Sunday, 1 December 2024

 A combination of frost and rain has meant much reduced moth trapping in November, which has resulted in no new species for the year being recorded in that month. So the year list stays at 349. Interesting birds seen include a Purple Sandpiper and Snow Bunting at Swalecliffe, plus up to 22 Cattle Egrets on the Dungeness RSPB Reserve.

 Snow Bunting

 

Purple Sandpiper

Cattle Egrets

Friday, 1 November 2024

Another month has come and gone. Moth list for the year stands at 348. Interesting records in October include my first Oak Rustic, the first female Gem, and 2 Merveille Du Jour. 


Oak Rustic


The Gem

Merveille Du Jour



Tuesday, 1 October 2024

I was away in Canada for the first half of the month-pictures on my Flickr site. At the end of what became a rather wet September, the garden moth list stands at 330. At the same stage last year this figure was 349. New for the year in September included a couple of the Autumn regulars: Feathered Ranunculus  and Barred Sallow. Dark Spectacle was also new for the year.

Barred Sallow
 
Feathered Ranunculus

Sea Otter, Vancouver Island, B.C.

Sunday, 1 September 2024

We've reached September and the year's moth list stands at 323. Trapping results have improved this month and for the first time this year I'm ahead of the the 307 at the same stage last year. Records in August include 2 new macro species for the site: Porter's Rustic and Webb's Wainscot, with 2nd and 3rd records for both The Mocha and Epermenia chaerophyllella. 

Porter's Rustic

 
Epermenia chaerophyllella
 
Mocha

Web's Wainscot


Friday, 2 August 2024

Another month has gone and the garden moth list stands at 268, which is 12 fewer than the same stage last year. Interesting species in the month include my 2nd record of Scallop Shell, the first for 15 years, Scorched Wing, Peacock Moth, and Dewick's Plusia.

Peacock Moth


Scorched Wing 
 
Scallop Shell
 

Dewick's Plusia



Monday, 1 July 2024

July has arrived. At the end of June the garden moth list stood at 175, which doesn't compare well to last year (not the best year year ever either), when it sttood at 222 at the same stage. However Barred Red was new for the garden list, and other interesting species included: Barred Yellow, The Festoon, Maple Prominent (2nd record), Epiblema foenella, Peach Blossom and 3 species of Clearwing-Currant, Orange-tailed and Red-belted. 

 Barred Red

 

                                                                         Maple Prominent

 

                                                                       Epiblema foenella

                                                                  

Orange-tailed Clearwing


 

Sunday, 2 June 2024

At the end of May the garden moth list stands at 101for the year which compares favourably with last year with only 59 by the same stage. During the month Epiblema scutulana was a new one for the garden. I don't have many interesting bird sightings for the month in Kent, but I did go on a trip to Peru, from which more photos can be found on my Flickr site.

Epiblema scutulana

 
Diademed (Sandpiper) Plover
 
Many-coloured Rush-tyrant
 
Inca Tern