Cabbage Moth was new for the year.

Tuesday 21st May 2024

My first Cabbage Moth of the year. The moth was just starting to vibrate its wings when this photo was taken and eventually flew off strongly.

A much cooler day with a slight northerly wind keeping temperatures down below 20 degrees. There is the possibility of heavy showers later today as well, with thunderstorms further north in the UK. The Moth Box was on overnight and so I was up around 5.30am checking out if there was anything new for the year among a small haul of moths present. Old Portsmouth hosted a good number of Swifts on my first shift early this morning too.

The Moth Box:

A total of 21 moths of 13 species were present early this morning of which the Cabbage Moth was the first one of this species for the year. However, it had got caught on some spider's web and so I carefully released it and eventually, it flew off strongly. All the usual species were present this morning including up to 5 Willow Beauties.

• Cabbage Moth (New for Year)
• Brimstone Moth 3
• Pale Mottled Willow
• Willow Beauty 5
• Common Pug 
• Freyer’s Pug 
• Lime-speck Pug
• Shuttle-shaped Dart
• Bright-line Brown-eye 3
• Light Brown Apple Moth
• Ruddy Streak
• Narrow-winged Grey
• White-shouldered House Moth

Freyers Pug. Currently, a regular moth in my garden.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Up to a dozen Swifts were circling and screaming high over Pembroke Road when I arrived at 8am this morning (I counted about 18 birds high over my house later in the morning), which is always a pleasing sight. Again, nothing out of the ordinary in Pembroke Road this morning, but nice to watch all the young Starlings following their respective parents over the rooftops and also on Governor’s Green. Three species of Gull were seen here this morning, which included Black-headed, Herring and Great Black-backed Gull.

Above, a secretive Fox. Photo by Emma Parkes and below, a female Banded Demoiselle damselfly. Photo by Matt Parkes.

Later this morning, while driving up to the Dentists in Waterlooville there was a sighting of a Kestrel hovering some 50 feet up over in a field opposite the London Road. A Turtle Dove was seen by a fellow ‘Lazee Birder’ on Martin Down this morning and over the past weekend, a female type Montegue’s Harrier was seen by a few ‘Lazee’s’ over near Pig Bush and then onto the heath by Shatterford.

The Turtle Dove at Martin Down today. Photo by Andy Tew. Below, young Avocets. Photo by Rob Porter.