Another Hawk-moth species for my Moth Year List.

 Thursday 2nd July 2026.

My first Privet Hawk-moth for this year.

A bit of a damp start to the day with some drizzle coming down this morning from an overcast sky. There was a breezy south-westerly blowing and quite strong at times first thing, but easing off as the day wore on. Around 10am, then the clouds started to thin out and bright sunshine was afoot. The temperature was around 15 degrees, although it increased in the afternoon.

Moth numbers were declining again, but I was still rewarded with another excellent ‘year-ticks’ that included one very large Moth and one very small Moth! Pembroke Road was fairly quiet regarding the birds, but there was an awful lot of traffic going through due to commuters taking a different route due to the roadworks closing off a major road through Portsmouth. In fact, there are so many roads closed off in Portsmouth, it's adding to the frustration of all the motorists on the island.

It was good to read that a couple of brain dead youths were arrested by the Police yesterday after Feral Pigeons were targeted by these idiots, killing dozens of them or injuring the birds under South Parade Pier. Fume! OK, they are a common bird and some consider them a pest, but to kill them with Catapults is absolutely horrendous. It certainly got a strong reaction on Social Media about these disgusting kids.

My Moth Box:

My first Hampshire Dowd moth of the year.

Another Hawk-moth graced my garden this morning when I discovered the very large Privet Hawk-moth inside one of the egg trays. These are also virtually annual now to my garden although this individual was a bit tatty. Still, a cracking Moth to see for the first time this year. On the opposite side of large, the very small Hampshire Dowd (Blastobasis phycidella) was resting on the edge of the Moth Box. I am not sure how or why its vernacular name has been changed from Black-banded to Hampshire Dowd is anyone’s guess.

Above, I placed the Privet Hawk-moth carefully in one of my plants and below, a Single-dotted Wave was near the Moth Box, perched on one of the Garden Pots.

Other notable Moths this morning included a Small Ranunculus, which is now getting more common as the years go on here in my garden. The most numerous Moths this morning were the Garden Grass-veneers with 9 present this morning and also 8 Riband Waves. A total of 64 Moths of 29 species were identified. I did get a few Moths that were inconclusive as they needed dissecting to ascertain their exact ID. The Moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Privet Hawk-moth * x1	Garden Grass-veneer x9
Bright-line Brown-eye x4	Garden Grey x1
Uncertain x1	Mother of Pearl x1
White Ermine x1	Common Masoner x3
Lesser Yellow Underwing x1	Hampshire Dowd * x1
Heart & Dart x2	Rosy Tabby x3
Lackey x3	Barred Yellowneck x1
Dark Arches x2	Blushed Knot-horn x1
Common Emerald x1	Apple Leaf Miner x9
Riband Wave x8	Large Pale Masoner x2
Double-striped Pug x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x1
Single-dotted Wave x1	Box Tree Moth x2
Lime-speck Pug x1	Bird-cherry Ermine x1
Small Ranunculus x1
Common Rustic agg. x1

Another Broad Centurian was in my Moth Box again before I released it.

The only other insect within the Moth Box this morning was a Broad Centurion Soldier Fly. While walking the dogs before my first shift this morning, I heard a Green Woodpecker calling frequently as I walked past Highland Road Cemetery which was only the second time I have heard one here this year!

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

A Marmalade Hoverfly was perched on the Hibiscus Bush this morning.

The overcast conditions and blustery wind in Pembroke Road made the morning quiet though I did get up to around 12 bird species during my first shift. Several Swifts were sailing low over the area and the House Sparrows were most noisy this morning around the Bowling Green. The usual three Gull species were on show again and a probable Med Gull flew south, but I didn’t get to see it till late before disappearing behind the trees.

A smart Pine Hawk-moth to start July.

 Wednesday 1st July 2026.

This stunning Pine Hawk-moth was my first of the year.

