Another large haul of Moths today and it is getting hotter!

 Friday 22nd May 2026.

The warm weather is most certainly on its way and with overnight temperatures in the double figures, I wasn't surprised to get another good haul of Moths early this morning. I was even up at 4.45am to hopefully catch a few Moths before they flew off as dawn arose. Pembroke Road in Old Portsmouth was fairly warm at first thing this morning, but in the afternoon, the temperatures rose considerably as it got up to around 24 degrees. Tonight, I am off to Whiteley to hopefully see the Nightjars and Woodcocks that were seen here the night before. Fingers crossed.

My Moth Box:

My first Bee Moth of the year.

Another high turn out of Moths this morning that contained more micro moth species than macro moths! Among these were two new species for the year, a Bee Moth (Aphomia sociella) and the much smaller Mallow Seed Moth (Platyedra subcineria); both species that are common to my garden for this time of year. Yesterday’s Poplar Hawk-moth still shows no sign of moving on and remained on the outside egg tray this morning.

Above, this Mallow Seed Moth was my first for the year and below, a Brown House Moth, was only my second for the year.

A Cabbage Moth was perched on the white sheet and a Small Dusty Wave (only the second for the garden this year) was perched on the nearby fence panel. Yet again, there was a large number of Cypress Tip Moths present with at least 13 counted. A Black Cloak moth was present and I even managed to get some film footage of the very small Apple Leaf Miner in one of the pots. A good total of 57 moths of 21 species were recorded today, which surpassed yesterday's total. These were the following moths seen today:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Poplar Hawk-moth x1	Brown House Moth x1
Angle Shades x2	Apple Leaf Miner x1
Freyer’s Pug x2	Mallow Seed Moth * x1
Double-striped Pug x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x9
Cabbage Moth x1	Bee Moth * x1
Small Dusty Wave x1	Ruddy Streak x6
Shuttle-shaped Dart x1	Dark Moss-moth x2
Pale Mottled Willow x2	Cypress Tip Moth x13
Vine’s Rustic x2	Black Cloak x1
Buff Ermine x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x3
	Garden Mompha x5

A Black Cloak moth (left) and a Ruddy Streak moth.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

I managed to film the very small Apple Leaf Miner moth early this morning.

Finally, the Swifts were back over Old Portsmouth, with a pair seen several times flying high over Pembroke Road. A good count of 15 bird species were seen or heard today and that included three species of Gull and the Wren going back and forth to its nest despite work being carried out by a Painter nearby. Up to three Pied Wagtails were on the Bowling Green in the morning, but no sign of them in the afternoon as the temperature rose. 

The warm temperatures certainly brought out the Bees today, mostly Buff-tailed Bumblebees and Early Bumblebees, with many taking advantage of a flowering Palm Tree nearby and also the Echium plants in Pembroke Close. A Painted Lady butterfly was seen briefly flying around Pembroke Close but did not linger long enough for a photo.

Back in my Southsea garden, both Red Admiral and Holly Blue butterflies were seen; the latter producing at least 6 individuals dotted around the garden.

Highest Moth total in my garden for the year.

 Thursday 21st May 2026.

My 3rd Poplar Hawk-moth this year and the first for the garden.

An overcast start to the day though it was very mild and virtually no wind whatsoever. The temperatures actually got up to 17 degrees centigrade mid morning as I had to take my wife's car up to Waterlooville for an MOT! Once again, the Moth Box was on again overnight and I was rewarded with the highest number of Moths for the year so far! What with this heatwave on its way, who knows how many Moths will now turn up to my Moth Box. This Saturday's trip to Devon should be very good for Moths.

My Moth Box:

One of two Yellow-barred Brindle moths.

