The end of another (very wet) month has seen only 3 species being added to the moth year list (403) with December Moth being the only new macro. Interesting birds seen since my last post include the Great Grey Shrike at Hothfield Heathlands, Sabine's Gull at Port Lympne Zoo, with Red-rumped Swallows and Snow Bunting at Palm Bay, Margate.
December Moth
Great Grey Shrike
Sabine's Gull
Snow Bunting
We've reached the end of another month. Moth trapping has produced some of the usual Autumn favourites but catch numbers have been low, initially by cold nights and more recently by wet and windy ones. It's always nice to get a Merveille du Jour and Pink-barred Sallow was only my 6th record. At Dungeness we managed to find one of the several Crimson Speckled moths that had arrived on the warm southerlies. Finally the tiny micro P. messaniella was new for the garden and brought the year list to 400 for only the 2nd time ever.
Merveille du Jour
Pink-barred Sallow
I see this is my first post for 2 months. I spent the first 3 weeks of September on a birding trip to Australia. A Southern Cassowary was the bird of the trip with Duck-billed Platypus as another star species. The moth trap year list has advanced to 383 which already is more than for the whole of last year. Recently Brown-spot Pinion was a new macro for the garden list and other Autumnal favourites have included: Centre-barred Sallow, The Sallow, Barred Sallow, Lunar Underwing, Clancy's Rustic and Green-brindled Crescent. More pictures from Australia will be appearing on my Flickr site.
Southern Cassowary
Platypus
Brown-spot Pinion
Barred Sallow
We've reached the end of another month and the total for this year's garden moth list stands at 342. This figure is much better than last year when at the same time it had only reached 273. Since my last post, again to my surprise, I've recorded the 9th. species of Clearwing Moth in the garden this year: Raspberry Clearwing. Also Bordered White was new for the site and Jersey Tigers are becoming more common. Elsewhere the Bonaparte's Gull retuned to Oare Marshes for its 9th year.
Raspberry Clearwing
Halfway through the year and the Moth Trap number of species is 211 for the first 6 months. Colder nights recently have kept numbers down but at the same stage last year the figure was only 180. Elsewhere the Heath Fritillaries and Ringlets were showing well at North Bishopden Wood a few days ago, and yesterday I went over to Hothfield Common where the Keeled Skimers were on the wing with Four-spottted Chasers and a Broad-bodied Chaser.
Heath Fritillary
Since recently returning from 2 weeks in Alberta, Canada, I've recorded 3 species of Clearwing Moths in the garden and also trapped a new Pyralid: Elegia similella. Pictures from my Canada trip will be on my Flickr site over the next few weeks: https://www.flickr.com/photos/34579661@N04/
Red-belted Clearwing
Since my last post I've recorded 2 new micro species for the garden list: Pammene suspectana and the Spotted Shoot Moth Rhyacionia pinivorana. Pammene suspectana has only been recorded in Kent for the first time this year. I've also been shown my first Dormouse by the local Dormouse group, and a trip to Bonsai Bank produced good numbers of Duke of Burgundy Butterflies, Dingy Skippers and Green Hairstreaks.
Pammene suspectana
High presure and cold nights have generally continued to keep moth numbers down but there have been a few interesting species since my last post. With the help of a lure I my first Dewick's Plusia turned up in the trap on 26th April. This morning I recorded the 2nd Choclate-tip of the year-quite rare in my garden. Also 22nd April brought the first Toadflax Brocade of the year. Hobbies have arrived at Stodmarsh too.
Dewick's Plusia
Cold nights have generally kept moth numbers down but I have now reached 700 species on the garden list with addition of 2 micro species. Unfortunately the first one could only be narrowed down to being one of 2 species so has to be recorded as Caloptilia elongella/betulicola. The second one, Pammene giganteana turned up yesterday afternoon in the pheromone trap with a SKI lure. It's been a good spring for Garganey sightings at Oare/Stodmarsh/Dungeness and a Little Owl also showed well at Stodmarsh.
Caloptilia elongella/betulicola
Since my last post I've recorded 2nd records of Small Brindled Beauty and Spring Usher following the first ones in my last post. I've also had a Shoulder-stripe which is only my 3rd record and my first for 5 years. Interesting birds seen include the Iceland Gull at Rye Harbour, a Pink-footed Goose at Shalmsford Street. It's also been a good winter for Bramblings.
Shoulder Stripe
The year started with some very mild weather so the 2022 garden moth list stands at 3: Pale Brindled Beauty, Common Plume, and an Early Grey. Apparently the latter is the earliest record in Kent. Interesting birds seen since my last post include: The Little Bunting in Bexley, Grey Partridges at Sandwich Bay, the Little Gull at Chillenden and the Great Northern Diver in Dover Harbour.
Little Bunting
