Sand Dart added to Moth Life List.

Thursday 10th July 2025.

My first ever SAND DART moth. Though very worn, I put it out there on the Facebook site UK Moths Flying Tonight and they came up with this ID.

The clear skies overnight put paid to a large haul of moths this morning, but there were plenty to look at and also a ‘Lifer’ among them too. Even Matt & Emma experienced a low turn out of Moths this morning. Another very warm day beckons with a clear blue sky and warming temperatures and it could get up to 25 or 26 degree centigrade today. The local Swifts were in good numbers this morning and with at least one of the Boxes by my house raising another brood (I can hear the youngsters calling inside the nest box), there easily must have been a dozen birds around this morning (see photos below).

My Moth Box:

My second Cloaked Minor of the year.

Up to 58 Moths of 28 species were recorded this morning, of which one I had to retain as I could not be certain on what species it was. Yes, it was a bit worn and tatty, but some of the markings on the forewing looked quite interesting. In the end, I put it on the Facebook site Moths UK Flying Tonight and it looked good for my first ever SAND DART, which is a localised coastal species. 

My first Brimstone Moth for July was present and a smart looking Cloaked Minor was quickly potted and photographed. For a change, micro moths easily outnumbered macro moths this morning.

Brimstone Moth.

The Moths recorded this morning included the following:

Macro Moths:                                           Micro Moths:

Lackey x1                                                 Common Masoner x2
Cloaked Minor x1                                     Dotted Masoner x1 
SAND DART x1                                        Large Pale Masoner x2
Elephant Hawk-moth                                Black-banded Masoner x5
August Thorn x1                                       Light Brown Apple Moth x1
Single-dotted Wave x1                             Mint Moth x1
Large Yellow Underwing x1                      Bird-cherry Ermine x8
Brimstone Moth x1                                   Garden Grey x1
Double-striped Pug x1                              Rusty-dot Pearl x4
Common Pug x2                                      Satin Grass-moth x1 
Willow Beauty x1                                     Garden Grass-veneer x4
                                                                 Common Plume x7
                                                                 Beautiful Plume x1 
                                                                 Elderberry Pearl x1
                                                                 Apple Leaf Miner x3
                                                                 Brown Bark Moth x1
                                                                 Blushed Knot-horn x1

Emma & Matt’s Moth Box:     

A Sharp-angled Peacock moth (right) with a Riband Wave.                

In Fareham this morning, it was quieter in Matt & Emma’s garden, though they did have a smart Sharp-angled Peacock moth, a species I have not seen for several years now.

They recorded the following moths:

Macro Moths:                              Micro Moths:

Common Rustic                             Bud Moth

Shuttle-shaped Dart

Sharp-angled Peacock

Cypress Carpet

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Yet another sunny morning with a clear blue sky overhead and getting warmer every day. Just 11 species were seen this morning on my first shift and nothing spectacular among them either, though a Pied Wagtail had returned to the Bowling Green for the first time this week. Of interest, a Vapourer Moth flew around clear to where I stood in Pembroke Road; my first of the year and most certainly not my last. But this is a day flying species often seen, but rarely in my Moth Trap back at home. Both Migrant and Marmalade Hoverflies were seen on the Hibiscus Bushes again along with the Buff-tailed Bumblebees. Meadow Brown and Red Admiral butterflies were seen along with many Small & Large White butterflies. 

The view from the Coffee Cup cafe at Eastney looking west. In the coming Winter, Portsmouth City Council are going to pour tons of new shingle on the beach here to protect it from coastal erosion. 

This afternoon got very warm and standing there in Pembroke Road in 82 degree heat was not fun; but I had a job to do and time went quite quickly. A Blue Tit was added to this morning's bird species, but little else of note than from what I saw this morning. In Hampshire today, just the one Quail was heard calling at Martin Down and one was calling briefly again at Old Winchester Hill.

Above, the Swifts were 'screaming' in small flocks up and down my road I live in and one in particular flew into one of my nestboxes.