The temperature has really dropped!

Monday 22nd September 2025.

Up to 5 Lesser Yellow Underwing moths were present today.

Well, the temperature certainly dropped overnight and early this morning and it was noticeable this morning with the lack of Moths here in my Southsea garden. It was only about 6 degrees first thing today and some places in Hampshire are going to get a frost tomorrow morning! Welcome to Autumn! On a positive side, there was a lot of ‘Vis Mig’ going on this morning and the weather, though cold, was sunny with a bright blue sky.

My Moth Box:

A Square-spot Rustic moth was one of just five species this morning.

The cold conditions put paid to any decent numbers this morning with just 9 moths of 5 species! If it wasn’t for the Lesser Yellow Underwings, it would have looked dire. Other insects attracted to the Moth Box included a White-footed Hoverfly (Platycheirus albimanus) and a Stour Sac Spider, of which I both potted and quickly released. The spider, I was reading about, is actually venomous and can give a nasty bite apparently. I am glad I never picked the bugger up!

This male Stour Sac Spider was in my Moth Box.

The Moths recorded this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Lesser Yellow Underwing x5	Ruddy Streak x1
Square-spot Rustic x1
Garden Carpet x1
L-album Wainscot x1

There was a bit of Visible Migration going on while checking the Moth Box, with the constant calls of Meadow Pipits going over in some numbers and also a small flock of Siskins and best of all, a Tree Pipit. Three Swallows also were seen heading east.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

A cold but sunny start to the day in Pembroke Road.

The ‘Visible Migration’ carried on throughout my first shift in Pembroke Road this morning with good numbers of Meadow Pipits going over, though all were heading north! Flocks of both Swallows and House Martins were going over and again, most were heading north or north-west. A Chiffchaff was calling in the Holm Oaks, though I never got a sighting of the bird. A pair of Pied Wagtails were on the Bowling Green again and a Jay showed well in one of the Sycamore trees by the main road. Up to 12 bird species were seen in total on my first shift. 

As expected the birdlife was quiet this afternoon on my second shift in Pembroke Road, though a calling Wren was added to my daylist here. A real surprise was a Small Copper butterfly sunning itself briefly on a whitewashed wall behind where I stood. It didnt linger long and was too quick for a photo. Minutes later, the Autumn sunshine attracted a Small White, again briefly, to perch on one of the Bushes before flying off. In my garden, the flowering Ivy attracted up to three Red Admirals and a Comma butterfly and a Hornet-mimic Hoverfly joined the many other Hoverflies and Bees present.

It looks like a good day to be out birding and I envy those who are today. There was no sign of the Grey Phalarope on Keyhaven Marshes this morning, but the Little Stint was present again. Yesterday, birding pal Geoff Farwell was down Farlington Marshes again and he recorded the following birds: 18 Curlew Sandpipers (Jason Crook recorded up to 24 Curlew Sandpipers and possibly 26 birds in all!!!), a Whimbrel, 2 Common Sandpipers, 4 Wheatear, Whinchat and numerous Chiffchaff and Common Whitethroats. He also saw a Painted Lady and Clouded Yellow butterfly on the reserve.