op before first stop at Wells Woods. After a quick check around Wells Meals we headed into the wood where the trees were dripping with migrants: Pied Flycatcher, Lesser whitethroat, Willow warbler, Goldcrest, Blackcap and loads of Chiffchaff, all very busy and moving rapidly through the birches.

On to a very dry North Point Pools but little to record here apart from some hares and Common buzzards along with customary waders and geese so off to Cley for another coffee before checking Snipes Marsh and a wander down the East Bank. A Water rail on Snipes was good and several glimpses of Bearded reedling from the East Bank. A Pectoral sandpiper on The Serpentine and terns and waders on Arnold's Marsh.

Off to Salthouse beach and Gramborough Hill where Wheatear, Meadow pipits and another Pied flycatcher were seen along with a very fresh and vibrant Willow warbler feeding in flowering tamarisk. A Stonechat popped up and 5 curlew flew overhead. A strangely marked wader had me thinking, found in the pool near the beach. Juvenile Sanderling, showing a light buff breast, dark legs and beak as well as a black blotch on the wings.

Final stop, after an unsuccessful check for Grey partridge at Choseley was Titchwell. Very quiet here, as it frequently is in mid August but added Coot, marsh harrier, whimbrel and pochard to the day list whilst also recording plenty of ruff in a wide variety of plumages.

A pint of Wherry in the lovely Gin Trap Inn at Ringstead before heading home, arriving back at 10pm. Been a long day. 

Species list:

1. Little grebe
2. Cormorant
3. Little egret
4. Great egret
5. Grey heron
6. Mute swan
7. Greylag goose
8. Canada goose
9. Shelduck
10. Mallard
11. Teal
12. Pochard
13. Red kite
14. Marsh harrier
15. Common buzzard
16. Kestrel
17. Red legged partridge
18. Pheasant
19. Water rail
20. Moorhen
21. Coot
22. Oystercatcher
23. Avocet
24. Little ringed plover
25. Ringed plover
26. Golden plover
27. Lapwing
28. Sanderling
29. Dunlin
30. Redshank
31. Black tailed godwit
32. Curlew
33. Whimbrel
34. Snipe
35. Ruff
36. Pectoral sandpiper
37. Black headed gull
38. Herring gull
39. Lesser black backed gull
40. Greater black backed gull
41. Sandwich tern
42. Common tern
43. Wood pigeon
44. Collared dove
45. Great spotted woodpecker (heard)
46. Sand martin
47. Swallow
48. Meadow pipit
49. Pied wagtail
50. Yellow wagtail
51. Wren
52. Dunnock
53. Robin
54. Wheatear
55. Stonechat
56. Blackbird
57. Blackcap
58. Lesser whitethroat
59. Whitethroat
60. Willow warbler
61. Chiffchaff
62. Goldcrest
63. Pied flycatcher
64. Great tit
65. Blue tit
66. Long tailed tit
67. Coal tit (heard)
68. Bearded reedling
69. Magpie
70. Rook
71. Jackdaw
72. Carrion crow
73. Jay
74. Starling
75. House sparrow
76. Linnet
77. Goldfinch
78. Bullfinch.

Not too bad for mid August. Few more weeks and there will be plenty more.

Little grebe

Checking settings in Wells Wood on a Wood pigeon

Little ringed plover

Water rail

Male ruff

Juvenile ruff

Male ruff

Flycatching Pied flycatcher in tamarisk

Pied flycatcher

Juvenile Sanderling

Avocet

Teal

Juvenile Shelduck

Golden plover still sporting breeding plumage

Pair of ruff

Juvenile Black headed gull

Curlew

Little ringed plover

Ruff at the end of the day.

Southen Country Park, Bishop's Stortford

 Yesterday was warm and intermittently sunny so I went off in search of an uncommon micro moth, Nemophora metallica. Fairly easy to find if present, as invariably found on their larval foodplant, Field Scabious. There is a whole bank of this plant in the park and it wasn't long before I recorded 2 of them present. 

Other insects also there along with a Common tern over the lake. A good couple of hours and pleasant chat with a chap on the bridge at the northern end of the lake.

Nemophora metallica

N. metallica on Field scabious

The 2nd specimen, more worn than the first.

Syrphus ribesii, hoverfly, a female

7 spot ladybird

Rhagonycha fulva, one of the soldier beetles

Oedemera nobilis, Swollen thighed beetle, a male

Bombus lucorum, White tailed bumblebee

Large white

Mallard duckling

Common tern

Wrong settings to record the only time it dived for fish.