Another micro added to year list.

Tuesday 30th August 2022.

The Large Fruit-tree Tortrix was a bonus this morning. 

It was a cool start to the morning with a north-easterly breeze blowing across the garden, but a ‘pink sky’ dawn arose as I went about checking the moths in and around the moth box this morning. There was only one new moth for the year today, a smart looking Large Fruit-tree Tortrix; but it was pretty much all the usual moths, but still a reasonable number.

Above, the Clay moth by the moth box (top) and the micro moth Blastobasis rebeli. Below, the Carnation Tortrix.

There were 137 moths of 36 species this morning with 30 of those being Pale Mottled Willows and 17 Double-striped Pugs. A few migrant moths among them including Pearly Underwing, Clancy’s Rustic, Silver Y and a Rusty-dot Pearl, but most likely a lot of the Pale Mottled Willows were migrants too. Only my second Clay moth of the year was present by the box and among the micros, my second Carnation Tortrix of the year and Agriphila tristella are returning too.  Apologies about the quality of the moth photos, but its something I am currently working on.

Agriphila tristella are returning to my garden.

The moths present this morning included the following:

• 1 Garden Carpet
• 6 Bright-line Brown-eye
• 4 Willow Beauty
• 17 Double-striped Pug
• 8 Lime-speck Pug
• 6 Marbled Beauty
• 9 Vine’s Rustic
• 30 Pale Mottled Willow
• 3 Setaceous Hebrew Character
• 1 Angle Shades
• 3 Brimstone Moth
• 1 Pearly Underwing
• 2 Large Yellow Underwing
• 2 L-album Wainscot
• 4 Small Dusty Wave
• 1 Yellow-barred Brindle
• 1 Clancy’s Rustic   
• 7 Square-spot Rustic
• 3 Shuttle-shaped Dart
• 1 Riband Wave
• 1 Silver Y
• 1 Clay
• 1 Garden Tiger
• 1 Blastobasis rebeli
• 1 Rusty-dot Pearl
• 9 Common Plume
• 1 Agriphila geniculea
• 2 Box Tree Moth
• 2 Agriphila tristella
• 2 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 1 Celypha striana
• 1 Anania coronata
• 1 Tachystola acroxantha
• 1 Carnation Tortrix
• 1 Large Fruit-tree Tortrix (NFY)
• 1 Mint Moth

While checking the moths, I finally got a bit of ‘Vis Mig’ over my house when a flock of 10 Yellow Wagtails flew over in a tight bunch, all heading eastbound over the rooftops. Hants Rarities Whatsapp site is reporting the return of the Pink-footed Goose among the Grey Lag Geese flock at Fleet Pond and the Pectoral Sandpiper was still on Butts Lagoon, Pennington Marshes this morning. Birding pal, Geoff Farwell spent last Sunday and Monday on Farlington Marshes and yesterday, he notched up the following sightings: Osprey, 11 Whinchat, Wheatear, 2 Sand Martin, Whimbrel, 2 Avocet, 28 Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper and a Sanderling.  

The Pink-footed Goose (right) at Fleet Pond with Grey Lag Geese this morning. Photo by Andy Friend.