Now we enter the second half of the year and July promises to be another warm month, but will it be as hot as June? Last month broke all heat records in the UK and with a possible heatwave next week forecast, it could well be. My highest species total for the year was recorded in June with a whopping 135 species recorded and included some rarities and ‘Lifers’ and hopefully, this month will reflect that total or possibly more?

July started off with two more Moths that were new for the year and another pleasantly warm day. Pembroke Road had all the usual birds present and was always good to get into double figures regarding the species count. My garden got in on the act late in the afternoon with four species of Butterflies and before I forget, the Pipistrelle Bat was over the gardens late in the evening once again. Such a delightful thing to watch and so more interesting than watching those awful Soaps on TV (sorry wifee!).

My Moth Box:

Another new Moth for the year, this micro moth Chestnut Tortrix.

July kicked off with a reasonable total of Moths with 79 moths of 32 species recorded this morning. Another 5.15am start and easily the ‘Moth of the Morning’ was my first Pine Hawk-moth of the year that was sitting on one of the outside egg trays. This species is virtually annual now to my garden and always a pleasure to see such a fresh specimen by my Moth trap. Another new Moth for the year was the micro moth Chestnut Tortrix (Cydia splendana), although this individual was quite a dark type and normally quite obvious to look at, so I did a double check to make sure of its ID.

Above, one of three Common Rustic aggs and below, a pair of Apple Leaf Miners.

Other notable Moths this morning included both Snout and Bloxworth Snout and up to three Common Rustic species of Moth; however, what species of Common Rustic can only be told by dissection. Another Cabbage Moth for the week was notable too. Among the micro moths, a Meal Moth (Pyralis farinalis) was perched on the outside guttering and a very good count of 13 Apple Leaf Miners (Lyonetia clerkellla) were recorded. It is such a tiny Moth that it can easily be overlooked and I am so pleased that they are very bright white in colour, but you need a Magnifying Glass to notice the brightly coloured tail on these micro moths. The Moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Pine Hawk-moth * x1	Bud Moth x1
Willow Beauty x3	Garden Grey x1
Double-striped Pug x3	Common Plume x1
Lime-speck Pug x1	Apple Leaf Miner x13
Lackey x5	Garden Grass-veneer x8
Riband Wave x7	Barred Marble x2
Common Emerald x2	Meal Moth x1
Pale Mottled Willow x1	Rosy Tabby x2
Common Footman x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x2
Dark Arches x5	Bee Moth x1
Snout x1	Box Tree Moth x1
Bloxworth Snout x1	Bird-cherry Ermine x2
Cabbage Moth x1	Large Pale Masoner x1
Garden Carpet x1	Chestnut Tortrix * x1
Common Rustic agg. x3

Other insects within the Moth Box this morning included a Cinnamon Sedge Caddisfly and the brightly coloured Broad Centurion Soldier Fly.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

The Green east of the Bowling Green is starting to look very yellow due to lack of rain.

I managed to record up to 13 bird species from both shifts in Pembroke Road and unlike yesterday, it was bright and sunny and lasted right through the day where temperatures got up into the middle 70’s. Once again, all the usual species were present including three species of Gull: Great Black-backed, Herring and Black-headed Gulls. The House Sparrows were calling repeatedly over by the Bowling Green, although there was a lot of hedge maintenance by the Ground Staff this morning, hence no Pied Wagtails on the Green itself. An Oystercatcher was heard calling distantly somewhere around the Curtain Moat area, but no sighing, sadly.

Above, this Garden Spider was the biggest I have seen yet this year and below, a Harlequin Ladybird was also by the Hibiscus Bushes.

A few insects were noteworthy by the Hibiscus Bushes, which included a few Buff-tailed Bumblebee’s, a couple of Garden Spiders (including one rather big one; the others are tiny!) and a few butterflies going past included a Red Admiral and a Small White. 

