A good selection of Moths this morning.

 Wednesday 15th April 2026.

My first Lychnis moth of the year in my Moth Box this morning.

It was wet last night and obviously well into the morning as I awoke to a very damp garden. Last night, before retiring to bed, a quick check of the Moth Box was a bit of a task as the whole garden seemed to be littered with snails and slugs going about their business on the very wet patio! This morning, I had my highest count of Moths for the year and a few ‘year-ticks’ into the bargain as well. To cap it off, my first UK Yellow Wagtail flew high over the house heading north!

My Moth Box:

This Bloxworth Snout was found later in the morning by my Moth Box.

A good count of 14 moths of 7 species were recorded this morning and a further check when I got home from my first shift at Pembroke Road, another moth species was added; my first Bloxworth Snout of the year resting on my bike cover beside the Box. There were three more Moths that were new for the year that included a Lychnis, Brimstone Moth and the micro moths, Sulphur Tubic (Esperia sulphurella) and Ruddy Streak (Tachystola acroxantha).

New for the year were the moths Sulphur Tubic (above) and Brimstone Moth (below).

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Lychnis * x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x7
Common Quaker x1	Common Plume x1
Brimstone Moth * x1	Sulphur Tubic * x1
Bloxworth Snout * x1	Ruddy Streak * x2

The Moth Box always seems to attract other insects and this morning was no exception with up to four Chequered Hoverflies (Melanostoma scalare) and a Common Wasp on the egg trays within the Box.

Above, two of the four Chequered Hoverflies present this morning and below, a Common Wasp also took refuge in my Moth Box overnight.

Overhead, I heard my first Yellow Wagtail in the UK (saw many in Turkey last week) fly high north over the house and a Mediterranean Gull was heard again in the distance.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

This is the garden in Pembroke Close, close to where I stand in Pembroke Road. The lawn itself was a haven for plants with the likes of Spanish Bluebells, Three-cornered Leek, Bulbous Buttercups and a few other flowering plants inhabiting the garden. The leaves on the trees have the potential of hiding a possible migrant, so I shall keep a close eye on this garden over the coming months.

There was a bit of a mixture of weather today and on my first shift at Pembroke Road, it was very overcast, but mild with a breezy south-westerly wind blowing across the road. Again, after my Yellow Wagtail sighting earlier this morning, I was banking on a Hirundine flying over, but the wait for one goes on. This afternoon, the weather turned worse with persistent rain throughout my second shift, but my 13 bird species this morning on my first shift were added by one more species this afternoon - a Magpie!

A Robin was seen singing close to where I stood on the corner of Pembroke Road and Pembroke Close; so pleasant to hear over the noise of the passing cars. There were no migrants seen at all here today and it was left to the more common birds to add to the species count. A Carrion Crow perched on a rooftop nearby was being harassed by around 6 Herring Gulls; but the Crow stood its ground as the Gulls tried in vain to bombard the Corvid. I have a suspicion that one of the Gulls could be nesting up there?

It was very tempting to take a quick walk this morning into Highland Road Cemetery, especially with a singing Chiffchaff within there. What else could be there?

Earlier today, my dogs had their usual walk past Highland Road Cemetery (it's so tempting to have a walk round, but I simply have not got the time) and a Chiffchaff was heard singing somewhere within the Cemy and I was pretty sure I heard a Swift overhead, but failed to locate the bird.

Evening update: I found my first Small Dusty Wave moth of the year in my garden tonight, but it was too dark and not easy to get a photo of the Moth. Hurrumph!

In Hampshire today:

A singing Common Whitethroat seen and photographed recently by Rob Porter.

The long-staying American Golden Plover was still present today at Bunny Meadows, Warsash, still (I could be tempted to go for the bird on Saturday should it still be present) and Winchester College Water Meadows held 3 ‘reeling’ Grasshopper Warblers along with a Mandarin and a selection of Warblers and Hirundines present. Off Hill Head this morning, an Arctic Skua, 6 Kittiwakes and 3 Gannets went past and the Velvet Scoter was off Brownwich still. A White Stork flew over Fishlake Meadows again (another likely candidate site for this Saturday).

The stunning Red-spotted Bluethroat at Swineham Gravel Pits, Dorset. Photo by Emma Parkes.