Tuesday 17th June 2025.
My first Dun-bar moth for the year. This is an annual species for my garden of which I get about a handful most years.
After yesterday's excellent moths that were in and around my Moth Box, I just had to put the Box on last night, especially due to the fact that it is going to be a very warm week and should bring in some possible migrant moths. This morning, I was blessed with another reasonable number of moths and with a trip to Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth this morning. It looks like yet another very warm day coming up with a very light west south-westerly wind blowing this morning, though it is supposed to get into the high 70’s this afternoon.
The Moth Box:
My second Gold Twin-spot moth for the month and year. This is a very scarce immigrant moth for the UK, but it seems they seem to like my garden.
Up to 64 Moths of 29 species were recorded this morning, which included three more species added to my year list: Cloaked Minor, Clancy’s Rustic and a Dun-bar. Continuing with the theme of migrant moths, I had my second Gold Twin-spot of the year, having had one earlier in the month and a Diamond-back Moth was also a migrant.
Above, a Common Emerald and below, the immigrant moth, Clancy's Rustic.
I have been reading on the various Moth Facebook pages where some guys are getting well into treble figures of moths already. One particular guy had over 800+ moths of 135 species! The hot weather on its way will no doubt bring in large numbers of moths over the coming week, so I wait with anticipation on what my Box will attract.
Macro moths:
- Gold Twin-spot x1
- Cloaked Minor x1
- Willow Beauty x7
- Riband Wave x8
- Clancy’s Rustic x1
- Marbled Minor x2
- Lime-speck Pug x1
- Common Pug x4
- Double-striped Pug x2
- Dun-bar x1
- Lackey x3
- Common Emerald x2
- Pale Mottled Willow x3
- Large Yellow Underwing x1
- Dark Arches x2
- White Ermine x4
- Bright-line Brown-eye 1
- Heart & Dart x4
- L-album Wainscot x1
- Garden Carpet x1
- Yellow-barred Brindle x1
Macro moths:
- Common Grey x1
- Garden Grass-veneer x4
- Diamond-back Moth x1
- Apple Leaf Miner x1
- Ruddy Streak x2
- Common Plume x2
- Bud Moth x1
- Blushed Knot-horn x2
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
The view from Pembroke Road looking south.
Yet again, the bird species total at Pembroke Road produced just 12 species this morning. There was a clear blue sky overhead, but it was a little nippy at 8am in the shade. So I opted as much as I could in keeping in the sunshine. Overhead, a trio of Swifts flew low west over Governor’s Green and on the Bowling Green, up to 5 Pied Wagtails chased insects on the short grass and were joined by a male Blackbird and several Starlings. A Wren was in full song by the Bowling Green and a juvenile Blue Tit could be heard in the Holm Oaks throughout my morning shift.
Regarding the insects, the usual Harlequin Ladybirds and a Parasitic Wasp species was seen around the ‘Lemon and Lime’ Bushes.
Last night, birding friends, Matt & Emma Parkes took a trip over to Whiteley Woods last night. Not only did they hear Nightjars, Woodcock, Tawny Owl and Nightingale, but also had a sighting of a Glow Worm.
Above and below, the Glow-worm. Photo by Matt & Emma Parkes.
This afternoon, it was rather hot and so I wore shorts for the first time in a few months on my second shift. The only addition to my bird sightings this afternoon was a Black-headed Gull flying low over the road. This evening, while watering the garden, I heard the alarm call of a Starling and so looking up expecting to see a raptor going over, I was right as a male Peregrine flew low overhead heading west over the houses. The watering flushed up some of my moths from this morning and one of them was a male Bee Moth. Considering I had not seen one this morning, I was pleased with that.
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