No change with the moths today.

Wednesday 27th September 2023.

A mixture of Large Yellow Underwing, Feathered Rananculus, Clancy's Rustic and Lunar Underwing moths this morning.

A breezier and overcast morning today, with a south-easterly wind (good for sea-watching!). I got out to check the moth box this morning around 7am as it's getting darker in the mornings now and as expected, there weren't too many about this morning. I know I have said that I will not put the moth box on consecutive nights, but I am getting fewer moths now and the chance of getting something new for the year is always a possibility (like yesterday), though this morning, it was the same regular moths.

There were 28 moths of 14 species this morning and probably the pick of the bunch would be the Clancy’s Rustics  in what has been a very good Autumn for them in my garden and I believe nationally as well.

The moths present this morning included the following:

• 3 Double-striped Pug
• 2 Willow Beauty
• 3 Lunar Underwing
• 4 Pale Mottled Willow
• 2 Lesser Yellow Underwing
• 1 Large Yellow Underwing
• 3 Feathered Ranunculus
• 1 Clancy’s Rustic
• 1 L-album Wainscot
• 1 Small Dusty Wave
• 1 Common Plume
• 1 Ruddy Streak 
• 4 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 1 Box Tree Moth
• 1 Blastobasis vittata

While checking the moths, a Yellow Wagtail was heard to fly over, but I failed to see the bird despite it being overcast. But I was more successful with a flyover Meadow Pipit flying south. On my first shift today, while driving to work, I saw a female Peregrine flying low overhead when I was on Eastney Esplanade and upsetting the local Gulls. The female Sparrowhawk was seen again, briefly flying over Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth. Several flocks of Meadow Pipits were seen flying south and a single Swallow was seen flying east in line with the roadside trees.

Above, the immature Surf Scoter was still present today off Pennington Marshes. Photo by Steve Copsey. Below, there were two Red Admiral butterflies perched on my garden fence this afternoon, but one flew off when I took a photo of the remaining butterfly.