Two Blair's Shoulder-knots added to year list.

Sunday 2nd October 2022.

One of two Blair's Shoulder-knot this morning.

After yesterday's Barred Sallow moth over at Andy’s house which added a really nice moth species to my increasing year list, this morning, I was blessed with 2 Blair’s Shoulder-knots to join the club. However, I had a bit of competition in keeping the moths dry as fine and occasionally, heavy rain was falling and trying to photograph them was going to be a challenge without getting soaked. I got lucky and missed the worst of the weather and I was very pleased with the variety of moths present this morning.

This Carnation Tortrix was only my 3rd ever.

The micro moth Crocidosema plebejana.

It was a balmy 15 degrees in Southsea this morning, but very grey and dark overhead as I took two attempts to record the moths this morning. A good total of 73 moths of 20 species were recorded today, which included a late Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, another Clancy’s Rustic (best year ever for this species here) and my 3rd ever Carnation Tortrix among the micro moths.

Top clockwise: Lesser Yellow Underwing, Blair's Shoulder-knot and Shuttle-shaped Dart. 

The moths present this morning included the following:

• 2 Blair’s Shoulder-knot (NFY)
• 3 Double-striped Pug
• 15 Lesser Yellow Underwing
• 15 Large Yellow Underwing
• 1 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
• 4 Lunar Underwing
• 5 Angle Shades
• 1 Vines Rustic
• 1 Willow Beauty
• 5 Feathered Ranunculus
• 4 Square-spot Rustic
• 1 Clancy’s Rustic
• 2 Shuttle-shaped Dart
• 1 Crocidosema plebejana
• 2 Common Plume
• 1 Beautiful Plume
• 2 Rusty-dot Pearl
• 4 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 2 Clepsis consimilana
• 2 Box Tree Moth

This afternoon, the juvenile Red-backed Shrike at Medmerry RSPB Reserve was still entertaining the crowds, but a reported Buff-breasted Sandpiper on the nearby Stilt Pools was a real bonus. Local birder Sarah Russell was on the scene and managed to grab a photo of the bird, that soon became a distant individual to many that turned up to see it, including some of the 'Lazee's who made the journey there. Other news today was of a male Ring Ouzel found just west of Fort Widley on Portsdown Hill by birding chum, Geoff Farwell. This seems a good reliable site in Autumn for this species and so might take a wander up there possibly this week. In my garden this afternoon, after the rain had passed, there were at least two Chiffchaffs, a Red Admiral Butterfly and a Hornet-mimic Hoverfly noted. A pair of Swallows were seen flying at speed heading north high over the garden. 

The Buff-breasted Sandpiper on the Stilt Pools today. Photo by Sarah Russell.