Another bumper Moth haul today.

 Thursday 13^th August 2026.

Two of the three Large Thorns this morning.

Apparently, we have reached our peak today of this current heatwave, though temperatures will reach at least 35 degrees here in the south. It was quite warm when I took the dogs for their early morning walk and now at 8.30am, it is certainly going to get a lot warmer as the day progresses.

The news is full of yesterday’s solar eclipse, which I must admit was a little anticlimactic compared with the total eclipse I saw 27 years ago. Even so, it must have been exciting for anyone who was not around then. Sadly, firefighters are still in the New Forest monitoring the recent fire near the A31, and the road is expected to remain closed until at least the weekend, mainly for repairs. This morning, another fire broke out near the A34. Unbelievably, two young people were also caught red-handed on Hayling Island trying to start a fire in a field. Let’s hope the authorities deal with them appropriately.

 

My Moth Box:

This Common Daisy Moth was only my second ever.

Another strong moth total this morning, with 130 moths of 44 species recorded. This is the highest species count I have had this year, and it may rise further if the heatwave continues. Despite the large numbers, only one species was new for the year: the micro-moth Common Daisy Moth (Dichrorampha acuminatana), only the second I have ever seen.

Above, one of two Turnip Moths today and below, the tiny Horse-chestnut Leafminer.

Up to THREE Large Thorns were present this morning and this was joined by a Canary-shouldered Thorn that was perched on the lid of the Box. Possibly the same 6 Garden Tigers were still present in and around the Moth Box this morning, though only 3 Golden Twin-spots. Four Portland Ribbon Waves were recorded which was a garden record count of this species.

Canary-shouldered Thorn.

Migrant moths this morning included two Small Mottled Willows, White-point, Turnip Moth, Rusty-dot Pearl (Udea ferrugalis) and Olive-tree Pearl (Palpita vitrealis). The Moths recorded this morning were as follows:

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Garden Tiger x6	Rusty-dot Pearl x7
Golden Twin-spot x3	Common Plume x6
Setaceous Hebrew Character x1	Blushed Knot-horn x1
L-album Wainscot x4	Apple Leaf Miner x13
Common Wainscot x1	Box Tree Moth x2
Willow Beauty x1	Tree-mallow Tortrix x1
Large Thorn x3	Chestnut Tortrix x1
Canary-shouldered Thorn x1	Mother of Pearl x1
Blair’s Mocha x2	Olive-tree Pearl x2
Bright-line Brown-eye x4	Light Brown Apple Moth x9
Lime-speck Pug x5	Hawthorn Moth x1
Portland Ribbon Wave x4	Codling Moth x2
Double-striped Pug x6	Garden Pebble x2
Lime-speck Pug x5	Long-horned Flat-body x1
Clay x1	Common Mompha x1
Brimstone Moth x1	Horse-chestnut Leafminer x1
Heart & Dart x1	Dark-bordered Pearl x1
Garden Carpet x1	Common Daisy Moth * x1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x9
Small Mottled Willow x2
Pale Mottled Willow x10
Small Dusty Wave x1
Cabbage Moth x2
Turnip Moth x2
White-point x1
Common Rustic x3

 

While checking the Moth Box, a high-flying Swallow was heard and then seen flying south over the houses.

A Large Thorn moth added to my year list.

 Wednesday 12^th August 2026.

Only my second ever Large Thorn moth was found near the Moth Box.

I made sure I had my fleece on this morning as the temperature in the garden was in single figures. However, over the next few days, the heatwave will peak and get up to 35 degrees with very light easterly wind. Another large haul of Moths again this morning including another moth that was new for the year.

The UK is oncourse for the hottest year on record and something that we will all have to get used to in the future. On top of this, today, the UK will experience a 96% near full eclipse of the sun around 7.30pm tonight and this is followed by a big meteor shower late tonight. Could be interesting!

My Moth Box:

One of three Portland Ribbon Waves today.

My first Large Thorn of the year was found near the moth box at 5.45am this morning. It is a stunning species and only the second one I have ever recorded in my garden.

There was a slight increase in numbers, with 121 moths of 35 species recorded. The catch also included a noticeable rise in some of the scarcer species.

Migrant species recorded

Olive-tree Pearl.

·        Up to three Portland Ribbon Waves — the highest number I have recorded in my garden in a single day.