My Garden:

After my second shift, while consuming a nice cold drink while sitting in the back garden, I recorded four species of Butterfly during the 15 minutes I was there that included a Red Admiral, Holly Blue, Small White and a Painted Lady. A lot of my Buddleia has died off now and not many flowers are on show, but the Butterflies are still coming in, which is excellent news.  

Much fewer Moths this morning in cooler conditions.

Tuesday 30th June 2026.

One of two Plumed Fan-foot moths this morning.

I was up early to check the Moth Box this morning and it was somewhat overcast first thing this morning (5.15am), which later on my first shift at Pembroke Road, brought in the rain. It didn't last too long, around a few hours at the most here in Southsea and then bright sunshine from about 10 am onwards with a light south-westerly wind coming in off the Solent.

I knew I wasn't going to see the large Moth numbers I got last week during that heatwave, but still a reasonable total. Another heatwave is expected next week if you believe what you read on Social Media. We shall see. Fairly quiet in Pembroke Road and the wet weather brought out the Snails around my feet by the Hibiscus Bushes

 

My Moth Box:

The Small Ranunculus moth. This was my 3rd of this species this year.

My first Moth trap for this week produced much lower numbers than last week, which was expected, but 62 moths of 28 species was reasonable given the weather conditions. Though there was nothing new for the year, there was an interesting variety present that included the rare Plumed Fan-foots, a species that isn't very common in Hampshire.

One of six Rosy Tabby moths this morning.

Common Footman and Small Ranunculus are always nice moths to get in the Moth Box and this morning, there were a good total of 6 Rosy Tabby’s (Endotricha flammealis) in and around the Box. A smart Mother of Pearl (Patania ruralis) was at the base of the Moth Box and two Privet Tortrix (Clepsis consimilana) was the other species notable among the many micros this morning.

Left, a Lackey moth and right, a Rufous Pearl moth.

Incidentally, when I release the Moths, I have two large plants growing close by and by gently tapping the egg trays, they normally all end up in here and hide from the marauding House Sparrows! Others are scooped up in one of the Moth Pots and let free immediately to fly off across the garden and into cover. The Moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
White Ermine x2	Apple Leaf Miner x6
Plumed Fan-foot x2	Privet Tortrix x2
Common Footman x1	Rosy Tabby x6
Cabbage Moth x1	Blushed Knot-horn x5
Common Emerald x5	Beautiful Plume x1
Lackey x4	Rusty-dot Pearl x2
Small Ranunculus x1	Garden Grey x1
Dark Arches x2	Light Brown Apple Moth x2
Heart & Dart 1	Brown House Moth x2
Riband Wave x2	Mother of Pearl x1
Bright-line Brown-eye x1	Box Tree Moth x1
Lime-speck Pug x1	Large Pale Masoner x1
Rufous Pearl x1	Ruddy Streak x3
	Garden Grass-veneer x3
	Barred Marble x1

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

I suppose the rain didn’t help, but there were only 10 bird species recorded this morning of which all the usual birds were seen. The Wren was heard singing a few times in the distance and one flew out of its nesting site close to where I stand in Pembroke Road. Good to see it's still present. The usual Herring Gulls were abundant and there was just the one sighting of a Great Black-backed Gull this morning.

One of many Snails present this morning. This individual was in the Hibiscus Bushes, with many on the footpath.

A few Buff-tailed Bumblebees braved the rain and lingered around the Lavender plants and as mentioned, the rain brought out the Snails as I carefully scooped a few off the footpath so they didn’t get squished!

Above, a Purple Emperor butterfly, of which I hope to see one this year and below, Mute Swans mate for life and this photo simply goes to prove it. Both photos by Emma Parkes.

This evening, it was time to water the garden again and as expected, Moths came flying out of the plants and other vegetation and that included two Single-dotted Waves, a Common Emerald and a Rufous Pearl. Both Small White and Red Admiral butterflies were in and out of the garden and to round things off for today, a Batman Hoverfly perched in the last rays of the sun.