A good start on being back home.

Tuesday 2nd August 2022.

Garden Tiger moths have arrived in my garden with a good count of ten individuals present this morning.

My first morning back in the UK from holiday and it was back to the moths first thing this morning as I had set the alarm for 5.30am. Though a little later than normal ,it was a good call as there were no sign of any Sparrows by the moth box and with it being quite mild overnight, there was a reasonable selection of moths to go through, including my first Garden Tiger moths of the year. Fortunately for me, these moths are regular here around this time of year and I can get some impressive numbers of them plus the occasional Jersey Tiger.

Above, two new moths for my life list this morning included a Cochylis hybridella and below, Epinotia nigella.

There were two new micro moths that were not only new for the year, but also new for my life list: Epinotia nigella and Cochylis hybridella, which was a nice bonus and the Tiger Moths outnumbered all the other moth species. Autumn is just around the corner and with 6 Turnip moths present, there was evidence of that. A couple of Flame Shoulders were also new for the year, a species I surprisingly never got in my garden last year. All in all, a nice selection today. Two more micros I have yet to get identified will be added later today. A total of 82 moths of 26 species were recorded this morning.

One of two Flame Shoulders were present this morning. My first for a few years in my garden.

The Goldfinches were feeding among the local House Sparrows and Starlings this morning while I was checking the moths and although no Swifts were seen this morning, there was plenty of them calling last night outside my front window.

The following moths were present this morning:

• 10 Garden Tiger (NFY)
• 5 Brimstone Moth
• 6 Shuttle-shaped Dart
• 1 Bright-line Brown-eye
• 3 Pale Mottled Beauty
• 2 Flame Shoulder (NFY)
• 6 Turnip Moth
• 3 Lime-speck Pug
• 3 Willow Beauty
• 4 Cabbage Moth
• 1 Marbled Green
• 2 Common Rustic agg.
• 2 Double-striped Pug
• 1 Straw Dot
• 7 Common Plume
• 2 Beautiful Plume
• 7 Blastobasis adustella
• 2 Blastobasis rebeli
• 1 Chestnut Tortrix
• 2 Apple Leaf Miner
• 1 Agriphila straminela
• 3 Pyrausta aurata
• 5 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 1 Clepsis consimilana
• 1 Eudonia mercurella
• 1 Epinotia nigella (NFY + LIFER)
• 1 Cochylis hybridella (NFY + LIFER)
• 1 Rusty-dot Pearl
• 1 White-shouldered House Moth
• 1 Bloxworth Snout
• 1 Apodia bifractella (NFY)
• 1 Firethorn Leaf Miner 

An afternoon update: I was tidying up in the garden near the moth box, when up popped a Bloxworth Snout that briefly settled near the box, but on return with a moth pot, the moth had gone. However, I did find my first White-shouldered House Moth of the year perched on the kitchen window. Even better news was when I was checking the two moth pots I have in the fridge containing two moths I am waiting to ID. One of the very small micro moths was still too active to ID, however, using the Obidentify App, the other moth was my first ever Apodia bifractella.   

Above, my first ever Apodia bifractella micro moth. Not the best photo in the world but it will have to do. Below, the extremely tiny Firethorn Leaf Miner. Though relatively common, this is only the second one I have had in the moth box this year and brings to a close the outstanding moths trapped this morning.