My second ever Cloud-bordered Brindle & Twin Gold-spot mania!

Monday 28th July 2025.

Only my second ever Cloud-bordered Brindle on my Moth Box this morning.

The Moth Box was on again last night and I was rewarded with another good haul of Moths, but only just the one that was new for the year. The weather was overcast first thing this morning, but at least it was dry and remained that way throughout the day with some warm sunshine at times, with a light south-westerly wind. After that terrific result in the Ladies Euro Final by the England team, could my Moth Box score with something spectacular?

My Moth Box:

A quite staggering 12 Golden Twin-spot moths were in and around my Moth Box!

I did ‘score’ with my first Cloud-bordered Brindle of the year, which was in fact only my second ever; but this was ‘trumped’ by an incredible TWELVE Golden Twin-spot moths!!!! I thought this species was a rare immigrant. Heaven knows how many might have been hiding in the garden amongst the plants? SIX Tree-lichen Beauties was nothing to be sniffed at either plus two Nutmeg moths. Other immigrant moths recorded today included Langmaid’s Yellow Underwing, a Rush Veneer and two Diamond-back Moths. In total, 80 moths of 36 species were recorded this morning.

Above, one of SIX Tree-lichen Beauties this morning and below, one of two Nutmeg moths.

The Moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Cloud-bordered Brindle x1 *	Meal Moth x1
Nutmeg x2	Mother of Pearl x2
White Ermine x1	Brown Bark Moth x1
Golden Twin-spot x12	Rusty-dot Pearl x1
Double-striped Pug x4	Pale-backed Detritus Moth x1
Lime-speck Pug x2	Light Brown Apple Moth x9
Small Dusty Wave x1	Garden Pebble x1
Cloaked Minor x2	Mint Moth x1
Lychnis x2	Barred Marble x1
Tree-lichen Beauty x6	Common Plume x4
Large Yellow Underwing x1	Black-banded Masoner x2
Langmaid’s Yellow Underwing x1	Common Masoner x2
Pale Mottled Willow x2	Hawthorn Moth x1
Common Rustic x3	Rush Veneer x1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x4	Ruddy Streak x1
Heart & Dart x1	Bird-cherry Ermine x1
Brimstone Moth x1	Diamond-back Moth x2
Marbled Beauty x1	White-shouldered House Moth x1

Matt & Emma’s Moth Box:

Over in Fareham, the guys only had two new species for the year which were two micro moths, a Rush Veneer and a Grey-Oak Knot-horn. They also had a Poplar Hawk-moth among the moths.

The Poplar Hawk-moth plus a Jersey Tiger by their Box today.

In Hampshire today, a Ruff was present on Normandy Lagoon, Pennington Marshes; a species I have yet to see this year. This was backed up here with the Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-tailed Duck, a family of Water Rail and 3 Common Sandpipers. An incredible number of Common Sandpipers were recorded at Lower Test Marshes again today with 24 birds being counted. An Osprey was reported over Fawley Refinery this morning. Yesterday, a staggering 393 Crossbills were seen flying over Luccombe on the Isle of Wight early in the morning and 188 the previous morning. An irruption year perhaps?