Another two more Moths for the year list.

 Wednesday 20th May 2026.

One of 7 Cypress Tip Moths this morning.

A heatwave is on its way here in the UK, just in time for not only the Bank Holiday, but also our trip to Devon this week. However, this morning, you would have never guessed it was on its way as there was a breezy westerly wind that kept the temperatures just into double figures. It was fairly bright though and in the afternoon, it did come out rather nice and the wind had dropped a bit too.

I couldn't resist putting the Moth Box overnight again and was rewarded with a couple more moths that were new for the year; but blink, then you would have missed them! Pembroke Road was relatively quiet again, with nothing that unusual among the birds seen today, but most of the usual suspects were present today.

My Moth Box:

My first Apple Leaf Miner of the year.

There were a lot more moths than yesterday this morning, with 28 moths of 12 species present today. A breezy wind blew over the garden and one of the outside egg trays was a bit soggy from yesterday's rain. Among them were two micro moths that were new for the year: the tiny Cypress Tip Moth (Argyresthia cupressella) and also the very small Apple Leaf Miner (Lyonetia clerkella). 

Among the notable macro moths, there was another White and Buff Ermine and my third Marbled Minor agg of the year. Also within the Moth Box was an Ichneumon Wasp species and my first Black-horned Gem fly for the year. This was a very small metallic Soldier Fly species and quite a stunning little insect too.

The Black-horned Gem. A Soldier Fly species.

The Moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
White Ermine x1	Cypress Tip Moth * x7
Buff Ermine x1	Light Brown Apple Moth
Shuttle-shaped Dart x4	Apple Leaf Minor * x2
Vine’s Rustic x2	Ruddy Streak x1
Heart & Dart x1
Marbled Minor agg x1
Common Pug x1
Garden Carpet x1

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

I got up to 13 bird species for the day, though all of them were seen on my morning shift at Pembroke Road. As mentioned, all the usual suspects were present this morning including the usual three species of Gull, the pair of Pied Wagtails on the Bowling Green and the Wrens going back and forth to their nest opposite to where I stood. The Great Tit was singing again in the Holm Oaks and the House Sparrows were quite vocal when I arrived this morning. 

The Ichneuman Wasp that was within my Moth Box today.