Another good haul of Moths and a few extras!

 Wednesday 6th April 2026.

I found this Poplar Hawk-moth while walking the dogs early this morning. It was perched on a Shop window cill. Hopefully, it would have flown off before the public disturbed it.

It was overcast overnight and also the first thing this morning and even the temperatures were not too bad. After last week's clear skies overnight, it certainly was worth putting the Moth Box on last night as I was treated to 25 moths of 16 species of which four were new for the year. It seemed to be a good day for Moths all round, for I found a Poplar Hawk-moth on a Shop window while I was walking the dogs early this morning and within another shop, my first Twenty-plume Moth of the year was sitting near the shop window. I even found my first Knot Grass moth of the year sitting near the front door of a house! 

This was my first Twenty-plume Moth of the year. It was also found while walking the dogs this morning, sitting in a shop near the front window! Below, I found this Knot Grass moth perched by someone's front door.

My Moth Box:

This attractively marked micro moth, the Garden Midget lived up to its name. It really was tiny, but it was new to my Moth Life List.

A good haul of Moths for this time of year in my garden and it included four more moths that were new for the year. The macro moths Heart & Dart and Oak-tree Pug and the micro moths, Black Cloak (Notocelia cynosbatella) and a ‘Lifer’, Garden Midget (Phyllonoycter messaniella). There were two of the latter and a species that is so small, I nearly missed it; but close up, it really is an attractive tiny moth. The Oak-tree Pug was a good record here, but the Heart & Dart is a very common moth here in Southsea.

From top to bottom: Heart & Dart, Oak-tree Pug and Black Cloak.

The moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Shuttle-shaped Dart x2	Ruddy Streak x1
Turnip Moth x2	GARDEN MIDGET * x1
Bright-line Brown-eye x2	Black Cloak * x1
Garden Carpet x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x1
Silver Y x1
Pale Mottled Willow x1
Double-striped Pug x3
Heart & Dart * x1
Angle Shades x1
Cabbage Moth x2
Vine’s Rustic x1
Oak-tree Pug * x1

While enjoying going through a nice haul of Moths, a pair of Swallows flew high overhead and headed off west.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Up to 13 species were recorded from my shifts here at Pembroke Road and the star bird was an adult Mediterranean Gull flying low over the Bowling Green early this morning, which flew off towards the Curtain Moat area. It remained overcast most of the day and as expected, the temperature climbed a little in the afternoon and at least it remained dry. Even the sun came out occasionally to warrant putting my sunglasses on; but it was short-lived!

In Hampshire today:

The drake Garganey on Titchfield Haven today. Photo by Daz Gorman.

Apart from the usual and expected migrants in Hampshire, the only birds of note included a drake Garganey on Titchfield Haven and a late Great Northern Diver off Weston Shore, Southampton. A Stone-curlew was on Farlington Marshes yesterday evening, but there was no sign of the bird this morning, but a Spoonbill was on the Stream area. 

Above, another excellent photo of the drake Garganey today. Photo by Daz Gorman.

Above and below, this superb Hobby entertained over Titchfield Haven today. Photos by Daz Gorman.