Up on the Downs again

Another attempt at Pewley Downs last evening with Paul Wheeler gave limited success, despite the warm start. Don't get me wrong, plenty of nice moths were seen, but nothing new. Best was probably my second Clouded Brindle, Festoon, and Triple-spotted Clay (I still can't 'do' the latter!).

CORRECTION: In the blog entry for the Pewley Downs session on June 3rd, the Coronet I have labelled as Varied, is in fact a Marbled, which is a lifer!

Pewley Down, July 3rd:

Dark Umber

Brown Scallop

Brown-line Bright-eye

Cloaked Minor

Dunbar

Light Arches

Reddish Light Arches

Scarce Footman

Silver Y

Clay

Fan-foot

Riband Wave

Dusky Sallow

Heart and Dart

Heart and Club

Dingy Shears

Brimstone

Large Yellow Underwing

Clouded Silver

Swallow-tail

White Point

Pine Hawk

Buff Arches

Dark Arches

Double-striped Pug

Small Purple-barred

Coronet

Pretty Chalk Carpet

Common Carpet

Dark Sword-grass

Flame

July Highflyer

Elephant Hawk

Smoky Wainscot

Triple-spotted Clay

Mottled Beauty

Scalloped Oak

Festoon

Clouded Brindle

Clouded Brindle

Pine Hawk

Pretty Chalk Carpet

Small Purple-barred

Triple-spotted Clay

little and large (clouded brindles)

I found a clouded brindle in my shed a couple of nights ago. I thought that it might be interesting to post it above a small clouded brindle from last year.
small clouded brindle

clouded brindle

Brockham leaves me speachless

What an incredible night, I don't have any superlatives left. I went trapping at Brockham Quarry near Dorking last night with David Gardner, hoping to get some chalk specialists.

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I must admit I expected there to be a few moths, including lifers, at this honey-pot site on a warm night, but I was not prepared for the onslaught we experienced. To seasoned moth'ers, this was probably only an above-average night at best, but for me it was incredible, with 65 macros recorded by the end of the night.

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In the end, I managed to see seven new species, including some specialists such as Reddish Light Arches and Galium Carpet. Nice to get a visit from only my second Privet Hawk-moth too. Plenty of pretty micros were seen as well, such as Oncocera semirubella.

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By morning we got (* = lifer):

3 Brown Rustic

2 Common Carpet

6 Brimstone

5 Riband Wave

8 Mottled Beauty

10 Willow Beauty

3 Barred Yellow

3 Beautiful Hook-tip

2 Common Emerald

9 Light Emerald

4 Peach Blossom

1 Small Yellow Wave*

7 Coronet

2 Flame Shoulder

5 Common Marbled Carpet

5 Fern*

2 Marbled White Spot

4 Pretty Chalk Carpet

1 Mullein Wave

2 Large Yellow Underwing

1 Small Phoenix

1 Privet Hawk-moth

1 Clay

2 Buff Arches

3 Double Square-spot

2 Currant Pug (as well as a large amount of unidentified pugs!)

1 Setaceous Hebrew Character

1 Common Wainscot

2 Clouded Brindle*

1 Reddish Light Arches*

3 Treble Brown Spot

2 White Ermine

1 Lobster

2 Dark Arches

5 Heart and Dart

1 Swallow-tailed Moth

1 Middle-barred Minor

1 Light Feathered Rustic*

2 Green Carpet

4 Grey Arches

1 Lilac Beauty

1 Purple Clay

1 Uncertain

2 July Highflyer

1 Shears

1 Silver-ground Carpet

1 Barred Straw

1 Orange Footman

1 Treble Lines

1 Galium Carpet*

3 Peppered Moth

2 White-pinion Spotted

1 Short-cloaked Moth*

2 Mottled Rustic

3 Purple Bar

5 Common White Wave

2 Clouded Border

1 Clouded Silver

2 Scarce Footman

4 Common Wave

1 Heart and Club

1 Marbled Minor

1 Small Blood Vein

3 May Highflyer

1 Green Pug

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Small Yellow Wave

Short-cloaked Moth

Oncecera semirubella

Reddish Light Arches

Privet Hawk-moth

Peach Blossom
Mullein Wave
Lobster Moth
Light Feathered Rustic
July Highflyer
Galium Carpet
Fern
Common Emerald
Clouded Brindle