An excellent total of 49 moths of 17 species were recorded this morning and noticing it was overcast first thing this morning, I assumed the cloud cover came in overnight on a southerly wind as predicted. My 3rd Poplar Hawk-moth sighting for the year was in my garden, perched on the outside egg tray. This was the first one for the garden this year and hopefully not the last. Other notable moths included 2 Yellow-barred Brindle’s, 3 Freyer’s Pug, Angle Shades and also a whopping 14 Cypress Tip Moths! There must have been an explosion of the latter species as when I was walking the dog, I was sure I flushed several as I was walking down my road?

Above, three of the 14 Cypress Tip Moths recorded this morning and could have been many more around the garden. Below, an Angle Shades moth.

The Moths recorded this morning were as follows:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Poplar Hawk-moth x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x8
Freyer’s Pug x3	Ruddy Streak x3
Double-striped Pug x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x1
Buff Ermine x1	Cypress Tip Moth x14
Vine’s Rustic x4	Garden Mompha x2
Shuttle-shaped Dart x4
Bright-line Brown-eye x1
Marbled Minor x1
Pale Mottled Willow x1
Garden Carpet x1
Yellow-barred Brindle x2
Angle Shades x1

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

The very tall Echium plants growing in Pembroke Close near where I stood.

A good total of 14 bird species were recorded from my first shift here in Pembroke Road this morning with a male Sparrowhawk being the pick of the bunch. I saw the bird drifting off westbound towards Gosport, high over Governors Green before flying off distantly. This was my first raptor I have seen here all month! I shall be keeping an eye out this afternoon for passing raptors as fellow ‘Lazee Birder’, Andy Friend photographed as Honey Buzzard (see photo) over on the Isle of Wight!

The Wren was busy flying to and from its nest opposite where I stood, despite being interrupted by someone painting the window frames! Up to three Pied Wagtails were on the Bowling Green this morning, busy chasing insects and the House Sparrows were ‘chirruping’ heartely within the neighbouring hedgerow. Both the Holm Oaks and Sycamore trees are now in flower and no doubt will be encouraging the insects to pollinate them. There were a lot of Bumblebee’s around this morning, due to the very mild temperatures no doubt; with mostly Buff-tailed Bumblebees going about their business.

In Hampshire today:

Though not in Hampshire, this Honey Buzzard with a Carrion Crow was photographed over the Isle of Wight this morning; though the bird could make its way north to Hampshire today? Photo by Andy Friend.

From Sandy Point, Hayling Island, there was a report of an Arctic Skua sitting on the sea offshore and four Kittiwakes (2 adults and 2 juvs) heading east over the Solent. Up to three Spotted Flycatchers were seen around the Fort Widley area.

Locally, the Swifts were busy either flying low over the rooftops by my house in Southsea and the birds that are probably incubating eggs within the nestboxes were screeching frequently to attract their mates.

Another two more Moths for the year list.

 Wednesday 20th May 2026.

One of 7 Cypress Tip Moths this morning.

A heatwave is on its way here in the UK, just in time for not only the Bank Holiday, but also our trip to Devon this week. However, this morning, you would have never guessed it was on its way as there was a breezy westerly wind that kept the temperatures just into double figures. It was fairly bright though and in the afternoon, it did come out rather nice and the wind had dropped a bit too.

I couldn't resist putting the Moth Box overnight again and was rewarded with a couple more moths that were new for the year; but blink, then you would have missed them! Pembroke Road was relatively quiet again, with nothing that unusual among the birds seen today, but most of the usual suspects were present today.

My Moth Box:

My first Apple Leaf Miner of the year.

There were a lot more moths than yesterday this morning, with 28 moths of 12 species present today. A breezy wind blew over the garden and one of the outside egg trays was a bit soggy from yesterday's rain. Among them were two micro moths that were new for the year: the tiny Cypress Tip Moth (Argyresthia cupressella) and also the very small Apple Leaf Miner (Lyonetia clerkella). 

Among the notable macro moths, there was another White and Buff Ermine and my third Marbled Minor agg of the year. Also within the Moth Box was an Ichneumon Wasp species and my first Black-horned Gem fly for the year. This was a very small metallic Soldier Fly species and quite a stunning little insect too.

The Black-horned Gem. A Soldier Fly species.

The Moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
White Ermine x1	Cypress Tip Moth * x7
Buff Ermine x1	Light Brown Apple Moth
Shuttle-shaped Dart x4	Apple Leaf Minor * x2
Vine’s Rustic x2	Ruddy Streak x1
Heart & Dart x1
Marbled Minor agg x1
Common Pug x1
Garden Carpet x1

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

I got up to 13 bird species for the day, though all of them were seen on my morning shift at Pembroke Road. As mentioned, all the usual suspects were present this morning including the usual three species of Gull, the pair of Pied Wagtails on the Bowling Green and the Wrens going back and forth to their nest opposite to where I stood. The Great Tit was singing again in the Holm Oaks and the House Sparrows were quite vocal when I arrived this morning. 

The Ichneuman Wasp that was within my Moth Box today.

Grim weather but plenty of Moths and Birds.

 Tuesday 19th May 2026.

This is the photo of the Marbled Minor agg. A species that is regular to my garden and can turn up in various guises.

It was a horrible wet start to the day with non-stop rain that was driven by a strong south-westerly wind. Very uncomfortable on my first shift in Pembroke Road! However, it was relatively mild with temperatures around 16 degrees and even into the afternoon, when it was a lot dryer, though windy, it still remained mild. There is talk that temperatures are going to climb significantly by the weekend. We shall see.

I still had the Moth Box on overnight and I was very reluctant at first to check it in the rain, but I did pot an interesting Moth perched on the white sheet to check after I had walked the dogs.

My Moth Box:

A single Treble-lines moth was present in the Moth Box.

Despite the poor weather this morning, there were 16 moths of 11 species of which were mostly inside the Moth Box. The Moth I had potted earlier in the day was in fact my first Marbled Minor species. Unless I dissect the Moth, for it could be one of three species, I was more than happy to add it as an ‘agg’ for my year list. The Moth species present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MACRO MOTHS
Angle Shades x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x2
Pale Mottled Willow x1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x3
Silver Y x1
Marbled Minor agg. x1
Treble-lines x1
Heart & Dart x1
Vine’s Rustic x2
Double-striped Pug x1
Buff Ermine x1

A Silver Y moth was also within the Moth Box.

Apart from a couple of Snails taking advantage of my soggy egg trays on the outside of the Moth Box, there was also a Noble False Widow Spider settled in one of the trays!

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

As mentioned, the weather was appalling this morning with consistent rain and also a strong south-westerly wind to make life a bit more uncomfortable! However, I still managed to get up to 13 bird species seen and that included a very unexpected flock of 6 House Martins flying low west down the road. Most likely migrant birds, but leaving a bit late for breeding? Should there be a hot summer again this year, then maybe they might be OK.

The Wren was going back and forth with food to its nest opposite where I stand and I even told the owner of the house who already knew about the nesting Wren. I still have only had one sighting of Swifts over Old Portsmouth, so where are they? Have numbers really dropped that low or are they still making their way to the UK? There was no sign of the Pied Wagtails on the Bowling Green today and I can only think that the weather must have put them off? The first species noted this morning here was a Great Black-backed Gull flying high south over the road; a species that is not seen here a lot of the time. There were good numbers of Herring Gulls easily negotiating the strong winds overhead and several Black-headed Gulls also put in an appearance. I was 99% sure a Mediterranean Gull flew over, but I was busy at the time and did not got a good look at it before it flew off behind the Holm Oaks.

In Hampshire today:

Not a great deal reported today in the grim weather, but a flock of 50 Swifts over Fishlake Meadows late afternoon was notable and earlier today, there were 2 Cattle Egrets perched on the posts at the same site. A Spotted Flycatcher was reported at Northney Paddocks today. Here, at my house in Southsea, I can clearly hear the Swifts outside my house as two of the Swift Nestboxes have been occupied now for the past few weeks.

Some excellent Moths and nesting Wrens in Pembroke Road.

Monday 18th May 2026.

