Back to the moths

Sunday 13th August 2023.

White-point, Garden Tiger and a Vine's Rustic in the moth box this morning.

It's back home now after a nice break down in South Devon and the first port of call was to set up the moth trap overnight. I did miss doing this and having no outside power point for trapping back down in Devon, apart from getting up at first light, it was still good to see what moths were in and around my moth box this morning.

The micro moth London Dowd (Blastobasis lacticolella).

Both Thursday and Friday were both family days and little was done regarding any birding and yesterday, it was the long drive home. It should have only taken around four hours, but several Caravans breakdowns and a Car accident put paid to getting home early. Grumble! So, this morning, it was up early to check the moth box, though that was interrupted a few times because of the rain showers.

Large Yellow Underwing.

There were no new moths this morning, but a healthy total of 81 moths of 27 species were present. Up to three Garden Tigers were present (our Isabelle will be pleased) and a few notable moths including White-point, Lychnis, Dark Sword-grass and the first London Dowd micro moth of the month. Vine’s Rustic numbers exploded with at least 19+ recorded in and around the moth box and Light Brown Apple Moths were abundant too. A good start back to my moth-ing.

White-point.

The moths present this morning included the following:

• 3 Brimstone Moth
• 3 Garden Tiger
• 19 Vine’s Rustic
• 1 Silver Y
• 8 Pale Mottled Willow
• 1 White-point
• 1 Double-striped Pug
• 2 Lime-speck Pug
• 1 Dark Sword-grass
• 4 Bright-line Brown-eye
• 1 Lychnis
• 2 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
• 1 Large Yellow Underwing
• 1 Angle Shades
• 4 Shuttle-shaped Dart
• 1 Square-spot Rustic
• 1 Mint Moth
• 1 Box Tree Moth
• 3 Common Plume
• 13 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 1 Beautiful Plume
• 1 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 3 Dingy Dowd
• 1 London Dowd
• 1 Privet Tortrix
• 1 Dark Neb
• 2 Garden Pebble

Dark Sword-grass.

Yesterday, I got a text from both birding chums, Andy Fisher and Geoff Farwell, that they went to Farley Mount, near Winchester, where they had sightings of 2 Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, 2 Hobbies, 6 Common Buzzard, 4 Red Kite, 2 Raven, Marsh Tit, 10 Blackcap, 2 Common Whitethroat, 5 Swifts and a steady passage of House Martins and a few Sand Martins. Earlier, Geoff had checked Andy’s moth box and recorded 2 Maiden Blush, 5 Willow Beauty, Scalloped Oak, Riband Wave, Mother of Pearl, White-point, Dusky Thorn and a probable Blair’s Mocha plus an Oak Bush Cricket. 

Around lunch time, I took another quick look at the white sheet behind my moth box and these two micro moths had turned up. Above, Ox-tongue Conch (Cochylis molliculana) and below, Sussex Dowd (Blastobasis vittata). The former was new for my year list.