·        Two Small Mottled Willows.

·        Two White-points.

·        Seven Golden Twin-spots — the highest total so far this year.

·        Eight Rusty-dot Pearls and one Olive-tree Pearl among the micro-moths.

This morning also produced the highest counts of the year for both Garden Tiger and Blair’s Mocha, with six and three recorded respectively.

The most abundant species were Apple Leaf Miners, followed closely by Light Brown Apple Moths.

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Large Thorn * x1	Common Plume x4
Garden Tiger x6	Gold Triangle x1
Portland Ribbon Wave x3	Box Tree Moth x6
Double-striped Pug x4	Light Brown Apple Moth x10
Lime-speck Pug x3	Tree-mallow Tortrix x1
Marbled Beauty x2	Hawthorn Moth x1
Bright-line Brown-eye x5	Rusty-dot Pearl x8
Small Mottled Willow x2	Blushed Knot-horn x2
Blair’s Mocha x3	Apple Leaf Miner x15
Shuttle-shaped Dart x7	Meal Moth x1
Heart & Dart x1	Garden Mompha x1
White-point x2	Coleophora sp. X1
Small Ranunculus x1	Olive-tree Pearl x1
Golden Twin-spot x7	Common Grass-moth x1
Common Rustic x4	Codling Moth x1
Small Dusty Wave x1
L-album Wainscot x2
Common Wainscot x1
Pale Mottled Willow x8
Cabbage Moth x1

 

This Batman Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) was inside the Moth Box.

While checking the Moth Box, the only notable insect (apart from the Moths!) was a Batman Hoverfly perched on the inside of the Box.

The lovely view of Highland Terrace where I walk my dogs through every day. A gorgeous Eucalyptus Tree is growing in one of the gardens. The tree does provide a good Wood Pigeon roost and so you have to be careful where you tread when walking!

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea.

It had got a little darker when the eclipse was at its peak here in the Cemetery.

With all the excitement around this evening’s partial solar eclipse, I took the dogs for a walk through the cemetery. I still remember the total eclipse in 1999, when I was on the Isle of Wight; that was much darker and eerier than tonight’s event. While I was on the east side of the cemetery, a kind passer-by lent me a pair of eclipse glasses so I could view it safely. It was impressive, and I was very glad I had not risked looking directly at the sun and damaging my eyes.

Above, there was a large mixed flock of Gulls over the Cemetery this evening including this adult Black-headed Gull.

Above and below, one of two adult Mediterranean Gulls over the Cemy.

Apart from the Gulls, there were hardly any birds present, but I did find this male Blackbird in one of the Bushes in the southern half of the Cemetery.

I was hoping to see what the wildlife would make of the eclipse, for in 1999, a lot of birds, especially Starlings, all gathered up around midday as it became a lot darker and the birds were looking to go to roost. Not so this evening and in fact, yes, it did get a shade darker, but apart from a mixed flock of Black-headed, Herring and a couple of Mediterranean Gulls, very little was seen regarding the birdlife. A returning Pied Flycatcher was found in the New Forest this morning, which prompted me to check the trees within the Cemetery thoroughly. I saw one around this time of year several years ago, so what are the odds of one present this evening?

Above, a Painted Lady butterfly was near the main entrance.

Above, a Red Admiral and below, a Small White butterfly.

Above and below, two separate Red Admirals basking in the late evening sunshine.

There were actually more butterflies on the wing than birds, mostly Red Admirals, with at least four seen in one area chasing each other or basking in the evening sun. A Painted Lady was also basking near the main entrance, while a possible Hairstreak was seen high in the lone oak tree in the north-east corner of the site. Two Migrant Hawker dragonflies were nearby but showed no interest in the butterflies. I also saw what may have been two Common Darters hunting over the grass, although they were moving too quickly for a firm identification.

Another new Moth for my Life List.

 Tuesday 11^th August 2026.

Another new moth for my Life List, a FIG-LEAF SKELETONIZER micro moth.

The warm weather continues and it is Thursday that is set to be the hottest day of the week as another heat wave envelopes the southern half of the UK. A clear blue sky overhead this morning and you would of thought it was a Winters morning as the temperature in my garden was most certainly in single figures. In fact, I wished I had worn a fleece instead of shorts and a Polo shirt! However, as the morning wore on, the temperature climbed dramatically as it got up to the mid 70’s by 11am.