This cracking Golden Twin-spot moth was unexpected in my Moth Box this morning.

A mixed weather forecast today with the morning being bright and sunny with high clouds and this afternoon, overcast, breezy and a bit damp at times. I had the Moth Box on again overnight and it really paid off this time with a good haul of Moths and another three more that were new for the year. It was cold at 7am this morning and remained that way in the strong westerly wind all morning, despite being so bright.

Pembroke Road, in Old Portsmouth, was fairly quiet this morning, but I did get to see where a Wren was nesting as the parent birds were going in and out of their nest throughout the day.

My Moth Box:

Another superb Moth, a Satin Wave, was also present this morning; a species that is quite uncommon to my garden.

There were a few nice surprises early this morning when I discovered two very good moths for my year list: a Golden Twin-spot and a Satin Wave. The former was on one of the egg trays within the Moth Box and the latter was perched on the box itself. The Satin Wave is a very scarce moth for my garden and a very welcome addition to my year list; whereas the Golden Twin-spot is becoming more and more regular to my garden; especially in the Autumn where I can get into double figures some mornings.

My second Least Arches Moth for this year.

Another scarce moth is the Least Black Arches and I was pleased to find one sitting on the white sheet behind my Box. The other moth new for the year was a micro moth, the Pale-backed Detritus Moth (Monopis crocricapitella), a species that is regular in my garden every now and then. In total, there were 24 moths of 14 species present this morning. The Moths recorded this morning were as follows:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Golden Twin-spot * x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x2
Satin Wave * x1	Pale-backed Detritus Moth * x1
Least Black Arches x1	Ruddy Streak x2
Shuttle-shaped Dart x5	White-shouldered House Moth x1
Pale Mottled Willow x3
Double-striped Pug x1
Heart & Dart x1
Vine’s Rustic x3
Garden Carpet x1
Bright-line Brown-eye x1

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

It was bright at first and then got a lot colder and overcast in the afternoon.

As mentioned, though the number of species seen was just 13 seen from both shifts, I thoroughly enjoyed watching a pair of Wrens going in and out where they nested by someone's house. The male bird was singing occasionally nearby or it could have been possibly a 3rd bird in the vicinity. The Pied Wagtails came down to the Bowling Green again and this time there were 4 birds on the Green. I believe that they were a pair of juveniles joining their parents as I watched them chase insects over the Green.

This afternoon, the weather turned colder and a bit drizzly at times, but a pair of Mediterranean Gulls livened things up as they flew over my head and headed off southbound towards the seafront; my third species of Gull for the day. Surprisingly, not one Black-headed Gull was seen today.

In Hampshire today:

A Black Tern was seen in the Kench area of Hayling Island this afternoon and a couple of Hobbies were seen in the Southampton area. Over at Fishlake Meadows, at least 5 Water Rails were noted along with a female Marsh Harrier and 2 Cuckoo’s noted. All in all, a pretty quiet day in Hampshire.

Birding pal, Geoff Farwell went birding down Farlington Marshes yesterday and recorded the following birds: 3 Whimbrel, a Little Ringed Plover, 8 Avocets, Sparrowhawk, Lesser Whitethroat and up to 6 Bearded Tits with 2 youngsters. Fellow birder James Cutting took a trip into West Sussex yesterday and scored with a fine adult Temmincks Stint on the Ferry Pool and a Roseate Tern on Tern Island within Pagham Harbour. I, along with my family, took a trip over to Wickham yesterday to explore the Antique shop Chesapeake Mill, where I treated myself to a few items. They have a terrific little tea-room inside the shop and while having a Latte, a male Grey Wagtail perched on the roof guttering for all of us to see. The River Meon flows strongly adjacent to the Mill, so I wasn't too surprised to see one here today. On the trip there, both Kestrel and a Red Kite were seen flying over the M27.

The Roseate Tern (smallest Tern in photo) seen distantly on the Tern Island with Sandwich Terns in Pagham Harbour. Photo by James Cutting.