More moths this morning & a large spider in my house!

Wednesday 26th March 2025.

The sea was very calm this morning over the Solent.

An overcast, but bright start to the day with next to no wind and temperatures around 10 degrees centigrade. The Moth Box was on overnight and attracted a few moths and some other insects and then back to Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth where it got a little brighter with the occasional bit of sunshine poking through the clouds.

The Moth Box:

One of two Early Grey moths. 

A total of 13 moths were present by my Moth Box this morning (only one moth within it!), but sadly, no sign of last nights Angle Shades moth that was fluttering around my Moth Box late last night. No new moths for the year other that the Angle Shades of which the following were present:

• Double-striped Pug x3
• Water-dropwort Brown
• Common Plume x5
• Beautiful Plume x2

I did not expect to find my first Comma butterfly of the year by my Moth Box this morning.

Other notable insects around the Moth Box included my first Comma butterfly of the year, perched on the wall opposite and a Lacewing was on the white sheet behind the Box. There was a bit of birdlife going on overhead with a Linnet, Goldfinch and Greenfinch all heard flying over and in the gardens, a Chiffchaff was singing and seen a couple of times as it made its way north through the garden and still present at 2pm.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

This Lacewing was by the Moth Box.

Before I made my way to Pembroke Road, I stopped off just west of South Parade Pier and took a look over the Solent where the sea was dead calm. However, the only bird seen, apart from the usual Herring Gulls, was a Cormorant flying east low over the water.

Pembroke Road produced up to 15 species this morning, including another singing Chiffchaff and the Jay showed again briefly. Just the two Pied Wagtails on the Bowling Green and all that was on Governor’s Green was Wood Pigeons. 

My wife had a fright when she found this large Spider near the front door of our house. I done some research on this spider and it seems that Obsidentify believes it as Zoropsis spinimana 

Yesterday’s Blue-headed Wagtail was still present on Farlington Marshes this morning but was flushed by a passing Kestrel. A Wheatear was also there as well as two Spoonbills. Probably the same 1st winter Caspian Gull as yesterday was on Titchfield Haven this morning.

The 1st winter Caspian Gull photographed off Hill Head yesterday by Mark Francis.