My day, as per usual, kicked off with the Moth Box and I was rewarded with 106 moths of 39 species. In among them was a surprise Skeletonizer micro moth. Though I have seen this species before, I thought it was the Apple Leaf Skeletonizer, which I had my first ever one last year. However, on closer inspection, it was a FIG-LEAF SKELETONIZER (Choreutis nemorana), which was a ‘Lifer’ and now added to my Moth Life List. Incredible stuff!

On a more serious note, the superb Firefighters had worked overnight again to contain the flames in the New Forest, by the A31, that was caused by a Van fire on Sunday evening. But again, a huge area of the New Forest is lost along with a lot of wildlife, and the Firefighters will be there for the next few days to make sure it stays under control.

 

My Moth Box:

My first Vestal moth of the year.

As well as the amazing news about the FIG-LEAF SKELETONIZER, there was a host of excellent migrant Moths this morning that included my first Vestal of the year. This smart little moth is a sort after species for those into Moths and at last, one graced my Moth Box this morning on one of the egg trays. Other migrant Moths included up to FOUR Golden Twin-spots, a White-point, 2 Small Mottled Willow, Portland Ribbon Wave, Tree-lichen Beauty, 2 Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella), 2 Dark-bordered Pearl (Evergestis limbate), 7 Rusty-dot Pearl (Udea ferrugellis) and an Olive-tree Pearl (Palpita vitrealis).

Above, my first Common Wainscot moth of the year and below, one of two Dark-bordered Pearl moths.

Another Portland Ribbon Wave in my garden this morning.

Also present was my first Common Wainscot of the year on one of the egg trays with other notable Moths including 4 Garden Tigers, Blair’s Mocha and the micro moths Gold Triangle (Hypsopygia costalis) and Tree-mallow Tortrix (Crocidosema plebejana). The hottest day of the week is yet to come, so what Moths will that evening produce? Tomorrow evening should be interesting as a near full eclipse of the sun is to take place early evening and a meteor shower at night!

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Garden Tiger x4	Common Plume x7
Golden Twin-spot 4	Apple Leaf Miner x9
Double-striped Pug 5	Box Tree Moth x3
Lime-speck Pug x2	Gold Triangle x1
Vestal * x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x7
Small Dusty Wave x5	Rush Veneer x2
Blair’s Mocha x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x7
White-point x1	FIG-LEAF SKELETONIZER x1
Garden Carpet x1	Dark-bordered Pearl x2
Riband Wave x1	Common Grass-moth x2
Shuttle-shaped Dart x5	Ruddy Streak x3
Bright-line Brown-eye x1	Olive-tree Pearl x1
L-album Wainscot 3	Tree-mallow Tortrix x1
Common Wainscot * x1	Hampshire Dowd x1
Common Rustic x5	Coleophora sp x1
Pale Mottled Willow x8	Meal Moth x1
Large Yellow Underwing x2
Small Mottled Willow x2
Marbled Beauty x2
Portland Ribbon Wave x1
Tree-lichen Beauty x1
Cloaked Minor x1

While checking the Moth Box, sadly no Willow Warblers calling deep within the gardens, but two very high-flying singing Swallows were heard only, somewhere high in the blue sky. When I took my dogs for their very early morning, I had just come out of Highland Terrace when I heard a juvenile Sparrowhawk flying overhead and I managed to get a few glimpses of the calling bird as it made its way south high over Highland Road Cemetery.

 

In Hampshire today:

A couple of Common Sandpipers on Titchfield Haven today. Photo by Daz Gorman.

At Titchfield Haven today, up to 7 Spoonbills graced the Reserve and 4 Common Sandpipers in front of the Meonshore Hide. On the beach at Hill Head, up to 89 Turnstone were present along with 4 Sanderling. 3 Curlew Sandpipers were on the Lake on Farlington Marshes, while over at Hook-with-Warsash, a Whinchat was present. An Osprey was reported over Eling Great Marsh, Southampton.

A Willow Warbler at Northney Paddocks. Photo by Andy Friend.

Away from Birds, both the Long-tailed Blue butterflies on Portsdown Hill and the Queen of Spain Fritillaries near Basingstoke were being reported today.