The Whole Hog

An entirely cloudy night meant it was a good idea to trap in the garden, but with a fairly cool day, it was never going to break any records.  Having said that, I got the second best catch of the year in terms of species and individuals.  I thought there were no particular macro highlights at first, but I've just discovered to my great surprise, that Dingy Footman is in fact a garden tick!  Otherwise, just some nice micros.  As I was releasing the moths out of the lounge window as I usually do, a rustling in the bushes below the window caught my attention.  What appeared was a very tame half-grown Hedgehog, hoovering up some of the docile moths!  Cheeky thing.

7th August:
Macros:
19 LBBYU
8 Riband Wave
8 Small Fan-footed Wave
6 Large Yellow Underwing
5 Yellow-barred Brindle
4 Dot Moth
4 Uncertain
4 Common Rustic sp.
3 Willow Beauty
3 Dingy Footman NFG
3 Red Twin-spot Carpet
3 Silver Y
2 Dagger sp.
2 Bright-line Brown-eye
2 Coronet NFY
2 Dark Arches
2 Maiden's Blush
2 Ear Moth
2 True Lover's Knot
2 Scarce Footman
2 Rustic
2 Clay
2 Snout
1 Lesser Swallow Prominent
1 Iron Prominent
1 Garden Carpet
1 Svennson's Copper Underwing NFY
1 Engrailed
1 Yellow-tail NFY
1 Barred Red NFY
1 July Highflyer
1 Common Carpet
1 Early Thorn
1 Small Rivulet
1 Scalloped Oak
1 Pebble Hook-tip
1 Heart and Dart
1 Beautiful Hook-tip
1 Dunbar
1 Mottled Beauty
1 Common Footman
1 Slender Brindle
1 Pale Prominent
1 Bird's Wing

Micros:
12 Eudonia mercurella
4 Cydia splendana
3 Agriphila straminella
3 Phycita roborella
2 Agriphila tristella
2 Endotrichia flammealis
2 Blastobasis adustella
2 Phlyctaenia coronata
2 Acleris aspersana
1 Bryotropha terrella
1 Chrysoteuchia culmella
1 Dipleurina lacustrata
1 Coleophora sp.
1 Small Magpie
1 Orchard Ermine*
1 Carcina quercana
1 Bryotropha affinis
1 Catoptria pinella
1 Udea prunalis
1 Caloptilia elongella
1 Agapeta hamana
1 Hypsospygia glaucinalis
1 Caloptilia robustella*
1 Eudemis profundana

Hedgehog

Maiden's Blush

Common and Dingy Footman

Coronet

Pale Prominent

Barred Red

A very striking Scoparid, I think its a Eudonia mercurella

Orchard Ermine

Agriphila tristella

Caloptilia robustella

Eudemis profundana

Cloaked in drizzle, but we Hook quality!

I went to Thursley Common last night for a mothing event with David Gardner. Bill was able to come, although it was a shame he had to leave early. Particularly as we had a great time, with only average conditions. In drizzly, cold weather, we got small numbers, but high quality from this top-notch site. I got three lifers, and a possible fourth. When the very first macro we saw was a Silver Hook, I knew we were going to do well! I managed to net this wet heathland specialist before dusk. During the night itself, we were also graced by the presence of a Cloaked Carpet, and a female Grass Wave amongst others. You can't beat mothing with a serenade of Nightjar churring (I got some great views too, as a male endeavoured to catch the moths before me)!

Thursley Common, 24th June (in order of appearance):

Silver Hook*

Treble Brown-spot

Double-striped Pug

Snout

Lilac Beauty

Grey Pine Carpet

Pine Hawk

True Lover's Knot

Marbled White Spot

Cloaked Carpet*

Heart and Club

Tawny-barred Angle

Mottled Beauty

Green Carpet

Middle-barred Minor

Brown Rustic

Smoky Wainscot

Beautiful Hook-tip

Lobster

Scalloped Hook-tip

Striped Wainscot

Barred Red

Riband Wave

Marbled Brown

Grass Wave*

Dunbar

Yellow Shell

Willow Beauty

Small Fan-footed Wave

Double Square-spot

Large Yellow Underwing

Small Seraphim

Possible Square Spot (it was much smaller than nearby Mottled Beauty)

(Forgotten the name of this micro!)

Beautiful Hook-tip

Striped Wainscot

Lilac Beauty and Barred Red

Scalloped Hook-tip

Grass Wave

Cloaked Carpet

Silver Hook

Two hundred not out!

As expected, in warm, but still clear conditions, I managed to get my two hundredth garden moth, alongside my two hundred and first, and two hundred and second! Numbers remain very constant with 46 moths of 25 species this morning, that included a Clouded Silver, which is completely new to me, a Poplar Grey, and a Barred Red. Also a few new for the year including Straw Dot, which is only my second record. Also only my second was a Marbled Brown, but that got eaten in the trap by a Burrying Beetle!

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22nd June:

17 Heart and Dart

2 May Highflyer

2 Spectacle

2 Ingrailed Clay

2 Dark Arches

2 Middle-barred Minor

1 Straw Dot NFY

1 Buff-tip

1 Clouded Silver NFG

1 Mottled Beauty

1 Light Emerald

1 Barred Red NFG

1 Green Pug NFY

1 Maiden's Blush

1 Common Marbled Carpet

1 Riband Wave NFY

1 Common Wave

1 Willow Beauty

1 Common White Wave NFY

1 Treble Lines

1 Scorched Wing

1 Marbled Brown

1 Heart and Club

1 Fan-foot NFY

1 Poplar Grey NFG

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Also, a pretty micro I identified as Phlyctaenia coronata

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Phlyctaenia coronata

The Fan-foot

Heart and Club

Green Pug

Barred Red

Clouded Silver

Poplar Grey

A Ghost at Thursley Generates Some Warmth

I had my first run out with my newly acquired generator at Thursley Common last night, but it was pretty hopeless, thanks to chilly conditions. Luckily, David Gardner was running his 'monster' trap as well, so we were able to get some good macros, as well as important micro records.

Up to 0:00, we got only twelve macro species, but these did inlcude new moths for me of Ghost Swift and two Barred Red. Also nice to get Pine and Elephant Hawk-moths. A geometrid which I netted nearby caused some excitment, as it was initially thought to be a first-for-surrey Lead Belle or rare-for-surrey July Belle. The very worn creature is going to be gen. deted, but it is thought to probably be just a Tawny-barred Angle (yes it was that worn!).

2 Pine Hawk-moth

2 Spruce Carpet

2 Barred Red

2 Buff Ermine

1 Treble Brown Spot

1 Flame Shoulder

1 Treble Lines

1 Ghost Swift

1 Ture Lovers Knot

1 Elephant Hawk-moth

1 Brown Silver-line

Ghost Swift

Pine Hawk-moth

Barred Red

Elephant Hawk-moth